Holland Blog 4
No, I didn't feel the , though I'm told it was felt as far away as Amsterdam! I'm writing this blog over a steaming bowl of noodles (when in Rome...) at a tiny sushi place around the corner from the hotel in that we're checking-in to. Inevitably, there is always a huge queue for check-in, especially when it's a Berlioz-sized orchestra. I've officially boycotted the queue and opted for lunch first.
Not such a long bus journey today from Utrecht. We have three coaches – two ordinary ones and a 'business class' coach. This is the ü²ú±ð°ù-²ú³Ü²õ, a class above, and competition for a place on it is fierce. Coach-wars! Only kidding, it's all very friendly; but in all seriousness, to secure a seat on it you need to be there at least half an hour early to put your towel (bag) on the sun-lounger (seat). I've boycotted this too. The driver of the ü²ú±ð°ù-²ú³Ü²õ guards his vehicle fiercely, with frightening militancy – definitely not one to be crossed. Grumble, grumble...sorry.
My last blog got up to Day 6 (that sounds suspiciously Big Brother, no?) – Heerlen. To be fair, the weather was against Heerlen...it was good ol' Glasgow weather which complemented the grey of the concrete nicely. I forgave all though when I was served the best club sandwich in the world at a pancake café nearby. The hall was pretty new and had a good acoustic, before I knew it I was back on the bus to Utrecht.
I was sorry to leave Utrecht today, I really liked the place and it was an ideal base for us. Yesterday we had much of the day free as we were playing in the city that night, so no long bus rides. It was a great chance to explore the canals and old town, and pop into some shops to guarantee my suitcase is overweight on the return flight. A group of us decided to work off yet another hotel breakfast by climbing the Dom tower, all 465 steps of it - great views at the top and slightly wobbly legs at the bottom (incidentally, our guide looked uncannily like the SSO Marketing Manager Stephen Duffy).
I said we were playing in the city, well that's not technically true. Utrecht's main concert hall is being refurbished at the moment, so instead we were playing in a temporary hall on the outskirts. Jaws dropped as we pulled up beside a gigantic bright red warehouse, christened the 'Red Bull' by Amanda Shearman.
Inside, it was vast but had an astonishingly good acoustic – very alive but also warm. The concert sold very well, it's always nice to play to full house, and it was a welcome change to get back to the hotel fairly early. The violas headed straight out for their traditional 'viola night out'...enough said.
So, that brings us to Day 8 of the SSO Holland Tour (don't deny that you read that in a Geordie accent). We're in Eindhoven now, Philips-town - it was apparently only a village in 1900, expanded by the electrical giant. 2 concerts here and then off to !
Continuing the pet-theme of the Quote of the Day:
Sonia Cromarty (cello): "We've been here too long: we're recognising the cats"
David Chadwick
