Barcelona, baby!!
Prepare yourself for one of the most epic journal entries ever.
Friday, 3rd April: 6:30am - After a night of epic fail in the sleep department, finally wake up, both excited about going to Barcelona, finally (!!) and annoyed because of aforementioned lack of sleep. Struggle reluctant body out of bed and into something vaguely resembling clothing. Finally leave house at 7 to meet Rose and Iona outside Iona's place. Meet Rose, who mentions concert dress. Realise have neglected to pack concert dress, despite actually looking at concert dress last night. Indeed, actually recall thinking to self "I don't need that on tour". Run back home and yank concert dress from wardrobe, wondering if university actually was succeeding in making me stupider. Run back to Rose and, now, Iona. Heave suitcase and Iona's cornet up big hill. Catch bus to Firth Hall. Stand around and infuriate people actually helping to pack the bus, hop on bus, wait for people who have overslept, finally setting off at about 9am.
Friday, 3rd April: 2pm or so - Begin to dislike buses just a little bit. Arrive at place where the bus gets driven into a train and shot across the channel. Our driver gets changed to the two blokes that will be carting us around (going via. the moon most days) for the tour. One of these blokes was called Mick. Forgot the name of the other. So we board this train, shoot across the channel, emerge in France. Right-hand-side driving ahoy!
Saturday, 4th April: 1:30pm - Think this coach is probably the worst thing in the entire world and want to kill it and myself, but am finally able to get off the fucking thing so it doesn't matter. Manage eventually to haul suitcase up stairs to Room 151 with Rose and Iona (there are other people in this story, I promise). Spend afternoon with them, Laura and Charlotte, walking along the main walk, buying ice cream and a ball, playing Pose Ball (a very complicated and sophisticated game requiring a ball, several people and the ability to remain in a ridiculous ball-watching pose for quite a long time) and getting your feet killed by the coursest sand i've ever seen that wasn't actually pebbles.
After dinner go to the Hotel QK, where I learn two very important things. 1) Vodka and Oranges are 4.70 euro, and 2) the Sacred Rules of the Brethren must be acknowledged. The Sacred Rules of the Brethren revolve mainly around the Top Gun drinking rules (Top Gun being the film that must be watched at every SUWO excursion). The Rules of the Brethren state that should you not remove Goose, do not hold your beverage (carefully avoiding using the word 'drink') in your left hand, do not raise your pinky as you imbibe, do not land your glass safely on the table, refer to members of the Brethren or other members of SUWO by their Drinking names (mine was Sheila), ask for permission to Buzz the Tower after completion of beverage, and/or point with your finger (you must use your elbow), you must either drink two fingers, drink four fingers, do 10 push-ups (star-jumps for the ladies) or do 10 Bastards, depending on the severity of the crime. Commit several major offences, but fortunately was able to serve my full penance without too much trouble. Also fall over several times, resulting in much hilarity for all. Finally collapse in exhausted heap on bed at around midnight.
Sunday, 5th April: 7am - Really, really do not understand why it's necessary to get breakfast as soon as it opens. Breakfast is, after all, served for 1 hr 45 minutes. Surely sleeping for an extra hour and getting breakfast at nine would be nicer? Yes? Anyway, inevitably outvoted, drag self out of bed long enough to stand still in the shower, go to breakfast with Rose and Iona at 8. Breakfast quite delicious but have strong feeling it was the first of a long line of too-big meals, seeing as have gained 3kg. After breakfast, pack bag with stand, concert dress and as much cheer as possible, get on bus at 10 to go to Santa Clara's Convent - Castello D'Empuries. Spend morning and early afternoon eating sandwiches with suspicious-looking bright pink meat on them, taking photos of the triple-stacked Duke, Field Marshal and The HULK (Iona), being shown around town, taking photos of pretty things and discovering that calling somebody from Teeside a Geordie is like calling an Australian a Kiwi. Thus, Paul and I begin to refer to each other as "Kiwi" and "Geordie" respectively. Get ice cream of the day on way back to Convent for practice.
Sunday, 5th April: 3pm - Start practice in smallest space I've ever known to have to practice in. Realise very quickly that I won't be playing very well this tour, and hope that Tony (conductor) can live with that. Play at 6pm to surprisingly large audience and great applause. Presume that I mustn't have been very audible. Eat enormous meal on way back to hotel while marvelling at Tony's impressive balancing skills. Go down to bar for an hour. Invited out, but decline offer. Know that tomorrow, being Dave's birthday, will probably be a whopper. Iona discovers her pyjamas under my pillow, starting the nightly steal-Iona's-pyjamas ritual.
Monday, 6th April: 7am - Understand less and less why my friends relish in getting up early for breakfast. Would rather skip breakfast and sleep, but too hungry to entertain suggestion. Wish Iona's and Rose's respective alarm clocks would die horrible deaths as haul out of bed and stumble into shower. Leave in morning for Barcelona. Stay in city until 7pm, walking all the way to the Sagrada de Familia, taking photos of amazing architecture, celebrate Barcelona as only city in world with enough balls to have a building that looks like a gigantic penis in the middle of the CBD, eat two ice creams (much to Charlotte's joy), and end day feeling a little the worse for wear, but happy. Controversy rages on way home with Lydia journeying to back of bus and squealing "Why are you naked?!" Turns out that Field Marshal, Dom, Duke and the Pope have done away with most of their clothing, leaving a crucial sock over the fundamentals, lest they appear too forward. Lydia eventually returns quickly to the front when someone suggests she touches their sock. Have dinner in hotel. Stay away from the sausages.
After dinner go outside and take photos of poolside, which is quite pretty at night. Witness several members of SUWO walking past with many bottles of Sangria and cases of beer. After a resounding game of Pass The Hat (a game involving people lying in a line, a hat and many-a-song in your heart) gather with rest of SUWO in Room 150. Here, consume much Sangria and red wine, impressing the Duke with wine-putting-away abilities ("It's all right; I'm Australian") and sing happy birthday to Dave. Group photo interesting to organise, involving many of us balancing on several beds. Get noticed by hotel staff after mouthful of beer poured down throat by Flis. Escape to Hotel QK before can get caught, where consume two Vodka and Oranges, Sample Dave's Dirty Birthday Drink, break a glass to the shock and celebration of many SUWO members, and get told that I'm loved by people in SUWO that I'd barely associated with before now. End up quite dizzy and spaced out but very, very happy. Walk back with Tom and some other people, collapse in bed after waking poor Iona up, and fail to wake up when Rose knocks loudly on the door at around 3am.
Tuesday, 7th April: 8am - Finally, believe people understand the idea of going to breakfast later. Manage to shower without falling over, and head to breakfast, desperate for food. Find out from Rose that Dave was completely gone last night, and was rambling in Spanish, French, German and combinations thereof on the way home. Rose decides that she does not want to act as baby-sitter again. Espana, Espana. Dave doesn't show up for breakfast. Spend morning buying water (hotel water tastes dreadful) and playing Poolside Frisbee with members of SUWO (a game involving people, a frisbee and a very large, very cold volume of water). Have lunch and fall asleep, only to be woken up by Norris knocking on our door and informing us that everybody was waiting on the bus and we had to get to Barcelona, now. Suffer much embarrassment upon embarking bus, given kiwifruit from Sarah, told that it was from Paul. Enjoy the joke, but have no idea how to repay him. There is, after all, no easily-accessible fruit that synonymises Geordies. Get to Barcelona and prepare for concert in very echo-y hall indeed. Told by Duke that, from the back, it sounds an absolute mess. Terrific. Free evening in Barcelona was planned but decided against, owing to it absolutely pissing down with rain. Have steak sandwich and about half a jug of Sangria on way home, and ice cream of the day is kit-kat ice cream, which, while an ice cream, doesn't quite fit the 1-icecream-a-day quotient. Feel I've let myself down. Get home and collapse onto bed, utterly exhausted.
Wednesday, 8th April: 8am - Wake up feeling better than yesterday, but sad because last full day in Barcelona. Cold morning, but never-the-less battle on, buying chocolate, chips and Sangria with Laura in the supermarket and playing Pose Ball on the cold, windy beach. Rose, Iona and Laura finally get into the water, for the first time all week, and come to conclusion that yes, like I've been saying, it is bloody freezing. Have lunch in nice pasta place (other SUWO members ventured for Paella) and hop on bus at 3, after enduring several comments by various people about how thrilled they were to see we had arrived on time. Have very enjoyable third concert at real stage-theatre-like place, to much applause, two encores and many words of approval by delighted civilians. Go home feeling happy and as though I've done my bit. Have dinner in hotel, then head upstairs and down half the bottle of Sangria, Laura having the other half and getting some on her dress. Meet everybody downstairs and head to Hotel QK, where, two vodka-and-oranges later, feel in good enough shape to meander around the SUWO members, hugging them and laughing with them and feeling loving and loved in return. Taken home by Rose, the darling, and put to bed. Others go to club and, apparantly, have a blast. Feel somewhat annoyed that was too much of a prude to join them, at least for that last night. It was JB's birthday that day. He is now about 42 years old.
Thursday, 9th April: 7am - Wake up feeling dizzy and very, very hungry. Have shower, don beloved Brass-section tracksuit. Head to breakfast at 8, finally willing to get to the breakfast table as quickly as possible. Have free morning of lounging by the pool, chatting to Ollie, eating lunch at the same place as yesterday, buying more water and generally saying goodbye to Barcelona. Load everything onto bus at 2:15. Leave hotel at 3. Drive all through the night.
Friday, 10th April: 10am - Arrive at Passport control in Calais, self worried about possible having to go to separate building to get necessary stamp in passport for not being part of EU. End up only having to fill in landing card, and have instructed to me by JB that under the criminal convictions section, to just put that I was Australian, and I'd be set. Paul noticed I'd spelt New Zealand wrong on the landing card. One pretty stamp later, I was on my way. Board ferry, enjoy watching white cliffs of Dover from distance as ferry starts up. Find adorable toy pig in Duty Free store. Buy to help me get over the devestating loss of Wiki; the kiwifruit from several days before that I'd had to ceremoniously chuck in the garbage as he was starting to get a bit ripe. Laura dubbed the pig Hugo, so Hugo he is. He's too cute for words.
Friday, 10th April: 6:30pm - Arrive home, 2 hours behind schedule, and negotiate tricky process of getting bus back home. Spend evening with Rose, Iona, Laura and Dave, eating Chinese food, drinking wine and watching Pirates of the Caribbean.
Conclusion: Bloody awesome tour, bloody awesome friends, same time next year?
Friday, 3rd April: 6:30am - After a night of epic fail in the sleep department, finally wake up, both excited about going to Barcelona, finally (!!) and annoyed because of aforementioned lack of sleep. Struggle reluctant body out of bed and into something vaguely resembling clothing. Finally leave house at 7 to meet Rose and Iona outside Iona's place. Meet Rose, who mentions concert dress. Realise have neglected to pack concert dress, despite actually looking at concert dress last night. Indeed, actually recall thinking to self "I don't need that on tour". Run back home and yank concert dress from wardrobe, wondering if university actually was succeeding in making me stupider. Run back to Rose and, now, Iona. Heave suitcase and Iona's cornet up big hill. Catch bus to Firth Hall. Stand around and infuriate people actually helping to pack the bus, hop on bus, wait for people who have overslept, finally setting off at about 9am.
Friday, 3rd April: 2pm or so - Begin to dislike buses just a little bit. Arrive at place where the bus gets driven into a train and shot across the channel. Our driver gets changed to the two blokes that will be carting us around (going via. the moon most days) for the tour. One of these blokes was called Mick. Forgot the name of the other. So we board this train, shoot across the channel, emerge in France. Right-hand-side driving ahoy!
Saturday, 4th April: 1:30pm - Think this coach is probably the worst thing in the entire world and want to kill it and myself, but am finally able to get off the fucking thing so it doesn't matter. Manage eventually to haul suitcase up stairs to Room 151 with Rose and Iona (there are other people in this story, I promise). Spend afternoon with them, Laura and Charlotte, walking along the main walk, buying ice cream and a ball, playing Pose Ball (a very complicated and sophisticated game requiring a ball, several people and the ability to remain in a ridiculous ball-watching pose for quite a long time) and getting your feet killed by the coursest sand i've ever seen that wasn't actually pebbles.
After dinner go to the Hotel QK, where I learn two very important things. 1) Vodka and Oranges are 4.70 euro, and 2) the Sacred Rules of the Brethren must be acknowledged. The Sacred Rules of the Brethren revolve mainly around the Top Gun drinking rules (Top Gun being the film that must be watched at every SUWO excursion). The Rules of the Brethren state that should you not remove Goose, do not hold your beverage (carefully avoiding using the word 'drink') in your left hand, do not raise your pinky as you imbibe, do not land your glass safely on the table, refer to members of the Brethren or other members of SUWO by their Drinking names (mine was Sheila), ask for permission to Buzz the Tower after completion of beverage, and/or point with your finger (you must use your elbow), you must either drink two fingers, drink four fingers, do 10 push-ups (star-jumps for the ladies) or do 10 Bastards, depending on the severity of the crime. Commit several major offences, but fortunately was able to serve my full penance without too much trouble. Also fall over several times, resulting in much hilarity for all. Finally collapse in exhausted heap on bed at around midnight.
Sunday, 5th April: 7am - Really, really do not understand why it's necessary to get breakfast as soon as it opens. Breakfast is, after all, served for 1 hr 45 minutes. Surely sleeping for an extra hour and getting breakfast at nine would be nicer? Yes? Anyway, inevitably outvoted, drag self out of bed long enough to stand still in the shower, go to breakfast with Rose and Iona at 8. Breakfast quite delicious but have strong feeling it was the first of a long line of too-big meals, seeing as have gained 3kg. After breakfast, pack bag with stand, concert dress and as much cheer as possible, get on bus at 10 to go to Santa Clara's Convent - Castello D'Empuries. Spend morning and early afternoon eating sandwiches with suspicious-looking bright pink meat on them, taking photos of the triple-stacked Duke, Field Marshal and The HULK (Iona), being shown around town, taking photos of pretty things and discovering that calling somebody from Teeside a Geordie is like calling an Australian a Kiwi. Thus, Paul and I begin to refer to each other as "Kiwi" and "Geordie" respectively. Get ice cream of the day on way back to Convent for practice.
Sunday, 5th April: 3pm - Start practice in smallest space I've ever known to have to practice in. Realise very quickly that I won't be playing very well this tour, and hope that Tony (conductor) can live with that. Play at 6pm to surprisingly large audience and great applause. Presume that I mustn't have been very audible. Eat enormous meal on way back to hotel while marvelling at Tony's impressive balancing skills. Go down to bar for an hour. Invited out, but decline offer. Know that tomorrow, being Dave's birthday, will probably be a whopper. Iona discovers her pyjamas under my pillow, starting the nightly steal-Iona's-pyjamas ritual.
Monday, 6th April: 7am - Understand less and less why my friends relish in getting up early for breakfast. Would rather skip breakfast and sleep, but too hungry to entertain suggestion. Wish Iona's and Rose's respective alarm clocks would die horrible deaths as haul out of bed and stumble into shower. Leave in morning for Barcelona. Stay in city until 7pm, walking all the way to the Sagrada de Familia, taking photos of amazing architecture, celebrate Barcelona as only city in world with enough balls to have a building that looks like a gigantic penis in the middle of the CBD, eat two ice creams (much to Charlotte's joy), and end day feeling a little the worse for wear, but happy. Controversy rages on way home with Lydia journeying to back of bus and squealing "Why are you naked?!" Turns out that Field Marshal, Dom, Duke and the Pope have done away with most of their clothing, leaving a crucial sock over the fundamentals, lest they appear too forward. Lydia eventually returns quickly to the front when someone suggests she touches their sock. Have dinner in hotel. Stay away from the sausages.
After dinner go outside and take photos of poolside, which is quite pretty at night. Witness several members of SUWO walking past with many bottles of Sangria and cases of beer. After a resounding game of Pass The Hat (a game involving people lying in a line, a hat and many-a-song in your heart) gather with rest of SUWO in Room 150. Here, consume much Sangria and red wine, impressing the Duke with wine-putting-away abilities ("It's all right; I'm Australian") and sing happy birthday to Dave. Group photo interesting to organise, involving many of us balancing on several beds. Get noticed by hotel staff after mouthful of beer poured down throat by Flis. Escape to Hotel QK before can get caught, where consume two Vodka and Oranges, Sample Dave's Dirty Birthday Drink, break a glass to the shock and celebration of many SUWO members, and get told that I'm loved by people in SUWO that I'd barely associated with before now. End up quite dizzy and spaced out but very, very happy. Walk back with Tom and some other people, collapse in bed after waking poor Iona up, and fail to wake up when Rose knocks loudly on the door at around 3am.
Tuesday, 7th April: 8am - Finally, believe people understand the idea of going to breakfast later. Manage to shower without falling over, and head to breakfast, desperate for food. Find out from Rose that Dave was completely gone last night, and was rambling in Spanish, French, German and combinations thereof on the way home. Rose decides that she does not want to act as baby-sitter again. Espana, Espana. Dave doesn't show up for breakfast. Spend morning buying water (hotel water tastes dreadful) and playing Poolside Frisbee with members of SUWO (a game involving people, a frisbee and a very large, very cold volume of water). Have lunch and fall asleep, only to be woken up by Norris knocking on our door and informing us that everybody was waiting on the bus and we had to get to Barcelona, now. Suffer much embarrassment upon embarking bus, given kiwifruit from Sarah, told that it was from Paul. Enjoy the joke, but have no idea how to repay him. There is, after all, no easily-accessible fruit that synonymises Geordies. Get to Barcelona and prepare for concert in very echo-y hall indeed. Told by Duke that, from the back, it sounds an absolute mess. Terrific. Free evening in Barcelona was planned but decided against, owing to it absolutely pissing down with rain. Have steak sandwich and about half a jug of Sangria on way home, and ice cream of the day is kit-kat ice cream, which, while an ice cream, doesn't quite fit the 1-icecream-a-day quotient. Feel I've let myself down. Get home and collapse onto bed, utterly exhausted.
Wednesday, 8th April: 8am - Wake up feeling better than yesterday, but sad because last full day in Barcelona. Cold morning, but never-the-less battle on, buying chocolate, chips and Sangria with Laura in the supermarket and playing Pose Ball on the cold, windy beach. Rose, Iona and Laura finally get into the water, for the first time all week, and come to conclusion that yes, like I've been saying, it is bloody freezing. Have lunch in nice pasta place (other SUWO members ventured for Paella) and hop on bus at 3, after enduring several comments by various people about how thrilled they were to see we had arrived on time. Have very enjoyable third concert at real stage-theatre-like place, to much applause, two encores and many words of approval by delighted civilians. Go home feeling happy and as though I've done my bit. Have dinner in hotel, then head upstairs and down half the bottle of Sangria, Laura having the other half and getting some on her dress. Meet everybody downstairs and head to Hotel QK, where, two vodka-and-oranges later, feel in good enough shape to meander around the SUWO members, hugging them and laughing with them and feeling loving and loved in return. Taken home by Rose, the darling, and put to bed. Others go to club and, apparantly, have a blast. Feel somewhat annoyed that was too much of a prude to join them, at least for that last night. It was JB's birthday that day. He is now about 42 years old.
Thursday, 9th April: 7am - Wake up feeling dizzy and very, very hungry. Have shower, don beloved Brass-section tracksuit. Head to breakfast at 8, finally willing to get to the breakfast table as quickly as possible. Have free morning of lounging by the pool, chatting to Ollie, eating lunch at the same place as yesterday, buying more water and generally saying goodbye to Barcelona. Load everything onto bus at 2:15. Leave hotel at 3. Drive all through the night.
Friday, 10th April: 10am - Arrive at Passport control in Calais, self worried about possible having to go to separate building to get necessary stamp in passport for not being part of EU. End up only having to fill in landing card, and have instructed to me by JB that under the criminal convictions section, to just put that I was Australian, and I'd be set. Paul noticed I'd spelt New Zealand wrong on the landing card. One pretty stamp later, I was on my way. Board ferry, enjoy watching white cliffs of Dover from distance as ferry starts up. Find adorable toy pig in Duty Free store. Buy to help me get over the devestating loss of Wiki; the kiwifruit from several days before that I'd had to ceremoniously chuck in the garbage as he was starting to get a bit ripe. Laura dubbed the pig Hugo, so Hugo he is. He's too cute for words.
Friday, 10th April: 6:30pm - Arrive home, 2 hours behind schedule, and negotiate tricky process of getting bus back home. Spend evening with Rose, Iona, Laura and Dave, eating Chinese food, drinking wine and watching Pirates of the Caribbean.
Conclusion: Bloody awesome tour, bloody awesome friends, same time next year?