ITALIA
MUSIC TOUR 2OO6!!!
awesome. simply awesome. the tour started off and ended on a high note and it never faultered in between... well, except for some nasty [hotel] food (and people) encountered along the way, but that's okay =P the sights, the culture, and just the amazing atmosphere lifted the KGV tour experience to greater heights... i will never forget this trip, and I can tell you that this is one of the best holidays I've ever had..............
............by now, you're probably thinking about scrolling down to see the 'real stuff', which exactly proves my point; the tour cannot be described by words...but before you move on, check out my TOP TEN LIST =):
WHAT I WILL MISS THE MOST ABOUT THE TOUR:
1. the people (on the tour).. I'm gonna miss you guys!!
2. the atmosphere =)
3. the sights/architecture/culture especially the colosseum/vatican/sistine chapel/pisa!
4. the food! Especially the pizza, the pasta, and the gelato.
5. watching the World Cup with the locals =P ITALIA!!
6. Venice =D
7. singing in St. Peter's Basilica and other famous venues
8. charades on the bus rides =P
9. the concerts. simply amazing.
10. those 'early morning [pillow] experiences' with my roomies... nevermind =D
OK!OK!OK!!! ENJOY THE PICSSSSS  .....................
day ONE
me/joseph/robert/ernie/sherman at hong kong airport | playing cards on the plane | a tired me at helsinki airport
  
celebrating my 17th birthday on the airplane... my first bday cake without candles =P
ernie/me exhausted from 14 hours of flying | adidas power!!! catherine and I on the bus with matching shoes...
 
Italy, HERE I COME!!!
day TWO
at malcesine on lake garda and monte baldo (note castle in background) | cable car ride!!!
  
introducing our awesome tour guides, antonio and gerraro (antonio's surname's FASULO, which translates to BEAN in english... Mr. Bean =P)
Atop the mountains: me/marc (with his ugly fake smile =D) | steph/me | jayne/me
  
groupie!! me/felix/marc/steph/jenny... I love this pic
marc/steph/me | me/ernie boy | jenny/me/steph.. looking like a midget =]
  
sherman/angela/me... I love you guys | me/ernie/angus/robert | the view from the cable car of lake garder and monte baldo
  
marc/steph/me/arnon/jenny/felix
me/ernie/arnon | me/jenny/marc/steph/felix... the views were incredible
 
tour groupie!! including The Whale =D
views | ducks | homes
  
more sights...
  
we were on posters around the town... pretty cool (MUSICA CINESE??? Not quite...)
Parrochia S. Stefano: our first performance, which was in a church...
  
the music was superb.
  
day THREE
hello. my name is Ian. today I will be going to Aquaparadise Water Park. i am very excited. bye bye.
and WOW, what fun we had!!! ian/me/arnon/felix/marc/arun/jenny/steph
Piazza Matteoti, Bordolino: venue for our 2nd concert and relaxing evening out
  
us | more sights
  
chillin' with the tour guides: felix/me/arun/marc/jenny/vicky/antonio/steph/gerraro/ian/arnon
'boo' | I miss the place...
  
setting up for our next performace in the town square
T-minus 10 minutes | T-minus 2 minutes | T-plus 23 minutes
  
the turnout was great!
 
and so was the music...
me/clement on the bus | me/vicky during the concert
 
wow.
mr. H, the man with the plan, with the mayor of Piazza Matteoti
day FOUR
Verona | the Arena...
  
the photographer in me... =P not.
my attempt at a PANORAMIC VIEW (haha, it's an inside joke, forget it) shot of the Arena...
  
happy me at the Arena
felix/me | the entrance to the Arena | the halls within the Arena... spooky =S
  
gate.
Verona and its crowded streets | it's actually common in Italy to have public drinking fountains, such as this one... the water's not bad, really | part of the Arena under repair
  
a cross-section of a road ("where they used to hold prisoners" - Marc =P) | an obelisk | clock tower
  
believe it or not, the white 'thing' in the middle is actually a real person (or beggar!?): ian/arun/arnon/steph/THE THING/felix/marc/jenny/me
Sanguinetto: setting up for our 3rd performance (in-a-row)... but this time, at a CASTLE!! dating back to the 13th century
 
the ambience was just inimitable
angela playing AUTUMN of Vivaldi's Four Seasons... ging, as usual =P *does the angela bow*
SEASONS OF LOVEeeeee by the 'Senior Chamber Choir' feat. me on SAX
the mayor of the town congratulating... =]
us about to bow.
a night to remember.
day FIVE
Venice! the city of love...
  
me & vicky on the water taxi
the weather was perfect... but there were too many pigeons for liking =0 | st. mark's square
  
me & vicks & my mint+chocolate gelato... YUM!
convinced at my photography skills yet!? no? I thought so...
anthony's shades feat. mr haggarty/joseph/sherman/angela/me
the most expensive 'meal' ever... thanks to ahem FELIX: 10mins before meeting time and nothing to do, we decided to take a little break and enjoy the sights... the countdown had started once we sat down... countdown to our doom. what happened? we ended up paying 5.50 euro each for the MUSIC... and ordering the cheapest stuff on the menu, ended up paying aroudn 8 euro each for drinks, which were BOTTLED!!! what the... OH BTW, 1 EURO = 10 HK DOLLARS... u do the maths =P
but one of the highlights of the tour was our trip on the GONDOLA... you'll see what I'm talking about =D the pictures speak for themselves...
  
   
me/vicky/steph/jenny/marc/felix/man-dressed-as-a-robber
   
 
 
amore, amore, amore!
   
   
 
  
me & vicky =)
thus we enter... THE GRAND CANAL!!
  
  
PANORAMIC VIEW No. 2!! hehe
 
   
 
me & vicks 'take 2'
  
me & vicks 'take 3'
groupie after the ride: vicky/me/jenny/marc/steph...where's felix!?
we saw some astonishing architecture...
  
ernie/angus/me... roomies!! I miss those mornings...u know what I mean, you guys =P
little yellow dude on my bag/me/vicky/marc/steph/jenny in Venice
the square | the tower | and us :)
  
me & vicky at the dinner table back at our Hotel Antares, Verona... recapping an amazing day in Venice =D
day SIX
the BLUE TURBULENCE (I think that's what it's called, correct me if I'm wrong) was pretty good, but nowhere near the crazy rides at SIX FLAGS though..
see the retard in the white shirt and blue pants in the middle of the picture? just to let you know, that's not me... =P
WORLD CUP 2006!!! a bunch of us set off to Villafranca Castle to watch the finals that saw Italy play France... WHAT A NIGHT!
arnon/ernie/tom/angus/me/robert/clement/vicky/luyi getting ready to go | vicky/luyi/me/arnon/ernie at Villafranca Castle
 
groupie of the cool dudes =P: anthony/me/vicky/tom/lionel/zyggy(why huh?)/luyi/angus/robert/ernie/clement/arnon
me (and my attempt to look like a diehard italy supporter) & jenny
where did everyone go? why are the streets so empty?! there's only one way to find out..... | Villafranca Castle
  
and eventually we found the crowd... and tried to fit in =P
  
the crowd reacts to Italy's goal to force a 1:1 tie.....
  
me/lionel/zyggy reacting to Italy's penalty shootout win!!! WORLD CUP ITALIA 2006!!!!!
AWESOME!!
unless I write a 2 page essay, I can't describe to you how amazing the night was... I hope these photos help =D
  
  
  
and the Italians go mad!! It was absolute chaos... but good chaos? It was fun!
 
Mr Haggs/me/zyggy/luyi/angus celebrating like electrified chickens at Villafranca Castle... although you may never ever see or read this, THANK YOU MR. HAGGARTY!!! You are the man.
day SEVEN
today was spent on the bus 90% of the time as we travelled from Verona to Rome (check your maps =P)... luckily we stopped in between at Pisa not only for lunch and a break off sitting on our bums all day, but for the amazing sights and culture of one of the most popular destinations in Italy. enjoy!
tour groupie at Pisa... the background looks like a painting propped behind us. an absolute beauty.
outside the Baptistry of the Cathedral or Duomo | me inside the structure
 
a closer view of the Duomo | an even closer view of the Duomo, this time the interior
 
fortunate enough to be allowed to sing in the Baptistry, we also sang in the Duomo on special request... it was a spine-tingling experience that I will never ever forget... but this was only the beginning =P read on =0 (see Day 9)
me/felix/jenny/marc inside the Duomo... notice the streak of sunlight perfectly hitting the monument of the cross in the background... wow.
more pics of us singing inside the Duomo.....
 
me, oka and his broken slipper =D
tour groupie in front of the famous leaning tower of Pisa (which was built in 1173AD =O)! the grass was actually out-of-bounds, but we took the pic on the pitch anyway. TOTAL PHOTO TIIME: 10 seconds =P
my feeble attempt to emulate the famous 'leaning pose'... ah well, I can always blame the photographer JOAN!! jk =P
day EIGHT
The Colosseum or Coliseum, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre, built in the 70s AD, and was capable of holding approx. 70,000 spectators... wow.
breath-taking views at all angles...
within the hallways of the Colosseum: me & felix | me & vicky | me & marc
  
inside the Colosseum... the platform is actually an artificial wooden layer of sand put there to show what it was like below and atop the arena's base... they used to store animals underneath the grounds... cool stuff huh?
  
  
the photographer in me attempts to show the clash between the past and present, the ancient and the modern world...=P nevermind.
The Temple of Apollo | The Colosseum | The Arch of Constantine... the Triumph Arch in France is actually a replica of this one in Rome... bet you didn't know that! =P
  
I paid 2 Euro to take this pic with this gladiator dude, and what does he do? A GAY POSE. Dayum.
tour groupie outside the Colosseum... spot me!
again, but closer... spot me if you gave up before! =O
the sites were nice, but the people weren't..... (I got shoved several times on the street... and this fat guy in a suit pushed me so hard I almost fell on the road... bad first impression =[)
  
me & clement having lunch at this cafe... we managed to share 2 pizzas and 2 pastas =D | ushashi/sherman/angela bored waiting outside the TIME SIMULATOR TOUR OF ROME | me & robert at lunch
  
after our tour of Rome, Mr. Haggarty decided to take us to a nearby park to chillax, rent bikes and boats, and simply enjoy the Italy!! What fun... except for the part where we spent an hour biking, looking for the lake where people were boating and still never managed to find it... right felix? bleh.
joan/da sel/catherine (baka ahah)/shiggs/me at the park!
arnon sleeping on The Whale...or should I say The Whale sleeping on Arnon? | me & vicks enjoying the easy-life =)
 
The Zyggy Collection. Enjoy.
  
today was probably the most relaxing day in terms of moving around... we ended the day with dinner back at the hotel, which is always a burden because the food sucks... if you don't agree with me... sighsss =O
sherman, me and steph getting hyper over nothing.
 
me & felix having waited an hour for the food... but daym, we must have sung around 100 songs with the gang trying to fill in the time... I miss those dinners | me & arun
 
day NINE
THE VATICAN dun dun dun!
Unfortunately we were denied entry into the city due to the fact that ERNIE TAM had a GLOCK 17 PISTOL stowed away in his carrier bag. SIGHHSss... what an ANU GOBI...
nawww jus kiddingggg (yes, I'm lame)... we arrived around 11am-ish at the Vatican and were welcomed by a 3 HOUR LINE into the City and the Sistine Chapel. OUCH. So instead we continued our tour into St. Peter's Square (which is more like a CIRCLE as you will see below) and thus into the famous St. Peter's Basilica - the biggest Christian Church in the world!!!
Here is another one of those tour groupies =D
The Vatican Museum that heralded a 3 HOUR, KILOMETER LINE... | The Year 9 Girls... Judy with her Award-Winning Smile (haha) and Christy with her Serena William-like Tennis Skills... and Me!
 
St. Peter's Square is in fact a perfect circle with the obelisk in the middle... if you stand where the obelisk is and turn 360degrees, it only looks like the encircling structure around the Square is held by singular pillars. Pretty neat stuff! | The Square with St. Peter's Basilica in the background | ...lavished with masterpieces such as this monument... =P
  
inside Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano... which reminded me of GCSE R.S. - 'numinous', it was...
like no other... (btw, if you're wondering, that's sunlight shining in through cleverly placed windows and stained glass artwork)
  
a closer look.
woah.
  
you're probably thinking that it was no big deal singing in St. Peter's Basilica as we're on a 'music' tour and so everyone understands...in the whole wide world. WELL, not quite! After perilous negotiations by both Mr. H and, um, Mr. H, we were granted the opportunity to sing after MASS, which was held in the church during our visit there.
We got to business straight away...
Mr. Ben Hur conducting... and loads of people watching...
and filming... and taking pictures... and it was incredible =D
more photos of the interior for your enjoyment... and privelege? =]
  
  
we probably sang our best in the Vatican | it was a good day for beach people as well
 
grazie!
pics galore! St. Peter's Basilica is filled with statues, featuring each and every Pope that served Catholicism, plus some of important figureheads such as Michelangelo!!
  
  
I should be a photographer...
 
I really should...
 
I definitely should...
But then... naaaaaaaahhh: me & my school bag | me, praying inside the Basilica
 
A Swiss Guard! He may look like a joker (FACT: SWISS GUARD UNIFORMS WERE DESIGNED BY MICHELANGELO) but trust me, if you ever call him a joker, IT'S OVER!! Why? According the Wikipedia, all Swiss Guards must know how to perform 13 different Martial Arts. So beware! | Me and Saskbutt outside St. Peter's Basilica
 
felix/marc/jenny/steph/me outside St. Peter's Basilica
whoopie! another groupie.....
my interpretation of THE obelisk, a monument which was actually originally placed in Egypt and quarried in the 13th Century BC until Italian engineer Domenico Fontana moved it to its current site in the 1st Century AD... | me in front of the Basilica
 
and thus we approach our FORTH concert, FIRST in Roma (Roma backwards, you get Amor! Lerrrv.... =D btw, the city was purposefully named Roma or Rome for that reason!)
we played in a small community church: the view in the middle of the church, looking up...
me, outside the church | me & yan at the church playground
 
full of love and warmth, the church and its community were so friendly! it was a nice break away from the grumpy, strange, mad-for-no-reason people (I MET) in Rome... maybe it's just me.....
 
 
it was a round-about church, so setting up was a breeze.....
since I have nothing else to say about this church, I'll just add in one of my favourite Bible quotes of all time -
Matthew 6:34 - Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own.
 
the mood was set for another amazing night of music and happy faces =D
and we're off!!
BEFORE | and AFTER
 
Tired, but satisfied...
the pastor of the church modestly accepted our gifts =) check out arnold's expression
day TEN
today was sort of an unusual day, but equally one of the most cultural days on the tour. because we didn't get the chance to visit the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel in DAY NINE, mr haggarty decided - upon Lionel's request - to allow those people who wanted to visit the sites to travel there by train with shezzies (Mr. Sheridan) early in the morning. EARLY. AS IN WAKE UP AT 4:30AM, SET OFF AT 5:30AM, and ARRIVE AT 8:00AM or so........and GUESS WHAT? WE STILL HAD TO LINE UP FOR AN HOUR!!!! BECAUSE THE PLACE OPENS AT 9!!!! Hurrah. Well, read on...it was worth it =D
me & felix in the grotty subways of Rome | there's even art on the floor!!
 
and loads of art on the ceilings! | me & colin at the Sistine Chapel
 
<insert funny sounding reaction here>
one of the famous tapestries in the Museum | more art on the ceiling =)
 
<insert funny sounding reaction here... again>
forgot the names of these pieces of art, but they're famous =P
 
if you like these, you'll love what's coming up.....
 
um, Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel groupie =P
there was art, everywhere!
are you ready for this? can you handle the heat!? CAN YOU!? well, are you sure..? I know I am, because I wasn't even allowed to take the following 4 photos; picture-taking in the Sistine Chapel was prohibited...=P but I took them anyway =)
Michelangelo's Ceiling: The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (1509-1512) a.k.a. Michelangelo Buonarroti - notice the crop of the male and female touching by the fingertip... hope that helps you recognise the value of the work a little more =P
This is me avoiding getting my camera confiscated... phew!!
a collection of the types of art showcased at the Vatican Museum. Enjoy =D
  
  
  
more 'stuff'.....
 
an ancient map of Europe and the mediterranean sea... not bad, considering there was no Hubble Space Telescope at the time...
Us at the Michelangelo Steps (it was completed in 1934 as a dedication to the servant of Michelangelo in the hands of Pope Julius II)
Us again, this time OUTSIDE the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel =D... spot me! or should I say, spot my half =P
after that, we all met up at the SPANISH STEPS (google it =D) and enjoyed the romantic atmosphere...amore:
THE SPANISH STEPS!!! | me/catherine (baka =D)/arthur at the Steps
 
one of the best lunches on the trip; we stopped at a winery called Chianti Winery and Cafe (I think...) and spent an hour or so there... the highlight - apart from the delicious food - was marc not having to pay for his STEAK which cost 19EURO because of slow service of Steph's pasta.....SOooooooooo marc decided to treat us all for gelatos!! =D thanks dude.. Rome just got a little friendlier =D
marc/me/felix at the winery | arnon/arun/me/marc/felix/jenny/ian/steph at the Trevy Fountain
 
it's supposed to be 'good luck' if you throw a coin into the Trevy Fountain, and it's custom to make a wish and throw in the coin with your back facing the fountain... we all did that.. some of us did it twice!! right felix?
jenny/me/marc/steph at the Trevy Fountain!
arun/jenny/me/steph (barely =P)/marc/felix... oh happy day! | arun/jenny/felix/steph/me/marc chillin' by the Fountain
 
me @ the Trevy Fountain!! | another obelisk... I think this one's dedicated to a former Pope...
 
Felix: "Ian, we're lost aren't we?"
Ian: "Hold on a sec"
Felix: "Dammit, we are lost"
The Pantheon or 'Temple of all the Gods'! GOOGLE IT, and you'll see how significant it is in history... =D WIKIPEDIA IT... even better..... hehe
marc/steph/me/jenny at the PANTHEON
the long day was concluded by our FIFTH and LAST CONCERT of the tour!! Although a 'grand' total of 30 people came to watch us at the church, the concert itself sure was grand.....
singing... (haha look at angela =P)
the violins | vs. the cellos
 
day ELEVEN
ROME FIUMCINO AIRPORT:
da sel/shiggs/catherine/me | umi/sherman/ushashi/carmen/me/angela
 
me & mrs. vaze | me/aaron/ernest on the plane
 
so retarded... me & steph HIGH on CHOCOLATE before takeoff (tour homies, remember that screaming baby on the plane, who couldn't stop for about 45mins? yeah, that was then...which is why steph has her hoody over her head =P)
<insert rude commentary here>
aaron/michael/charlie/judy/me | christy/charlie/vincent/judy/matthew/me
 
me & chan soo | jayners/felix/me/wendy/bryan
 
me/james/nathaniel | me & william
 
day TWELVE
memories.....
me & charlie at baggage claim at HK AIRPORT... | charlie being charlie =D
 
This is how much I miss the tour.....
finally, I would like to say a special THANK YOU to the following people who made the tour so, so special (in order of the Tour Brochure =P):
matthew, stella, oka, wendy, eppie, ben, christy, christine, so hee, julia, jayners, zoe, nigel, bryan, felickss, marc, jenny, joan, catherine, steph, da sel, natasha, robert, anthony to, angela chen, ernie boy, zyggy, chloe, charlie, michael, jade, hsu wei, ernest, emily, peter, judy, hinaho, tom, yui, steffi, alfred, bianca, arnon, naomi, ian, yan, colin, priti, vicky =), yi jung, joseph, angus, clement, carmen, sophia, angela wu, james shin, jane, chan soo, arnold, matthew, vincent, grace, joanne, thomas, junko, nathaniel, umi, arun, luyi, arthur, colleen, grace, james bae, aaron, shiga, sherman, ushashi, and saskia
and many, many warm blessings to the following staff members who not only shared the fun with us on tour, but made it all happen; without their love for music and will to contribute to KGV, none of this would ever have been possible:
Mr. Haggarty
Mr. Hur
Anthony =D
Mr. Sheridan
Mrs. Sanderson
Mrs. Vaze
Mrs. Renshaw
and Ms. Couturier
and as for me, throughout all the music tours I've been on - Australia 2002, USA 2004, Italy 2006 - this one being my last, I can safely say that this tops it all... hands down.
GRAZIE E ARRIVEDERCI!!!
HAVE A GREAT SUMMER EVERYONE! =D | 
