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Paris 2004 - Band Secretary's Diary
Friday 27th August
Left Rugeley at 5.30am. Arrived in Dover in time to catch an earlier ferry than originally intended. Good thing because although we reached the northern outskirts of Paris well ahead of schedule, we were right on the rush hour and it took us all of the hour we had saved to get across the city to the hotel which stood in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
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Saturday 28th August
Spent the morning dodging rainstorms, taking a guided tour of the sites, ending near the Opera and the main shopping centre (had a moan at the coach driver for getting us there while the shops were still actually open!).
Played the first concert in Place Jean XXIII in the afternoon. This is a small park located on the Ile de la Cite at the rear of Notre Dame Cathedral. A good-sized audience, probably around 150, attended throughout. The weather was kind, which was just as well because the bandstand does not have a roof. Kind it was, that is until we reached our very last piece, half way through which the heavens opened! I think we may well have set a world record for playing the last 32 bars of 'Blaze Away'. However I think the locals were impressed, or perhaps amused, by the display of British stoicism in refusing to be put off by a drop of rain (more like a deluge actually).
After the concert we all took a trip on one of the 'Bateaux Parisiens' a great way to see the city.
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Sunday 29th August
Everybody did their own thing during the morning, the trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower probably being the most popular. Others made their way to Sacre Coeur and Montmartre, having not been included on Saturday's guided tour.
The afternoon concert in the Jardin du Luxembourg was without doubt, the highlight of the weekend. The bandstand is excellent, complete with roof, and big enough to accommodate a symphony orchestra. The best feature though was the audience. The Luxembourg Gardens is probably the most popular destination for a Sunday afternoon among the people of Paris. At a conservative estimate there were never less than 500 people sitting listening to us during the entire concert. The audience was also very appreciative, applauding all the pieces very warmly.
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Monday 30th August
Loaded up and left the hotel at 9.00am. After ferry delays and traffic jams on the M2 eventually reached Rugeley at 11.00pm.
The general consensus of opinion was that this, the 7th time the band has ventured abroad, was the most successful, and we can't wait to do it again!
The 'Touring Band' is pictured left.
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