Day 5 - Rehearsal, Markets, Punting, Evensong & Dinner
We were relieved to wake up to a few less rain drops after yesterday's decent soak! We all gathered in our normal morning location, the Octagon building at St Chads, and then headed to our breakfast buffet at St Cats. Today we celebrated Helena's and Marisa's birthdays after our warm-ups, and then rehearsal began. While the singers were rehearsing, the chaperons went out for a quick walk to scout out our shopping adventures for the next few hours following rehearsal. They came back with news everyone was very excited to hear! Cambridge, many many years ago, was known for it's open markets, and they still, today, have this fairly large section of open markets, and lots of other shopping! Not only could the kids buy lots of souvenirs, they could also choose from a variety of places to eat! There were waffles, dumplings, Thai food, fruit stands, and more! The kids all left rehearsal with 10 pounds from us and were free to enjoy a few hours of free time! They were in heaven!
After lunch and shopping, we went punting on the river Cam, a uniquely Cambridge experience. The guide stands at the back of the flat bottom boat and pushes the boat along using a metal pole that he sinks into the bottom of the river. The kids really enjoyed the ride, singing to all the passers by in other boats, and the onlookers on the bridges. The river floats along the backs of the university, giving everyone a very unique and picturesque view of many of the campus buildings, which are quite beautiful. Audrey was so impressed with the Punters ability to keep all the singers in the boat without flipping it over!
After our punting adventures, we walked back to St Chads for some downtime before we went to Evensong. Evensong at Kings College is a centuries old tradition sung by the world renowned choir of men and boys well known for their annual broadcasts to millions on the BBC. Our very own Eric Tuan participated in singing Evensong once a week at Kings while attending Cambridge. Our singers were amazed by the soaring fan-vault ceiling, the largest in the world, along with their ability to make 16 singers singing in 4 parts sound like 4 individuals. Their blend, intonation, and tone production were flawless! The choirs beautiful voices soared in the spacious building only lit by candlelight. Only the choral scholars sang today, so our only disappointment was not seeing the 16 boy trebles.
Following the service, we walked to Jamie's Italian, this time in Cambridge. The restaurant is situated in a very historic building in the city's center. The massive domed skylight allowed natural light to illuminate the dining area which was surrounded by majestic stone pillars. Everyone enjoyed their meals, we serenaded the diners with Sireli, and we headed back to St Chads with full bellies and happy kids, ready for bed. Looking forward to our first performance in London tomorrow!
Click through the slideshow below to view some highlights from today:
