We decided to make the most of our trip up to the Lake District to see Tommy Emmanuel by doing a tour of the area on the Sunday. We booked in for a day-long coach tour that took us to ten different lakes in the region and through a huge amount of genuinely spectacular scenery. It was a good decision. We were very lucky to get a really clear day, which is apparently quite uncommon for this time of year.
The area itself was really beautiful, featuring some of the most dramatic scenery that we have seen so far. The lakes were gorgeous, the mountains spectacular and the medieval villages very quaint.
Monique gave Daniel the greatest birthday present ever…tickets to see a Tommy Emmanuel master class and concert in the Lake District.
Firstly, seeing Tommy up close at the master class was just incredible. Daniel arrived at the venue an hour early and got a seat front and centre – literally one meter away and directly in front. Aside from being blown away by the sheer brilliance and genius of his playing and song writing (refer video!), we were equally blown away by the quality of the man. He arrived at the master class and walked in the front door carrying his own guitars…very humble.
Tommy-fever continued later in the evening when were having dinner. We ate at a restaurant next to the venue and we joked that it would be funny if the great man walked in. From where we were sitting, Monique could see the door, but Daniel couldn’t. We were just starting our main course when Monique whispers ‘Tommy’s just walked in!’, to which Daniel replied ‘No he’s not…stop messing around’. Daniel barely got the words out of his mouth when Tommy strolls across the restaurant, sees Daniel at the table, and recognizes him from the master class and waves hello. Daniel froze, lost his composure, went bright red, and spent the rest of the meal giggling like a school girl.
After dinner, we made our way to the concert, which as expected was brilliant. We lined up afterwards to get his autograph and a photo. All in all, it was a brilliant experience and an absolute life-time highlight.
