Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Another completed mass posting!!
I'm sitting in the terminal at Lisbon right now and have just completed the 3 weeks of posts I owed everyone. I get free WiFi here, so it's great to catch up on everything. These are posted in order and similar to the last time I made a mass posting, the link the the pics is posted directly above the city post, except for one instance that I point out. The cruise is going great though! Saturday we'll be back to Southampton to get ready for our short cruise to Cork Ireland. Following that, we begin our Baltic cruise. This means, for the next 2 or 3 weeks, I'm unsure of when I'll be able to get online, so don't be expecting any real posts till a week or so into september. Otherwise, keep sending emails, I will still get those on a daily basis, and it's great hearing from everyone at home. Keep in touch and have a great day!!
Malaga
Aug 20th and 21st
Sea/Malaga
The 20th was a sea day, so nothing really special happened. I had a show with Antonio Salci, a pianist, which was ok. The music was kind of lame, like really commercial with cheesy arrangements, but at least I had a few solos. But I guess that’s all there really was to the sea day. Then for the 21st, we were in Malaga for the day. After an early boat drill, I made it out to the beach for a little while. It was a great day to get some sun, and being in the Mediterranean at an amazing beach just made it that much better. Today was a day off as well, so it was nice not having a show tonight. Tomorrow is Lisbon from noon till 6. I passed on a tour offer to get online to make these posts, so hopefully this internet thing will work better than in Villefranche.
No pics for this time at Malaga, check the last Malaga post if you'd like a reminder
Sea/Malaga
The 20th was a sea day, so nothing really special happened. I had a show with Antonio Salci, a pianist, which was ok. The music was kind of lame, like really commercial with cheesy arrangements, but at least I had a few solos. But I guess that’s all there really was to the sea day. Then for the 21st, we were in Malaga for the day. After an early boat drill, I made it out to the beach for a little while. It was a great day to get some sun, and being in the Mediterranean at an amazing beach just made it that much better. Today was a day off as well, so it was nice not having a show tonight. Tomorrow is Lisbon from noon till 6. I passed on a tour offer to get online to make these posts, so hopefully this internet thing will work better than in Villefranche.
No pics for this time at Malaga, check the last Malaga post if you'd like a reminder
Cagliari
Aug 19th
Cagliari
For my third time at this island off the Italian coast, I signed up for a tour entitled flavors and sounds of Sardinia. Let me say, this was the most amazing tour I’ve been on yet. We took a bus from the ship an hour inland till we were in this smaller village, completely detached from the tourist attractions. The tour was supposed to introduce us to a traditional Sardinian lunch, along with music and instruments native to the region. Well the food was unbelievable!! From the unlimited wine on the tables, to the sausage starter, the homemade pasta, and main course of Piglet (terrible as it may sound), it was just amazing. Everything was delicious, and the song and dance going on in the background just made it perfect. We were there for probably 2 or 3 hours, just eating and watching the entertainment. They also had traditional desserts and pastries, along with wines and other drinks to match. All free for the tour escort, $125 for everyone else. But this s a tour I’m going to try to do again, is was just that good. That aside, we had a production show that night, and I went to a crew party afterwards for a while. But wow, what a lunch!!
Cagliari
For my third time at this island off the Italian coast, I signed up for a tour entitled flavors and sounds of Sardinia. Let me say, this was the most amazing tour I’ve been on yet. We took a bus from the ship an hour inland till we were in this smaller village, completely detached from the tourist attractions. The tour was supposed to introduce us to a traditional Sardinian lunch, along with music and instruments native to the region. Well the food was unbelievable!! From the unlimited wine on the tables, to the sausage starter, the homemade pasta, and main course of Piglet (terrible as it may sound), it was just amazing. Everything was delicious, and the song and dance going on in the background just made it perfect. We were there for probably 2 or 3 hours, just eating and watching the entertainment. They also had traditional desserts and pastries, along with wines and other drinks to match. All free for the tour escort, $125 for everyone else. But this s a tour I’m going to try to do again, is was just that good. That aside, we had a production show that night, and I went to a crew party afterwards for a while. But wow, what a lunch!!
Livorno
Aug 18th
Livorno
For my second time in Livorno (not counting the detour to La Spezia last cruise), I was able to get on a tour that took me through the Tuscan countryside to a bed and breakfast for wine tasting. This estate produced their own wine on site, so the tour included us a showing of the facilities in addition to the tasting. It was a nice relaxed tour with a great drive to the area, taking us by Pisa where I could see the tower again, and the opportunity to sample wines with traditional Italian cheeses, breads, and cold cuts was great. The Tuscany region was absolutely beautiful as well, not to mention it was nice getting away from a major city and going into the more traditional rural areas. Then we had two shows to play for the American Drifters, which were OK, nothing too exciting.
On a different note, today was my one month anniversary of signing onto the ship. This means that the contract I’d negotiated now goes into full effect and I no longer have the option to leave without being penalized. So a quick reflection after a month: It’s been a lot of fun. I don’t know that the novelty of living on a ship has worn out yet or if it was even there to begin with, I’ve just simply been having a great time. It’s a different way of living though, I’m so over stimulated with experiencing these different cultures and trying to absorb as much as possible that much of my energy gets expended on processing this info. The shows are generally simple, to an extent mindless sight-reading, but not so easy that I can zone out. The big band/combo sets are a nice departure from the shows, but there’s enough variety from day to day to maintain some level of interest. And the 2 week cruises means nothing gets repeated till the next 2 week period. But the cruise, like most things, is what you make of it. I make sure to have fun during the shows and get off the ship every chance I can, I’ve been meeting a lot of people and coming in contact with cultures I’d never find at home. So the excitement remains after the first month, and the next 5 I’m sure will be great as well. In a week, we cruise to Ireland, and then start our Scandinavian cruise after that. There’s a lot to be excited for, and as long as I keep sight of that, this contract will fly by. Thanks for reading and keep in touch!
Livorno
For my second time in Livorno (not counting the detour to La Spezia last cruise), I was able to get on a tour that took me through the Tuscan countryside to a bed and breakfast for wine tasting. This estate produced their own wine on site, so the tour included us a showing of the facilities in addition to the tasting. It was a nice relaxed tour with a great drive to the area, taking us by Pisa where I could see the tower again, and the opportunity to sample wines with traditional Italian cheeses, breads, and cold cuts was great. The Tuscany region was absolutely beautiful as well, not to mention it was nice getting away from a major city and going into the more traditional rural areas. Then we had two shows to play for the American Drifters, which were OK, nothing too exciting.
On a different note, today was my one month anniversary of signing onto the ship. This means that the contract I’d negotiated now goes into full effect and I no longer have the option to leave without being penalized. So a quick reflection after a month: It’s been a lot of fun. I don’t know that the novelty of living on a ship has worn out yet or if it was even there to begin with, I’ve just simply been having a great time. It’s a different way of living though, I’m so over stimulated with experiencing these different cultures and trying to absorb as much as possible that much of my energy gets expended on processing this info. The shows are generally simple, to an extent mindless sight-reading, but not so easy that I can zone out. The big band/combo sets are a nice departure from the shows, but there’s enough variety from day to day to maintain some level of interest. And the 2 week cruises means nothing gets repeated till the next 2 week period. But the cruise, like most things, is what you make of it. I make sure to have fun during the shows and get off the ship every chance I can, I’ve been meeting a lot of people and coming in contact with cultures I’d never find at home. So the excitement remains after the first month, and the next 5 I’m sure will be great as well. In a week, we cruise to Ireland, and then start our Scandinavian cruise after that. There’s a lot to be excited for, and as long as I keep sight of that, this contract will fly by. Thanks for reading and keep in touch!
Villefranche
Aug 17th
Villefranche
This was now my third time in Villefranche, and it really just gets more amazing each time. I was signed up to get on a tour of Monaco and Monte Carlo, the same one as last time I was here, except this time everything worked out. Before the tour, however, I tried to get online for a few hours to make my posts. Well, that failed. For whatever reason, I just couldn’t connect and stay online for more than 4 minutes at a time, and after fighting with it for 2+ hours, I eventually had to get to my tour group. The tour was amazing though, Monaco is beautiful, and seeing the Monte Carlo race track and Casino was unbelievable. Even more so, all the money that was in this area was unbelievable. Out front the casino, I saw three Ferraris driving in a line down the street, in addition to the couple parked out front the casino. The boats were gigantic as well, just an amazing area. I got into the casino for free because of being a tour escort (saving me 10 euros or $13-14), and then proceeded to blow 20 euros on a couple slot machines. But whatever, I’ve never been inside a real casino, so I figured Monte Carlo wasn’t a bad place to start. I wanted to play poker, but the tables had a 50 euro minimum, if not more. I saw a guy playing blackjack at a 200 euro minimum table. After 40 minutes there, we drove back to the ship, going by Nice as well, and it was probably the most beautiful 30 minutes of driving I’ve ever seen, it was just amazing. Upon arriving back to Villefrache, I tried the online thing again, and again failed, so I came back to the ship, got dinner, and watched “Pursuit of Happyness”.
Villefranche
This was now my third time in Villefranche, and it really just gets more amazing each time. I was signed up to get on a tour of Monaco and Monte Carlo, the same one as last time I was here, except this time everything worked out. Before the tour, however, I tried to get online for a few hours to make my posts. Well, that failed. For whatever reason, I just couldn’t connect and stay online for more than 4 minutes at a time, and after fighting with it for 2+ hours, I eventually had to get to my tour group. The tour was amazing though, Monaco is beautiful, and seeing the Monte Carlo race track and Casino was unbelievable. Even more so, all the money that was in this area was unbelievable. Out front the casino, I saw three Ferraris driving in a line down the street, in addition to the couple parked out front the casino. The boats were gigantic as well, just an amazing area. I got into the casino for free because of being a tour escort (saving me 10 euros or $13-14), and then proceeded to blow 20 euros on a couple slot machines. But whatever, I’ve never been inside a real casino, so I figured Monte Carlo wasn’t a bad place to start. I wanted to play poker, but the tables had a 50 euro minimum, if not more. I saw a guy playing blackjack at a 200 euro minimum table. After 40 minutes there, we drove back to the ship, going by Nice as well, and it was probably the most beautiful 30 minutes of driving I’ve ever seen, it was just amazing. Upon arriving back to Villefrache, I tried the online thing again, and again failed, so I came back to the ship, got dinner, and watched “Pursuit of Happyness”.
Barcelona
Aug 15th and 16th
Barcelona
We made our way to Barcelona the 15th, my first time back since I signed on the ship 4 weeks ago. We got into the port around 7:00 pm, but I had to play a couple shows that night, so by the time I was done around midnight, it was too late to get off the ship and make my way into the city. But I had a bike tour to do the next morning, so maye it was for the better.
The Bike tour wasn’t bad. We took a bus into the middle of the city where we picked up or bikes. The group then rode around the city for about 3 hours. It was a nice ride, aside from the mass of bikes 40 people strong, constant rain for the final hour, and the lovely sound of squeaky brakes that made there presence known on every hill. But really, it was alright, it was a nice ride through the city. Following that, I just came back to the ship and played a big band set at night. Tomorrow is Villefranche, and I’ll be going to Monaco and Monte Carlo on another tour. Also, this is my internet port, so I’m excited to get all my posts up again.
Barcelona
We made our way to Barcelona the 15th, my first time back since I signed on the ship 4 weeks ago. We got into the port around 7:00 pm, but I had to play a couple shows that night, so by the time I was done around midnight, it was too late to get off the ship and make my way into the city. But I had a bike tour to do the next morning, so maye it was for the better.
The Bike tour wasn’t bad. We took a bus into the middle of the city where we picked up or bikes. The group then rode around the city for about 3 hours. It was a nice ride, aside from the mass of bikes 40 people strong, constant rain for the final hour, and the lovely sound of squeaky brakes that made there presence known on every hill. But really, it was alright, it was a nice ride through the city. Following that, I just came back to the ship and played a big band set at night. Tomorrow is Villefranche, and I’ll be going to Monaco and Monte Carlo on another tour. Also, this is my internet port, so I’m excited to get all my posts up again.
Gibraltar
Aug 14th
Gibraltar
MONKEYS!!!! Yep, that was today, monkey day. Today was my second visit to the city, and I was able to get on a tour that took me to the top of the rock where Gibraltar’s famous Barbary Apes hang out. After our cable car ride up the side of the cliff, we were immediately greeted by an ape that had jumped on top of the car, run across the roof, and made itself comfortable on the hand rail at the exit point of car. Supposedly, the monkeys like to take bags, especially plastic bags that might have food, and he was just sitting there making sure to have the best chance of getting a hold of some kind of snack. From where we were, the town was just beautiful, along with the view of the Atlantic, Med, Europe, and Africa. We then walked to St. Michael’s cave to have a look around, and then to the other side of the rock to see the tunnels that made the rock such an effective military base. Known of these places were without the monkeys, who continued to jump on cars and lay in the road and whatever to draw attention. You could get within inches of these things, it was pretty crazy considering they aren’t domesticated. Then our bus took us down through the streets, which was amazing considering the size of the bus and the width/slope/angles that these streets were made at. Easily some of the most impressive driving I’ve seen, and remember, I lived in Chicago for a few years. But we made it back to the ship, hung out for a bit, played a couple shows, and then I went to a party for India’s independence day (seriously, when else would I get such an opportunity). The food was at least good. Plan for tomorrow, sleep in…Barcelona isn’t till later and I have nothing to do in the morning and a late night ahead. Moral of the story, monkeys are silly.
Gibraltar
MONKEYS!!!! Yep, that was today, monkey day. Today was my second visit to the city, and I was able to get on a tour that took me to the top of the rock where Gibraltar’s famous Barbary Apes hang out. After our cable car ride up the side of the cliff, we were immediately greeted by an ape that had jumped on top of the car, run across the roof, and made itself comfortable on the hand rail at the exit point of car. Supposedly, the monkeys like to take bags, especially plastic bags that might have food, and he was just sitting there making sure to have the best chance of getting a hold of some kind of snack. From where we were, the town was just beautiful, along with the view of the Atlantic, Med, Europe, and Africa. We then walked to St. Michael’s cave to have a look around, and then to the other side of the rock to see the tunnels that made the rock such an effective military base. Known of these places were without the monkeys, who continued to jump on cars and lay in the road and whatever to draw attention. You could get within inches of these things, it was pretty crazy considering they aren’t domesticated. Then our bus took us down through the streets, which was amazing considering the size of the bus and the width/slope/angles that these streets were made at. Easily some of the most impressive driving I’ve seen, and remember, I lived in Chicago for a few years. But we made it back to the ship, hung out for a bit, played a couple shows, and then I went to a party for India’s independence day (seriously, when else would I get such an opportunity). The food was at least good. Plan for tomorrow, sleep in…Barcelona isn’t till later and I have nothing to do in the morning and a late night ahead. Moral of the story, monkeys are silly.
At sea
Aug 12th and 13th
At sea
Sea days today, always good for ample free time. Nothing really happened on the 12th, we had to play a big band set for captain’s cocktail, and then a couple shows for Mike Doyle. The entertainer was good, not to mention a really nice guy. He’s been by far the most appreciative of the band of any entertainer. That makes me feel good both about playing behind him and about the band I’m in. He was really impressed, which is a great compliment coming from someone who’s done lots of ships.
At sea
Sea days today, always good for ample free time. Nothing really happened on the 12th, we had to play a big band set for captain’s cocktail, and then a couple shows for Mike Doyle. The entertainer was good, not to mention a really nice guy. He’s been by far the most appreciative of the band of any entertainer. That makes me feel good both about playing behind him and about the band I’m in. He was really impressed, which is a great compliment coming from someone who’s done lots of ships.
Southampton
Aug 11th
Southampton
Today was my second time in Southampton, but shared a similar goal to the first, get online. I decided to pay for it this time though, but was able to get on for a bit and send out some emails. Today was interesting because my roommate Ron moved out. Unfortunately, I was out of the room when he left for the last time, so I didn’t get to say goodbye as I might have liked. But, with Ron gone, this meant I got a new roommate, a 33 year old Russian named Sasha. His English is ok, sometimes difficult to understand, but he seems like really nice guy, so maybe it’ll work out fine. It just means I’m now the youngest in the band, not like that hasn’t happened before. Otherwise, today we departed for Gibraltar, played a welcome show and parade, and tried to stay out of the way of all the passengers getting on and off the ship. Well, moving right along into another cruise and approaching 4 solid weeks away from home, weird. But so far so good, I just hope that Sasha will be as good to room with as Ron, but I’m looking forward to discussing Russian culture with him. So here we go, another two week cruise of the Med!
Southampton
Today was my second time in Southampton, but shared a similar goal to the first, get online. I decided to pay for it this time though, but was able to get on for a bit and send out some emails. Today was interesting because my roommate Ron moved out. Unfortunately, I was out of the room when he left for the last time, so I didn’t get to say goodbye as I might have liked. But, with Ron gone, this meant I got a new roommate, a 33 year old Russian named Sasha. His English is ok, sometimes difficult to understand, but he seems like really nice guy, so maybe it’ll work out fine. It just means I’m now the youngest in the band, not like that hasn’t happened before. Otherwise, today we departed for Gibraltar, played a welcome show and parade, and tried to stay out of the way of all the passengers getting on and off the ship. Well, moving right along into another cruise and approaching 4 solid weeks away from home, weird. But so far so good, I just hope that Sasha will be as good to room with as Ron, but I’m looking forward to discussing Russian culture with him. So here we go, another two week cruise of the Med!
Vigo
Aug 9th and 10th
Vigo/at sea
We were in Vigo again on the 9th, so after my final three training courses that day, I got off the ship to walk around till a rehearsal for a new show we were playing. I ended up at a supermercado and bought a bar of white chocolate (for no real reason other than it was in a different language then my local jewel), and a bottle of water. I was happy with my purchase price of 66 euro cents, less than a dollar back at home. And for a big thing of chocolate and 1.5 liters of natural mineral water, I couldn’t beat it. Then I concluded my walk eating my chocolate and made it back to the ship for the rehearsal and shows with Mike Doyle. He was good and a nice guy, I think we play with him again this next cruise. Then on the 10th, our sea day back to England, I slept in due to having no real reason to wake up. Then, after the two farewell shows at night, the fun started. Being the last day of the cruise, everyone heads to the dance club area of the ship, The Dungeon, and the DJ plays music there till about 2:30. Well I was there the entire time, both doing some dancing and enjoying my drink of choice, water. It was a lot of fun though, and after my years in college of not really doing anything like that, I guess it was a welcomed change of scenery. It was funny though, there were a bunch of older women (you be the judge of older) who were coming into the middle of the dance floor with all the crew just having a good time. From there, I hung out with my friend Tytti and a couple of her friends from Finland who I’d met a few days before. They were getting off the ship the next day, so it was a fun group to hang out with. Well, needless to say, it was a late night and I’m writing this the next day. So as of now, I’m heading out to walk around Southampton!
Vigo/at sea
We were in Vigo again on the 9th, so after my final three training courses that day, I got off the ship to walk around till a rehearsal for a new show we were playing. I ended up at a supermercado and bought a bar of white chocolate (for no real reason other than it was in a different language then my local jewel), and a bottle of water. I was happy with my purchase price of 66 euro cents, less than a dollar back at home. And for a big thing of chocolate and 1.5 liters of natural mineral water, I couldn’t beat it. Then I concluded my walk eating my chocolate and made it back to the ship for the rehearsal and shows with Mike Doyle. He was good and a nice guy, I think we play with him again this next cruise. Then on the 10th, our sea day back to England, I slept in due to having no real reason to wake up. Then, after the two farewell shows at night, the fun started. Being the last day of the cruise, everyone heads to the dance club area of the ship, The Dungeon, and the DJ plays music there till about 2:30. Well I was there the entire time, both doing some dancing and enjoying my drink of choice, water. It was a lot of fun though, and after my years in college of not really doing anything like that, I guess it was a welcomed change of scenery. It was funny though, there were a bunch of older women (you be the judge of older) who were coming into the middle of the dance floor with all the crew just having a good time. From there, I hung out with my friend Tytti and a couple of her friends from Finland who I’d met a few days before. They were getting off the ship the next day, so it was a fun group to hang out with. Well, needless to say, it was a late night and I’m writing this the next day. So as of now, I’m heading out to walk around Southampton!
Lisbon
Aug 8th
Lisbon
Today we were in Lisbon, my second time there. After sleeping in due to a late night, I eventually got up for lunch and took a quick walk around. I tried to go different places than during the last visit and had a nice time. Nothing really important, just a nice time enjoying the scenery. I had two shows tonight, and that was about it. Tomorrow is Vigo, I had to turn down another tour thing though due to training, so I have some stuff to keep me busy tomorrow on the ship.
Lisbon
Today we were in Lisbon, my second time there. After sleeping in due to a late night, I eventually got up for lunch and took a quick walk around. I tried to go different places than during the last visit and had a nice time. Nothing really important, just a nice time enjoying the scenery. I had two shows tonight, and that was about it. Tomorrow is Vigo, I had to turn down another tour thing though due to training, so I have some stuff to keep me busy tomorrow on the ship.
Cadiz
Aug 7th
Cadiz
So I didn’t write yesterday cause it was a sea day, nothing important really happened, and I had the day off anyways. Today we were in Cadiz, a Port I haven’t yet visited. The city was nice, had a great coastline and gardens to walk through, a nice beach, interesting architecture, and a good general feel. I walked around for a few hours before I grabbed some ice cream and walked back to the ship. The ice cream was great, the cone was half cheesecake, half caramel flan. After that, I just came back to the ship, had a big band set to play, and then the night began. I went out with Ron (room mate) to studio B where the cruise director was hosting a game show called Quest, a team scavenger hunt where your captain needs to find items and bring them to the host, items such as bras, or the female captain has to run over in male pants, crazy things like that. Well, Ron had a few drinks, and then we went with the group we were with to the Dungeon, a dance club, which was practically empty. We hung out there for a while, Ron had a few more, and we went to the staff lounge. After hanging out there for a bit, Ron had a few more, and started to not feel so great. It was about 3 am at that point, and the whole walking back to the room thing wasn’t going all that great. We stopped at a friends room mid-ship and ended up staying here till 6 while Ron purged his system lying in the bathroom. I felt bad for him though, he’d never gotten that sick before, so we did eventually make it back to the room and that was the end of that night.
The pics have the icecream cover page, I mistimed the post, oops.
Cadiz
So I didn’t write yesterday cause it was a sea day, nothing important really happened, and I had the day off anyways. Today we were in Cadiz, a Port I haven’t yet visited. The city was nice, had a great coastline and gardens to walk through, a nice beach, interesting architecture, and a good general feel. I walked around for a few hours before I grabbed some ice cream and walked back to the ship. The ice cream was great, the cone was half cheesecake, half caramel flan. After that, I just came back to the ship, had a big band set to play, and then the night began. I went out with Ron (room mate) to studio B where the cruise director was hosting a game show called Quest, a team scavenger hunt where your captain needs to find items and bring them to the host, items such as bras, or the female captain has to run over in male pants, crazy things like that. Well, Ron had a few drinks, and then we went with the group we were with to the Dungeon, a dance club, which was practically empty. We hung out there for a while, Ron had a few more, and we went to the staff lounge. After hanging out there for a bit, Ron had a few more, and started to not feel so great. It was about 3 am at that point, and the whole walking back to the room thing wasn’t going all that great. We stopped at a friends room mid-ship and ended up staying here till 6 while Ron purged his system lying in the bathroom. I felt bad for him though, he’d never gotten that sick before, so we did eventually make it back to the room and that was the end of that night.
The pics have the icecream cover page, I mistimed the post, oops.
Cagliari
Aug 5th
Cagliari
Nothing special today, Cagliari on Sunday isn’t exactly the most fun. I tried to find a beach that I’d been told existed, but that didn’t quite work out as planned. Otherwise, I had two shows tonight, and that was about it. I saw the movie National Treasure though, that was pretty good. Tomorrow’s a sea day and a day off, so a lot not to look forward to. But I’m still having a good time here in the Med!
Cagliari
Nothing special today, Cagliari on Sunday isn’t exactly the most fun. I tried to find a beach that I’d been told existed, but that didn’t quite work out as planned. Otherwise, I had two shows tonight, and that was about it. I saw the movie National Treasure though, that was pretty good. Tomorrow’s a sea day and a day off, so a lot not to look forward to. But I’m still having a good time here in the Med!
rome
Aug 4th
Rome
Today, the ship docked in Citavecchia, a port allowing us access to Rome! I had signed up to be a tour escort for the trip, “A taste of Rome”, which had me leaving the ship with my group at 7:45. After the hour and 15 minute trip into Rome on the bus, we stopped in Vatican City. From there, we had 3 hours to walk around the city before we needed to meet back at the Vatican where the tour would commence with the tour guide. I started my 3 hours with a train ride to the other side of the city, where I could spend the next 3 hours finding my way back to my starting point. I got off the train near the Spanish steps, and after exploring that area, started to make my way back. This took me through a good area of the city, you can check the pics for what I saw, but I got to see the Pantheon, along with the tomb for the unknown soldier. I grabbed lunch right outside the Vatican about 30 minutes before my deadline. So I quickly ate my fettuccini alfredo, had a quick conversation with the family next to me from Maryland (the father grew up in Rockford), and then ran back. I was about 2 minutes late, and my group had already left…bt started walking in my direction so I ran right into them. We first went into the Vatican, which was unbelievable, and then headed back to the bus. We all got a quick tour of the city on the bus, and then stopped at the coliseum. After some time there and a lot of pictures, we walked up to another church, and then back to the bus to drive home. The entire tour was 9 ½ hours, and after returning, I just fell asleep till the jazz set at night, my only show. So that was my day in Rome, I can’t wait till next time I’m back!!
Rome
Today, the ship docked in Citavecchia, a port allowing us access to Rome! I had signed up to be a tour escort for the trip, “A taste of Rome”, which had me leaving the ship with my group at 7:45. After the hour and 15 minute trip into Rome on the bus, we stopped in Vatican City. From there, we had 3 hours to walk around the city before we needed to meet back at the Vatican where the tour would commence with the tour guide. I started my 3 hours with a train ride to the other side of the city, where I could spend the next 3 hours finding my way back to my starting point. I got off the train near the Spanish steps, and after exploring that area, started to make my way back. This took me through a good area of the city, you can check the pics for what I saw, but I got to see the Pantheon, along with the tomb for the unknown soldier. I grabbed lunch right outside the Vatican about 30 minutes before my deadline. So I quickly ate my fettuccini alfredo, had a quick conversation with the family next to me from Maryland (the father grew up in Rockford), and then ran back. I was about 2 minutes late, and my group had already left…bt started walking in my direction so I ran right into them. We first went into the Vatican, which was unbelievable, and then headed back to the bus. We all got a quick tour of the city on the bus, and then stopped at the coliseum. After some time there and a lot of pictures, we walked up to another church, and then back to the bus to drive home. The entire tour was 9 ½ hours, and after returning, I just fell asleep till the jazz set at night, my only show. So that was my day in Rome, I can’t wait till next time I’m back!!
La Spezia
Aug 3rd
La spezia
Today, due to a double booking in Lovorno, are ship docked in La Spezia, a city just north of the scheduled port. After a rehearsal in the morning and watching the end of Rocky Balboa (the new one), I headed out. The city was nice, a lot of shopping was available (though many stores were closed), including an outdoor market. I almost bought a shirt, but decided against it for the sake of saving 20 euros. I picked up some ice cream from a gelateria, a scoop of mint, pistachio, and strawberry, which was great. But aside from that, I spent about 3 hours just walking though this downtown area looking around. I didn’t walk as far out of the center of the city as I might usually do, but just had a good time exploring the area. I got back to the ship and played two shows with Gary Lovini, a violinist. Following that, I had a big band set. Tomorrow I’ll be in Rome as a tour escort, which I’m really looking forward to. I have to be ready to leave by 7:15 for a 9.5 hour tour that will take me through the country side and into the city, allowing me multiple hours to go off and wander on my own. Yeah, I’m excited. I’ll have a lot of pics from that, but till then, Seeya!
La spezia
Today, due to a double booking in Lovorno, are ship docked in La Spezia, a city just north of the scheduled port. After a rehearsal in the morning and watching the end of Rocky Balboa (the new one), I headed out. The city was nice, a lot of shopping was available (though many stores were closed), including an outdoor market. I almost bought a shirt, but decided against it for the sake of saving 20 euros. I picked up some ice cream from a gelateria, a scoop of mint, pistachio, and strawberry, which was great. But aside from that, I spent about 3 hours just walking though this downtown area looking around. I didn’t walk as far out of the center of the city as I might usually do, but just had a good time exploring the area. I got back to the ship and played two shows with Gary Lovini, a violinist. Following that, I had a big band set. Tomorrow I’ll be in Rome as a tour escort, which I’m really looking forward to. I have to be ready to leave by 7:15 for a 9.5 hour tour that will take me through the country side and into the city, allowing me multiple hours to go off and wander on my own. Yeah, I’m excited. I’ll have a lot of pics from that, but till then, Seeya!
8/2
Aug 2nd
Ville Franche
Today I had my first repeat port, Ville Franche. This was the first port I traveled to after Barcelona a couple weeks ago, and now I’m back. I started out the day by finding the internet café that I knew existed and was able to sit down for a couple hours and make all my posts, I hope you all appreciate the effort! Then I had to rush back to the ship for a training thing that I really didn’t want to do, so that was lame. I got back to the room to find Ron left a note saying he went “out”. Well, we had planned to go to Monaco in the afternoon/evening, and not knowing exactly what “out” meant or the time it entailed, I waited for his return. After a phone call home and a couple hours later, he got back to the ship, and tired from his excursion, didn’t want to leave again for Monaco. That sucked, cause I was excited to take the train out, so I left the ship seeing what options were still available by the time I got to shore. Unfortunately, when I got in, it was approaching 6:00, and the train schedule didn’t exactly work in my favor for getting me back to the ship by 8:30. I took a picture of the schedule for future reference and then decided to just go walking and find a part of town I hadn’t yet been to. So I did, instead of walking up the hill or turning right toward the beach, I made a left from the dock to see what I could find. After walking around in a fortress for a bit, I continued to walk along the coast and through the local marina. This eventually took me to a great little restaurant with folding tables and only outdoor seating, exactly what I was looking for the first time around. I ordered an omelette (I think that’s how they spelled it), with fromage (chesse). It was phenomenal, sorry Mom, but I guess you can’t beat an authentic French omelette. It came with a nice little side salad, which was great, and some French fries to seal the deal. I ordered a glass of wine as well, a local rogue I assume, which was very good. It was all great though, and I got to sit at this cheap little table 3 feet from the water in the marina, eat authentic French cuisine, and just enjoy a much more “real” part of town without all the tourists. I even had little French birds fly up to my table begging for food, to which I answered with a tip of a French fry which was promptly eaten by the tiny bird with an insatiable appetite that brought her back for more. Then, after paying a more than reasonable 10.50 + tip in euros, I walked back to the tender which would return me to my ship. The Brilliance of the seas, another Royal Carib Ship was anchored just behind us. That was another good sized ship, but I’m relatively sure we were still bigger. So it is now approaching 9:00, and with no show tonight, I’m free to do whatever. I’m looking forward to the next time back and the next time I can find a place with a reasonable internet service!
Ville Franche
Today I had my first repeat port, Ville Franche. This was the first port I traveled to after Barcelona a couple weeks ago, and now I’m back. I started out the day by finding the internet café that I knew existed and was able to sit down for a couple hours and make all my posts, I hope you all appreciate the effort! Then I had to rush back to the ship for a training thing that I really didn’t want to do, so that was lame. I got back to the room to find Ron left a note saying he went “out”. Well, we had planned to go to Monaco in the afternoon/evening, and not knowing exactly what “out” meant or the time it entailed, I waited for his return. After a phone call home and a couple hours later, he got back to the ship, and tired from his excursion, didn’t want to leave again for Monaco. That sucked, cause I was excited to take the train out, so I left the ship seeing what options were still available by the time I got to shore. Unfortunately, when I got in, it was approaching 6:00, and the train schedule didn’t exactly work in my favor for getting me back to the ship by 8:30. I took a picture of the schedule for future reference and then decided to just go walking and find a part of town I hadn’t yet been to. So I did, instead of walking up the hill or turning right toward the beach, I made a left from the dock to see what I could find. After walking around in a fortress for a bit, I continued to walk along the coast and through the local marina. This eventually took me to a great little restaurant with folding tables and only outdoor seating, exactly what I was looking for the first time around. I ordered an omelette (I think that’s how they spelled it), with fromage (chesse). It was phenomenal, sorry Mom, but I guess you can’t beat an authentic French omelette. It came with a nice little side salad, which was great, and some French fries to seal the deal. I ordered a glass of wine as well, a local rogue I assume, which was very good. It was all great though, and I got to sit at this cheap little table 3 feet from the water in the marina, eat authentic French cuisine, and just enjoy a much more “real” part of town without all the tourists. I even had little French birds fly up to my table begging for food, to which I answered with a tip of a French fry which was promptly eaten by the tiny bird with an insatiable appetite that brought her back for more. Then, after paying a more than reasonable 10.50 + tip in euros, I walked back to the tender which would return me to my ship. The Brilliance of the seas, another Royal Carib Ship was anchored just behind us. That was another good sized ship, but I’m relatively sure we were still bigger. So it is now approaching 9:00, and with no show tonight, I’m free to do whatever. I’m looking forward to the next time back and the next time I can find a place with a reasonable internet service!
aug 1st
Aug 1st
At sea
Another sea day today as we travel to Ville Franche. I had safety training in the morning, at which about 90% of my energy went to staying awake for this 8:30 am class (yes, it’s early on a cruise ship). Then a quick rehearsal after that, lunch, practice, ping-pong, the usual. Tonight’s show had two performers, each allowed 30 minutes. The first, Lynsey Simon, who was alright with her show tunes, and then Pete the juggler, who was great like the first time we played with him. Tomorrow is Ville Franche as I said, and I was really excited because I was going to be a tour escort to Monaco and Monte Carlo, but that didn’t work out. I was informed today that I have a training thing tomorrow that starts 30 mins before I need to be at the meeting place. Maybe next time…but I might go with Ron tomorrow to Monaco anyways before we need to be back to the boat by 9:30 pm. I should be able to get online tomorrow, so there’s going to be a barrage of posts if all goes well. Otherwise, nothing too exciting today, but tomorrow should be a different story.
At sea
Another sea day today as we travel to Ville Franche. I had safety training in the morning, at which about 90% of my energy went to staying awake for this 8:30 am class (yes, it’s early on a cruise ship). Then a quick rehearsal after that, lunch, practice, ping-pong, the usual. Tonight’s show had two performers, each allowed 30 minutes. The first, Lynsey Simon, who was alright with her show tunes, and then Pete the juggler, who was great like the first time we played with him. Tomorrow is Ville Franche as I said, and I was really excited because I was going to be a tour escort to Monaco and Monte Carlo, but that didn’t work out. I was informed today that I have a training thing tomorrow that starts 30 mins before I need to be at the meeting place. Maybe next time…but I might go with Ron tomorrow to Monaco anyways before we need to be back to the boat by 9:30 pm. I should be able to get online tomorrow, so there’s going to be a barrage of posts if all goes well. Otherwise, nothing too exciting today, but tomorrow should be a different story.
Friday, August 17, 2007
grrrrr
So I'm sittin here in Villefranche where I was last able to make all my posts, but I can't stay connected for whatever reason. So, I'm not going to be able to make all the posts I had hoped for. I have a tour in about 30 minutes to monte carlo and monaco that is going to keep me busy for the rest of my stay here, so hopefully I can find a connection somewhere else in the near future. Sorry, keep checkin the blog though!!!
grrrrr
So I'm sittin here in Villefranche where I was last able to make all my posts, but I can't stay connected for whatever reason. So, I'm not going to be able to make all the posts I had hoped for. I have a tour in about 30 minutes to monte carlo and monaco that is going to keep me busy for the rest of my stay here, so hopefully I can find a connection somewhere else in the near future. Sorry, keep checkin the blog though!!!
Villefranche
Aug 2nd
Ville Franche
Today I had my first repeat port, Ville Franche. This was the first port I traveled to after Barcelona a couple weeks ago, and now I’m back. I started out the day by finding the internet café that I knew existed and was able to sit down for a couple hours and make all my posts, I hope you all appreciate the effort! Then I had to rush back to the ship for a training thing that I really didn’t want to do, so that was lame. I got back to the room to find Ron left a note saying he went “out”. Well, we had planned to go to Mocaco in the afternoon/evening, and not knowing exactly what “out” meant or the time it entailed, I waited for his return. After a phone call home and a couple hours later, he got back to the ship, and tired from his excursion, didn’t want to leave again for Monaco. That sucked, cause I was excited to take the train out, so I left the ship seeing what options were still available by the time I got to shore. Unfortunately, when I got in, it was approaching 6:00, and the train schedule didn’t exactly work in my favor for getting me back to the ship by 8:30. I took a picture of the schedule for future reference and then decided to just go walking and find a part of town I hadn’t yet been to. So I did, instead of walking up the hill or turning right toward the beach, I made a left from the dock to see what I could find. After walking around in a fortress for a bit, I continued to walk along the coast and through the local marina. This eventually took me to a great little restaurant with folding tables and only outdoor seating, exactly what I was looking for the first time around. I ordered an omelette (I think that’s how they spelled it), with fromage (chesse). It was phenomenal, sorry Mom, but I guess you can’t beat an authentic French omelette. It came with a nice little side salad, which was great, and some French fries to seal the deal. I ordered a glass of wine as well, a local rogue I assume, which was very good. It was all great though, and I got to sit at this cheap little table 3 feet from the water in the marina, eat authentic French cuisine, and just enjoy a much more “real” part of town without all the tourists. I even had little French birds fly up to my table begging for food, to which I answered with a tip of a French fry which was promptly eaten by the tiny bird with an insatiable appetite that brought her back for more. Then, after paying a more than reasonable 10.50 + tip in euros, I walked back to the tender which would return me to my ship. The Brilliance of the seas, another Royal Carib Ship was anchored just behind us. That was another good sized ship, but I’m relatively sure we were still bigger. So it is now approaching 9:00, and with no show tonight, I’m free to do whatever. I’m looking forward to the next time back and the next time I can find a place with a reasonable internet service!
Ville Franche
Today I had my first repeat port, Ville Franche. This was the first port I traveled to after Barcelona a couple weeks ago, and now I’m back. I started out the day by finding the internet café that I knew existed and was able to sit down for a couple hours and make all my posts, I hope you all appreciate the effort! Then I had to rush back to the ship for a training thing that I really didn’t want to do, so that was lame. I got back to the room to find Ron left a note saying he went “out”. Well, we had planned to go to Mocaco in the afternoon/evening, and not knowing exactly what “out” meant or the time it entailed, I waited for his return. After a phone call home and a couple hours later, he got back to the ship, and tired from his excursion, didn’t want to leave again for Monaco. That sucked, cause I was excited to take the train out, so I left the ship seeing what options were still available by the time I got to shore. Unfortunately, when I got in, it was approaching 6:00, and the train schedule didn’t exactly work in my favor for getting me back to the ship by 8:30. I took a picture of the schedule for future reference and then decided to just go walking and find a part of town I hadn’t yet been to. So I did, instead of walking up the hill or turning right toward the beach, I made a left from the dock to see what I could find. After walking around in a fortress for a bit, I continued to walk along the coast and through the local marina. This eventually took me to a great little restaurant with folding tables and only outdoor seating, exactly what I was looking for the first time around. I ordered an omelette (I think that’s how they spelled it), with fromage (chesse). It was phenomenal, sorry Mom, but I guess you can’t beat an authentic French omelette. It came with a nice little side salad, which was great, and some French fries to seal the deal. I ordered a glass of wine as well, a local rogue I assume, which was very good. It was all great though, and I got to sit at this cheap little table 3 feet from the water in the marina, eat authentic French cuisine, and just enjoy a much more “real” part of town without all the tourists. I even had little French birds fly up to my table begging for food, to which I answered with a tip of a French fry which was promptly eaten by the tiny bird with an insatiable appetite that brought her back for more. Then, after paying a more than reasonable 10.50 + tip in euros, I walked back to the tender which would return me to my ship. The Brilliance of the seas, another Royal Carib Ship was anchored just behind us. That was another good sized ship, but I’m relatively sure we were still bigger. So it is now approaching 9:00, and with no show tonight, I’m free to do whatever. I’m looking forward to the next time back and the next time I can find a place with a reasonable internet service!
Villefranche
Aug 2nd
Ville Franche
Today I had my first repeat port, Ville Franche. This was the first port I traveled to after Barcelona a couple weeks ago, and now I’m back. I started out the day by finding the internet café that I knew existed and was able to sit down for a couple hours and make all my posts, I hope you all appreciate the effort! Then I had to rush back to the ship for a training thing that I really didn’t want to do, so that was lame. I got back to the room to find Ron left a note saying he went “out”. Well, we had planned to go to Mocaco in the afternoon/evening, and not knowing exactly what “out” meant or the time it entailed, I waited for his return. After a phone call home and a couple hours later, he got back to the ship, and tired from his excursion, didn’t want to leave again for Monaco. That sucked, cause I was excited to take the train out, so I left the ship seeing what options were still available by the time I got to shore. Unfortunately, when I got in, it was approaching 6:00, and the train schedule didn’t exactly work in my favor for getting me back to the ship by 8:30. I took a picture of the schedule for future reference and then decided to just go walking and find a part of town I hadn’t yet been to. So I did, instead of walking up the hill or turning right toward the beach, I made a left from the dock to see what I could find. After walking around in a fortress for a bit, I continued to walk along the coast and through the local marina. This eventually took me to a great little restaurant with folding tables and only outdoor seating, exactly what I was looking for the first time around. I ordered an omelette (I think that’s how they spelled it), with fromage (chesse). It was phenomenal, sorry Mom, but I guess you can’t beat an authentic French omelette. It came with a nice little side salad, which was great, and some French fries to seal the deal. I ordered a glass of wine as well, a local rogue I assume, which was very good. It was all great though, and I got to sit at this cheap little table 3 feet from the water in the marina, eat authentic French cuisine, and just enjoy a much more “real” part of town without all the tourists. I even had little French birds fly up to my table begging for food, to which I answered with a tip of a French fry which was promptly eaten by the tiny bird with an insatiable appetite that brought her back for more. Then, after paying a more than reasonable 10.50 + tip in euros, I walked back to the tender which would return me to my ship. The Brilliance of the seas, another Royal Carib Ship was anchored just behind us. That was another good sized ship, but I’m relatively sure we were still bigger. So it is now approaching 9:00, and with no show tonight, I’m free to do whatever. I’m looking forward to the next time back and the next time I can find a place with a reasonable internet service!
Ville Franche
Today I had my first repeat port, Ville Franche. This was the first port I traveled to after Barcelona a couple weeks ago, and now I’m back. I started out the day by finding the internet café that I knew existed and was able to sit down for a couple hours and make all my posts, I hope you all appreciate the effort! Then I had to rush back to the ship for a training thing that I really didn’t want to do, so that was lame. I got back to the room to find Ron left a note saying he went “out”. Well, we had planned to go to Mocaco in the afternoon/evening, and not knowing exactly what “out” meant or the time it entailed, I waited for his return. After a phone call home and a couple hours later, he got back to the ship, and tired from his excursion, didn’t want to leave again for Monaco. That sucked, cause I was excited to take the train out, so I left the ship seeing what options were still available by the time I got to shore. Unfortunately, when I got in, it was approaching 6:00, and the train schedule didn’t exactly work in my favor for getting me back to the ship by 8:30. I took a picture of the schedule for future reference and then decided to just go walking and find a part of town I hadn’t yet been to. So I did, instead of walking up the hill or turning right toward the beach, I made a left from the dock to see what I could find. After walking around in a fortress for a bit, I continued to walk along the coast and through the local marina. This eventually took me to a great little restaurant with folding tables and only outdoor seating, exactly what I was looking for the first time around. I ordered an omelette (I think that’s how they spelled it), with fromage (chesse). It was phenomenal, sorry Mom, but I guess you can’t beat an authentic French omelette. It came with a nice little side salad, which was great, and some French fries to seal the deal. I ordered a glass of wine as well, a local rogue I assume, which was very good. It was all great though, and I got to sit at this cheap little table 3 feet from the water in the marina, eat authentic French cuisine, and just enjoy a much more “real” part of town without all the tourists. I even had little French birds fly up to my table begging for food, to which I answered with a tip of a French fry which was promptly eaten by the tiny bird with an insatiable appetite that brought her back for more. Then, after paying a more than reasonable 10.50 + tip in euros, I walked back to the tender which would return me to my ship. The Brilliance of the seas, another Royal Carib Ship was anchored just behind us. That was another good sized ship, but I’m relatively sure we were still bigger. So it is now approaching 9:00, and with no show tonight, I’m free to do whatever. I’m looking forward to the next time back and the next time I can find a place with a reasonable internet service!
Villefranche
Aug 2nd
Ville Franche
Today I had my first repeat port, Ville Franche. This was the first port I traveled to after Barcelona a couple weeks ago, and now I’m back. I started out the day by finding the internet café that I knew existed and was able to sit down for a couple hours and make all my posts, I hope you all appreciate the effort! Then I had to rush back to the ship for a training thing that I really didn’t want to do, so that was lame. I got back to the room to find Ron left a note saying he went “out”. Well, we had planned to go to Mocaco in the afternoon/evening, and not knowing exactly what “out” meant or the time it entailed, I waited for his return. After a phone call home and a couple hours later, he got back to the ship, and tired from his excursion, didn’t want to leave again for Monaco. That sucked, cause I was excited to take the train out, so I left the ship seeing what options were still available by the time I got to shore. Unfortunately, when I got in, it was approaching 6:00, and the train schedule didn’t exactly work in my favor for getting me back to the ship by 8:30. I took a picture of the schedule for future reference and then decided to just go walking and find a part of town I hadn’t yet been to. So I did, instead of walking up the hill or turning right toward the beach, I made a left from the dock to see what I could find. After walking around in a fortress for a bit, I continued to walk along the coast and through the local marina. This eventually took me to a great little restaurant with folding tables and only outdoor seating, exactly what I was looking for the first time around. I ordered an omelette (I think that’s how they spelled it), with fromage (chesse). It was phenomenal, sorry Mom, but I guess you can’t beat an authentic French omelette. It came with a nice little side salad, which was great, and some French fries to seal the deal. I ordered a glass of wine as well, a local rogue I assume, which was very good. It was all great though, and I got to sit at this cheap little table 3 feet from the water in the marina, eat authentic French cuisine, and just enjoy a much more “real” part of town without all the tourists. I even had little French birds fly up to my table begging for food, to which I answered with a tip of a French fry which was promptly eaten by the tiny bird with an insatiable appetite that brought her back for more. Then, after paying a more than reasonable 10.50 + tip in euros, I walked back to the tender which would return me to my ship. The Brilliance of the seas, another Royal Carib Ship was anchored just behind us. That was another good sized ship, but I’m relatively sure we were still bigger. So it is now approaching 9:00, and with no show tonight, I’m free to do whatever. I’m looking forward to the next time back and the next time I can find a place with a reasonable internet service!
Ville Franche
Today I had my first repeat port, Ville Franche. This was the first port I traveled to after Barcelona a couple weeks ago, and now I’m back. I started out the day by finding the internet café that I knew existed and was able to sit down for a couple hours and make all my posts, I hope you all appreciate the effort! Then I had to rush back to the ship for a training thing that I really didn’t want to do, so that was lame. I got back to the room to find Ron left a note saying he went “out”. Well, we had planned to go to Mocaco in the afternoon/evening, and not knowing exactly what “out” meant or the time it entailed, I waited for his return. After a phone call home and a couple hours later, he got back to the ship, and tired from his excursion, didn’t want to leave again for Monaco. That sucked, cause I was excited to take the train out, so I left the ship seeing what options were still available by the time I got to shore. Unfortunately, when I got in, it was approaching 6:00, and the train schedule didn’t exactly work in my favor for getting me back to the ship by 8:30. I took a picture of the schedule for future reference and then decided to just go walking and find a part of town I hadn’t yet been to. So I did, instead of walking up the hill or turning right toward the beach, I made a left from the dock to see what I could find. After walking around in a fortress for a bit, I continued to walk along the coast and through the local marina. This eventually took me to a great little restaurant with folding tables and only outdoor seating, exactly what I was looking for the first time around. I ordered an omelette (I think that’s how they spelled it), with fromage (chesse). It was phenomenal, sorry Mom, but I guess you can’t beat an authentic French omelette. It came with a nice little side salad, which was great, and some French fries to seal the deal. I ordered a glass of wine as well, a local rogue I assume, which was very good. It was all great though, and I got to sit at this cheap little table 3 feet from the water in the marina, eat authentic French cuisine, and just enjoy a much more “real” part of town without all the tourists. I even had little French birds fly up to my table begging for food, to which I answered with a tip of a French fry which was promptly eaten by the tiny bird with an insatiable appetite that brought her back for more. Then, after paying a more than reasonable 10.50 + tip in euros, I walked back to the tender which would return me to my ship. The Brilliance of the seas, another Royal Carib Ship was anchored just behind us. That was another good sized ship, but I’m relatively sure we were still bigger. So it is now approaching 9:00, and with no show tonight, I’m free to do whatever. I’m looking forward to the next time back and the next time I can find a place with a reasonable internet service!
Villefranche
Aug 2nd
Ville Franche
Today I had my first repeat port, Ville Franche. This was the first port I traveled to after Barcelona a couple weeks ago, and now I’m back. I started out the day by finding the internet café that I knew existed and was able to sit down for a couple hours and make all my posts, I hope you all appreciate the effort! Then I had to rush back to the ship for a training thing that I really didn’t want to do, so that was lame. I got back to the room to find Ron left a note saying he went “out”. Well, we had planned to go to Mocaco in the afternoon/evening, and not knowing exactly what “out” meant or the time it entailed, I waited for his return. After a phone call home and a couple hours later, he got back to the ship, and tired from his excursion, didn’t want to leave again for Monaco. That sucked, cause I was excited to take the train out, so I left the ship seeing what options were still available by the time I got to shore. Unfortunately, when I got in, it was approaching 6:00, and the train schedule didn’t exactly work in my favor for getting me back to the ship by 8:30. I took a picture of the schedule for future reference and then decided to just go walking and find a part of town I hadn’t yet been to. So I did, instead of walking up the hill or turning right toward the beach, I made a left from the dock to see what I could find. After walking around in a fortress for a bit, I continued to walk along the coast and through the local marina. This eventually took me to a great little restaurant with folding tables and only outdoor seating, exactly what I was looking for the first time around. I ordered an omelette (I think that’s how they spelled it), with fromage (chesse). It was phenomenal, sorry Mom, but I guess you can’t beat an authentic French omelette. It came with a nice little side salad, which was great, and some French fries to seal the deal. I ordered a glass of wine as well, a local rogue I assume, which was very good. It was all great though, and I got to sit at this cheap little table 3 feet from the water in the marina, eat authentic French cuisine, and just enjoy a much more “real” part of town without all the tourists. I even had little French birds fly up to my table begging for food, to which I answered with a tip of a French fry which was promptly eaten by the tiny bird with an insatiable appetite that brought her back for more. Then, after paying a more than reasonable 10.50 + tip in euros, I walked back to the tender which would return me to my ship. The Brilliance of the seas, another Royal Carib Ship was anchored just behind us. That was another good sized ship, but I’m relatively sure we were still bigger. So it is now approaching 9:00, and with no show tonight, I’m free to do whatever. I’m looking forward to the next time back and the next time I can find a place with a reasonable internet service!
Ville Franche
Today I had my first repeat port, Ville Franche. This was the first port I traveled to after Barcelona a couple weeks ago, and now I’m back. I started out the day by finding the internet café that I knew existed and was able to sit down for a couple hours and make all my posts, I hope you all appreciate the effort! Then I had to rush back to the ship for a training thing that I really didn’t want to do, so that was lame. I got back to the room to find Ron left a note saying he went “out”. Well, we had planned to go to Mocaco in the afternoon/evening, and not knowing exactly what “out” meant or the time it entailed, I waited for his return. After a phone call home and a couple hours later, he got back to the ship, and tired from his excursion, didn’t want to leave again for Monaco. That sucked, cause I was excited to take the train out, so I left the ship seeing what options were still available by the time I got to shore. Unfortunately, when I got in, it was approaching 6:00, and the train schedule didn’t exactly work in my favor for getting me back to the ship by 8:30. I took a picture of the schedule for future reference and then decided to just go walking and find a part of town I hadn’t yet been to. So I did, instead of walking up the hill or turning right toward the beach, I made a left from the dock to see what I could find. After walking around in a fortress for a bit, I continued to walk along the coast and through the local marina. This eventually took me to a great little restaurant with folding tables and only outdoor seating, exactly what I was looking for the first time around. I ordered an omelette (I think that’s how they spelled it), with fromage (chesse). It was phenomenal, sorry Mom, but I guess you can’t beat an authentic French omelette. It came with a nice little side salad, which was great, and some French fries to seal the deal. I ordered a glass of wine as well, a local rogue I assume, which was very good. It was all great though, and I got to sit at this cheap little table 3 feet from the water in the marina, eat authentic French cuisine, and just enjoy a much more “real” part of town without all the tourists. I even had little French birds fly up to my table begging for food, to which I answered with a tip of a French fry which was promptly eaten by the tiny bird with an insatiable appetite that brought her back for more. Then, after paying a more than reasonable 10.50 + tip in euros, I walked back to the tender which would return me to my ship. The Brilliance of the seas, another Royal Carib Ship was anchored just behind us. That was another good sized ship, but I’m relatively sure we were still bigger. So it is now approaching 9:00, and with no show tonight, I’m free to do whatever. I’m looking forward to the next time back and the next time I can find a place with a reasonable internet service!
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Done with the marathon
I did it!!! I have a little time now to make it back to the ship for training, but I made the posts!! The pics aren’t great quality online, they look much better on my comp, and I have about 1200 of them, these are just selections. Enjoy and leave comments, thanks!!
at sea
Aug 1st
At sea
Another sea day today as we travel to Ville Franche. I had safety training in the morning, at which about 90% of my energy went to staying awake for this 8:30 am class (yes, it’s early on a cruise ship). Then a quick rehearsal after that, lunch, practice, ping-pong, the usual. Tonight’s show had two performers, each allowed 30 minutes. The first, Lynsey Simon, who was alright with her show tunes, and then Pete the juggler, who was great like the first time we played with him. Tomorrow is Ville Franche as I said, and I was really excited because I was going to be a tour escort to Monaco and Monte Carlo, but that didn’t work out. I was informed today that I have a training thing tomorrow that starts 30 mins before I need to be at the meeting place. Maybe next time…but I might go with Ron tomorrow to Monaco anyways before we need to be back to the boat by 9:30 pm. I should be able to get online tomorrow, so there’s going to be a barrage of posts if all goes well. Otherwise, nothing too exciting today, but tomorrow should be a different story.
At sea
Another sea day today as we travel to Ville Franche. I had safety training in the morning, at which about 90% of my energy went to staying awake for this 8:30 am class (yes, it’s early on a cruise ship). Then a quick rehearsal after that, lunch, practice, ping-pong, the usual. Tonight’s show had two performers, each allowed 30 minutes. The first, Lynsey Simon, who was alright with her show tunes, and then Pete the juggler, who was great like the first time we played with him. Tomorrow is Ville Franche as I said, and I was really excited because I was going to be a tour escort to Monaco and Monte Carlo, but that didn’t work out. I was informed today that I have a training thing tomorrow that starts 30 mins before I need to be at the meeting place. Maybe next time…but I might go with Ron tomorrow to Monaco anyways before we need to be back to the boat by 9:30 pm. I should be able to get online tomorrow, so there’s going to be a barrage of posts if all goes well. Otherwise, nothing too exciting today, but tomorrow should be a different story.
Gibraltar
July 31st
Gibraltar
Today was my first time in Gibraltar. After a quick lunch, I got off the ship to walk through the city for the next 3 hours before the ship left. Gibraltar, aside from being known for the “rock”, is know for it’s monkeys. Though I didn’t go on the monkey tour this time out, I plan to when I’m back (probably in 2 weeks). I saw a monkey in a cage though…in the botanic garden, so what ever that’s worth… The garden was really great though, and I had a lot of fun walking through the city before hand. Otherwise, I had two shows at night with Kimika, a show we’ve already done, and that’s about it. I’m looking forward to the next time back though, mostly for the monkeys. Tomorrow is a sea day, than Ville Franche after that, meaning internet!
Gibraltar
Today was my first time in Gibraltar. After a quick lunch, I got off the ship to walk through the city for the next 3 hours before the ship left. Gibraltar, aside from being known for the “rock”, is know for it’s monkeys. Though I didn’t go on the monkey tour this time out, I plan to when I’m back (probably in 2 weeks). I saw a monkey in a cage though…in the botanic garden, so what ever that’s worth… The garden was really great though, and I had a lot of fun walking through the city before hand. Otherwise, I had two shows at night with Kimika, a show we’ve already done, and that’s about it. I’m looking forward to the next time back though, mostly for the monkeys. Tomorrow is a sea day, than Ville Franche after that, meaning internet!
At sea
July 29th
At sea
Just another at sea day today. I had 4 hours of training though in the morning, most of which was completely useless, but it did end with a trip up to the bridge to see how the ship is run, which was pretty impressive. Then, we had to play “Captain’s Cocktail”, a big band set where the captain can meet people, and then the Elton John shows again. I tried getting online today and got to at least check emails, but I couldn’t get on my blog for whatever reason. Tomorrow is another sea day, then Gibraltar after that.
July 30th
At sea
I had another sea day today, the second in a row. Tomorrow is Gibraltar though, so that should be fun. We had a production show tonight which was fun, a little tough though. Later tonight we had a jazz set, or combo jam, which is great time just to go back to doing what we all like to do. Other than that, nothing special. I’m looking forward to tomorrow though!!
At sea
Just another at sea day today. I had 4 hours of training though in the morning, most of which was completely useless, but it did end with a trip up to the bridge to see how the ship is run, which was pretty impressive. Then, we had to play “Captain’s Cocktail”, a big band set where the captain can meet people, and then the Elton John shows again. I tried getting online today and got to at least check emails, but I couldn’t get on my blog for whatever reason. Tomorrow is another sea day, then Gibraltar after that.
July 30th
At sea
I had another sea day today, the second in a row. Tomorrow is Gibraltar though, so that should be fun. We had a production show tonight which was fun, a little tough though. Later tonight we had a jazz set, or combo jam, which is great time just to go back to doing what we all like to do. Other than that, nothing special. I’m looking forward to tomorrow though!!
Southampton
July 28th
Southampton
Today was my first passenger switch over for the new cruise. I slept in to avoid the mad rush of people getting off the ship, and eventually made it off the ship to find Wi-Fi. Well, as usual, I couldn’t find anything, but I got to walk around the city. Southampton was nice, despite my focus being to find an internet connection, I still enjoyed walking around. Tonight we played our welcome show, and later tonight we play in the parade on the ship…we’ll see what that’s about. Otherwise, I’m going to get online tomorrow to check mail and make a post to let everyone know what’s up. Tomorrow’s a sea day, along with the next day after that, then we get to Gibraltar. Otherwise, that’s about it, pretty relaxed.
Southampton
Today was my first passenger switch over for the new cruise. I slept in to avoid the mad rush of people getting off the ship, and eventually made it off the ship to find Wi-Fi. Well, as usual, I couldn’t find anything, but I got to walk around the city. Southampton was nice, despite my focus being to find an internet connection, I still enjoyed walking around. Tonight we played our welcome show, and later tonight we play in the parade on the ship…we’ll see what that’s about. Otherwise, I’m going to get online tomorrow to check mail and make a post to let everyone know what’s up. Tomorrow’s a sea day, along with the next day after that, then we get to Gibraltar. Otherwise, that’s about it, pretty relaxed.
at sea
July 27th
At sea
Another at sea day, nothing too special. Tonight we played the farewell show, which is simple and straightforward. I actually ended up sleeping a good portion of the day, it’s weird living in an environment where sunlight can easily be avoided. Speaking of, today was the first day I’ve seen poor weather outside, I guess everyone was right when they said England has terrible weather. We get in tomorrow, to a quick change over with passengers, and then embark on a new cruise that evening. I have training tomorrow, so I’m hoping I can still get off the ship to make my posts. Otherwise, that was pretty much the day, easy enough, right?
At sea
Another at sea day, nothing too special. Tonight we played the farewell show, which is simple and straightforward. I actually ended up sleeping a good portion of the day, it’s weird living in an environment where sunlight can easily be avoided. Speaking of, today was the first day I’ve seen poor weather outside, I guess everyone was right when they said England has terrible weather. We get in tomorrow, to a quick change over with passengers, and then embark on a new cruise that evening. I have training tomorrow, so I’m hoping I can still get off the ship to make my posts. Otherwise, that was pretty much the day, easy enough, right?
Vigo
July 26th
Vigo
Today the ship docked at Vigo, Spain, our last stop before South Haven. When I got off the ship, my single objective was to find free Wi-Fi…unfortunately that was an utter failure. My quest took me through a good portion of the city and I had a good time walking around searching for a signal, but it means that I’ve gone another day without getting online to make my posts. Vigo was great though, but we stop there every cruise, so I’ll get a lot more opportunities to tour the city. The show tonight was fun, we played for an Elton John impersonator who did great, I believe his name is John Kane. He comes back next cruise, so that’ll be fun. Since we’re sailing back now, the seas have definitely picked up a lot. Ron was feeling slightly seasick today and with good reason. It’s weird walking around a totally enclosed area and feeling a good amount of movement, it’s either like a slow motion earthquake or perpetual drunkenness, take your pick. We’ll be at sea tomorrow, and have a farewell show to perform at night, but otherwise that’s it till England. Seeya!
Vigo
Today the ship docked at Vigo, Spain, our last stop before South Haven. When I got off the ship, my single objective was to find free Wi-Fi…unfortunately that was an utter failure. My quest took me through a good portion of the city and I had a good time walking around searching for a signal, but it means that I’ve gone another day without getting online to make my posts. Vigo was great though, but we stop there every cruise, so I’ll get a lot more opportunities to tour the city. The show tonight was fun, we played for an Elton John impersonator who did great, I believe his name is John Kane. He comes back next cruise, so that’ll be fun. Since we’re sailing back now, the seas have definitely picked up a lot. Ron was feeling slightly seasick today and with good reason. It’s weird walking around a totally enclosed area and feeling a good amount of movement, it’s either like a slow motion earthquake or perpetual drunkenness, take your pick. We’ll be at sea tomorrow, and have a farewell show to perform at night, but otherwise that’s it till England. Seeya!
Lisbon
July 25th
Lisbon
Today I got acquainted with Portugal. I had a rehearsal in the morning, then I got off the ship for a few hours to go do my usual getting lost thing. This time, however, Ron came with me in order to find a shot glass for a friend of his. After 3 hours of walking through Lisbon (Lisboa to the locals), we found the sought after shot glass at the terminal 100 yards from the ship. On the up side of it all, we did get to see a good chunk of the city and walk around the less tourist-y areas. I had a good time and took a lot of pics. The show tonight was fun; the band performed in the pit, which moves up and down depending on our role at the time. Tomorrow we play with an Elton John Impersonator. Otherwise, that was about it for today, just another great day in another country I haven’t been to. Tomorrow, Vigo!
Lisbon
Today I got acquainted with Portugal. I had a rehearsal in the morning, then I got off the ship for a few hours to go do my usual getting lost thing. This time, however, Ron came with me in order to find a shot glass for a friend of his. After 3 hours of walking through Lisbon (Lisboa to the locals), we found the sought after shot glass at the terminal 100 yards from the ship. On the up side of it all, we did get to see a good chunk of the city and walk around the less tourist-y areas. I had a good time and took a lot of pics. The show tonight was fun; the band performed in the pit, which moves up and down depending on our role at the time. Tomorrow we play with an Elton John Impersonator. Otherwise, that was about it for today, just another great day in another country I haven’t been to. Tomorrow, Vigo!
Malaga
July 24th
Malaga Spain
Today we were back in Spain, but Malaga instead of Barcelona. I had a rehearsal in the morning, but then was free to get off the ship to see the city. I had about 3.5 hours off the ship to walk around, so I did just that. The city was beautiful and has a great garden area that I walked through to get into the downtown area. When you get downtown, there’s a lot of shopping, which isn’t so much my thing. It was nice though just walking through those areas. I saw some great buildings and an old roman amphitheatre which was really cool to see in person. Also, there were a ton of street musicians playing either clarinet, accordion, trumpet or strings, some of whom were in groups. I grabbed lunch at a tapas place, which was good but not without a story… So I ordered a filette de cerdo, which was good, some kind of meat (I forget what cerdo was from high school Spanish). I had ordered water with the meal, and my waitress brought over some bread as well, I was trying to not spend too much. When she brings over the check, my meal was what I had thought, but I got charged an extra .50 euros for the bread I didn’t order and 1.75 euros for the bottled water she brought, bringing my bill to 7.70 euros. Oddly enough, I left the boat with exactly that amount, lucky right? Well, lucky till I had given a street musician .50 euros for playing glasses, you know the sound that you can make circling your finger on the rim of a glass, yeah, he was great (look up armonica, Ben Franklin’s version). So I’m .50 cents short, and they wouldn’t take visa or my American money, so she goes back in to talk with the manager. Thankfully, they said it was ok and let me off the hook, but feeling bad about the unsettled bill and inability to leave a tip, I left a starbucks card on the table with some unknown amount, hopefully my waitress will have a starbucks somewhere she can use it at. I got back to the ship then, played my two shows for the night, saw a standup act that night, and then went to a crew party afterwards. That was fun, there was a dance floor set up in the ice rink, so I danced with an Australian girl and Argentinean girl. But that was my day in Malaga, good times, Lisbon tomorrow!
Malaga Spain
Today we were back in Spain, but Malaga instead of Barcelona. I had a rehearsal in the morning, but then was free to get off the ship to see the city. I had about 3.5 hours off the ship to walk around, so I did just that. The city was beautiful and has a great garden area that I walked through to get into the downtown area. When you get downtown, there’s a lot of shopping, which isn’t so much my thing. It was nice though just walking through those areas. I saw some great buildings and an old roman amphitheatre which was really cool to see in person. Also, there were a ton of street musicians playing either clarinet, accordion, trumpet or strings, some of whom were in groups. I grabbed lunch at a tapas place, which was good but not without a story… So I ordered a filette de cerdo, which was good, some kind of meat (I forget what cerdo was from high school Spanish). I had ordered water with the meal, and my waitress brought over some bread as well, I was trying to not spend too much. When she brings over the check, my meal was what I had thought, but I got charged an extra .50 euros for the bread I didn’t order and 1.75 euros for the bottled water she brought, bringing my bill to 7.70 euros. Oddly enough, I left the boat with exactly that amount, lucky right? Well, lucky till I had given a street musician .50 euros for playing glasses, you know the sound that you can make circling your finger on the rim of a glass, yeah, he was great (look up armonica, Ben Franklin’s version). So I’m .50 cents short, and they wouldn’t take visa or my American money, so she goes back in to talk with the manager. Thankfully, they said it was ok and let me off the hook, but feeling bad about the unsettled bill and inability to leave a tip, I left a starbucks card on the table with some unknown amount, hopefully my waitress will have a starbucks somewhere she can use it at. I got back to the ship then, played my two shows for the night, saw a standup act that night, and then went to a crew party afterwards. That was fun, there was a dance floor set up in the ice rink, so I danced with an Australian girl and Argentinean girl. But that was my day in Malaga, good times, Lisbon tomorrow!
at sea
July 23rd
At sea
Today was spent at sea, traveling across the Med to Malaga. This gave me some time to get practicing in, in between a rehearsal and the shows tonight. The show tonight was called All Access, and was all rock tunes that we performed with the dancers. I thought it was a really fun show, and the dancers and singers are great. But that’s about it for today. Hopefully I’ll continue enjoying these shows as I approach the point where I’ll have played each show multiple times.
At sea
Today was spent at sea, traveling across the Med to Malaga. This gave me some time to get practicing in, in between a rehearsal and the shows tonight. The show tonight was called All Access, and was all rock tunes that we performed with the dancers. I thought it was a really fun show, and the dancers and singers are great. But that’s about it for today. Hopefully I’ll continue enjoying these shows as I approach the point where I’ll have played each show multiple times.
Cagliari
July 22nd
Cagliari Sardinia
Today consisted of a nice stop in Cagliari Sardinia, kindof near Sicily. I had a training thing in the morning, mostly about customer service/guest relations. Following that, I made my way into the city, and as usual, with no real plan or direction. The city was beautiful, maybe not so much as Ville Franche, but still quite nice. However, with today being Sunday, everything was closed. I didn’t have much time in the city, so the lack of things to do wasn’t a major concern. I did however walk to the top of the hill the city is built upon to find a couple great views, as well as grab a panini and gelato on the way back to the boat. They were ok, not great, but I needed to get something related to the culinary culture. I then had a rehearsal back at the boat, grabbed dinner, played two shows for a great singer named Paul Emmanuel, and then had a jam session with the band in the lounge on 14, the Cosmopolitan. The players really have some chops and love to play, maybe not the strongest rhythm section for combo playing (great for the show band though), but overall a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I was only up for two tunes…we only had an hour. But overall, nice day, tomorrow will be spent at sea sailing to Malaga I believe, making it my first full day at sea! Talk to you soon!
Cagliari Sardinia
Today consisted of a nice stop in Cagliari Sardinia, kindof near Sicily. I had a training thing in the morning, mostly about customer service/guest relations. Following that, I made my way into the city, and as usual, with no real plan or direction. The city was beautiful, maybe not so much as Ville Franche, but still quite nice. However, with today being Sunday, everything was closed. I didn’t have much time in the city, so the lack of things to do wasn’t a major concern. I did however walk to the top of the hill the city is built upon to find a couple great views, as well as grab a panini and gelato on the way back to the boat. They were ok, not great, but I needed to get something related to the culinary culture. I then had a rehearsal back at the boat, grabbed dinner, played two shows for a great singer named Paul Emmanuel, and then had a jam session with the band in the lounge on 14, the Cosmopolitan. The players really have some chops and love to play, maybe not the strongest rhythm section for combo playing (great for the show band though), but overall a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I was only up for two tunes…we only had an hour. But overall, nice day, tomorrow will be spent at sea sailing to Malaga I believe, making it my first full day at sea! Talk to you soon!
Pisa
July 21st, Pisa
Today, the boat docked in Livorno Italy. Having always wanted to visit Italy, I was excited. We docked at some sea port on the outskirts of the city and had to be bussed into more exciting areas. My plan was to catch another bus in the city, take it to the train station, catch a train to Pisa, and enjoy a few historic landmarks. I wasn’t the only one who had this in mind, and was lucky enough to find a nice English family from the ship to talk with while trying to figure out the foreign train system. Everything ended up working out great and we made it to Pisa without a problem. I then split from the group to walk through the city (to get to the tower), while they took a bus heading for the same destination. It was great walking though Pisa though; there was an interesting mix between modern looking stores and old fashioned markets, all along a very Italian looking street. I took a good number of pictures while I walked, keeping my eye out for the God Father, and soon found myself at the tower. That was an amazing sight, my camera didn’t stop. Along with the tower is a huge Cathedral, and behind that, a Baptistery, all made with a beautiful white marble (I think, my major wasn’t geology). I bought a ticket to go in the Cathedral and continued with my trigger happy finger, well worth the 2 Euros I paid. I could have bought a ticket to the top of the tower, but it would have been a 3 hour wait, 2.5 of which I didn’t have to spare, and the 15 Euros wasn’t exactly cheep. I then left the area, still taking pictures as I walked backwards, and found myself with the English group again, good timing! We all then met back at the station after being slightly separating during the walk back. I had stopped to buy another 1.5 liter water bottle, and in my haste and inability to read Italian, I bought sparkling water…whatever, you can still drink it. The English group and I all caught the train back and discussed cultural differences and my job on the ship, and after a picture in Livorno, we split again to hopefully meet up again on the ship sometime later. I got back to my cabin, grabbed some dinner, and got set up for the show I had to play that night, a big band set. It was actually fun, and the group sounded great for 5 horns, I was pleased with the show. Everyone else seemed upset though, not at me I don’t think, but they weren’t pleased with how it went, so I guess I set my expectations way low…well, I’m happy. To conclude my night, I tried to get online up in the crew lounge where they have computers set up. I waited an hour, for one of the three working computers to open, only to open a simple account taking 30 seconds. Hoping everything was in working order, I came back to the room to try my newly established account, plugged in, and nothing. So that’ll be my project tomorrow in Sardinia. Well anyways, that was today. I’m having a great time and hope everyone else is back at home!!!
Today, the boat docked in Livorno Italy. Having always wanted to visit Italy, I was excited. We docked at some sea port on the outskirts of the city and had to be bussed into more exciting areas. My plan was to catch another bus in the city, take it to the train station, catch a train to Pisa, and enjoy a few historic landmarks. I wasn’t the only one who had this in mind, and was lucky enough to find a nice English family from the ship to talk with while trying to figure out the foreign train system. Everything ended up working out great and we made it to Pisa without a problem. I then split from the group to walk through the city (to get to the tower), while they took a bus heading for the same destination. It was great walking though Pisa though; there was an interesting mix between modern looking stores and old fashioned markets, all along a very Italian looking street. I took a good number of pictures while I walked, keeping my eye out for the God Father, and soon found myself at the tower. That was an amazing sight, my camera didn’t stop. Along with the tower is a huge Cathedral, and behind that, a Baptistery, all made with a beautiful white marble (I think, my major wasn’t geology). I bought a ticket to go in the Cathedral and continued with my trigger happy finger, well worth the 2 Euros I paid. I could have bought a ticket to the top of the tower, but it would have been a 3 hour wait, 2.5 of which I didn’t have to spare, and the 15 Euros wasn’t exactly cheep. I then left the area, still taking pictures as I walked backwards, and found myself with the English group again, good timing! We all then met back at the station after being slightly separating during the walk back. I had stopped to buy another 1.5 liter water bottle, and in my haste and inability to read Italian, I bought sparkling water…whatever, you can still drink it. The English group and I all caught the train back and discussed cultural differences and my job on the ship, and after a picture in Livorno, we split again to hopefully meet up again on the ship sometime later. I got back to my cabin, grabbed some dinner, and got set up for the show I had to play that night, a big band set. It was actually fun, and the group sounded great for 5 horns, I was pleased with the show. Everyone else seemed upset though, not at me I don’t think, but they weren’t pleased with how it went, so I guess I set my expectations way low…well, I’m happy. To conclude my night, I tried to get online up in the crew lounge where they have computers set up. I waited an hour, for one of the three working computers to open, only to open a simple account taking 30 seconds. Hoping everything was in working order, I came back to the room to try my newly established account, plugged in, and nothing. So that’ll be my project tomorrow in Sardinia. Well anyways, that was today. I’m having a great time and hope everyone else is back at home!!!
Ville Franche
July 20th
Day in Ville Franche
So today I started with another training session, this time about crowd control. I’m not completely sure how these two hour lectures are going to do much good in an actual time of emergency, but I guess it’s procedure. After that, I grabbed lunch on the ship, and quickly headed out to Ville Franche. We couldn’t actually dock the ship on a dock in the city due to the size, so other ships were sent to take the passengers ashore, called tendering. I started out walking with my roommate, Ron, on the beaches and through the East side of the bay (or so I think). The entire bay area was amazing though, I’ve never seen such a beautiful city, please check out the pics!! Where we were walking, there were some huge estates, I took a couple pics through the fence, and one picture of only the fence, it was just that good. We headed back to the loading dock, Ron went back to the ship while I continued through the city. I simply just walked up as far as I thought necessary to get an idea, and spent another few hours just looking around without really knowing where I was. Got some great pics though! Then I headed back to the ship, changed into a bathing suit, and went to the beach till the sun went down, and then began my quest to find some good French cuisine. After walking around for that perfect restaurant that wasn’t too tourist-y, I eventually gave up and settled on a pizza place. Well, can’t will them all. So, to redeem myself, I ordered a glass of local wine, the perfect match to extra thin crust, ham and mushroom pizza. Following that, I headed back to the ship, got some practicing in, and went to a party happening out on deck 12 around the pool area. And that concludes my day in France…onto Pisa!!!
Day in Ville Franche
So today I started with another training session, this time about crowd control. I’m not completely sure how these two hour lectures are going to do much good in an actual time of emergency, but I guess it’s procedure. After that, I grabbed lunch on the ship, and quickly headed out to Ville Franche. We couldn’t actually dock the ship on a dock in the city due to the size, so other ships were sent to take the passengers ashore, called tendering. I started out walking with my roommate, Ron, on the beaches and through the East side of the bay (or so I think). The entire bay area was amazing though, I’ve never seen such a beautiful city, please check out the pics!! Where we were walking, there were some huge estates, I took a couple pics through the fence, and one picture of only the fence, it was just that good. We headed back to the loading dock, Ron went back to the ship while I continued through the city. I simply just walked up as far as I thought necessary to get an idea, and spent another few hours just looking around without really knowing where I was. Got some great pics though! Then I headed back to the ship, changed into a bathing suit, and went to the beach till the sun went down, and then began my quest to find some good French cuisine. After walking around for that perfect restaurant that wasn’t too tourist-y, I eventually gave up and settled on a pizza place. Well, can’t will them all. So, to redeem myself, I ordered a glass of local wine, the perfect match to extra thin crust, ham and mushroom pizza. Following that, I headed back to the ship, got some practicing in, and went to a party happening out on deck 12 around the pool area. And that concludes my day in France…onto Pisa!!!
Barcelona/at sea
July 19th, thurs in Barcelona/sea
Here began my first full day on the ship. I started my morning with a training course I’m required to take. These classes start at the beginning of the trip, but seeing as I boarded 6 days or so into the trip, I had to just jump in. Today’s topic was fire training, recognition, and safety. We talk about stuff on the ship to fight fires and got to use an extinguisher. That was fun. The instructor is slightly paranoid though, supposedly piles on clothing catch on fire spontaneously and is frequent enough to cause him concern. Maybe it’s a miracle then I’ve made it through college…or maybe he’s just sort of crazy. After that, I ate lunch, got some practicing in, and the ship left about 4:00 to head for France. I had two short shows that night with a juggler, Pete Matthews, who was great. His show was hilarious and the music, despite its simplicity, was still fun because of the juggling he was doing. I could still just be living in the excitement of this transition, but I really hope that my enthusiasm doesn’t start to dry up. Following that, I hung out with some people in the staff lounge, played a crazy game my roommate Ron calls Loser Pool, and eventually headed for bead. Fun first day, nothing too crazy.
Oh yeah, I got my baggage too. A little worse for wear, as in the morons were kind enough to break the left wheel on this nice new piece of luggage, but at least I can break this 4 day streak of wearing the same clothes.
Here began my first full day on the ship. I started my morning with a training course I’m required to take. These classes start at the beginning of the trip, but seeing as I boarded 6 days or so into the trip, I had to just jump in. Today’s topic was fire training, recognition, and safety. We talk about stuff on the ship to fight fires and got to use an extinguisher. That was fun. The instructor is slightly paranoid though, supposedly piles on clothing catch on fire spontaneously and is frequent enough to cause him concern. Maybe it’s a miracle then I’ve made it through college…or maybe he’s just sort of crazy. After that, I ate lunch, got some practicing in, and the ship left about 4:00 to head for France. I had two short shows that night with a juggler, Pete Matthews, who was great. His show was hilarious and the music, despite its simplicity, was still fun because of the juggling he was doing. I could still just be living in the excitement of this transition, but I really hope that my enthusiasm doesn’t start to dry up. Following that, I hung out with some people in the staff lounge, played a crazy game my roommate Ron calls Loser Pool, and eventually headed for bead. Fun first day, nothing too crazy.
Oh yeah, I got my baggage too. A little worse for wear, as in the morons were kind enough to break the left wheel on this nice new piece of luggage, but at least I can break this 4 day streak of wearing the same clothes.
July 18th, Barcelona
Since I haven’t been able to find a way online till now, I’ve been keeping up with posts offline. The second day in Barcelona was great! I woke up at the hotel, grabbed breakfast at their breakfast buffet (consisting of the usual eggs, sausage, cheese assortments, cheesecake, breads and orange juice), and then packed up to catch a taxi to the city. Royal Caribbean has an office in Barcelona right in the harbor in the World Trade Building, so I had worked it out with them that they’d send a taxi at 11, I could drop my stuff off, and then I’d be free till 7 to walk around the city. So I did just that. I dropped my bags off with Martin (sans one), and then walked outside with my map and no real plan. Basically, I just walked meandered around the city, finding monuments or just going down whichever street caught my fancy. I’d then stop 15 mins later and find where I was on my map just to make sure I didn’t get too lost. I was able to walk down the beach (see the Mediterranean for the first time), walk through a great park, see some more attractions, and get lost in the sides streets. The beach was beautiful, unfortunately certain choice old men enjoy their beach experience fully nude…well it definitely added to my experience. Check the pics for shots of that, the harbor, and the city. Walking through the streets though was just amazing. It was so much different than anything else I’d ever seen, and I loved finding all the small little stores I could tucked away in corners. The main street, La Rambla, served as my central point after the first few hours of wandering. La Rambla is the main tourist attraction for shopping, and also has street performers similar to the keys. I then ate at a nearby restaurant, which was good, and headed back to the office. The ship came around 7, and I caught a ride over with another office worker, so that was easy. I then signed onto the ship, met some of the musicians, and spent the night trying to figure out how to get around this massive boat. It’s huge…check the pics. I couldn’t leave the ship to spend the night in Barcelona because I hadn’t yet received an I.D. card. So that was my day, first full day in Europe, and so much different than anything I’ve ever experienced anywhere. Great!!!
Got it!!!!!
I GOT ONLINE!!!!! prepare yourself then for the onslaght of posts and pics. I'm currently sitting in Ville Franche at a nice little Internet Cafe and will hopefully be able to make all my posts before my training at 1:30. Yay for internet!!
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