Tuesday, August 19, 2008
...I've been slackin' with the posts
Yeah, I guess I've been a little slow putting some of these posts up, so I'll get a few up now and a few more later. I haven't been able to get to any good wifi areas since entering the Med, meaning I've been stuck with stupid ship internet at a million dollars a minute, but hey, I can't keep my loyal readers waiting for ever! So here are a few, I have many more still to post, but I don't want to overload you all in one massive posting of a month's worth of entries. So enjoy the recent posts and keep in touch, thanks!!
Livorno
August 7th
Livorno
Today was a return to a port I’d been to many times, Livorno in Italy. From here, one can easily get to Pisa, Florence, and a large part of Tuscany. But today, due to a boat drill, I was limited to, well, walking around Livorno. The city of Livorno isn’t anything spectacular, and seeing as the morning boat drill didn’t allow us off the ship until noon, I missed the majority of the huge city market (which close just after noon). I was off the ship with Patrick and Igor (the trombone player from Moldova) just walking what was left of the markets looking for wine and cheese. Igor did end up finding some great cheese, of which I can’t even begin to describe, and I bought some wine specific to the Tuscany region. The best part of shopping for Tuscan wine in Tuscany are the prices - two bottles for under 7 Euro, or less than $10. But between the cheese, wine, and being back in Italy, that about covers the highlights of my day. It’s nice to be back in Italy though, regardless of the fact I can’t understand a single word anyone says, it’s the energy I enjoy.
That evening, back on the ship, I had a single jazz set to play, which I followed with going to see the theater performance I was not required to play. Tonight was one of the two production shows that the band doesn’t accompany, and seeing as it was my last chance to see the show with the original cast before they leave after this cruise, I had no choice but to go. It was a great time though, and even though I went by myself, knowing everyone on stage made it seem like I wasn’t alone at all. It’s great when you can go to the shows and sit at the front of the theater making non-verbal jokes with the people on stage, all inside jokes that can slip by the audience but be great fun for me and who ever I’m trying to mess with on stage. It was a great night though and a nice day off of playing sets in the theater. Thanks!
Livorno
Today was a return to a port I’d been to many times, Livorno in Italy. From here, one can easily get to Pisa, Florence, and a large part of Tuscany. But today, due to a boat drill, I was limited to, well, walking around Livorno. The city of Livorno isn’t anything spectacular, and seeing as the morning boat drill didn’t allow us off the ship until noon, I missed the majority of the huge city market (which close just after noon). I was off the ship with Patrick and Igor (the trombone player from Moldova) just walking what was left of the markets looking for wine and cheese. Igor did end up finding some great cheese, of which I can’t even begin to describe, and I bought some wine specific to the Tuscany region. The best part of shopping for Tuscan wine in Tuscany are the prices - two bottles for under 7 Euro, or less than $10. But between the cheese, wine, and being back in Italy, that about covers the highlights of my day. It’s nice to be back in Italy though, regardless of the fact I can’t understand a single word anyone says, it’s the energy I enjoy.
That evening, back on the ship, I had a single jazz set to play, which I followed with going to see the theater performance I was not required to play. Tonight was one of the two production shows that the band doesn’t accompany, and seeing as it was my last chance to see the show with the original cast before they leave after this cruise, I had no choice but to go. It was a great time though, and even though I went by myself, knowing everyone on stage made it seem like I wasn’t alone at all. It’s great when you can go to the shows and sit at the front of the theater making non-verbal jokes with the people on stage, all inside jokes that can slip by the audience but be great fun for me and who ever I’m trying to mess with on stage. It was a great night though and a nice day off of playing sets in the theater. Thanks!
Sea Day/Cannes
August 5th/6th
Sea Day/Cannes
I don’t remember the 5th, it was a sea day, and I believe a production show. Most of the day was spent reading. Oh, and it was spent inside because I got a lovely sunburn on my shoulders from reading the day before outside…silly me
As for the 6th, that’s a little more interesting. The ship anchored in Cannes, located in the French Riviera, and world renown for its film festival. I’ve been to Cannes once before on a tour with my first ship and was excited to be returning. On my last visit, of which I was allowed 90 minutes to roam the city, I spent the first hour running through the area looking for a bathroom that I was in desperate need of – I made sure relieve myself prior to leaving the ship this time.
I got off the ship with a few friends from the band, there were five of us in total. We had a couple objectives: buy cheese and go to the beach. We figured the more intelligent first stop would be at the beach before we had accumulated any cheese, so that’s what we went looking for. After walking towards the downtown area of the city and realizing that there didn’t seem to be any free beaches, we adjusted course away from the water and began exploring, looking for whatever caught our eye. After some walking, one of my friends found some strawberries at a market, which he bought and then walked with. Then Ben, the tenor player, found some cheese that caught his eye, which he also bought and threw in his bag. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but Ben used to work in a cheese shop in Texas, making him the band expert on cheeses, and let me say that he certainly has earned that distinction. On this instance he bought some kind of “triple crème brie,” or at least that’s what I understood it to be. I then ended up buying some bread to share with the group, at which point, we decided to go to a café, get espressos, and have a mock picnic on all our foods. Man, what a good idea. We all sat outside at a café with our drinks, eating really delicious bread (French bread and a “cereal” loaf which was unbelievable) topped with great cheese and strawberries to match. Another guy picked up some large chocolate cookies for the group as well, I guess as a dessert. Anyways, that was a fantastic idea and thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Following the picnic, we moved on towards the free beaches back near the ship. After picking the most promising area, we all did what we’ve been yearning to do since summer began, go swimming. And after months in the cold of the Baltics, nothing could have been nicer than a well-deserved swim in the Mediterranean. Eventually, half the group broke off while I stayed behind with Patrick and Ben to continue our enjoyment of the beach. I eventually purchased some beach paddles for 5 euros, which only prolonged our time at the oasis of sand and sea. We eventually left due to a rehearsal, and seeing as I was starting to fear the worsening of my already burnt shoulders, not a minute too soon. It was a great time though, and those French beaches are certainly nice (and I don’t mean for the sand). The rest of the day panned out as usual. Thanks for reading!
Sea Day/Cannes
I don’t remember the 5th, it was a sea day, and I believe a production show. Most of the day was spent reading. Oh, and it was spent inside because I got a lovely sunburn on my shoulders from reading the day before outside…silly me
As for the 6th, that’s a little more interesting. The ship anchored in Cannes, located in the French Riviera, and world renown for its film festival. I’ve been to Cannes once before on a tour with my first ship and was excited to be returning. On my last visit, of which I was allowed 90 minutes to roam the city, I spent the first hour running through the area looking for a bathroom that I was in desperate need of – I made sure relieve myself prior to leaving the ship this time.
I got off the ship with a few friends from the band, there were five of us in total. We had a couple objectives: buy cheese and go to the beach. We figured the more intelligent first stop would be at the beach before we had accumulated any cheese, so that’s what we went looking for. After walking towards the downtown area of the city and realizing that there didn’t seem to be any free beaches, we adjusted course away from the water and began exploring, looking for whatever caught our eye. After some walking, one of my friends found some strawberries at a market, which he bought and then walked with. Then Ben, the tenor player, found some cheese that caught his eye, which he also bought and threw in his bag. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but Ben used to work in a cheese shop in Texas, making him the band expert on cheeses, and let me say that he certainly has earned that distinction. On this instance he bought some kind of “triple crème brie,” or at least that’s what I understood it to be. I then ended up buying some bread to share with the group, at which point, we decided to go to a café, get espressos, and have a mock picnic on all our foods. Man, what a good idea. We all sat outside at a café with our drinks, eating really delicious bread (French bread and a “cereal” loaf which was unbelievable) topped with great cheese and strawberries to match. Another guy picked up some large chocolate cookies for the group as well, I guess as a dessert. Anyways, that was a fantastic idea and thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Following the picnic, we moved on towards the free beaches back near the ship. After picking the most promising area, we all did what we’ve been yearning to do since summer began, go swimming. And after months in the cold of the Baltics, nothing could have been nicer than a well-deserved swim in the Mediterranean. Eventually, half the group broke off while I stayed behind with Patrick and Ben to continue our enjoyment of the beach. I eventually purchased some beach paddles for 5 euros, which only prolonged our time at the oasis of sand and sea. We eventually left due to a rehearsal, and seeing as I was starting to fear the worsening of my already burnt shoulders, not a minute too soon. It was a great time though, and those French beaches are certainly nice (and I don’t mean for the sand). The rest of the day panned out as usual. Thanks for reading!
Southampton/Sea Day/Sea Day/Gibraltar
August 1st-4th
Southampton/Sea Day/Sea Day/Gibraltar
My day in Southampton was unfortunately cut short. After having big plans to wake up early and get off the ship, I slept in, ate lunch on the ship, and then managed to lock myself out of my room. I had left my keycard in the pocket of a different pair of pants, meaning when I grabbed my wallet when leaving the room, I didn’t grab the key. I could have gotten off the ship anyways, but with my computer locked in my room and no guarantee of finding a room attendant when I got back, I decided to take care of the problem at that time. Over an hour later I was off the ship (with my room key) with about 2 hours remaining for my all-important errands. After taking a cab in and being warned by the cab driver to get back early due to traffic, my errands got boiled down to two things, the bookstore and coffee shop for internet.
I picked up three books at the bookstore, one of which is this really cool book on understanding comics. I’ve never been a fan of comic books, and to be honest, don’t think I’ve ever read an entire comic book in my life, but it didn’t matter, this book rocked. It was all about how people perceive stories and art and how comic put them together in a way that gets little acclaim. Also, to make it really clever, the entire book is written as a comic itself and is really a joy to read. I also picked up a book on communication and Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead. Honestly, that was probably the highlight of my day, maybe that’s kind of sad, but I’m excited to have some new things to read! The remainder of the day was the usual embark routine. We did get a new cast of dancers on the ship though, so that’s always exciting.
The two sea days were uneventful. I did some reading and finished that comic book, which I highly recommend. But that aside, there isn’t much worth mention.
And now today, in Gibraltar, is going to be equally uneventful. I’m stuck on the ship with IPM duty, which is fine with me because I’ve been here so many times before. So instead of getting off the ship, I sat on the sun deck this afternoon reading The Fountainhead and enjoying the now Mediterranean weather…finally. It was nice to feel like I was on vacation for a few hours and get out of the dim yellow light of the crew areas. The rest of the day is fairly ordinary, which is why I’m writing this blog in advance. I’ll have a rehearsal in an hour, two shows later tonight, and the time between will be filled with reading and probably a trip to the gym. That’s about all, so thanks as always and have a great day!
Southampton/Sea Day/Sea Day/Gibraltar
My day in Southampton was unfortunately cut short. After having big plans to wake up early and get off the ship, I slept in, ate lunch on the ship, and then managed to lock myself out of my room. I had left my keycard in the pocket of a different pair of pants, meaning when I grabbed my wallet when leaving the room, I didn’t grab the key. I could have gotten off the ship anyways, but with my computer locked in my room and no guarantee of finding a room attendant when I got back, I decided to take care of the problem at that time. Over an hour later I was off the ship (with my room key) with about 2 hours remaining for my all-important errands. After taking a cab in and being warned by the cab driver to get back early due to traffic, my errands got boiled down to two things, the bookstore and coffee shop for internet.
I picked up three books at the bookstore, one of which is this really cool book on understanding comics. I’ve never been a fan of comic books, and to be honest, don’t think I’ve ever read an entire comic book in my life, but it didn’t matter, this book rocked. It was all about how people perceive stories and art and how comic put them together in a way that gets little acclaim. Also, to make it really clever, the entire book is written as a comic itself and is really a joy to read. I also picked up a book on communication and Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead. Honestly, that was probably the highlight of my day, maybe that’s kind of sad, but I’m excited to have some new things to read! The remainder of the day was the usual embark routine. We did get a new cast of dancers on the ship though, so that’s always exciting.
The two sea days were uneventful. I did some reading and finished that comic book, which I highly recommend. But that aside, there isn’t much worth mention.
And now today, in Gibraltar, is going to be equally uneventful. I’m stuck on the ship with IPM duty, which is fine with me because I’ve been here so many times before. So instead of getting off the ship, I sat on the sun deck this afternoon reading The Fountainhead and enjoying the now Mediterranean weather…finally. It was nice to feel like I was on vacation for a few hours and get out of the dim yellow light of the crew areas. The rest of the day is fairly ordinary, which is why I’m writing this blog in advance. I’ll have a rehearsal in an hour, two shows later tonight, and the time between will be filled with reading and probably a trip to the gym. That’s about all, so thanks as always and have a great day!
Oslo/ Sea Day
July 30th/31st
Oslo/Sea Day
Both of these days were relatively uneventful. My time in Oslo was split between sleep prompted by my need for aural recovery from the previous night (though I have no idea if sleep helps that kind of thing) and the unending quest for internet. I found a great internet spot in a shopping mall near the port where I was able to get online for hours on a super fast connection and take care of business. The ship’s wireless internet server has been down for the past 4 or 5 days, meaning I’ve been absolutely starved to get at my emails, making a good internet connection in Oslo priority to any further Norwegian exploring. By the time I had gotten most everything taken care of, it was time to head back to the confines of the ship, meaning my day in Oslo had expired practically before it began. It was an absolutely beautiful day too, unfortunately I had more important things to take care of.
The band had that evening off, which meant one thing…band dinner in the Lido! The Lido is a passenger buffet way at the top of the deck where we are not permitted without submitting a request, and though still a buffet, the change of scenery for eating dinner was a much-needed treat. Though the food wasn’t anything spectacular, it still stood way above the staff mess, and just that opportunity to sit somewhere with windows made all the difference in the world. I was up there about 2.5 hours eating whatever I could eat and talking with my friends before I just couldn’t take anymore. Then, after a long waddle down to my cabin, a long night of digestion began, and not without a few angry pains from my discontented stomach.
The 31st was a usual sea day preceding Southampton. I had a Dixie set, which I enjoy despite my poor relationship with my clarinet, and a farewell show. Also, I finished my final book that I brought on the ship with me, meaning tomorrow will be a book buying day for me! That’s about all then, thanks!
Oslo/Sea Day
Both of these days were relatively uneventful. My time in Oslo was split between sleep prompted by my need for aural recovery from the previous night (though I have no idea if sleep helps that kind of thing) and the unending quest for internet. I found a great internet spot in a shopping mall near the port where I was able to get online for hours on a super fast connection and take care of business. The ship’s wireless internet server has been down for the past 4 or 5 days, meaning I’ve been absolutely starved to get at my emails, making a good internet connection in Oslo priority to any further Norwegian exploring. By the time I had gotten most everything taken care of, it was time to head back to the confines of the ship, meaning my day in Oslo had expired practically before it began. It was an absolutely beautiful day too, unfortunately I had more important things to take care of.
The band had that evening off, which meant one thing…band dinner in the Lido! The Lido is a passenger buffet way at the top of the deck where we are not permitted without submitting a request, and though still a buffet, the change of scenery for eating dinner was a much-needed treat. Though the food wasn’t anything spectacular, it still stood way above the staff mess, and just that opportunity to sit somewhere with windows made all the difference in the world. I was up there about 2.5 hours eating whatever I could eat and talking with my friends before I just couldn’t take anymore. Then, after a long waddle down to my cabin, a long night of digestion began, and not without a few angry pains from my discontented stomach.
The 31st was a usual sea day preceding Southampton. I had a Dixie set, which I enjoy despite my poor relationship with my clarinet, and a farewell show. Also, I finished my final book that I brought on the ship with me, meaning tomorrow will be a book buying day for me! That’s about all then, thanks!
Sea Day/Copenhagen
July 28th-29th
Sea Day/Copenhagen
The 28th was shaping out to be the usual sea day, but then due to a routing change, we received news that the ship would arrive in Denmark that night. Why this shorter route isn’t chosen every time, I have no idea, but everyone on the ship was more that happy to have another overnight. We didn’t get in till about 11:00 PM, so it wasn’t till after our usual sets that I could get some friends together and head into the city. My group of 6 left sometime between midnight and 1AM for an unplanned night on the town. Seeing as we’ve all been there once before, we knew the best place to start was in the downtown area, about a 20 minute walk from the ship.
So we began walking, anxious to find some hip music club or happening Danish party, and made our way through the city. The walk was about as uneventful as a senior citizen pinochle tournament (sorry grandpa!). Actually, the only thing of interest I noticed on the walk was an L. Ron Hubbard bookstore, filled with shelves of his books, presumably on Scientology (my tour guide on the next day did point out that the Danish were not a church-going people, so I guess that makes sense). When we reached the edge of the downtown area. My group was greeted by yet more desertedness and maybe a half-dozen flashing lights. Disappointed with the night’s turnout, we made our way towards the lights where we were mostly laughed at when asking where to find some jazz. Turns out that Copenhagen is the least happening town on a Monday night (yeah, it’s a Monday night, but you can still find stuff to do in Chicago on a Monday a 1AM). After popping our heads into a couple empty bars and passing a less than attractive adult bar, we began walking back to the ship to a bar we passed on our walk into town. It was a small Irish/English pub, also nearly empty, but after setting up outside with a couple pitchers, we turned a frustrating search into a chilled out late night hang. The only problem was that each pint cost around $8, making for a really expensive round, so that didn’t last too long. Eventually, most of the group headed back to the ship and Patrick and I stayed for a bit playing a game of darts. We then walked back in a very round about way, climbed on a couple things we probably shouldn’t have climbed on, and eventually returned to the ship somewhat defeated by the uneventful night.
The next morning I had a tour. The only problem was that I also had training, and though it’s some useless, redundant training, my attendance was required. I decided to skip it. I was scheduled for some nice tour to some Danish Castles and Palaces, and after some encouragement from my friends and my own sense of priorities and rebelliousness, went on my tour.
The tour was nice, nothing too spectacular, but I did see some gorgeous castles. One was in Ellsinore, which was the castle setting of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and another was the famous Frederiksborg Castle. I did meet an interesting man on my tour, who after selling a delivery business he founded, wrote three books (one of which was an international best seller), and now has a business auctioning famous signatures. Intelligent guy to say the least.
When I returned to the ship I was anticipating some kind of warning letter waiting for me in my room, but after a quick search, found nothing. Could it possibly be that yet again, my unexcused absence went unnoticed? It had been a long day so I laid down for a nap before the rehearsal, and seeing as I didn’t have enough time to get off the ship and go into the city, a nap seemed like the best option. Five minutes into it someone calls my room, and afraid of it being the Music Director, I don’t answer. Most calls are for my roommate anyways, so I let it ring and returned to my ever-important nap. Fifteen minutes later – another phone call. I had to answer it this time, had to accept what was certainly waiting for me on the other line. And as expected, it’s the MD informing me of missing “his” training this morning. I say in a somewhat confused tone, “uh…yeah...,” and went on to elaborate on how it simply slipped my mind in the excitement of getting put on a tour I wasn’t expecting to get and having an overnight to distract me from what was on my schedule. Well, I can be very sincere sounding when I want to be, and between what seemed like an honest mistake, the triviality of the training, and my loveable nature (ha), he kind of just let me off the hook. So I’m not in trouble, not yet at least, but the ice I’m on gets thinner by the day, so maybe it’s time to start behaving again…
For the evening, Gordon had planned this band event where we’d be playing funk tunes for a ship sponsored party back deck. I was happy to go help out with the music, thinking it’d be a great time. When I got to the mooring deck (where they were holding the party), I quickly realized how wrong I was. Between the blaring music, tons of people, and unlimited quantities of free alcohol, it became one of the worst venues imaginable. I was nervous the entire night for some drunk waiter to step on an instrument or knock over a music stand, and then with the deafening music blasting from speakers strategically situated insufferably close to the back of my skull (needed one more “s”), I was not in the best of spirits all night. The music would have been great to play had it not been for the aforementioned hazards, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case, and I was too paranoid about the environment to even grab a beer. I left the first chance I got without bailing on Gordon and escaped to the audio-utopia of my cabin.
That about covers it for my final visit to Denmark. Thanks for reading and have a great one!
Sea Day/Copenhagen
The 28th was shaping out to be the usual sea day, but then due to a routing change, we received news that the ship would arrive in Denmark that night. Why this shorter route isn’t chosen every time, I have no idea, but everyone on the ship was more that happy to have another overnight. We didn’t get in till about 11:00 PM, so it wasn’t till after our usual sets that I could get some friends together and head into the city. My group of 6 left sometime between midnight and 1AM for an unplanned night on the town. Seeing as we’ve all been there once before, we knew the best place to start was in the downtown area, about a 20 minute walk from the ship.
So we began walking, anxious to find some hip music club or happening Danish party, and made our way through the city. The walk was about as uneventful as a senior citizen pinochle tournament (sorry grandpa!). Actually, the only thing of interest I noticed on the walk was an L. Ron Hubbard bookstore, filled with shelves of his books, presumably on Scientology (my tour guide on the next day did point out that the Danish were not a church-going people, so I guess that makes sense). When we reached the edge of the downtown area. My group was greeted by yet more desertedness and maybe a half-dozen flashing lights. Disappointed with the night’s turnout, we made our way towards the lights where we were mostly laughed at when asking where to find some jazz. Turns out that Copenhagen is the least happening town on a Monday night (yeah, it’s a Monday night, but you can still find stuff to do in Chicago on a Monday a 1AM). After popping our heads into a couple empty bars and passing a less than attractive adult bar, we began walking back to the ship to a bar we passed on our walk into town. It was a small Irish/English pub, also nearly empty, but after setting up outside with a couple pitchers, we turned a frustrating search into a chilled out late night hang. The only problem was that each pint cost around $8, making for a really expensive round, so that didn’t last too long. Eventually, most of the group headed back to the ship and Patrick and I stayed for a bit playing a game of darts. We then walked back in a very round about way, climbed on a couple things we probably shouldn’t have climbed on, and eventually returned to the ship somewhat defeated by the uneventful night.
The next morning I had a tour. The only problem was that I also had training, and though it’s some useless, redundant training, my attendance was required. I decided to skip it. I was scheduled for some nice tour to some Danish Castles and Palaces, and after some encouragement from my friends and my own sense of priorities and rebelliousness, went on my tour.
The tour was nice, nothing too spectacular, but I did see some gorgeous castles. One was in Ellsinore, which was the castle setting of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and another was the famous Frederiksborg Castle. I did meet an interesting man on my tour, who after selling a delivery business he founded, wrote three books (one of which was an international best seller), and now has a business auctioning famous signatures. Intelligent guy to say the least.
When I returned to the ship I was anticipating some kind of warning letter waiting for me in my room, but after a quick search, found nothing. Could it possibly be that yet again, my unexcused absence went unnoticed? It had been a long day so I laid down for a nap before the rehearsal, and seeing as I didn’t have enough time to get off the ship and go into the city, a nap seemed like the best option. Five minutes into it someone calls my room, and afraid of it being the Music Director, I don’t answer. Most calls are for my roommate anyways, so I let it ring and returned to my ever-important nap. Fifteen minutes later – another phone call. I had to answer it this time, had to accept what was certainly waiting for me on the other line. And as expected, it’s the MD informing me of missing “his” training this morning. I say in a somewhat confused tone, “uh…yeah...,” and went on to elaborate on how it simply slipped my mind in the excitement of getting put on a tour I wasn’t expecting to get and having an overnight to distract me from what was on my schedule. Well, I can be very sincere sounding when I want to be, and between what seemed like an honest mistake, the triviality of the training, and my loveable nature (ha), he kind of just let me off the hook. So I’m not in trouble, not yet at least, but the ice I’m on gets thinner by the day, so maybe it’s time to start behaving again…
For the evening, Gordon had planned this band event where we’d be playing funk tunes for a ship sponsored party back deck. I was happy to go help out with the music, thinking it’d be a great time. When I got to the mooring deck (where they were holding the party), I quickly realized how wrong I was. Between the blaring music, tons of people, and unlimited quantities of free alcohol, it became one of the worst venues imaginable. I was nervous the entire night for some drunk waiter to step on an instrument or knock over a music stand, and then with the deafening music blasting from speakers strategically situated insufferably close to the back of my skull (needed one more “s”), I was not in the best of spirits all night. The music would have been great to play had it not been for the aforementioned hazards, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case, and I was too paranoid about the environment to even grab a beer. I left the first chance I got without bailing on Gordon and escaped to the audio-utopia of my cabin.
That about covers it for my final visit to Denmark. Thanks for reading and have a great one!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Stockholm
July 27th
Stockholm, Sweden
Today’s plan was to rent a bike and go for a ride for the first time since getting on this ship. After a drill in the morning, I picked up the bike and headed out with a friend from the ship, John. We didn’t have anything specific in mind, just to go riding and see what we came across, and for over three hours, that’s just what we did. Most of our riding was done along the waterfront, crossing from island to island, seeing as much as possible. If you remember way back to the first time I was in Stockholm, about 10 months ago, I did a biking tour that I enjoyed. I couldn’t remember where we biked in relation to the ship, but while John and I made our way across the islands, we soon came upon the exact place where I had gone on the tour way back when. So we continued on, seeing everything from dry-docked ships to gorgeous mansions on an 80-something-degree day. It was a great ride and really nice to get on a real bike again, these are always some of my favorite port days.
On the way back to the ship, we stopped at a café for some drinks. I ordered an orange juice, which came fresh squeezed and was delicious. Not knowing the actual conversion, I paid 37 kr for it, which upon returning to the ship, discovered is over $7. Well…what-cha-gonna do? I was thirsty, we stopped and sat down at a nice café and had a really nice bike ride through the city, fine, I’ll deal with a $7+ small glass of orange juice. We returned back to the ship following the drink stop and I went to my rehearsal.
At my rehearsal, Ben, the tenor player, informed me I had missed my tour that morning. For what ever reason, I was dead sure I didn’t sign up for a tour and had been planning on biking in Stockholm for the last few days, but after he mentioned something about a museum, I realized what it was that I’d signed up for weeks ago and that I did indeed totally blow it off. Now, this is a bad thing because the people in charge of the tour don’t like their tour escorts being unreliable and blowing off tours, and usually combat that with not giving them tours, something that I just can’t let happen. So immediately after the rehearsal I walked to the office to make my apology and beg for forgiveness. Luckily, I’ve had a good history with the tour people and they all like me, so after a quick explanation of why I’m an idiot I was soon forgiven. Actually, the main tour person that I was stating my case to then proceeded to talk to me for another 20 minutes about entirely different things, giving me the idea that she kind of likes me. I don’t quite feel the same way about her, but at least this means I’m on the fast track to getting whichever tour I sign up for! Well, that’s about it for my day in Stockholm, thanks for reading!
Stockholm, Sweden
Today’s plan was to rent a bike and go for a ride for the first time since getting on this ship. After a drill in the morning, I picked up the bike and headed out with a friend from the ship, John. We didn’t have anything specific in mind, just to go riding and see what we came across, and for over three hours, that’s just what we did. Most of our riding was done along the waterfront, crossing from island to island, seeing as much as possible. If you remember way back to the first time I was in Stockholm, about 10 months ago, I did a biking tour that I enjoyed. I couldn’t remember where we biked in relation to the ship, but while John and I made our way across the islands, we soon came upon the exact place where I had gone on the tour way back when. So we continued on, seeing everything from dry-docked ships to gorgeous mansions on an 80-something-degree day. It was a great ride and really nice to get on a real bike again, these are always some of my favorite port days.
On the way back to the ship, we stopped at a café for some drinks. I ordered an orange juice, which came fresh squeezed and was delicious. Not knowing the actual conversion, I paid 37 kr for it, which upon returning to the ship, discovered is over $7. Well…what-cha-gonna do? I was thirsty, we stopped and sat down at a nice café and had a really nice bike ride through the city, fine, I’ll deal with a $7+ small glass of orange juice. We returned back to the ship following the drink stop and I went to my rehearsal.
At my rehearsal, Ben, the tenor player, informed me I had missed my tour that morning. For what ever reason, I was dead sure I didn’t sign up for a tour and had been planning on biking in Stockholm for the last few days, but after he mentioned something about a museum, I realized what it was that I’d signed up for weeks ago and that I did indeed totally blow it off. Now, this is a bad thing because the people in charge of the tour don’t like their tour escorts being unreliable and blowing off tours, and usually combat that with not giving them tours, something that I just can’t let happen. So immediately after the rehearsal I walked to the office to make my apology and beg for forgiveness. Luckily, I’ve had a good history with the tour people and they all like me, so after a quick explanation of why I’m an idiot I was soon forgiven. Actually, the main tour person that I was stating my case to then proceeded to talk to me for another 20 minutes about entirely different things, giving me the idea that she kind of likes me. I don’t quite feel the same way about her, but at least this means I’m on the fast track to getting whichever tour I sign up for! Well, that’s about it for my day in Stockholm, thanks for reading!
Helsinki
July 26th
Helsinki, Finland
Yet again, I was looking forward to a fun day in Helsinki with my friends from my last ship, Tytti and Henna, and yet again, had one. We met up at the shuttle drop off point around 10:30 where we proceeded through the park, onto a ferry, and to a fortified island where they had planned to have a picnic. After picking up some strawberries and fish on the way, we made it to the island and found an area to sit down and eat. I had brought my computer, so while we dined on homemade salad, bread, strawberries and fish, I told stories about some of the places I’ve more recently been and showed pictures. It was a gorgeous day for a picnic and nice to go somewhere new. Following the picnic, Henna pretended she could give us a tour of the fortress and we walked around getting made up facts about the war and soldiers. When we’d finally had enough “touring,” we crossed back over on the ferry to the main land where I bought everyone ice cream and we hung out in the park. The last part of the day was then spent at the grocery store where my friends picked a collection of breads and other snacks for me to buy and bring back to the ship with me as a reminder of Helsinki and the culture. I finally caught a shuttle back to the ship just before 4:00 and thus finished my day in the usual way.
I guess the day wasn’t all that exciting as far as stories are concerned because most of it all is just catching up with old friends and enjoying each other’s company, but as I’ve said before, these are some of my favorite port days. It’s just really great to be in a place as far away as Finland, have friends their that you can meet up with, and have a fantastic day just hanging out in a park having a picnic. Again, it’s not the most exciting story, but it certainly does give justification to being away from home for so long. It’s hard to say whether or not I’ll run into them again, maybe on another ship months or years from now, maybe if they ever come to Chicago, but I’m glad I was able to have the opportunity to share the day with them. Days like these are more meaningful than any tour I could ever go on. Thanks!
Helsinki, Finland
Yet again, I was looking forward to a fun day in Helsinki with my friends from my last ship, Tytti and Henna, and yet again, had one. We met up at the shuttle drop off point around 10:30 where we proceeded through the park, onto a ferry, and to a fortified island where they had planned to have a picnic. After picking up some strawberries and fish on the way, we made it to the island and found an area to sit down and eat. I had brought my computer, so while we dined on homemade salad, bread, strawberries and fish, I told stories about some of the places I’ve more recently been and showed pictures. It was a gorgeous day for a picnic and nice to go somewhere new. Following the picnic, Henna pretended she could give us a tour of the fortress and we walked around getting made up facts about the war and soldiers. When we’d finally had enough “touring,” we crossed back over on the ferry to the main land where I bought everyone ice cream and we hung out in the park. The last part of the day was then spent at the grocery store where my friends picked a collection of breads and other snacks for me to buy and bring back to the ship with me as a reminder of Helsinki and the culture. I finally caught a shuttle back to the ship just before 4:00 and thus finished my day in the usual way.
I guess the day wasn’t all that exciting as far as stories are concerned because most of it all is just catching up with old friends and enjoying each other’s company, but as I’ve said before, these are some of my favorite port days. It’s just really great to be in a place as far away as Finland, have friends their that you can meet up with, and have a fantastic day just hanging out in a park having a picnic. Again, it’s not the most exciting story, but it certainly does give justification to being away from home for so long. It’s hard to say whether or not I’ll run into them again, maybe on another ship months or years from now, maybe if they ever come to Chicago, but I’m glad I was able to have the opportunity to share the day with them. Days like these are more meaningful than any tour I could ever go on. Thanks!
St. Petersburg
July 24th-25th
St. Petersburg, Russia
I had an interesting overnight this visit to Russia. Unlike my first visit, this time around wasn’t so tour heavy because I actually wanted to go out at night. The first day started off slow with me sleeping in. I actually didn’t mean to sleep as late as I did, but after the hour time change and forgetting I needed my seaman’s book to step off the ship, I couldn’t get into town until 3:30. This meant I only had 3 hours before I need to be back at the ship, so I filled the time with a lot of walking. It was an absolutely perfect day and I enjoyed my limited time before hopping on a shuttle back to the ship.
I needed to be back at the ship for a tour I was signed up to escort, “Evening at the Russian Ballet.” Ooooo…ahhhhhhh…. I figured, with not knowing whether or not I’ll ever be back in Russia, I had no choice but to go to the Ballet. There was one problem though, my beloved (ha) musical director scheduled another couple of sets that night, meaning I couldn’t go. He did, however, mention that he’d be happy so long as someone was playing the sets, meaning if I could find a sub, I’d be able to go to my ballet. Now, there’s only one other alto sax player on the ship, so it’s not like I didn’t know who I had to call, and after some persuasion, I convinced him into playing my set while I went to the ballet. It actually worked out well because John, the sub, had Port Manning when the ship goes to Rome, which I volunteered to cover for him seeing as I’ve been there a couple times already and will be going back a couple more. He was ecstatic and took the set without any further negotiation – good deal.
So I set off for the ballet that evening, dressed up and excited for one of the more cultural events of my cruise ship career. I found out we were to see Swan Lake, the Tchaikovsky classic. We arrived at the theater, I helped my group to there seats, and then set out to find a better, unoccupied seat for myself, which I did in the third row. The theater wasn’t nearly as spectacular as I was expecting, and in fact, was rather plain. No elaborate paintings, huge statues, or gold paint to be seen, it was as non-Russian as could be. But I didn’t really care, the ballet was starting. Now I don’t consider myself to be very educated on the culture of ballet, nor am I in any position to really comment on the quality of the dancing, but I have no problem commenting on the costumes. Looking back on it all, I guess I didn’t really know what to expect to see when I went into it, but as soon as the first guy came out in tights and a top that ended well above his hips, putting way too much emphasis on a certain bulge, I knew I was in for a long night. I understand that what they were wearing is appropriate for dance and totally acceptable in ballet, but I mean come on, any dude that goes on stage with so blatant a protrusion and hops around doing the splits in the air has got to have issues. At least there were 20 swans in most scenes, providing some distraction from this twisted version of “follow the bouncing ball(s).” Then there was the fight scene that I took issue with. I’m well aware they don’t actually fight in ballet, I’m not that ignorant, but I was at least hoping for some “Westside Story” fighting, where they at least jump in the vicinity of the person they’re “brawling” with. Not so in Swan Lake. Here, the main guy did a duet with the main swan, ran off the stage, at which point the evil magician entered, jumped up and down twice, and then collapsed on the floor. Not much of a villain if you ask me. But the two guys didn’t even make eye contact, much less dance out some resemblance of a fight. The only way I knew was that the program described the fight the broke out between the hero and the magician…not that the magician would simply keel over and die, which I figured could only be because his “pants” were too tight. Anyways, that was the show, or at least my take on it. I did enjoy it for what it was and was glad to have gone to a ballet in Russia, but likewise, am glad that this isn’t a frequent thing for me. But in all fairness, the music was great and you could tell the dancers were very talented, so it was a good ballet, the fact is that I just have issues. Well, that being said, back to the ship.
I got back to the ship around 11:15 that night and caught the final set my band was playing. They finished at midnight, and after hanging around for a bit, I found Patrick was willing to get off the ship for the night. The plan was to hop on the shuttle and get to the nightclub where most of the crew was supposed to be, something I thought sounded like an interesting way to spend a night in Russia. Patrick and I got off the ship just after 1:00 and waited around for 20 minutes without ever seeing the shuttle, and being impatient, decided to start walking. The problem with walking is that the port area is very long and our ship is at the opposite end of the exit into the city, making for a very long walk through a less than attractive industrial shipyard. As soon as we started walking, however, a cab driver approached trying to sell a ride. Me, being the cheapskate that I am, wasn’t going to pay the $40 he wanted to take us where ever he thought we wanted to go, and after saying no a million times, he offered to take us to the end of the port for $10, which I guess wasn’t a bad deal. So we hopped in the Russian cab with this Russian driver and began our Russian experience.
The first adventure actually happened in the cab when we came across a freight train that was parked across the road out of the port. Seeing this, the cab driver turned around, made his way onto a dirt road, and at breakneck speeds, swerved between huge piles of metal through the clouds of dust. As I sat in the back of the cab being jostled around by the large bumps and pot holes, I couldn’t help but feeling like I was on the wrong side of a James Bond car chase (in my Russian cab). It was really exciting though, and I guess a good way to start off the night.
We eventually arrived at the gate where the driver pointed us towards a night club before driving off. We had no idea which club everyone was at and could only hope it was the one we had been pointed towards, so we began our walking journey. As soon as we stepped outside of the gate, we were approached by an older Russian lady, not especially pleasant looking. She said the club was closed, some other weird stuff in broken English, and then said she had some girls for us. Patrick got a little excited about the offer, which I quickly declined and talked him out of even considering. When the lady understood I wasn’t buying pointed us in the direction of the club as we walked off. I was confused because I had thought I heard her say the club was closed, but it didn’t matter, we started walking.
It wasn’t long till we arrived at the place we’d been pointed towards. It was a club themed specially for the cruise ship crew, but after walking in and seeing no familiar faces, we knew it wasn’t the club we were looking for. We left and continued on down the street, walking parallel to a river, looking for another place to stop. From this point till about 6 AM, we did little more than walk the streets. We never did find the club we were looking for, nor did we ever find a place worth stopping at on our own. There were a few bars we stuck our heads in, but being in Russia, it’s slightly difficult to find one where you might feel comfortable. We stopped at a couple gas stations to by Russian beer when the opportunity arose, stopped at a bunch of convenience stores where no one spoke English or took credit cards, and walked till we felt it was time to turn around and head back. We had a few meetings with random Russians on the street, each of which was weirder than the last. There was one group who we crossed paths with where a guy was trying to sell me something for 20 “rubli,” as he called it. There was another guy that Patrick had a hell of a time trying to get a match for a cigarette from. There were a few others, and each time was really awkward, but with me being from Chicago and Patrick from New York, we both kind of know what to look out for and when we should be worried. My whole theory was, as one of my last ship friends so insightfully told me, “you’ll be alright so long as you aren’t slower than the people you’re with.” I think I can outrun Patrick, therefore, I’ll be just fine – good logic, right?
Anyways, we made it through the outskirts of the city with no problems and had a good time drinking the Russian beer we picked up, eating chips, and talking about whatever. When we got back to the port we decided to make the long walk to the ship, and seeing as the sun was already out, we knew it’d be a nice stroll. And in fact, it was very nice, till we started to get impatient and/or tired by the walk and began climbing on train cars and exploring between the large crates. It was just a fun, messing around sort of good time, and seeing as there was no one around at 6 AM, we weren’t too worried about getting in trouble. We were back at the ship soon enough, at which point we grabbed breakfast and then retired to our respective rooms.
I slept the next day and didn’t get off the ship due to In Port Manning, so that’s where my adventure ends. Maybe it wasn’t quite as exciting as some of my other overnights, but I still had a really fun time, and as always, am thankful to have returned to the ship no worse off than when I left it. I talked to some friends the next day about the club we were trying to find, which supposedly wasn’t anywhere near being within walking distance and the shuttle service from the ship stopped at 1 AM, just before we left the ship. It doesn’t really matter though because I had a good time doing my own thing and accomplished what I set out to do, have a story to tell about my overnight in Russia. Thanks for reading!
St. Petersburg, Russia
I had an interesting overnight this visit to Russia. Unlike my first visit, this time around wasn’t so tour heavy because I actually wanted to go out at night. The first day started off slow with me sleeping in. I actually didn’t mean to sleep as late as I did, but after the hour time change and forgetting I needed my seaman’s book to step off the ship, I couldn’t get into town until 3:30. This meant I only had 3 hours before I need to be back at the ship, so I filled the time with a lot of walking. It was an absolutely perfect day and I enjoyed my limited time before hopping on a shuttle back to the ship.
I needed to be back at the ship for a tour I was signed up to escort, “Evening at the Russian Ballet.” Ooooo…ahhhhhhh…. I figured, with not knowing whether or not I’ll ever be back in Russia, I had no choice but to go to the Ballet. There was one problem though, my beloved (ha) musical director scheduled another couple of sets that night, meaning I couldn’t go. He did, however, mention that he’d be happy so long as someone was playing the sets, meaning if I could find a sub, I’d be able to go to my ballet. Now, there’s only one other alto sax player on the ship, so it’s not like I didn’t know who I had to call, and after some persuasion, I convinced him into playing my set while I went to the ballet. It actually worked out well because John, the sub, had Port Manning when the ship goes to Rome, which I volunteered to cover for him seeing as I’ve been there a couple times already and will be going back a couple more. He was ecstatic and took the set without any further negotiation – good deal.
So I set off for the ballet that evening, dressed up and excited for one of the more cultural events of my cruise ship career. I found out we were to see Swan Lake, the Tchaikovsky classic. We arrived at the theater, I helped my group to there seats, and then set out to find a better, unoccupied seat for myself, which I did in the third row. The theater wasn’t nearly as spectacular as I was expecting, and in fact, was rather plain. No elaborate paintings, huge statues, or gold paint to be seen, it was as non-Russian as could be. But I didn’t really care, the ballet was starting. Now I don’t consider myself to be very educated on the culture of ballet, nor am I in any position to really comment on the quality of the dancing, but I have no problem commenting on the costumes. Looking back on it all, I guess I didn’t really know what to expect to see when I went into it, but as soon as the first guy came out in tights and a top that ended well above his hips, putting way too much emphasis on a certain bulge, I knew I was in for a long night. I understand that what they were wearing is appropriate for dance and totally acceptable in ballet, but I mean come on, any dude that goes on stage with so blatant a protrusion and hops around doing the splits in the air has got to have issues. At least there were 20 swans in most scenes, providing some distraction from this twisted version of “follow the bouncing ball(s).” Then there was the fight scene that I took issue with. I’m well aware they don’t actually fight in ballet, I’m not that ignorant, but I was at least hoping for some “Westside Story” fighting, where they at least jump in the vicinity of the person they’re “brawling” with. Not so in Swan Lake. Here, the main guy did a duet with the main swan, ran off the stage, at which point the evil magician entered, jumped up and down twice, and then collapsed on the floor. Not much of a villain if you ask me. But the two guys didn’t even make eye contact, much less dance out some resemblance of a fight. The only way I knew was that the program described the fight the broke out between the hero and the magician…not that the magician would simply keel over and die, which I figured could only be because his “pants” were too tight. Anyways, that was the show, or at least my take on it. I did enjoy it for what it was and was glad to have gone to a ballet in Russia, but likewise, am glad that this isn’t a frequent thing for me. But in all fairness, the music was great and you could tell the dancers were very talented, so it was a good ballet, the fact is that I just have issues. Well, that being said, back to the ship.
I got back to the ship around 11:15 that night and caught the final set my band was playing. They finished at midnight, and after hanging around for a bit, I found Patrick was willing to get off the ship for the night. The plan was to hop on the shuttle and get to the nightclub where most of the crew was supposed to be, something I thought sounded like an interesting way to spend a night in Russia. Patrick and I got off the ship just after 1:00 and waited around for 20 minutes without ever seeing the shuttle, and being impatient, decided to start walking. The problem with walking is that the port area is very long and our ship is at the opposite end of the exit into the city, making for a very long walk through a less than attractive industrial shipyard. As soon as we started walking, however, a cab driver approached trying to sell a ride. Me, being the cheapskate that I am, wasn’t going to pay the $40 he wanted to take us where ever he thought we wanted to go, and after saying no a million times, he offered to take us to the end of the port for $10, which I guess wasn’t a bad deal. So we hopped in the Russian cab with this Russian driver and began our Russian experience.
The first adventure actually happened in the cab when we came across a freight train that was parked across the road out of the port. Seeing this, the cab driver turned around, made his way onto a dirt road, and at breakneck speeds, swerved between huge piles of metal through the clouds of dust. As I sat in the back of the cab being jostled around by the large bumps and pot holes, I couldn’t help but feeling like I was on the wrong side of a James Bond car chase (in my Russian cab). It was really exciting though, and I guess a good way to start off the night.
We eventually arrived at the gate where the driver pointed us towards a night club before driving off. We had no idea which club everyone was at and could only hope it was the one we had been pointed towards, so we began our walking journey. As soon as we stepped outside of the gate, we were approached by an older Russian lady, not especially pleasant looking. She said the club was closed, some other weird stuff in broken English, and then said she had some girls for us. Patrick got a little excited about the offer, which I quickly declined and talked him out of even considering. When the lady understood I wasn’t buying pointed us in the direction of the club as we walked off. I was confused because I had thought I heard her say the club was closed, but it didn’t matter, we started walking.
It wasn’t long till we arrived at the place we’d been pointed towards. It was a club themed specially for the cruise ship crew, but after walking in and seeing no familiar faces, we knew it wasn’t the club we were looking for. We left and continued on down the street, walking parallel to a river, looking for another place to stop. From this point till about 6 AM, we did little more than walk the streets. We never did find the club we were looking for, nor did we ever find a place worth stopping at on our own. There were a few bars we stuck our heads in, but being in Russia, it’s slightly difficult to find one where you might feel comfortable. We stopped at a couple gas stations to by Russian beer when the opportunity arose, stopped at a bunch of convenience stores where no one spoke English or took credit cards, and walked till we felt it was time to turn around and head back. We had a few meetings with random Russians on the street, each of which was weirder than the last. There was one group who we crossed paths with where a guy was trying to sell me something for 20 “rubli,” as he called it. There was another guy that Patrick had a hell of a time trying to get a match for a cigarette from. There were a few others, and each time was really awkward, but with me being from Chicago and Patrick from New York, we both kind of know what to look out for and when we should be worried. My whole theory was, as one of my last ship friends so insightfully told me, “you’ll be alright so long as you aren’t slower than the people you’re with.” I think I can outrun Patrick, therefore, I’ll be just fine – good logic, right?
Anyways, we made it through the outskirts of the city with no problems and had a good time drinking the Russian beer we picked up, eating chips, and talking about whatever. When we got back to the port we decided to make the long walk to the ship, and seeing as the sun was already out, we knew it’d be a nice stroll. And in fact, it was very nice, till we started to get impatient and/or tired by the walk and began climbing on train cars and exploring between the large crates. It was just a fun, messing around sort of good time, and seeing as there was no one around at 6 AM, we weren’t too worried about getting in trouble. We were back at the ship soon enough, at which point we grabbed breakfast and then retired to our respective rooms.
I slept the next day and didn’t get off the ship due to In Port Manning, so that’s where my adventure ends. Maybe it wasn’t quite as exciting as some of my other overnights, but I still had a really fun time, and as always, am thankful to have returned to the ship no worse off than when I left it. I talked to some friends the next day about the club we were trying to find, which supposedly wasn’t anywhere near being within walking distance and the shuttle service from the ship stopped at 1 AM, just before we left the ship. It doesn’t really matter though because I had a good time doing my own thing and accomplished what I set out to do, have a story to tell about my overnight in Russia. Thanks for reading!
Tallinn
July 23rd
Tallinn, Estonia
Today turned out to be a great internet day! After getting off the ship with some frieds, we made our way into the city and stopped at the first hotel we could find, and after making ourselves comfortable, soon discovered a really fast and free wireless signal…manna from heaven. I must have spent a couple hours online catching up with little things and getting my blog updated – it was great. This was followed by a nice walk through town with a friend trying to talk to Estonian girls…because I’m a friendly guy. I also bought a big pretzel, which is totally pointless to mention but wonderfully delicious just the same. Anyways, no vodka (I still have more than half left), no trams (so Mom can sleep easy), and no killer seagulls. Estonia smiled on me today. It was a gorgeous day too, so that made our last visit really pleasant. Then, it was back to the ship for a rehearsal and a show, the usual evening onboard the Queen Victoria, Thanks!
Tallinn, Estonia
Today turned out to be a great internet day! After getting off the ship with some frieds, we made our way into the city and stopped at the first hotel we could find, and after making ourselves comfortable, soon discovered a really fast and free wireless signal…manna from heaven. I must have spent a couple hours online catching up with little things and getting my blog updated – it was great. This was followed by a nice walk through town with a friend trying to talk to Estonian girls…because I’m a friendly guy. I also bought a big pretzel, which is totally pointless to mention but wonderfully delicious just the same. Anyways, no vodka (I still have more than half left), no trams (so Mom can sleep easy), and no killer seagulls. Estonia smiled on me today. It was a gorgeous day too, so that made our last visit really pleasant. Then, it was back to the ship for a rehearsal and a show, the usual evening onboard the Queen Victoria, Thanks!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)