December excitement

Its been so wonderful being home! I love being in Lake Arrowhead during the winter.  We've already had a couple of beautiful snowfalls.  I have been mainly relaxing and unwinding, reveling in the fact that I'm not on a ship and I don't have to go to work. :-)

One exciting thing that happened just after I got home was I was lucky enough to have a live audition with Cirque du Soleil, at a little recording studio in Santa Monica.  They had called me because of that video I put together last March, and invited me to come along to their general musician auditions, despite not having a specific spot open for me.  I'm pleased to report that the audition went very well, they really liked me, and at the end I was congratulated and told I had passed! I am now on their list of "potential performers" and now its a waiting game for a job offer or another, more specific, audition.  Its a step along the way!

Other highlights of December have been catching up with old friends, seeing Wicked for Holly's birthday, and just spending time at home with mom and dad.  I've realized my vacation is nearly half over already, sadly.  But I've got the holidays to look forward to, which is completely wonderful.  

Getting home

My last week on board was pretty crazy, as I was dealing with being sick and trying to get everything done despite having low energy. I managed to play my final show just barely, amidst some nasty coughing, and finished packing during the afternoon on my last day. It all happens so fast when you sign off. I said goodbye to people, hopeful of seeing many of them again in January for the world voyage. I've never left a ship I was planning to come back to, it made the transition a bit easier. The goodbyes didn't seem quite so final. I was lucky to have some very handsome help getting my bags off the ship and onto the bus to Heathrow, as this time I'm leaving behind a special man as well.

From Heathrow I took another bus up to Luton to spend a couple of days with my old friend James Middleworth and his girlfriend Catarina. It was great getting to know her and spending time with James. I got to meet Catarina's family, all from Portugal, and experienced a wonderful dinner at their place while surrounded by that beautiful language. From there I took another bus to Coventry, where I met up with another good friend from previous contracts, Daniel. He is musical director of this year's Panto at the Belgrade Theatre, and I was lucky enough to see the last tech run and one of the first performances of the season. It was my first time to see this uniquely British holiday tradition, and I absolutely loved it. It is like musical theatre, the story is always based on a fairy tale, good verses evil, and there are a lot of jokes, physical comedy, and audience participation. Every city in the UK puts one on during the Christmas season, and it is a big family event to go and see one. I loved it....what a laugh. I sat in the pit with Daniel for the second half of the show, and got a kick out of seeing what goes on from his perspective. The musicians get to create all kinds of fun sound effects and really have to keep on their toes - never a dull moment. We got to spend some great time catching up together and went bowling with the cast afterwards. Daniel saw me off onto my last bus of this 4-day adventure, and I finally got to the airport for my 11 hour flight home.

 On the flight I met an interesting character - a young man whose father is from Iran, so he has dual citizenship and was raised in both countries. He was really interesting to talk to, smart, well-traveled and with interesting perspectives on everything. Its great to have a good seating buddy to entertain you with good conversation. When you're not sleeping, that is. I did sleep for most of it. :-)

 Back home I was met by a very handsome man in a tux, holding a sign with my name on it. Yes, my brother Tyler had sportingly agreed to provide me with that hilarious surprise. Also there to meet me were my parents, my newest sister Allison, and my very definitely pregnant sister Holly, with my newest brother Tomas. It was so strange to see my first view of her belly! I had to touch it right away. :-) We all went out to the traditional In N Out dinner afterwards and caught up for a little while. It was so great to see them all there at the airport and spend a little time with them before heading home. We stopped off at Chelsea's new apartment on the way to complete my reuniting with all my siblings. :-) Finally around midnight we made it back to Lake Arrowhead.

Catching up and Winding Down

I know, I know, I haven't posted, sorry!! It has been such a whirlwind last voyage, and getting ready to sign off the ship. I can't believe that I've fulfilled a lifelong dream to see the Holy Land. I went on tours and got to see Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The whole experience was overwhelming for me, I couldn't really process the gravity of where I was, and grasp the reality of actually being there. I saw the church of the nativity, where they believe Jesus was born, the Wailing Wall, the stations of the cross on the Via Dolorosa, and the tomb of the sepulchre where Golgotha was. The stone that Jesus was cleaned on after he died. The Garden of Gethsemane....I felt a bit mind blown by it all, and wished I could have seen it with more time, with a group of fellow believers rather than a ship crew tour, but it was amazing either way. Since then we stopped off in Cyprus where I went on a tour up into the mountains, Rhodes where I played tour guide for some of my friends, and Malaga where I had some paella with my friend Jane. Now we are in the Canary Islands, on our last voyage!! I can hardly believe I sign off in less than a week!! We had an overnight in Madeira and Jane and I joined the cast at an outdoor salsa club and stayed out til the wee hours. Here in the Canaries we've been wandering around and enjoying good food. 5 days to go!! Also just for anyone who doesn't already know, I have an audition on Dec 3rd with Cirque du Soleil which I am very very excited about. Fingers crossed!!

Sea days and See Pyramids

This voyage has already been going on for a week! Hard to believe since I've spent the last 6 days stuck on board. We had 5 sea days on the way to Egypt, broken up by one halfday in port in Gibraltar, for which I was unluckily on port manning. Kind friends ran errands and did shopping for me. One of those sea days we did our first Dixieland set of the voyage, and had a grand and comically overdone unveiling of our new CD. Yes, we made a CD, recorded live from our pub sets and our theatre shows. We had to pay some copyright fees for the songs, so it'll be a while before any of us sees any returns from it, but it is an accomplishment to have finished it. The cover art is caricatures of everyone in the band, done by one of the stage techs. It is pretty cool, and even sounds ok. I found it surreal to listen to it. Anyway or big show is in a few days, hopefully it sells well. In any case I'll be glad to have a copy for myself. Today we arrived in Port Said, Egypt, and I was up early to escort a tour to the Pyramids with a Nile cruise. I had one goal for the Pyramids - to get inside of one. I had a merry runaround trying to accomplish this, as apparently they only sell 150 tickets each morning at 8 or at 1pm. It being 11:30 I was out of luck, and nearly got stuck on the wrong side of the gates when I accidentally exited the area. I smiled my way back in along with playing the clueless tourist. Finally someone told me I could go in one of the small pyramids, the ones just to the side built for the pharoah's mother, daughter, etc. He bribed the security guard for me. Afterwards I knew he'd expect a tip from me. I gave him what I thought was fair, he tried to get more, I escaped. A bit stressful, but mission accomplished! I can now say I've been in a pyramid. It was cool to climb down the shaft and see where the sarcophagus would have been. Afterwards we had lunch in a stunning 5 star hotel, and then had some tea and coffee and a local music performance on the Nile cruise. What a day! As I sailed down the Nile drinking coffee and watching the sun set, it occurred to me that today would be the wrong day for anyone to ask me when I'm going to get a 'real job.' :-)

2 to go!!!

We have 30 days left on board!! I know this because my friends Adrian and Christy keep very close tabs on our slowly approaching sign off day. It will get here very quickly, I'm sure, since it breaks down into only 2 voyages. Yikes!! This next one is the one I am most excited about - I finally get to visit Israel!! I'm not sure exactly what I'll be able to see, but whatever tour I manage to get will be wonderful. I hope to see Jerusalem and maybe some other spots as well. I may get a chance to get out to the pyramids in Egypt again too, hopefully. Then our last voyage is one to the warm canary islands. One last bit of sun for me before I head into the winter of home. Last voyage was only 5 days and went by very quickly. We had so many young people that the shows had quite a different atmosphere than usual. Last night we had a special guest come and do one song during the act. His name is Ross King, and he is a TV presenter who works out of LA now, I think he does the weather a lot (Daybreak, Lorraine??). Anyway he sure acted like he thought he was a big deal. We backed him up for one song (Mack the Knife, dad) and he did a few jokes with the comedian who is his buddy and he is travelling with. Anyway I'd never heard of this guy but the crowd reacted like they recognized him. I tried to care....it didn't work too well. He seemed a bit arrogant and full of himself to me, though that could have just been the way his nervousness on stage presented itself. But he has been up to Lake Arrowhead and we chatted about that for a minute which was cool. Always nice to meet someone who's heard of it. Anyway this adds to the list of people I'm met that are famous in the UK but don't mean anything to me. :-) Today we are in Southampton - it is like our little oasis in between voyages, though only for a few hours. Its a nice day, despite the chill. I can't believe I only have one more turnover day here before we sign off. Today I'll be back on board to be the facial demo girl again. Yay!!

I can't remember if I've mentioned anything about my roommate or not. Her name is Naira, and she is a petite, dark and beautiful violinist in the string quartet. The quartet all come from Russian-speaking parts of the Ukraine, I think mainly Kiev. Naira is Armenian by nationality, however, having moved to the Ukraine with her family when she was 13 years old. She is thrilled to have me as a roommate as she gets daily English practice that way, something she works on diligently but is still not confident with yet. I am picking up some Russian along the way from her and her friends, as well as many of the dancers and two in our own band. Yesterday I surprised her - the phone rang, I guessed it was for her and answered the phone in Russian. I was responded to, at which point my laughter along with Naira's gave me away. But I had him fooled for a minute. He said I sounded Russian. :-) Today begins our 5 day little getaway to Amsterdam, Brugge and Le Havre. Since it is such a short voyage, we aren't wasting any time doing our short teaser Welcome Aboard Show, (or WABS as its called by us) we are starting right in with one of the cast's big production shows, Hotel Royale. We aren't in this one, which means our first night will be a dixieland set in the pub. We now have little white waistcoast vests that we stole from the bar department. We wear them over our blacks and hope no one orders a drink from us while we're playing dixieland. As I write New Zealand is about to take on France for the Rugby World Cup, on their own home turf in Auckland. This is such a huge thing for the country - I am supporting my All Blacks and wish I could be there!! If you get a chance you should check out a video of the team doing their "Haka" - its a traditional Maori war chant taken and adapted. They do it before the game to strike fear in the hearts of the opposite team....it gives me goosebumps. Its about to come on tv as the game starts very soon. Exciting!! They had better win. :-) I know all my friends there are watching!!

Sunny and cold! That was how we found the mediterranean this week. Our first two ports in Spain and Greece were warm and lovely, but then the cold really caught up with us. In Spain I was lucky enough to get on a tour to Seville, which is about 2 hours drive from our port of Cadiz. It was worth the drive! I loved wandering around the city on my own. I saw three starbucks in one block, but the cathedral and the Giralda was really spectacular. I walked past the famous bullfight arena as well, and had a wonderful lunch. It was fun to wander around the narrow streets of the old Jewish Quarter as well. I went on quite a few tours this voyage, actually, I guess making up for last voyage where I did everything on my own. In Cephalonia, Greece my tour took me to Melissani Lake, and to Fiscardo, a lovely seaside fishing village that was so idyllic. So after two lovely sunny days I stepped off the ship in Dubrovnik, Croatia expecting nice weather, and was shocked to find an icy wind cutting right through me. As I was on tour, I didn't have time to go and change, so I actually ended up taking my guide's advice as she pointed me to a cheap little store where I could buy sweat pants. Which I did. :-) The highlight of the day was taking the cable car to the top of the hill and admiring the view of the old city of Dubrovnik and the coastline. I enjoyed it much more than I would have without my new "trousers" as the English call them. Our second day in Croatia took us to Korcula again, and I had a really great day doing a riviera cruise. Despite the wind, the views were gorgeous, and I was lucky enough to have another friend of mine escorting the same tour on the same boat, plus my Australian friend Gareth who is the videographer happened to be assigned to the same one. We really enjoyed having friends to wander around with, and I got to helped Gareth with a few of his shots. It was such a great day, we all agreed we'd picked the best thing we could have possibly done that day. Venice!! I wandered around the city with my friend Jane, who has informed me that I am her new "port buddy." She is the assistant printer on board, in charge of printing all of the daily programs, as well as the newspapers and menus. She is American, on an internship from RIT university in Connecticut. We took our time wandering and shopping for masks, admiring the workmanship. We knew there was a crew party with a Venetian theme that night, and since I had already mailed my previous mask purchase home I thought I'd just buy a cheap one to wear that night. Well it turns out I like the expensive ones much more than the cheap ones.....I really fell in love with one that was a bit nicer, all turquoise and gold. I had passed it up, but when fate brought us right back past the same shop an hour later (quite a coincidence in Venice!!) I finally gave in and bought it. :-) Today we are in Gibraltar, our last port of call for the voyage. We have quite a different voyage coming up - its only a 5 day cruise, with an overnight in Amsterdam. We expect the guests to be a bit younger, I know the kid count is going up from 5 this week to 135 next week. :-) My friends in the nightclub band are hoping for a great crowd for their venue, and we are hoping our late show (10:30 every night) will be more full than it has been.

Notes on a Transatlantic Crossing

distance since first port of call Southampton: 6987.3 nautical miles
distance from last port of call Corner Brook: 1486.1
distance until end port of call Southampton: 1090.1
latitude: 51.57.19
longitude: 27.45.96
speed: 18.5 knots
wave height: 14.8 feet/4.5 meters
heading: 91.5 degrees

Stretching on the gym floor after a workout, while behind me and in the mirrors the dance captain teaches a routine to the replacement dancer that came last week. Lots of shimmy-ing.

Trying to run on a rocking treadmill.

The cruise director forgetting the name of the guest entertainer whilst introducing her to the stage…..pausing for a very long dramatic effect as he scrambled to find it. The second show she held up her name backstage in bold capital letters for him to read, which nearly caused him to laugh too hard to make the announcement.

Sleeping in until 1pm because the ship is gently rocking and you have no idea what time it is at all, and you don't work til 4:30 anyway.

The satisfaction of knowing I am changing the world - there is now tofu and soy milk in the staff mess for me. As of this morning I had my first bowl of cereal of the contract.

The unwelcome news that we may be passing some icebergs around 2 or 3 am, but don't worry, it shouldn't be a problem….

Reveling in the gloriousness of having all the watertight doors on B deck open 24 hours a day. Instead of going up and over and down, I can just go around the corner. I can even walk all the way to the front of the ship without using Burma Road, and without being stopped by a WTD every 30 feet. Fantastic!

Going to a Russian's birthday party with the naive expectation that you will be able to avoid the vodka. Nope, the birthday boy always makes it their personal responsibility not only to bring enough for everyone, but also to personally double check that everyone is drinking it.

After 3 and a half weeks, guests still can't remember their cabin numbers.

What day is it today?? Nevermind the day of the week, is it day 3? 4? 2? How many sea days do we have left? Where am I?

The U.S. and Canada

We have really really enjoyed being in the US for the past week or so. When you are mostly in Europe, it teaches you to be appreciative of just how comfortable it is to be back in your home country. You don't need to worry about language barriers, you know where everything is, you know which stores to visit in order to find what you need, all the products you know and love are there instead of European versions, and your phone works!!! Wonderful. :-)

One huge highlight has been visiting with my two best friends and my roommate from the Rhapsody - Tracy, Tim and Mandy. Tim and Mandy lived near enough to Boston to come out, and Tracy's ship happened to be in port that day!! The only day our ships meet, and its the place where Tim and Mandy live.....what are the odds of that! It was a fantastic day of sightseeing, shopping, talking, and eating. After Tracy had to leave I took Tim and Mandy on a tour of the ship. They were duly impressed as the old Rhapsody is their only point of reference. :-) I loved showing them around.

I also really enjoyed walking around the port towns of Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine, and Newport, Rhode Island. We had some great food and great times in those ports, despite fighting a bit of fog.

Then it was on to Canada! We had a miraculously warm day in Halifax, Novia Scotia. I actually got sunburned just from walking around a bit. The harbor walk is beautiful. I got to meet up with my friend Deedee from the Voyager, who now works on Princess. We had lunch at a pub called My Father's Mustache, which apparently has some fame there. It was yummy. From Halifax we sailed north and had a day at sea on our way to Quebec City. What a surprise we had at night as we sailed when the deck cadet made this special announcement - the Aurora Borealis was visible!!! It was an amazing display that took up the whole horizon. Not terribly colorful, but beautiful nonetheless, and much bigger than the one I saw last year in Alaska. What an unexpected surprise! We went out on deck and watched it until the wind had completely frozen us and sent us back inside.

Quebec City!! What a neat place. Part new world, part France....a very interesting place. I sure wished my french was better, but we got around ok. They are used to tourists in most areas. I tried the famous Poutine that I remember my first ship roommate, the french-canadian Marie, raving about. We were treated to lunch by our musician's agency Proship, which is based in Montreal. We wandered around the Chateau Frontenac, and up and down the Rue St. Jean with all its cafe's and shops. At night I went back out to a big club on the Grande Allee, it being a Tuesday night the only people there were really us crew members, but we were all grateful for a change of scene from the crew bar and stayed out til the wee hours. What a great night!! Today we had a marvelous breakfast at a creperie called Breton, got some coffee, and are headed back on the ship soon. I have loved this cruise - we don't want to do the crossing back!! :-)

NYC!!!!

We finally finished our crossing and made it to NYC!! I was up before 6am to watch our approach into the harbor. We sailed under the bridge at 6 am or so, then by the statue of Liberty around 6:20. The lights of the city were still on as we approached Manhattan. The front crew deck was packed with other crew, all equally excited to finally be reaching the legendary New York City. Many of my acquaintances were seeing America for the first time in their lives, and it was a very special moment to share with them. After a morning of inspections, immigration, and a coast guard drill, we were finally allowed off the ship around 11:30. I have never seen such a line of crew anxious to get ashore!! I got off with my friends Adrian and Christy, and we were led by our friend Jeremy, who lived in NYC for 4 years. He took us downtown, to the best pizza in New York (so he says, I thought it was awesome, anyway) at a place called Lombardi's. After that we walked around downtown and then to ground zero to see the new construction there. We walked down to Battery park and sat there in a cafe for a while, then took the subway back uptown for our evening's activities.
I was able to meet up with my fried Teal Frost, a friend from my months on the Norwegian Majesty in 2009. She came with us to the Jazz Standard, where we ate dinner at Blue Smoke and got to hear the Mingus Big Band. They were absolutely incredible....my mouth was open a lot. Trombonists Andy Hunter and Conrad Herwig blew my mind and made me want to quit....ha ha. After that amazing set we explored some of the smaller jazz clubs and caught a couple of jam sessions at Small's and club 55. It was such a succesful night!!! We got back on board around 3am. We dragged ourselves out of bed the next day to catch a few more hours in the now-rainy New York before rehearsal. Shopping and food and sightseeing....it was a great time. I was so sorry to leave New York....I feel like I haven't seen a thing, despite having a great couple of days. It would take weeks!!! But I am glad for the 2 days I had.

Transatlantic Crossing

We are almost finished with our crossing!! These six days have passed in a lethargy of ship rocking, sleeping, and performing. We are all getting a bit stir-crazy, and can't wait for New York tomorrow!!! I have loose plans, but many of us will just end up seeing where the evening takes us. We will be up early tomorrow morning to watch the sail-in past the statue of Liberty on our way to dock in Manhattan!! I can hardly believe it. I know sailing into New York on a Cunard ship like so many original immigrants will be a very special feeling.

Maiden Voyaging

Queen Elizabeth has now completed her maiden voyage around the British Isles, amid much pomp and circumstance. There is still quite a mystique surrounding the Cunard ships, which have a one-hundred and seventy year history in this part of the world. Crowds turned out to see us dock an sail away. Visitors came on board to see the ship in droves each day in port. Once I saw large amounts of people parking and walking in the same direction, and I asked a local what event was taking place, where were they all going. He said our ship WAS the event. I'd never experienced attention like this before. But the real highlight of all this attention was in Liverpool, the "spiritual home" of Cunard, where the original office was. A large scale concert was put on for all of Queen Elizabeth's guests (and interested/available crew) and was held at the immense Anglican Cathedral in Liverpool. Buses were arranged to transport thousands of guests to the event, they had to start seating people an hour and a half before the event, and the entire floor of the cathedral was packed with chairs. The theme of the event was celebrating the three ships to bear the name Elizabeth over the last century. The Liverpool Philharmonic along with two choirs and the Welsh Guard performed some amazing music, and the sounds that echoed in the cathedral were incredible. The event was star-studded, as far as Cunard Line and the UK are concerned. I got to hear stories from crew who worked on the original Queen Elizabeth and the QE2, in the days of the famous transatlantic filled with Hollywood and other celebrities. I really felt like I was a part of something special.
I did also make time in Liverpool to follow in the steps of the Beatles, so as not to disappoint certain relatives and friends back home. :-) I really enjoyed the tour. All day I kept wishing you could have been here with me, Dad!! We visited a really neat museum called the Beatles Story, as well as the Cavern Club on Matthew street, childhood homes of John and Paul, Strawberry Field and Penny Lane. I can now say I've been "in a shelter in the middle of a roundabout".
After the concert I spent a few hours at a pub in town with the rest of the band, enjoying our night off and a late sailaway. I got to meet a trumpet player named Albert who lives nearby, who will most likely be in our band next year for the world voyage. At 9pm we stumbled back on board and out onto the forward deck of the ship, crowded with crew members, to watch the nighttime spillway. Our arrival was the official beginning of a festival in Liverpool, and so thousands were gathered to watch us and live bands were performing. And the top it off, fireworks lit our way from the pier as we pulled away. What a night!!
Other highlights of the voyage were a visit to the Guiness factory in Dublin, as Gianni is a big fan, and a beautiful scenic tour I went on in Ireland where I was lucky enough to get some sunshine.
Today we've begun our transatlantic, tracing the paths of so many other Cunard ships across to New York. We've been told to expect some rough weather from tropical storm Maria, and we've battened down the hatches, literally. (They've closed the portholes in the mess, anyway). America, here we come!!!!

Catching up - Paris and Scotland

Sorry everyone! I've been absent for a while due to my hard drive crashing....again....why does this always heppen when I'm overseas?? Anyway today I'm in Greenock, near Glasgow, Scotland, with about half an hour's free time in town before I need to return to the ship. I went on a tour of Glasgow this morning. I found a little museum here that has free use of computers for the internet, hallelujah!
I must tell you that I have finally been to Paris!! I have always wanted to see it, and was able to have a few precious hours in the city last week on a tour. The drive is nearly 3 hours by bus, each way, from Le Havre (our port) to Paris, so I needed the whole day even to get there for a few hours. I can't describe the feeling of finally seeing the Eiffel Tower in person, it was so neat for me. There may have been tears...:-) I also got to spend a while in the Notre Dame Cathedral, and walk all around it as well, which was very cool. We drove to all the highlights of the city, and had barely enough time to snap photos of the Louvre, Les Invalids, the Arc de Triumph and many more....it was really a whirlwind tour - there is no way to properly see a city like Paris in a day. But at least now I've seen a little bit for myself!! I hope to go back someday. It was fantastic.
I've really enjoyed Scotland these past few days, Edinburgh being perhaps my favorite. I also visited Inverness (of the river Ness, of Loch Ness), which was a nice town as well. I didn't make it out to Loch Ness proper, but maybe next time. In the small town of Invergordon where we were docked, I had the pleasant surprise of running into some artist's booths. One man was letting people make their own metal castings, by carving out a design on a flat surface, then sealing it and filling it with liquid metal which then hardened into whatever shape you had carved. It was so neat! I made a little flower. What a perfect, free souvenir!! Better than anything you'd buy in a store. I also met some well known graffitti artists called Dufi, who were working on a project I got to help with. It was such a neat day! I love it when the unexpected finds me.

Birthday in Helsinki

Yesterday was my birthday! This will be my 4th birthday at sea, that has fallen during one of my ship contracts. I had everything planned out for the day - a nice lunch with friends at a certain restaurant in Stockholm, then an evening in the crew bar with all my friends and some nice wines that I have been picking up in a few different places in the Mediterranean. But when we awoke in the morning we found ourselves not in Stockholm, but in fact still at sea. Weather conditions or engine troubles had caused a decision not to try to navigate the narrow passageways into Stockholm's harbor. So….now what?? I stayed in my cabin with nothing to do most of the day, finally making it to the gym in the afternoon. I got to call home and talk to my parents, and opened some wonderful birthday presents from family.
The decision was made to head on to our next planned port of call, Helsinki, and get there in the evening a day early and stay there overnight. Now, I think I have explained to you how excited crew get about having an overnight, there really isn't anything better as far as itineraries go. So we were all very very excited to have an unexpected one. The word "overnight" has a magical quality for us…..for guests going out means going to the restaurant on board, or to one of the lounges to hear music or ballroom dance, but for us, who live and work here, going out at night off of the ship is our idea of a great night. I wasn't working that evening, but most of my friends were, so I waited for them to finish work and then we met up in the crew bar and then went out on the town, to see what we could find as far as nightlife in Helsinki. I did some research online and came up with a list of recommended places, and we ended up choosing Club Havanna, a place known for salsa and cuban dancing. I really wanted to dance, so that was where we decided to go. My partners in crime were my friends Christy, Adrian, Gianni, and Luis. After a few failures, we found a taxi driver with no compunctions about letting the 5 of us squish in his 4 seater, and he took us downtown. We found the club, and after checking it out for a few minutes decided it was indeed a good place to be. Christy knows her latin dancing, and she wasn't shy at all and helped me find some partners. There are some amazing salsa dancers in Helsinki, who knew?? We met a guy from Peru who now lives in Finland, so I got to practice my spanish. We also ran into one of the Ukrainian dancers, Victoria, from the ship, who had also looked up this place online and had come on her own. She taught me a few new moves, and even danced a few dances with me, with her doing the leading. She is good!! There were also a few songs where a leader stood in front and directed the dance, and everyone else followed, kindof like a line dance (or a zumba workout, mom??). It was an amazing night, we stayed and danced until the place closed, at - (dare I write this where my parents will read it???) - around 3am. We decided to walk back to the ship, which ended up taking about an hour. I couldn't have asked for a better night for my birthday - friends, dancing, meeting new people, learning new dances, fun and lots of laughter. I had the day off the next day, so I had no excuses not to stay out late and enjoy being overnight in a place I may never get the chance to be again. Oh, what a night…. :-)

ABC's

Today I went to Above Bar Church (ABC) here in Southampton. I had walked past it a few times on past days here and seen their Sunday service advertised, and finally today we are here on a Sunday!! So after a morning breakfast at the Standing Order (an infamous seafarer's pub with free wifi) I wandered over to the church. You would never know a church is inside the block of shops and buildings, but inside a little door and up some stairs and I felt right at home in a packed and thriving church. I loved the music and the message, which I felt could have been speaking directly to me. Thanks for today, God! I also met quite a few really nice people that were so welcoming, two older couples, a retired navy chaplain, and some medical students who play in the band there.

Our dixieland set the other day was quite a hit! It went very well, and we got a standing ovation after the second show. The singers and dancers all came, and absolutely loved it. After the show they converged on me and were asking all sorts of questions about the trombone and the music style....I really felt like a star. My solos all went well. It was filmed, so I'm bringing a recording of it back with me. In fact, the night went so well that we will likely be forced to do it again next voyage. :-)

sunny sunny Med!!

It has been so nice to be in the Mediterranean this week! We are all enjoying the sunshine very much. I got to to Florence the other day, on a tour with the ship that was basically all free time. I had one goal: climb up to the top of the Duomo. But, the best laid plans..... you know the rest. It was closed for tourists that day, maybe because it was Sunday or some holiday or another. But lucky for me, the adjoining bell tower was still open, and it rises to a height of only 5 meters shy of the Duomo's viewing platform, plus the view includes the Duomo, which you wouldn't be able to see if you were standing on it. :-)

I had in port manning (Popular alternate names for this are "In Port Tanning" or "In Pub Manning") in Civitavecchia, but was happy to stay on board and relax after all the walking I did in Florence. I have been to the city and to Rome quite a few times, so it was a reasonable one to miss. Yesterday we were in Monaco, and I walked around the port for a while and just generally enjoyed the beautiful day it was outside with a few of my friends.

Tonight is a special night, WE are the show in the theater. It is a dixieland concert, both showtimes, featuring yours truly and the rest of the RCTO. (Royal Court Theatre Orchestra) Sounds fancy, hmm? Tim has found us smart white vests to wear over our blacks to give us a special look for the occasion. I'm looking forward to it, but also a little bit nervous as Dixieland is all about the trombone!! Fun fun fun. Wish me luck!

Gibraltar

Hooray for warmer weather!! It is already feeling warm and tropical here, not surprising as we are functionally in the south of Spain. It is a nice change from the gloom and rain we were getting in Norway. We are only in port today from 8am til 1pm, so I haven't got much time in port. I have been to Gibraltar before, on the Century, so I'm pretty familiar with it and have seen all of the main sights already. Its nice not to feel much pressure in that regard. I am, however, a creature of habit, so I found myself retracing my steps and looking for some familiar ground. My memory led me right to a little pub called Gibraltar Arms, which I vaguely remembered as having wifi. I was right! I just had a very english breakfast of beans on toast, along with some tea, and after posting this I'll be heading back towards the ship. I bought a new camera today as my current one has problems with the dust inside the lens. Gibraltar escapes some taxes and duties, so it is a little cheaper here than in the rest of Europe. Probably not as good a deal as I would have gotten back home, but it will have to do. Making sure I have good pictures now, is a worthy investment for me. On my way back to the ship I'll be stopping by the pet shop that I remember being here - they have kittens!! And living on a ship you get starved for animal interaction at times. So I'll go play with some kittens for a while. Not a bad day.

The other night our WABS show (welcome aboard show) got cut short because of a pit malfunction. The cast was in the pit awaiting the beginning of the number, we were ready to play, but something didn't work and the cast was stuck under the stage. So, no closing number. These things do happen sometimes, it is live entertainment, folks!!

Last night we played for a string duo - Rafael and Monika. It wasn't until after rehearsal, after the first show, and halfway through the second show that I remembered them. I realized they were one of the first acts I played for on the Galaxy. After the show I said to Rafael, "I remember you now!" He said, "I remember YOU now!!" I guess the realization was synchronous at the same point during the show, where I remember making eye contact with him while playing the same certain number years ago. Funny how things like that happen.

Alesund and Bergen

In Alesund I went on an all-day tour with the ship's shore excursions. The great thing about it was we got really far afield, about 120 kilometers from town, and got to admire some breathtaking landscape. Unfortuantely, doe to fog, a few of the viewpoints didn't have much to offer. Actually the weather this season in Norway has so far been a bit gloomy, even they are complaining about not getting a summer. I'm hoping when we're back here in a couple weeks we'll have more luck. It is still a beautiful place, but I know just how glorious it can be with a bit of sunshine. It was nice driving through town too, and remembering being here with Chelsea years ago.

In Bergen Christy an I went on a hike in the mountains near the city. First we walked up to the the viewpoint at Mt. Floien, where many tourists go by way of taking a funicular up. It took us about an hour to climb it. From there a variety of trails begin, and armed with a map of them and Christy's GPS we made a good start on exploring quite a few of them through the fog. It was beautiful up there, and so quiet. We found the starting point for a hike that we would both love to do - a 5 or 6 hour crossing across the mountain plateau. Unfortunately timing doesn't make that possible for us. But it was neat to dream. We also found that one of the hiker's huts has a coffee bar that is only open on Sundays, which is happened to be. We made a point of ending up there, and enjoying some expensive Norwegian coffee and the best part: a warm freshly baked cinnamon roll, which we split. We walked back down into town and had lunch at a restaurant called Pygmalion which I had found online, where I had my first ever Veggie Burger. Not bad. We also had some pesto bruchetta which blew our minds. We made it back to the ship around 3pm, and decided to walk up and down the pier once first to make out total distance covered for the day an even 15 kilometers (9.32 miles!!) We were darn proud of ourselves.

Norway and the Tall Ships

Since visiting the North Cape, I've gone on quite a few tours in Norway, and have enjoyed the incredible scenery. We're up here all week again this voyage, and will be back again for a few ports next cruise as well. I want to take a moment now to acknowledge that Norway is going through a very tough time right now as a result of last Friday's attacks. All the newspapers at every port around Norway are covered with the news, still, and many of the cathedrals are collecting flowers as a remembrance to the dead. What I find perhaps most tragic is how many of those killed were just kids, with such promising lives ahead of them. When I see their pictures on the news it is heartbreaking. Norway is a country of only 5 million people, and everyone feels directly affected by the tragedy. My tour guide today in Stavanger has a close friend who lost someone. I try to be sensitive to the situation since we are in Norway at the same time as all this is going on. A few events in our ports have been canceled in honor of a period of mourning. Even now I am listening to a a band member take a break from performing in the town square to take a moment for some comforting words to the Norwegian people regarding the events. They are now playing "Be Thou My Vision.", what a touching moment this is. I feel lucky to be here.

Today, though, spirits are high again in Stavanger as the Tall Ships Races 2011 are in port here this week. The harbor is stunningly full of these beautiful ships, new and old. Walking down the waterfront is like moving back in time. I love the feeling. I visited one historic ship today called the SS Svanhild, and decided that I have no more right to complain about my cabin or living quarters on the QE. This is the second time I have been in a port with a Race of this type, the first time was in Bermuda with NCL's Majesty. It is wonderful to have happened upon it again. I saw a ship I consider an old friend - the Christian Radich, which is a Norwegian tall ship. I first was in a port with her in the Azores, on a transatlantic crossing years ago. I saw her symbol painted on a wall in Madeira, and island in the atlantic belonging to Portugal. I was delighted to see her here today and take yet another photo.

North Cape!

Yesterday I made it out to the North Cape! I didn't get a chance last time I was here, so I was very glad that it worked out this time. The cape is about a half hour drive from Honningsvag, and the terrain is really stark and dramatic. There are no trees, only tundra. We saw quite a few reindeer! In fact, we even had to stop the bus twice to let a few cross the road in front of us. The North Cape is known as the northernmost point in Europe - 71 degrees 10'21'' North to be exact. As it turns out, there is another point that is a thousand meters further north, and technically since its an island, the northernmost mainland point is something else altogether, but there you go. It is marked with monuments and visited by thousands of tourists every year. There are shops, museums, exhibitions, and a film to see. I did it all in the short 90 minutes we had there, including sending home a postcard from this unique location (on its way to you, Mom!).

A few days ago I mentioned a guest entertainer with the unusual name of Kuba Kawnik. It turns out his show was actually really interesting. He is a young man from Poland whose emphasis is on vibraphone, though he is billed as a multi-instrumentalist. The other two instruments he chose to showcase in the show a few days ago were also pretty unique - the Kalimba and the Theremin. Now, you may be thinking you've never heard of these before in your life, but I but you have heard the sounds before. The Kalimba is of African origin, also known as a "thumb piano" - you have probably seen a simple version in any tropical souvenir shop, or if you grew up in my house, in Tyler's box of percussion toys. If I mimed playing one, these days one might think I was miming texting on my phone. Anyway, Kuba plays a professional one in the show. As for the Theremin, remember the beach boys song "Good Vibrations"? The noises that sound like a tuned radio frequency? That's the Theremin. It was invented by and named after a Russian physicist. The Theremin is played entirely without being touched, as it has two perpendicular antennae that sense the proximity of the player's hands. Simply, vertical position controls volume and horizontal controls pitch. It is really interesting to watch it being played, as the artist literally picks the notes out of thin air. Amazing....I was fascinated. Every once in a while you get to play a show that is great fun and interesting like this one. Thanks, Kuba! For those interested you can watch his demo here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rG0BigO3bU and get an idea of what I'm talking about.

Last night we played the show "Sing", and one of the singers (Simon) changed bits of the script that are usually always the same to throw the others for a loop and give us all a good laugh. We also are developing those little traditions that come of playing the same shows over and over again, like making eye contact with a certain person at a certain moment of the show, making a face, or imitating some choreography with the singers. It is starting to feel like it is settling in for all of us (the singers are new as well). I went to see the production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, which involves the 5 actors, and two of the singers (who also act, obviously) from the production company. It was really enjoyable. Maybe next time I see it I'll catch more of the lines...my but Shakespeare is wordy. :-)

Here is my first batch of photos from this contract:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.673012016930.2152622.56903845&l=e42defc1d7&type=1

Pining after their fjords....

Grandma and Grandpa went home in Southampton, it is strange not to have them here and go talk to them after the first show every night and have dinner with them. It was wonderful to have them on board and get to spend more time with them than I usually get to. I got to go on a tour with them around town and the canals in Copenhagen, Denmark. Grandma and I went to the traditional English afternoon high tea they have in the Queen's Room here 3 times. We really love the scones! Another highlight was a private backstage tour for Grandma and Grandpa that the production manager of the theater, Chris, led personally. He was kind enough not only to suggest to me that I could feel free to show them around backstage sometime, but then took the time to take them around himself. It was very generous of him, and they loved the tour.

A new cruise has begun, number 3 for me! I kicked it off with a bang - seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part II as soon as it came out, July 15th! I found a 10:30am showing in Southampton and went for it. I got a student discount, so it sounded very cheap at five pounds and sixty pence, but when you do the math I think thats more like 10 bucks. Not the best deal for a matinee…pounds are deceptive. But anyway the movie was great. I laughed, I cried….it moved me Bob. My only complaint is that I wanted more. Everything happened so fast, and major events were glossed over. I know it was already 2 hours long, but I could have easily been engrossed for another hour. :-) Anyway I'm glad I got to see it.

This voyage we are on our way up the coast of Norway, to the North Cape and back. Today we are based in Bergen, and I went on a tour outside of the city to a neighboring fjord (hadangerfjord?) We drove along the coast and saw some gorgeous scenery, visited an old church (Holdhus Kirke), saw an amazing waterfall, and had a great norwegian buffet lunch. Yum. I sat out in the front of the ship to watch the sailaway this afternoon - I have a favorite spot on the ship. In the very front of the bow there is a big white box about the size of 4 washing machines pushed together in a square (its the only visual I can come up with, don't laugh) and I have no idea what's in it, but I can sit on top of it and have a great view of where we're headed, only 3 feet or so from the very front railing of the bow. Its an amazing spot. Tomorrow we are in Geiranger, a new port for me. We will also be performing a show backing up someone named Kuba Kwanik. I'm not sure if I should be scared about that….more details after I've rehearsed with him.

Ship Life

It has been great having my Grandparents on board this week. I have been able to join them for dinner in the dining room a number of times and went to the formal afternoon tea in the Queen's Room with Grandma. They came to our dixieland set this afternoon, and grandma says she is getting her money's worth for what she paid for my trombone years ago. :-)

A few days ago we were in St. Petersburg, Russia, definitely one of the most interesting places we visit. I tried to get on a tour with my grandparents, but unfortunately it didn't work out and I ended up on the same tour, but a different departure time, and it couldn't be fixed. I was a little bummed about being on the tour without them, but we all ended up having a nice day regardless. After my tour I had planned to meet up with my friends for dinner in town, since we didn't sail until nearly midnight and we had the night off. But, as fate would have it, I was delayed in getting to the meeting point, and a sudden downpour convinced them it was time to give up and get back on board out of the rain. So there I was, in front of St. Issac's Cathedral, after the rain had soaked the streets, without any friends in sight, with a great recommendation for a restaurant that my Russian guide had given me. What to do….give up and take the shuttle back to the ship, or go it alone?? I decided to stick it out, and found the restaurant on my own. The street was full of puddles, and I had chosen the absolute worst pair of shoes for wet weather - ones that soak up water at the slightest provocation. So I decided the best option to save my shoes was to simply take them off, roll up my jeans, and brave the streets of St. Petersburg barefoot. It was quite liberating, really….its amazing and ironic that when you have no shoes, stepping in puddles really doesn't bother you so much. I found the restaurant (Terrassa) with no trouble, and had a fantastic meal there (also fantastically expensive…..I really should have looked up the exchange rate since spending Rubles on my credit card means almost nothing to me until I see the conversion on my statement later), after which things had dried up enough for me to put my shoes back on and high-tail it (read: "run") back to St. Isaac's to catch the last free crew shuttle back to the ship. I was the only one on it.

Last night was another crazy night of what we call "ship life" - things that would never happen on land, but are commonplace in this strange environment I call home. I ran into our harpist Chiara, from Italy, and she invited me to stop by her set later that night. I did, and listened to her play beautifully in the midship lounge. After that she and I wandered the ship a bit as we were all dressed up for formal night, and then she invited me to "Napoli". Where is Napoli (since we aren't actually there in Naples, Italy)?? Well, apparently it is the nickname for the cabin where two Italian contractors (temporary project crew, guest cabins) live, and where all of the Italians on board (8) spend much of their free time socializing. I went with Chiara to Napoli, met the other Italians, and then enjoyed their hospitality (food and drinks) as they occasionally remembered to speak in English so I would understand the conversation. VERY occasionally. I learned some new Italian words and gestures (Italians are pretty intense with their gestures….its nearly sign language sometimes), many of which I wouldn't ever use in polite company. Italian is similar to Spanish, so it was a fun challenge to try to pick out some words and ideas. Most of the time I didn't say much, but it was a fun night. Ahh, ship life….

Hamburg, Germany

Its a slightly gloomy day here in Hamburg. I'm sitting at Starbucks (what a surprise) availing myself of their free wifi and guarantee to have soy milk for my cappuccino. You can't find that everywhere! Today is a second embarkation day for the voyage, which is a bit different. Guests could cruise the full 2 weeks, Southampton to Southampton, or they can do 10 days - Hamburg to Hamburg, or either of the two-day cruises, Southampton to Hamburg and vice versa. Its a little confusing, but today 800 of our guests who were only on the ship for 2 days disembark, to be replaced by 1200 mostly Germans who will do the 10 day cruise and leave again in Hamburg, to be replaced by others only doing the 2 days back to Southampton from Germany. Confused?? Me too. Oh well. There are certainly a lot of German guests on board.

Grandma and Grandpa came to see the show last night (a Scottish singer named Stuart Gillies) and really enjoyed it. We got to wave to each other, which was nice. I also got to admire the first of Grandma's new outfits from Nordstrom's picked out especially for this cruise!

First Voyage Finished!

17 days later....I've finished my first voyage on the QE. All voyage we've had two sets of dancers on board, the old and the new cast, and today the old one left, after being on board since before the ship launched last October. So the original cast of the QE has finally all finished their extended inaugural contract. This voyage the new dancers will finish their install and perform everything involved in their contract for the first time, though they have opened a few shows last voyage. Its a little confusing, but the QU Theatre Company is made up of 3 groups, who have been staggering their handover from old to new: 4 singers, 5 actors, 12 dancers. The actors changed over first, then the singers, and now we're in the final dancer stage. These three groups perform alone or with each other in different ways to create the variety of production shows on board. For example, the actors on their own present a Neil Simon double bill, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, etc. The dancers do one big show on their own, plus several 10-15 minute feature show-openers. The singers do a caberet with us on their own. Then the three groups combine in different ways for other shows. One show, A Slice of Saturday Night, uses everyone, and is an original musical with a light plot. (It doesn't use brass, so I get the night off). Anyway I still haven't worked out exactly who is in what show....and there are a few I haven't seen yet....but I'll figure it all out eventually. At least now I won't be mixing up the new dancers with the old.

Today we also lose our guitarist, Stevie "Stud", a 27-year Cunard employee, 59 year old Jewish-English man, a legend among all Cunard musicians past an present. I can't really describe him in a way that does him justice...suffice it to say that he is a character and will be missed. Last night we had final drinks with him, and he said to me, "I"m 59 years old, you know....and I'll be 60....on my birthday." "The other day I woke up and tried not to be me....it only worked for about 5 minutes, then I was me again." He also brings along a banjo just for the dixieland sets, and dances while playing. Tim gave him the mic at one point, and he said, "Not only am I the youngest person in the band, I'm also the best looking....the lady on the bass is my mother, and the lady on the trombone is my grandmother," The guests love him. Bye, Stevie!

Today my grandparents are coming on board!! Exciting!!!

Venice!!!

I finally got to see Venice!!! I was up early and out on deck to watch us sail into the harbor. It is incredible, we actually sail right past St. Mark's square. I got off the ship on my own, and decided, after a quick look at a posted map to get my general bearings, I would wander around without buying one and just allow myself to get lost in Venice, which I've heard is really the thing to do. So I took my time wandering in the direction of San Marco, exploring the narrow streets and canals and going whichever way I pleased, on my own time. It was a great way to experience the city for the first time. It is really stunning. I did a bit of shopping and came away with my very own Venetian masks, two of my favorites after looking in a dozen shops. I wanted to find one that I knew was made in Venice by a particular artist, and not imported from China for cheap tourist souvenirs. I love the ones I found, made by artist Gastaldi Amelio in Venice. After a few hours I finally reached the famous square, and took in the moment for a while. I saw a few people covered in pigeons, but didn't feel the urge to buy bread and place myself in a similar possibly dirty situation.

At that point I finally bought a map in preparation for the next part of the day - meeting up with my friends for lunch. Gianni, our resident handsome Italian drummer, had invited us to meet in San Margarita square for lunch at 1pm. Having no idea where to start I did buy a map, quickly realizing I had much further to go than I assumed, and raced across bridges and through narrow passageways for half an hour in order to get there close to on-time. I found Gianni and 4 others from our band at the far end of the square at a restaurant Gianni had picked out and recommended. It was a wonderful lunch, in a beautiful place!! I felt so happy and satisfied with my day. Wandering on my own and discovering Venice without worry about anything other than which corner I wanted to peek around next, and then a leisurely and tasty Italian lunch with friends. Mmmm….pizza in Italy…. Gianni insisted on paying for everyone - which was so generous and sweet of him. He really acted the host as we enjoyed being in his country.

Tonight's show is Hayden Smith - who I played for two or three times on the Rhapsody - so it was nice to see him again. Just before the show he asked us if we'd mind him recording our horn parts during the show as we performed, so he can use them when he has to perform without a band. Oh, and he'll pay us a hundred dollars each to agree. Hmmm….no brainer! Get paid twice to play the same show I get paid to play anyway? Yes please.

Ports and In Port Manning

On the Queen Elizabeth, there is a rule that a certain amount of crew must be on board at any one time, in case of an emergency. This translates to "In Port Manning" or IPM for us - there is a set rotation so that one in every seven ports you must stay on board and be assigned a specific IPM emergency duty, possibly different to your usual one, in order to make sure every important position is covered in case something were to happen while we're docked requiring action on our parts. Yesterday I was assigned IPM, but my boss Tim was staying on board and offered to cover it for me. It is quite easy to switch your IPM or even pay someone to do it if you really want to get off in a particular port in which you happen to have IPM. Some companies don't require IPM at all, some only require it from key personnel, and some require it as often as every 3 ports. So one in 7 really isn't bad, especially with it being so easy to switch to get out of it. Some random info for you there.

So anyway, my boss was nice enough to cover my IPM, so I went ashore on my own in Messina. I've been there before so I felt comfortable on my own. I did some shopping and then sat in an outside café with some espresso and read a book on my kindle (a lifesaver!! really loving it!) for a while. On my way back I passed by a café where lo and behold, two friends from past contracts were sitting. At first I didn't believe my eyes, but this really is the only job in the world where you can expect something like running into your buddy Tony the Swedish guitarist from the Rhapsody, and Jordan the English shoppie from the Voyager, while walking around in Sicily. It was great to see them both, such a nice surprise to catch up with them! They are both working on the Navigator of the Seas, a Royal ship that was docked with us that day. Love this life….

Today we were in Cephalonia, a Greek Island. It is a really beautiful sunny place, and man, was it hot. Despite the heat, I walked and explored a lot with Christy and Adrian, even climbing up a big hill so we could see a view of the other side of the island. We did a bit of essential (and some arguably non-essential) shopping, sat for a while at a café to cool off (I had fresh squeezed orange juice….yum) then headed back to the ship.

Oh, the other night for one of the guest acts I got to play Michael Buble's version of Cry Me a River - which has been one of my favorites for a while now! So exciting to be able to actually play the arrangement and rock out!!

Oh also - I am now famous (or infamous) on board because for some reason my crew pass didn't scan properly when I returned to the ship yesterday. They thought I wasn't on board, announced my name over the P.A. (which I didn't hear since I was already in rehearsal), thought they were going to have to leave me behind, and finally called my supervisor (Tim) who turned around to look at me with a funny look on his face, then replied in an amused tone that I was sitting right behind him. :-)

First few days on the QE

Last night we played a show called "Sing!", featuring as you might guess, the 4 singers on board. No dancers are involved in the show, it is strictly a vocal showcase. The neat thing about it is that Cunard has taken advantage of all the musicians on board and combined them into one group for this one show only. So the Royal Court Theatre Orchestra, plus the horns and keys from the Queen's Room band, plus the string quartet and harpist combine to form a 19-piece orchestra. It is really a brilliant idea - its a shame more ships don't take advantage of their musicians this way. The show itself is rather simple, but it is so nice to play in a big band, and especially to have an actual trombone section! Or, at least 2 of us, if that counts as a section. The other trombonist from the Queen's Room band is Jeremy, a guy from San Francisco, who plays well. The Queen's Room band is basically the same make-up as our group, but play dance music every night in the Queen's Room, which is a big ballroom with a beautiful high ceiling. There are several formal balls every voyage, and on this cruiseline the people really come to dance. There are even four gentleman dance hosts every voyage who get a free cruise in exchange for asking ladies to dance all night. Not a bad job, if you know your ballroom styles.

I checked out the guest gym finally, and boy is it high-tech and well equipped. All of the treadmills, ellipticals, and bikes have 17" touch screens, an iPod jack, USB plugin, headphone jack, tray for personal belongings, cup holder, and the treadmills even have little adjustable vents that cool your face with air as you run, should you so desire. Wow. Besides those, the gym really has anything you can imagine to help a workout, like those balancing balls, bosu balls, mats, punching bag and gloves, weights, rowing machines, and who knows what else. It is very nice to be on a brand new ship, I must say.

My first port of call was Cadiz, Spain. I went out with Adrian (trumpet) and Christy to walk around town. We sat at a café in the main square for a coffee, right next to the big central cathedral. I tried a vegetable paella, which was fantastic. After that we walked to the other side of town and out to a fortress and back, visited a local market, and logged over 8 kilometers according to Christy's GPS. It was a great day to be off the ship and in the sun of Southern Spain!

Safe and Sound (or Sano y Salvo, as they say in Spanish)

Hello Everyone! I have safely arrived on the Queen Elizabeth!! My flight took me direct to London Heathrow airport, where I caught a bus to my hotel. No sooner had I set my things down than I headed out to meet up with my friend Sophie, a singer from my last contract. I took the Underground, or Tube, on the Picadilly Line out to Picadilly Circus, where I met Sophie. It was so wonderful to see her again! We talked and talked as she took me on a walking tour around London. I saw Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, and a few other things. We had a proper afternoon tea (how very English) at the Globe theatre, right on the Thames river. Afternoon tea is a British tradition that involves sitting down in a nice venue and always includes sandwiches, scones and sweets. Ours cost about 20 pounds apiece, but then we were at Shakespeare's own theatre….After that Sophie took me up to a rooftop garden cafe overlooking the Thames, where we had a drink and watched the sun go down. We were met by her boyfriend Matt, it was great to meet him face to face after hearing so much about him over the past year. The three of us then crossed the Thames again over to a little underground wine bar called Gordon's, with a really neat candlelight atmosphere. Finally around 10:45pm they put me on a train back to Heathrow, where I was too late to catch a bus and so had to hire my own taxi for the short distance back to my hotel. I was careful not to wake my roommate as I collapsed into bed, quite sleep deprived and jet lagged.

We were picked up early at 6:20am to be bused to the ship - me and nearly 100 other sign ons. I couldn't believe it - that is white a big crew turnover. We were on the ship by 10am, and I moved into my cabin by noon. My roommate is the bass player in my band, a girl called Christy. She seems really nice so far, though she was nearer the front of the line of sign-on's, and so got here first to claim the coveted bottom bunk. :-) 7 of the 8 in our band signed on with me, though a few are returning.

So far I've played the welcome aboard show (shortened to WABS around here), which is mostly Earth Wind and Fire stuff in a medley with the cast performing, last night was a singer called Jeff Hooper with a great voice, albeit low-key show, and tonight's production show of La Danza, featuring the dancers. I have so much to tell you all about this amazing ship, but it'll have to wait until next time because my bed is calling me. :-)

4 days to go!

I finally got my flight details on Monday, thank goodness. My flight leaves late Sunday afternoon from LAX, and its a red-eye straight shot to London Heathrow. I guess I really do have a job! I arrive a day early, so I'll be in London overnight, which is nice. Its always great to get a good night's sleep before joining a ship to recover a bit from the travel. I'm in the process of packing, amid anxiety dreams of forgetting to pack something or loosing my luggage somewhere. :-) I have to be all packed by Thursday night, since I'm going away over the weekend with family and won't have time to get it done then. Friday we get to see Paul McCartney in Las Vegas! My parents and Tyler and his wife Allison are going, and it will be great to spend some time with them. We come back Saturday just in time for my grandparent's 60th anniversary dinner, what an amazing achievement for them, and what a great example for us to follow. We'll get home late Saturday night, then drive down to LAX the next day. Its all going to happen very quickly. I'll be on a plane before I know it. I'm excited about all the new things awaiting me. I'll update this as quickly as I can to let you know how it is on the Queen Elizabeth. I'm praying that I'll be able to relax into it quickly, and that I will soon find some good friends. Here goes nothing!

Hume Lake and Grass Valley

I spent Memorial Day weekend on a road trip with my parents up to Northern California. We drove all day Thursday up to Grass Valley, CA, north of Sacramento. We spent a couple of nights with my grandpa on my mom's side, Grandpa Kopecky, and my lola Antonia. It was great to see my grandpa again, since he lives up north and I've been away it has been a while. He's 87 now. One of the highlights for me was hearing him talk about World War II, when he flew in bomber planes in Europe. He kept amazing journal details of all of his missions, which were so neat to look at.

Leaving Grass Valley, we drove down to Hume Lake, CA, where one of my best friends, Sarah Tuch, works in the video productions department. It was so wonderful to spend a couple of days with her and learn about her job and life there. And guess what! It SNOWED!!! I couldn't believe it! The flakes were the big beautiful ones...my favorite kind. :-) It snowed almost all day Saturday and the trees looked so beautiful.

We drove back down to Southern California yesterday, all of us feeling ready to not drive for a while. :-) We probably logged about 20 hours total.

Everything is in place with my agent for my upcoming contract. Now I'm just waiting on flight details, which I'm told should be here in the next day or two. Two weeks from today I'll already be finished with my first day on board the QE. Yikes! Freaking out a little....

3 weeks down...

...and 3 to go. Today marks the halfway point of my time here at home, in between contracts. It is going by way too fast, as usual. :-) Some highlights have been seeing Chelsea's graduation, going swing dancing, hanging out with great old friends, spending a couple days with my grandma, mini-golfing with Tyler, rockclimbing with Sean and Sheena, seeing the new Pirates movie with my family, and going to Disneyland with my friend Pauline who works there. I've just been spending as much time as possible with my good friends and my family.

Today I took a lot of time to input where I'll be during my upcoming contract onto a google calendar. The link to it is to the left of my blog page, under "Where's Andrea Today?" Its pretty neat - if at any point you want to see where I actually am on any given day, just click there and it'll show ya. Pretty nifty.

Now that I mention it I'm not sure if I posted about my next contract, so in case I didn't here are the details. I'll be working for the Cunard Line, on the Queen Elizabeth. Its a brand new ship (launched in October 2010), the newest I've ever been on by about 10 years. I'm interested to see how the ship will be different than others as a result. I've never worked for Cunard before, so there will certainly be some new things to learn. I do get paid more (yay!) and the contracts are 5 months, instead of the just-under-7-months that Royal requires. I'm very excited about the itinerary, we really go all over the place, mostly in Europe. I'm especially excited about seeing Croatia for the first time, Paris, Venice, and Israel once at the very end. Other highlights will be an overnight in Quebec City (hoping to catch up with an old friend), seeing more of Norway, and a voyage around the British Isles to see Scotland for the first time, and other ports around England, including Liverpool. Anyway I won't get too much into detail, if you want to look closer at the itinerary just click the link I mentioned earlier, and you can look around at the coming months. Very exciting places!

Tomorrow I have to get a special maritime-law approved medical exam done in L.A. Kindof a pain to get out to San Pedro....but necessary to work for Cunard. After that I'll really be on my way to being officially employed! Flight details should soon follow my completion of those forms. Its happening! Also - my grandparents have decided to come cruise with me on my ship in July! They have never cruised with me before, despite being seasoned cruisers. I am glad they will get to see me work, especially since they were....dare I say....instrumental....in the purchase of my trombones. Thanks again, Grandma and Grandpa! Looking forward to having you on board with me!

ANZAC Day

In Australia and New Zealand, April 25th is Anzac Day, one of the biggest public holidays of the year. "ANZAC" stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps, and the day is one of remembrance for those who lost their lives in war, and to honor veterans and currently serving military personnel. It was chosen in remembrance of the commencement of the Gallipoli campaign in World War I, a disastrous campaign for the Allied forces, in which over 10,000 Australians and New Zealanders died, and about 44,000 allied troops altogether. It is celebrated by military concerts, marches, ceremonies and services throughout both countries.

I was lucky enough to be in Sydney for Anzac day this year, where perhaps the largest march in the country is held. I got up early and went into town to see it, despite some rain which encouraged many to watch it instead from their tv sets. The march (we might call it a parade in the U.S., though the term doesn't seem to carry the necessary dignity) lasted over three hours, and consisted of groups of veterans from countless foreign campaigns, currently serving military, high school and local bands, and a dozen scottish pipe bands.

I was standing across from a group of elderly women who are a part of a group who lost husbands or other family in war. As the groups of veterans would pass, many would salute or take off their hats to this group of ladies, who had the biggest smiles and the most Australian spirit of anyone there, and waved their flags with energy all morning. One very elderly veteran stood up in the back of the military truck he was riding in, took off his hat, and put his hand over his heart with touching solemnity. Another veteran stood across from me for most of the parade (except toward the end when he joined his group of veterans to march), with a big smile on his face, on the actual parade route instead of behind the fences with the crowd. He would shake hands with as many veterans as he could. Every so often he must have seen someone he knew, and he would walk with them a little ways, shaking hands and hugging them. He seemed to make it his personal duty to show as much love, joy and encouragement as possible, and to make sure the veterans knew we were grateful for everything they had sacrificed. As for the crowd, every time a group of veterans passed we clapped for them - you just couldn't help it as you thought about their service to their country, and what they may have gone through. We clapped til our hands hurt. But you just couldn't let a single old gentleman with medals pass without thanking him in that way.

Before the march sprigs of rosemary are handed out for free - rosemary for remembrance (the Greeks believed it assisted memory, and would wear it during their academic studies, the tradition of using it to remember remains). At the end of the day the streets all smelled of it as it was crushed underfoot and rained upon.

At one point in the march a man walked by carrying an old black and white photograph of a man, perhaps a father or grandfather no longer with us, with his military cap hung on the side of the photograph. This was one of the most moving sights for me.

I am very grateful to have been able to witness the great tradition of Anzac Day, and to be able to be present in Australia to celebrate it with the residents. It was a good reminder of all that our own military have accomplished and sacrificed over the years, and I was privileged to lend my applause to such distinguished veterans, whether or not we are from the same country.

On a lighter note about the day - I have never in my life heard so many bands play Waltzing Matilda. Yikes....

Sydneysiders

Sydneysider: anyone who's from or lives in Sydney. I don't count as one, but I'm living with two, and I just wanted to show off some of my new vocabulary. New words and phrases have definitely been creeping in over the last few months. So here's a fair warning to my friends and family when I get home: don't be surprised if a loo, lift, I reckon, hey?, bully, d'ya reckon?, no worries, she'll be right, capsicum, biscuit, chips, aye, sunnies, togs or jandals jump out at you in the course of conversation. It may take some time to fade.

The Petersons have been keeping me really busy here in Sydney. They live in Kareela, a small suburb near Sutherland, which is about 20 minutes south of the city. They live in a three story home of which they used to rent out the second floor. The tenets happened to move out the weekend before I arrived, so I've got a whole floor to myself. Three bedrooms, kitchen, lounge, bathroom....I'm pretty spoiled. Albie and Bernice live just up the stairs, in a smallish space that allows everything to go on in one basic area so you never get lonely. They've got a pool outside, though its been a bit too cold to tempt me.

A word about Albie and Bernie - they are nearly 80 and are two of the livliest people I've met. They are so active, running around doing things all day, enjoying life to the fullest, laughing, ready for anything, and affectionate with each other. What an amazing couple. They love to dance, which is how they met. They've been married for 18 years now. They love to introduce people to Sydney, they love music, and they love spoiling people rotten. When I arrived they were waiting at the baggage claim patiently for my hour-late flight, and couldn't wait to take a photo of me right away. They brought me home via public trans (their preferred method of travel, and they are EXPERTS) and the whirlwind began. So far we have been to Manly Beach and the Corso, the Blue Mountains, Katoomba and the Three Sisters, Watson's Bay, and the Taronga Zoo. They call it the Zoo with a View, its located on the harbor just across from the opera house. I had a great time there with Bernie (apparently, Ablie's 7 children never wanted to do anything but go to the zoo, the very thought of one makes him cringe, and he refuses to ever go to a zoo again, ha ha!) I spent one day being driven around Wollongong and Kiama with another couple I met (a pair of trombonists) who are the founders of several bands in their area and own a little rehearsal hall. They took me to see all the sights near their area, and are wonderful people. I've been to hear a great big band run by a lady named Judy Bailey, and evenings with Albie and Bernie often include watching amazing concert DVD's of jazz legends. I really can't complain, the week is rushing by so quickly.

BUT!!! I. can. not. wait. to. go. HOME!!! 4 days and I'll be on my way!! FINALLY!! Really getting excited and impatient now. :-) Lake Arrowhead, I'll be back soon!!

Forgetting your shoes

I decided on taking a tour after all, and chose one that cruised around the Whitsunday islands and stopped for snorkeling on the fringe of the reef and at the beautiful Whitehaven beach.

My boat was the "Camira", a type of catamaran that only had about 25 other guests on it. The front of the boat had a section where canvas had been stretched across from one side to the other, like a non-bouncy trampoline, and you could lounge around on it, or lay down and listen to the sound of the water passing beneath you. It was a really beautiful sailboat with two tall sails, and it was such a relaxing, intimate way to travel. Whitehaven beach truly was spectacular, with miles of pure white silica sand and blue seas. I met two other girls traveling on their own, one from Germany and one from England, and the three of us befriended each other and banded together against the three perils of traveling alone: no one to talk to, no one to take your picture, and no one to put sunscreen on that one part of your back that you just can't reach.

When you board Camira, the first thing you must do is lose your shoes. One of the crew holds a big canvas bag, and everyone must drop his or her shoes into it as she passes. At first you are surprised, thinking, "Surely I must need my shoes at some point today..." but then you quickly forget all about them. Roaming the boat, sitting near the front, relaxing or eating in the inner lounge, swimming in the ocean, exploring the sands of Whitehaven beach.....all are accomplished without the slightest recollection that you once had shoes and thought you needed them. You feel free and relaxed all day long, and hang your feet over the side of the sailboat as you watch the green islands slide by. You breath fresh air and watch as the sunset changes the sky. You feel loved and protected by God just for being, and feel like a child again. And as the crew of the Camira had warned us (and I had laughed at the idea), many nearly forgot to retrieve their shoes as they left the boat. You forgot you ever had shoes, and it was only as you left that you suddenly remembered to find them. You reluctantly pull yours out of the pile, wishing you didn't have to put them and all the cares and worries you also had left behind for the day, back on again. I want to forget my shoes way more often.

Life in northern Queensland

I'm all settled in here in Cannonvale, a little town right next to Airlie Beach, and about 15 minutes from Proserpine, where my friend Matt teaches grade 3. My traveling to get here was pretty uneventful. I decided to spend my Sydney overnight between flights in the airport, to save money and ensure I didn't miss my early morning flight by getting too far away. While they close the airport at 11pm, there is a no-mans-land in between the terminal and the elevators that take you to the train station that they don't kick you out of. I had asked around about it, and was told to get there "early" to snag one of the comfy chairs. I settled in around 5:30 pm, did some reading and napping, and woke at midnight surprised to see that I was far from the only one taking advantage of this little slice of airport - there were 60 other cheap travelers like myself camping out on the chairs and floors, some with sleeping bags, one backpacker couple even washed their clothes in the sink and hung them to dry on their own clotheslines they had rigged up. I was next to a sleeping asian man with a facemask and earplugs, and across from a nice german guy who was on his way home after spending 10 weeks backpacking and rockclimbing the famous areas in Australia, on his own. He watched my stuff for me whenever I went around the corner to use the bathroom. What a guy. :-)

So now I'm in Cannonvale. My first weekend we went out with Matt's friends and girlfriend to Airlie Beach to explore the nightlife, and had a fantastic night. I spent one evening with one of his teacher friends, Bess, who invited me to a girls movie night with wine and cheese. I really like her a lot, hoping we can hang out again next weekend. This week I'm on my own a lot, at Matt teaches during the day. This is the last week of the term, then he'll have his easter holidays. I've been doing some exploring of the towns and neighboring towns, relaxing and reading at the Airlie Beach Lagoon (basically a free pool on the beach, there is too much danger from jellyfish stings to swim in the water), and relaxing at home - the apartment in Cannonvale, where I have my own room and bed!! You start to appreciate these things more when you don't have them for a while, ha ha)

There are so many amazing things to do here if you have the money....I'm still debating if I'll take one of the days tours out to the reef or one of the islands....is it worth spending another 150 bucks?? Or should I find cheaper or free things to do?? Hmm....maybe I'll do just one tour. After all, my room and board are basically free, so why not? We'll see. I am enjoying the freedom and relaxation a lot even just staying here on the mainland. I've got one more week here - I'll check in again at the end or once I'm back in Sydney!!

leaving NZ

Today is my last morning in New Zealand! I can't believe how fast it went by!!

The rest of the road trip was so neat - I got to see a whole lot of countryside and coastline. We drove all the way around the outer edge of the east cape, and even made trek out to the easternmost lighthouse in the world! After that we camped out one more time and got to have a fire on the beach, and I had a quick crash course in surfing before it got dark. I did actually manage to stand up and ride a wave in a straight line for about 4 seconds. Hooray! I surfed! technically, anyway....

We stopped in Rotorua for a couple of hours, just long enough to do the Luge there. It was a little rainy, but we didn't mind. It meant we were almost the only people there, and we had a blast. Then we stayed in Te Awamutu for one day and two nights with Hayden's parents, and I got to meet some other relatives and friends as well. On our full day there we decided to do Blackwater Rafting at the Waitomo caves. Basically you are in a wetsuit and boots, hiking into a cave with water rushing around your feet, and then you get to hop on an inner tube and float along for bits of it. It was really dark, we all had headlamps on our helmets, and we got to float right under some of the glow-worms.

On our way out of town we picked up a hitch-hiker, someone Hayden actually knew from growing up in Te Awamutu. The three of us had a merry road trip down the coast, took the long way around to take in a bit more scenery, and stopped for dinner with Hayden's cousins in Wanganui before pulling into Wellington late last night about 11:30pm. I can't believe these two weeks in NZ have passed so quickly, I could have easily stayed longer!! But today I am off to the airport and moving on to the next part of my travels, up to Airlie beach in northern Queensland, Australia to visit my friend Matt. On to the next adventure!!! Goodbye, New Zealand....I will miss you. You really are quite possibly the most beautiful and friendly place on earth.

Road trip begins!

We left Wellington Thursday afternoon and headed north up the east coast of the North island. Our car's ipod jack and cd player are broken, which is kinda lame, but we can still listen to the radio, and ocassionally, talk to each other. :-) We did some supply shopping in random little grocery stores in small villages along the way, and also stopped a few times to get some fresh fruit from farmer's fruit stands. I have eaten my first feijoa - a fairly common green fruit in New Zealand with a really distinct smell and taste. We decided to stop for the night at a beach called Te Awanga, and we camped out on a patch of grass right next to the beach. in the morning we woke to discover we had found the main surfing spot on the beach, much to Hayden's delight as he's a keen surfer. He got up early to surf and I read my book on the beach in some morning sun. After a quick breakfast of "porridge" (oatmeal) with some fresh feijoa in it, we continued up the coast, stopping for photos a few times at some great overlooks on the coast. We arrived into Gisborne just about twilight, where we get to stay with his friend Kate.

This morning we got up early to go with Kate to a Saturday morning farmer's market in town, where she runs a little mobile coffee shop that is enclosed in a little trailer her dad designed. After some free coffee, I wandered around the stalls in search of breakfast. I found pikelets - basically silver-dollar pancakes, fresh made that morning, in a pack of 12, for $1.50 NZ, and got a jar of fresh homemade raspberry preserves for NZ $2. They made a great combo, which I shared with Hayden and a random lady I had met. That, along with a pear someone gave me, was my wonderful breakfast. This afternoon we have another adventure - Kate has a pilot's license, and is taking us flying in a little Cessna! Woohoo!! We'll probably stay here a second night....sleeping in a bed is pretty nice. :-)

The Weekend in Welly

Last weekend in Wellington was all about the music. I got to hear one of Hayden's drummer friends play with a metal band down by Cuba Street, in a club appropriately named Medusa. I also got to hear a jazz quartet (Drums, upright bass and 2 horns) play at a really cool and funky little club called Happy. The group was called the Troubles, which I enjoyed. :-) At Hayden's Uni this month they have a guest artist - sax player Dick Oatts is working with the jazz musicians there. Yesterday I sat to observe a workshop he did with the Uni big band, in which Hayden plays lead alto. Tonight I'll get to see the feature concert that he's doing with the Wellington Jazz Orchestra, which Hayden plays in as well. I'm really looking forward to the concert. So far all the music I've been hearing has been really inspiring for me, and I feel pretty lucky to be here.

2 days and counting until our road trip begins! This afternoon before the concert we'll do some shopping to prepare for it. We'll get some basic food supplies and an ice chest...I mean, a chilli bin, as they call it here.

Its been really fun living in this house with these great people. They love to cook interesting things, usually from scratch, and the meals are always so healthy and satisfying. Last night we tried out two new recipes from an Indian cookbook - a mango and potato curry, and a vegetable curry that we cooked in the hollowed-out center of a really big zucchini, or marrow. Both were awesome, and cleared out your sinuses as a bonus. :-) I cooked peach dumplings for the house this morning, as a way to contribute and also share a little bit of my home with them. The dumplings were a hit! :-) I've also bonded with a few of the girls here through some cookie baking, the best way to make friends. :-)

And now....I'd better wash some dishes.

Saying Goodbye

My last cruise on board the Rhapsody of the Seas really flew by. I got do do a neat tour in Hobart, Tasmania that took us out to the countryside, a zoo, and an amazing waterfall out in a nature preserve. I didn't get up to too much in New Zealand this time since I knew I'd be back there in a few days, and I was frantically trying to finish up my Cirque audition (which I did). But I did got off to walk around in Akaroa on the south island, and have lunch with Tim and Tracy. Its a beautiful little town, with a big French influence.

On one of my last nights on board, Tim and Tracy surprised me with a little party. They had bought all sorts of wine, cheese, and crackers and smuggled them aboard for me. They even bought me a little jar of Nutella, which they know I love and had run out of. They gave me a necklace as a going away present, and Tracy had made an amazing little scrapbook that she had all of my friends write something in and sign for me. I must admit, there were tears when she gave that to me. I don't think I have ever felt so loved on a contract, and I will miss all of my friends dearly. But I know its a small world, and we can meet again someday.

And so it was that after a week of total sleep deprivation, a few final hours of work, organizing my things and giving away as much of it as possible to be able to pack it all in my suitcases, many hugs and farewells, a few tears, and those last essential good conversations, I walked off the gangway for the final time in 9 and a half months. I still don't quite believe that I don't have to go back to the ship anymore, it is so routine now. I met with the Peterson's in Sydney, and went with them to drop off most of my luggage at their house in a suburb south of Sydney. I came back downtown and met up with Tim and Tracy for one final afternoon together. We had lunch and ice cream on the harbor, one final time as the little family we have become. Then I sent them back to the ship, waved them goodbye, and headed to Circular Quay to catch my train to the airport.

I landed in Wellington, New Zealand around midnight, and headed to my new home away from home for the next week or so, here on Wallace Street, Mt. Cook, Wellington, New Zealand. I get to camp out in a great old house built in the 30's with a bunch of cool and crazy musicians, and so far it has been fantastic. Yesterday we climbed to the top of Mount Victoria for a view of the city, then went to the grocery store and got all the ingredients for an awesome picnic lunch, which we had on the grass down by the harbor next to the Te Papa museum. At night we went to a Korean Barbecue place with a big group of Hayden's friends, and then did karaoke in our own little room upstairs and had a blast. I'm already meeting a lot of great and interesting people, and can't wait to see what the rest of the week has to offer. Me and Hayden will start our road trip later next week, and that will really be the highlight. So for now, here I am, going with the flow and enjoying getting to know this city a bit better.

Adelaide and Melbourne

Adelaide turned out to be just as amazing as I was hoping. Tracy's mom Marion picked us up at the ship bright and early, before 7am, and whisked us away to north Adelaide for breakfst in a nice restaurant there. Then we headed to Tracy's house, which is absolutely beautiful, with a big backyard complete with a nice pool. After giving us the house tour, Tracy was itching to drive her neglected car, so she took us on a hair-raising speed drive around the hills near her house. It was really fun, and neat to see some of the countryside and views of the city from the hilltops. Next we went back to Tracy's and settled in there for the afternoon. He parents provided an amazing barbecue and we got to meet 6 or 7 of Tracy's friends. We ate and ate and drank and drank and ate some more......it was wonderful. Marion and John are amazing cooks and incredible hosts. We even had kangaroo fresh from the barbie. :-) We reluctantly headed back to the ship that afternoon. Both Tim and I agree that the whole experience kindof felt as if we were at our own homes, enjoying "real life." It was a fantastic day.

I had a great day in Melbourne with my friend Alex who works in the casino. We went to the top of Eureka Skydeck - the highest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere! We took some great photos of the city, ate ice cream while taking in the view, and even payed extra for "the Edge experience" which takes you on see-through glass out over the side of the building. After that I revisited a coffee shop Nick had taken us to last time we were here. After wandering the city a bit we found a river-side carnival or fair, with rides and games. We did one of the scary rides (fun!!), lost a carnival game (as you do), and ate hot dogs and slushies. It was a really fantastic day of unexpected fun.

I'm coming down to the end of time time here, and am trying to squeeze everything in - getting off in port, packing, spending time with friends, and occasionally sleeping. I've also decided to put together an audition for Cirque de Soleil back home, so that is keeping me busy and a bit stressed also. With God's help I will keep everything balanced and get everything done before I leave!!

Western Australia

A few days ago I started my final cruise here on the Rhapsody. We docked in Fremantle, a city suburb near Perth, the capital of Western Australia. Tracy and Tim and I were off the ship nice and early to make the most of our one day there. We had an amazing breakfast, explored the local Sunday markets, and did a tour of Fremantle Prison - one of the most popular tourist things to do in Fremantle. The tour was pretty fun - the guide was a former prison officer who yelled at us a lot as though we were criminals, all in good fun though. After that we sat in a park near the sea to take in the atmosphere, then had lunch and did some grocery shopping before coming back on board.

The next day found us in Bunbury, and as my friends were busy I went off in port on my own, and had a really nice days. I walked for hours - visited a famous mangrove forest, climbed to the top of a lookout tower, walked along the beach and saw the cool basalt formations, watched some boogie boarders riding some crazy waves (the rocks cause waves to move and crash out to sea as well and them collide with the incoming ones, letting the brave boarders do all kinds of crazy flips and get thrown up in the air). Then I just grabbed a quick typically Aussie meat pie from a cafe, walked through the markets, did some wine tasting and picked one to bring back with me. It was actually a really nice change to be on my own in port.

The next day we were in Albany, and because of rehearsal all Tim and I really did was explore some bookstores and have a sandwich at a cafe on the main street. Now, after those two ports, we finally have a couple of sea days to relax and get settled for the cruise.

Tomorrow we are in Adelaide, Tracy's hometown!!!! Her mom (who we know well, she came to cruise) is picking us up first thing in the morning and has the whole day planned for us. I cannot wait to see what's in store for us, and to see Tracy's house and mee ther other friends. Tracy and I had to bribe the production manager here with TimTams (a very yummy chocolatey cookie) to get him to move the rehearsal for that night's show to the night before, so we would have the day free. Bribes with chocolate may be slightly unethical....but it worked!! Adelaide, here we come!!

First Half Circumnav

Hello Everyone! Sorry for not updating. We just finished the first half of our circumnavigation of Australia. It has been a pretty amazing journey, though internet has been unavailable for days at a time (a partial excuse for me not posting sooner!!!) , and even the phones were down for a few days on our way to Bali.

Since the cruise was so long (17 days!!) we have had a LOT of guest entertainers to fill up the evenings for the guests, and quite a few long nights with additional big band sets after a full night of shows. We actually have been working pretty hard. Tonight is finally the easy farewell show, and tomorrow only one welcome show, and I feel a great sense of relief for the momentary pause before plunging into my last cruise.

I'll catch you up on some of the highlights of the ports this cruise. In Brisbane, Tim and I went out to the Southbank waterfront to enjoy the atmosphere. We took a ride on the Wheel of Brisbane - basically a huge ferris wheel, and got lunch at a little kebab place we found on the river.

Cairns turned out to be really amazing. Tim, Tracy and I went quadbiking on All Terrain Vehicles, out in the rainforest. We each had our own ATV and all followed our guide, and he took us on a crazy journey up and down hills through the forest, through mud and across rivers, and even along a shallow river in the water. We got totally covered in mud, and it was so awesome!! We were all sore the next day from hanging on over all the bumps, and we had blisters from gripping the handles and the brakes. We had such a great time and felt so alive. I was grinning the whole time, which actually worked against me cause I kept getting dust in my mouth, ha ha. Afterwards we rewarded ourselves with some Aussie-style burgers complete with beetroot and a fried egg.

In Darwin, in the very far northern tip of Australia, we only had a few hours ashore, which we spent drinking coffee and visiting a Crocodile park. We got to hold a baby crocodile!!

After two sea days we arrived in Bali, Indonesia!! Tim and I signed up for one of the guest tours, which turned out to be a really great decision. We visited an ancient temple and saw a cave full of thousands of bats, visited a palace, and saw a traditional performance of the Barong - something every village in Bali does a version of. It was accompanied by awesome traditional instruments. The tour really exceeded our expectations. Even just looking out the window as we drove through the island was really interesting, because Bali is such a unique place.

After Bali we returned to the coast of Australia to make the journey down the western coast. We visited Broome and Exmouth, two very small towns that basically serve as jumping off points for travelers and tourists, and bases of operation for people who live further afield in the outback. In Broome we saw a lot of little planes taking off and landing, as bush-living Aussies came into town to pick up their groceries and check their mail. Both of those ports really made me feel like we were in the outback, dry and deserted, as I imagined it to be.