Paris Engagement!

Nick surprised me last week by whisking me away to Paris on the Eurostar train, which goes underneath the English Channel.  I knew he was planning to take me somewhere, but I didn't know it was Paris! We saw all the sights, including the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, climbed up the belltower of Notre Dame, visited Sacre Couer, walked the Champs De'Elysee, ate great food, and enjoyed the ambience of Paris.

Then came the Eiffel Tower.   I had never been up to the top, so this was definitely number one on my list of things to do.  Unbeknownst to me, this was where Nick was planning to propose to me! In fact, it was the main purpose of the whole trip.  I can honestly say I had absolutely no idea.  So there I was, flitting about the top of the tower taking photos of Paris from every angle, as he got more and more agitated trying to get me to stand still for a moment so he could ask me.  Finally he came beside me and we looked out across Paris.  It was absolutely freezing at the top, and so windy! He cuddled up close to me, and I suggested we head back down out of the wind.  He said, "Well, before we do that.....Andrea Smith, will you marry me?" and opened up that telltale little box, with a beautiful ring inside.  I was completely speechless.....for several seconds that were probably the longest of his life.....and then said "Yes!" I was stunned for several minutes afterwards, and couldn't stop laughing and smiling and hugging him.....then the happy tears started and continued for a while.  So now we are officially engaged, as of December 4th, 2012!!

Christmastime in England!

One week ago Nick and I said our goodbyes and signed off the Queen Elizabeth.  Signing off does actually entail a literal signing of one's name on the ship's Articles (rules, codes of conduct, contracts etc).  We got off the ship around 11am in Civitavecchia, Italy, en route to Rome's airport.  It was a very rainy, windy day, and just getting to the coaches with our luggage proved an ordeal.  Our flight was delayed 2 hours leaving the airport, which was no surprise to the flight attendants on our British Airways plane.  Apparently Rome has a reputation for never getting flights through on time, and the bad weather compounded the issues.  To help keep us entertained, they opened up the cockpit for visitors.  We eventually joined the queue, and when we got there one of the pilots had to step out.  The other decided to invite us to actually sit in the pilot seats!! He even offered to take a photo for us and answered all our questions.  It turns out our plane was over 25 years old, and still had analogue displays.  Very interesting to look at.

Nick's "mum" Lynn met us at the airport with warm coffees in hand for us.  It felt so nice to be "home"! I've been settled into Nick's room, while he's been booted out to his tiny old room, now a study. Since arriving we've been on a bit of a whirlwind of sightseeing. On Friday, we went to the Christmas market in Winchester, where I tried my first mulled wine - sort of like what we know as hot apple cider, but with hot red wine and spices.  It isn't very strong, just really warms you up and feels festive.  I've also discovered mince pies, which are absolutely everywhere.  Starbucks even gave them out for free with every festive drink purchase in one location.  They are tiny little pies filled with sweet raisin mince.  Saturday we headed down to Portsmouth, where we visited the HMS Victory - the ship captained by Lord Nelson when the Battle of Trafalgar was won: a real turning point in English history.    We toured the ship, but were also really lucky to be there when a Dickens Victorian Festival of Christmas was one - characters from Charles Dickens books were dressed up and wandering around engaging the guests, they had set up sets from that era and even had a street covered in snow.  Nick was even accosted by some "loose women" which was hilarious. For Sunday, we got to attend church with Jason and Jen, Nick's sister.  It was a really neat experience, they have a fantastic church.  The day we went, about a dozen babies were dedicated!! So many young families there give the church a lot of life.  After the service, we went for a very traditional afternoon tea in Lyndhurst with Lynn.  Lyndhurst is a really beautiful little town in the new forest.  They are known for putting little Christmas trees in what seemed to me to be flagpole holders.  But apparently they wait all year for just this use! I'm loving the feeling of Christmas in the air everywhere here!

The Best Laid Plans.....

This voyage is entitled "Holy Land Explorer", with the intended highlight being two days in Israel, for guests to tour Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Galilee.  A few days before we were due to arrive, violence ignited between Israel and the Gaza strip.  Thousands of rockets began to be fired across the border.  Personally, we were planning to take the train to visit Tel Aviv. Then we saw on the news that a missile had landed right outside of town.  We decided we definitely wouldn't venture there after all, but would either stay in the port of Haifa or head north to Acre or thereabouts.  Then a few hours later, when we saw that Jerusalem had been targeted, we knew the ship definitely wouldn't be going to Israel at all, long before the official decision was announced to the guests.  Our overnight in Haifa was replaced with calls to Rhodes, Greece, and Antalya, Turkey.  Antalya was a completely new port for me, and I was astounded to discover that it holds the ranking of 3rd most visited city by international visitors in the world, after Paris and London, and before New York! Incredible.  It is Turkey's premier sea resort.  We got off the ship as soon as possible, and took the 20 minute shuttle bus ride into town.  We stayed in the Kaleici area - the old center surrounded by old city castle walls, with narrow cobbled streets of historical Ottoman-style houses.  We visited the Yivli Minare, a fluted minaret which has become the city's symbol, Hadrian's Gate, the old clocktower, and the Yat Limani, the harbour dating from Roman times.  What a nice unexpected treat to see an interesting new place.

Onward from Turkey, we continued our voyage and began heading toward the port of Alexandria, where we were meant to dock on the 24th of November.  As we sailed towards it, lo and behold, the news erupts about the President of Egypt causing mass demonstrations and riots in Alexandria and Cairo by declaring sweeping extra powers for himself.  (You can tell we have nothing much to do on board but watch the news) Oh no, here we go....we thought.  And we were right.....about 6pm we felt the ship slow down to a crawl, and slowly turn around.  An hour later the official announcement was made: we are not calling into Alexandria.  Now the guests are VERY upset.  Not only have they missed the Holy Land, but now the pyramids as well.  Hundreds of people speculated and grumbled among themselves about what decisions the captain ought to have made, many pressuring him to go back to see Israel again since the violence had calmed slightly.  I do understand their intense disappointment missing the very ports that made them choose this particular voyage, but at the same time it's hard to believe their willingness to risk their own safety and that of others and the ship in order to see what they had signed up for.  I feel sympathy for the poor people manning the front desk during this crisis of cruising.  They are getting pummeled.

Once Alexandria was cancelled, the company had to once again shift itinerary, and find the best possible alternative to placate our irate guests.  We all sat in the crew mess speculating what would be done, which port would be chosen.  I had my money on Messina, Sicily on our way up to Italy, but was wrong - they've managed to secure a berth on the lovely island of Malta. And what's more, we'll be staying overnight! We are in Santorini today, one day earlier than planned, to facilitate this, and will arrive in Malta tomorrow at 6pm.  Miraculously, I will have the night off.  The guest entertainer decided to do a show that uses only piano (he has one for the whole band, but wants to try out a new one that he hasn't had orchestrated yet....great!!).  The jazz set we will be doing instead only requires 2 horns, and I was on jazz the last time, so its the other two horn's turn.  Nick is also free because he is in the midst of a handover - training his replacement to take over.  At this point Rob is running everything and Nick is only backup, support and advice.  He has even handed over the cursed phone, which I swear rings every 15 minutes with someone needing the stage manager's help.  So Nick and I are very much looking forward to a whole evening in port and dinner ashore.  Once again, any change of plans usually tends to benefit the crew.  Most of us were planning to stay on board in Egypt anyway, and couldn't be more pleased with the change in itinerary.  I do feel bad for the guests, but it does usually work out that their loss is the crew's gain.  The captain made a very cheeky thank-you announcement to those logical and calm guests who had written him personally to commend him on making the decisions he did, to keep everyone on board safe, despite enormous pressure from hundreds of protesting guests.  We could all read between the lines there regarding those guests who had tantrums.

We are really on the countdown now, 4 days to go! We are both so ready to sign off and get this Christmas holiday started!

Ephesus and Knossos (ruins, ruins, and more ruins)

Last week when the ship docked in Izmir, Turkey, we took the opportunity to go and visit ancient Ephesus.  I have been there before a couple of times, years ago with guest tours, but Nick has never been, and we felt it was important to make the trip out there.  It was impossible to take public trans, as the train wouldn't get us back to the ship in time, so we had to take a taxi (its about an hour away).  We got a group together and split the fare, so we each paid 25 euros for the round trip, plus the entry fee to the site.  It was a perfect day, not crowded, not hot, but sunny.  It was stunning to see it in that weather, undistracted by the crippling heat that I remember.  We made a quick photo stop at what is left of the Temple of Artemis nearby, so we could cross another one of the 7 Wonders of the ancient world off the list.  On the way back our taxi driver, who was blasting Lady Gaga, took us the long way round back to the port, and we got to enjoy the beautiful coastline.

A few days ago, we visited Heraklion, Crete, for the first time.  We figured out how to take the public bus to the Minoan ruins of Knossos.  Famously the mythological home of King Minas and his Minotaur and labyrinth, it is a really neat site to visit - there is a lot there.  It is interesting because bits of it have been extrapolated and reconstructed (likely erroneously) by Arthur Evans, the British archaeologist who bought the site around 1900 and excavated the ruins.  That in itself is an interesting thing to see.  Later on in town we visited the Archaeological Museum and got to see many of the objects recovered from the site.  It was ideal to be able to see Minoan artifacts, and the place they came from, in the same day.  The museum and the site each helped us get a better context for the other.  

Bosphorus Cymbal Factory

This week I had the fantastic opportunity to accompany our two drummers on an Istanbul field trip in - to the amazing Bosphorus cymbal factory.  Gianni, our drummer, and Gethin (Queen's Room drummer, from Wales) let me tag along as they made the pilgrimage on board the public tramway system (for about an hour and a half) to the factory on the outskirts of Istanbul.  Both drummers had been there a few weeks ago for the first time, but were returning again, this time with slightly different purchases in mind, and more money saved up to buy these amazing cymbals.  Bosphorus is run by 3 Turkish men who started their official company about 30 years ago, but use age-old secret techniques they learned as apprentices from masters before them to create the most perfect, unique, and amazing cymbals.  Turkey has always been known for this tradition, and modern techniques are still based on ancient ones developed here and passed down.

When we arrived at the tram station, a driver from the factory came to pick us up and drove us to the hidden building quite off the beaten track. I was given a personal tour of the factory by one of the owners, who very patiently and passionately explained exactly how the process works.  ALL of their cymbals are made by hand, and they produce about 300 a week.  Once a week is casting day, where they superheat the metal (copper and tin) and then pour it into individual ingots which will throughout the course of the week be changed into aural gold.  They only have 10 separate pans, and so the process is repeated throughout the day and the workshop fills with smoke and steam.  In the next room on a following day, the process of flattening out the metal begins - they heat each piece of metal in a oak-burning oven individually, then pass them through a rolling press, reheating and repeating the process 7 or 8 times.  Finally, after excess is removed, the cymbals are hand hammered - I saw the room where about half a dozen men literally just sit and hammer all day.  There is also the lathing process - where the cymbal is spun at high speeds and grooves like a record player are added to the underside.  I got to see all of this going on - it truly felt like I had stepped back in time, and was witnessing an ancient secret art of the masters.

After my tour came a couple hours of sitting and observing as Gianni and Gethin tested countless cymbals, looking for just the perfect sound they wanted.  Big, small, hammered, smooth, splash, ride, antique, on and on it went.  I listened hard and learned from their comments about the different qualities drummers look for when choosing a cymbal.  There are nuances I never noticed before.  My ears were ringing a bit by the end, admittedly, but it was well worth the journey.  At the end of the afternoon they were nice enough to drive us all the way back to our ship to make sure we weren't late.  We got chatting with another drummer from a P.&O. ship that was also in that day.  It was really fun for me - I felt lucky to have a chance to go and experience the mastery of turkish cymbals firsthand.  Way better than any organized ship tour of Istanbul!!

The Wonders of Technology!

Hi everyone! I found a very cool website that you can use to track my ship! Its a marine database called Sea Scanner.  It shows our ship's position on a Google map, which you can manipulate and zoom in and out of to get the bigger picture or more zoomed in detail.  It also has a feed of our ship's live bridge webcam right there, looking over the bow, so you can literally see what we are seeing anytime!  It also gives current info on where we've come from, how long we have been in port and the time remaining in that port, where we are heading next, and the current weather!  What a neat discovery! So check out the link - I'll post it here but it will also be permanently on the left hand side of my blog page under "Where's Andrea TODAY?" Just For Your Information if you should choose to use it!!

http://www.seascanner.com/schiffsposition.php?schiff=Queen+Elizabeth

Opening "Palladium Nights!"

Last night we finally opened our brand new show - Palladium Nights.  The idea of the show is based of the weekly British television show - "Sunday Nights at the Palladium", where major artists would perform live.  The artists portrayed in our show are Mickey Vaughn, Tom Jones, Dusty Springfield, Englebert Humperdinck, Lulu, Sandie Shaw, and Shirley Bassie.  We have been rehearsing the show for a couple of months, it was a relief to finally open it! It has been a lot of work.  Imagine the poor tech guys who had to build the entire set for each rehearsal packed into any time the theatre was free and available, and then tearing it back down a couple hours later to set up for the normal shows going on in there.  The cast tended to start rehearsals around 10 during the port days and rehearse while everyone else was happily enjoying their port time, and then come back at midnight after the evening shows had finished to rehearse late into the night.

Once the costumes were all fitted and the cast were doing runs of the show in them, I came up to watch the show from the audience perspective.  This is something I will never be able to do again, as now that the band is "in" we will always be onstage whenever the show is being run.  So I took advantage of the chance to sit back and watch the show, as it is meant to look.  And it looks great!  I love the costumes.  There is a fun little section where the dancers are dressed and dance like marionettes to circus-like music, which is refreshingly different than anything I've seen before, and really fun to watch.  I was really impressed, and I know the overall impact jumps up once the band was onstage, adding live sound to the canned track music.  We really don't ever stop playing for the whole show.  It is exhausting....it took all Franck our trumpet player and I had to make it through a rehearsal and two shows.  Our drummer Gianni was nursing cramped legs and arms after the second show.  But was a show! The house was packed at both showtimes.  Before and after we were congratulated by Andrew Miller, the head of Entertainment for Carnival Corporation, who was on board for the premier.  It went so well, everyone is very proud to have been a part of it.  Now things will settle back down again as those midnight rehearsals cease and the show moves from the forefront of everyone's minds to take its place in the rotation of shows to be performed once a voyage.  It has been a really exciting ride! Well done, everyone!

Venice!!

This time, our ship used Venice, Italy as our turnaround port, to end one voyage and begin another. We were in port for three days, the middle day being the official turnaround, when one set of guests got off the ship and the next embarked. In that way each set had one overnight. We were busy the first day with a training in the late morning and an early afternoon rehearsal for the evening shows, so didn't get off at all that day. We did stand out on deck that evening as the sun went down and looked forward to the next day - our full day off in Venice. We were quite lucky that there was no show in the theatre that following night, and Nick was able to find someone else to cover his daily duty of assigning the techies their jobs on the schedule for the following day. So we had the whole day away with no need to rush back! It was an exhilirating feeling, and we decided to pull out all the stops, as this day was also to be a celebration of our 1 year anniversary, from our very first date last October.

At Nick's suggestion we were up at 6am, off the ship and walking into Venice in the dark by 6:30. It was dark and freezing when we started out on the 45 minute trek to St. Mark's square from the ship, but it slowly warmed as the birds started to sing and the sky lightened. It was strange to walk through the streets of Venice at that deserted, quiet hour. Everything looks different - all the shops are closed, and the only smell is the marvelous one of bread baking as the cafe's and bakeries prepare for the day ahead. Except of course for the moments we passed by the fish markets in full swing - something we'd never seen operating as they sell their freshly caught fish to local restaurants for the day before anything has opened and the tourists start to arrive, and close down before the bustle begins. We stopped for a quick pre-dawn photo on the Rialto bridge, but managed to make it to St. Mark's just before the sun rose. We were two of a select group of early-rising amateur and professional photographers there, waiting for the sunrise over the lagoon and the quiet line of gondolas, still covered for the night, gently floating on the quayside. We stayed and watched the sun rise and change the colour of the doge's palace and the other buildings along the water. What a stunning start to the day. It was also strange to see St. Mark's square deserted and quiet...nary even a pigeon to be seen yet, let alone a tourist.

After the sunrise was finished, we wandered the inner canals a bit and found a tiny cafe with a very friendly lady owner, and had a bit of morning coffee and chocolate croissants for breakfast. We relaxed there until St. Mark's opened for visitors, and we were able to go inside. It was amazing....music school lessons about the place came flooding back...incredible to see it in person. It was quite a shock though, to see the state of the floors inside and realize just how much the foundations are shifting and sinking. The damage time is causing is really a shame. But the building is still stunning, especially the gold mosaics on all the ceilings. After St. Mark's we paid to go up to the top of the nearby belltower, for my first proper panoramic view of Venice itself. It took my breath away. And all this before 10am!! We walked and walked after that, exploring some other parts of the city I had never seen, and had a great Italian lunch in a local restaurant. (So local, in fact, that there were two gondoliers on their break sitting at a nearby table!!) We enjoyed a lazy afternoon in the city, and did a bit of research trying to find the perfect place for a great, romantic dinner. We finally found it, in the restaurant La Zucca, which serves gourmet vegetarian and alternative food. Only problem? It is such a popular place, you need a reservation to get a table for dinner, even on a Wednesday night such as this one. We stopped by in the afternoon and were able by purest luck to find an employee entering the still-closed restaurant and she was nice enough to give us that reservation with one hour to spare - at their last available table!! So with an hour to spend before dinner, as the sun started to set, we decided it was time for our long-awaited gondola ride. To find an available gondola, we had to wander a ways away from our restaurant, which is on a quiet canal in the old Santa Croce area. We were a bit worried about being able to get back there in time, so we haggled a bit with a gondolier to get the perfect arrangement. We snuggled into our lovely gondola just as twilight was falling and the moon was shining. At our request, we were taken along the Grand Canal only for a moment, before retreating to the quiet, romantic small canals in the inner city. It was like a fairytale, with the moon overhead, Venice all around us, and the sky still a darkening blue. It didn't feel real. I can't imagine anything more romantic. And the time flew by...before we knew it our amazing gondolier had done us one better than dropping us off in the area of our restaurant - he had actually found it! A tiny canal drifts right by it, and we had door to door service! Straight from a romantic gondola ride to a romantic dinner at a table for two right next to a quiet canal. It couldn't have been more perfect. To top it all off the dinner was absolutely fabulous. They had the most incredible food there. Wow....it was two very full and happy people who wandered from there to a concert hall nearby, where we had tickets to watch the very appropriate Vivaldi's Four Seasons in a concert by musicians in period costume. What a way to finish the day! We did wander a bit after that back to St. Mark's square to experience the atmosphere at night, (where are small bands serenading those at restaurants around the square, and where we could look out across the lagoon at night) before calling it a night. We were absolutely exhausted, and convinced we had the most perfect day in Venice possible. For once, everything went right for us, all our dreams for the day came true, and it really was perfect. Happy anniversary to my wonderful man! Now we have one big problem: how are we ever going to top this???
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Birthday at sea

This week it was Nick's birthday, and we celebrated by eating our favorite food (Nutella Crepes) in Mytilini, Greece.  Or, at least, we attempted to eat it....we have discovered that Mytilini café's are too cheap to use real Nutella, they just use a generic bucket of "crepe chocolate." Now this may not seem like a big deal to you, but to fans of Nutella, it just isn't the same.  Nothing tastes quite like it! So, having experienced this last time we ported here, we made sure to ask specifically at our chosen café if they actually do use real Nutella.  We were assured they did.  But then, to our horror, as we drank our espressos and happened to glance over, out came the dreaded chocolate bucket.  Lesson learned: always make them show you the Nutella jar!!  Actually, chances are if they use it, they will already be displaying the jar where people can see it.  These are lessons painstakingly learned through experience.

All was not lost, however, as the crepe's still tasted good and chocolately, even if not real Nutella.  Nick opened gifts from me and from my family, and we enjoyed reading the notes they wrote to him.  We went for a swim in the sea at a nearby beach, and realized that despite nearly a year of dating this was a first for us - our first swim together.  A bit pathetic seeing as how we live on water.  But we sure had fun doing it.  The water was cold!! But refreshing.  It was a really nice birthday for Nick (yes, he said I was his best present).

We got to go out for a really nice romantic candlelight dinner since we had a midnight sail from Istanbul the next day. It always makes for a a nice change to be out and about at night.   Our restaurant was on the buzzing Taksim street, heaving with people late into the night.  As amazing and colorful as Turkey is, especially Istanbul, I do always feel a sense of relief when we are safely back on board.  It is still occasionally a place of conflict, and while there is a very liberal culture there, the Muslim foundation is just around every corner, the ultra conservative underlying the modern.  While in Taksim Square you will see men and women together, women on their own wearing modern clothing laughing and being social, a few streets over you will find men-only coffee shops and no women to be seen, or only behind their men completely covered in traditional clothing.  I feel that modern, western culture is only tolerated as a means of tourism by most Turks, especially the older generation.  I know the ship wouldn't unload 2,000 western guests here every week if it weren't safe for them to wander around, but I still tread lightly whilst here and never go alone.  It doesn't hurt to be careful.

Today we are in Santorini, Greece.  Its such a lovely place, and we have established our favorite stomping grounds here that feel a bit like home now.  We have managed to find a coffee shop that is not only excellent, but also has excellent wifi, snacks, a bathroom, friendly staff, AND most importantly is hidden away where no other crew have found it.  This is not because we don't like our fellow crew - this is because it greatly improves the speed of the internet connection when there aren't half a dozen others using it, especially if they are skyping, as per usual.  And to be honest it is nice to feel more away from it all by being on our own here.  When we finish we will make a stop for another of our favorite foods - a falafel pita gyro.  This is incredibly hard to find, despite pita gyros being sold around every corner.  Usually we just get a veggie one, which has tomato, lettuce, onion, cilantro and french fries, believe it or not.  The Gyro is a very traditional Greek street vendor food.  Its a rare treat to find a place that has falafel (fried chickpea balls about the size of meatballs) as an alternative to chicken or pork.  And today is our lucky day! I can't tell you how excited we get over falafel.  Much of our port time is driven by eating our favorite local foods.  And today is a good day!

New Boss....and more rehearsals!

Today my band leader Tim signed off and officially handed over leadership of the band, and the musical directorship of the entire ship, to our pianist, Dusty.  Tim has worked for Cunard for 12 years, and become the premier musical director, starting up the program on the Queen Elizabeth and working on all the ships as well.  We gave him a farewell party, and on the final night he got a chance to do a 20 minute portion of the farewell show for the guests as a solo act, with some music he had been working on.  It is strange to think he won't be here anymore as he has been my only boss here on the QE since I first began last year.  He told me he's been glad to have me here, I do a great job, and whether I realized it or not, have helped with the general feeling on stage and easing the tensions male egos can create.  He moves on today to a new life, we all wish him the best of luck as he starts a new life and hopefully starts a family with his lovely wife Jenny.

As for the rest of us who remain, things will continue to be interesting as we prepare to open up the new show, Palladium Nights, next month.  The composer/arranger from Belinda King, the company which creates the shows, was on board for a few days, and we worked with him during the mornings to make sure everything was working and get his advice on how to interpret certain things.  We had to rehearse up the in Yacht Club (our night club), as the theatre itself stays very busy, especially as it stayed covered in piles of new set pieces brought on in Venice for several days.  Duncan is a very laid-back person, and rehearsals with him were easy.  We did two days band only, and added the singers (after they had individual rehearsals with him) on the third session.  The music is very full-scored, meaning we play constantly, and it sounds great.  I'm looking forward to seeing what the dancers add to it.

Rehearsals have lightened up for us now, as our side of it is solid.  Nick is busy running the stage for the dancer's rehearsals, which take place during port days and all hours of the night, unfortunately.  They are being taught the choreography by a person from Belinda King who is still on board.  They have about half of it done, with a lot more work left to do.  In between rehearsals they have endless costume fittings by the wardrobe people.  Unfortunately this means they get stuck on board ship a lot and miss out on the ports (as does Nick occasionally).  But its all part of the job, and everyone is excited about the thrill of creating a brand new show.

This voyage we had the added excitement of going up into the Black Sea, something I got to do 5 years ago once on my first contract.  We visited Odessa and Yalta in the Ukraine, and Nessebar in Bulgaria, a totally new country for me.  In Odessa I had the privilege of going on a "home visit" tour, pretty last minute.  I had found out Nick was working, and all the other tours already had escorts.  So I went on this tour - me and only 7 guests, and we were driven by a sweet lady Katya to her home in the suburbs, in a shabby apartment building leftover from soviet times.  We met her family: sisters, father, and daughters, and spent the afternoon with them finding out about how life really is in the Ukraine, whilst enjoying a beautiful table of food prepared for us by them.  It was really an honor to be hosted by them, and to really experience local culture to a deep level.  I really enjoyed it, what a treat.  They answered all our questions and were very open with us about real issues.  I felt really enriched by the experience.  

Greek Islands

So we indeed missed Alexandria last week, and had a sea day instead.  Many of my friends were disappointed that they missed their chance to see the pyramids, but everyone is resigned to the fact that it is much better to stay away in light of all the political unrest and anti-American (even general anti-Western) sentiment.  So we stayed at sea....and added a stop in the lovely island of Rhodes, Greece.   It was especially fun this time having just watched an episode of Poirot which takes place there.  For anyone who may not know, Poirot is the Belgian detective created by novelist Agatha Christie (Murder on the Orient Express).  She wrote over 60 stories about this character, and a British company ITV set out producing tv versions of every story.  It was a major project lasting decades, but now the actor David Suchet has successfully portrayed Poirot in every story ever written about him.  Nick has the box set, and we've been slowly working our way through the episodes, which has become a near-daily ritual.

We've been stopping at a number of other lovely Greek islands as well, reminding me often of my first contract, which was spent in these ports.  It has been fun taking Nick to my favorite places, and also discovering new ones together.  Mykonos remains my favorite Greek island, I think.  Beautiful buildings and narrow picturesque streets, crystal mediterranean waters, and nutella crepes and free wifi around every corner.....what more could you want???  Today we are in Katakolon, the port of call for the guests to visit the ruins of Olympia.  I have already been, so today we stayed in the small port of waterfront cafe's and shops.  However, we first found a path that wandered up and over the surrounding hill, through some olive groves and a small pine forest.  The smell reminds me of home.  We stumbled upon a gorgeous small hotel with a fantastic view of the harbour, and happened to meet the owner, who not only owns that hotel and a restaurant in town, but also is the official pilot for ships coming into port here, for over 20 years.  It was neat to meet and chat with him.  It's amazing the things you stumble upon when you wander off the beaten track.  We eventually made our way back into town for a lunch on the waterfront of traditional Greek delights - stuffed vine leaves, bell peppers and tomatoes, Greek coffee and baclava.  Yum.

In a few days time we will be arriving in Venice, where the process will begin of bringing on and installing a brand new show in the theatre.  All the set has been driven down to Venice by truck, all the way from England.  It will take a lot of work just to get it on board, involving opening extra shell doors in the side of the ship and the use of cranes.  Nick will be very very busy.  I have heard rumors that the composer and musical director of the show is coming on board, to work with us as he makes final changes and tweaks, and will be recording all of us as potential "sick tracks" in case a player is ever missing at a performance.  It should be very interesting to see how this all plays out! More on that later.  

Israel and the Med

We have had our first few weeks in the Mediterranean, and it has certainly been hot! It is hard to believe that the biggest summer heat has come and gone - I would hate to be walking around in July and August out here. We have had a wonderful time exploring on our own. We went to Lucca and Pompei in Italy, which were both lovely days. A few days ago we were scheduled to have a day in Mykonos, but due to weather we had to cancel it. Instead we continued straight on to Kusadasi, Turkey, arriving there the night before we were due. It is always lovely for us to have an overnight - nearly the whole crew stayed out much of the night and were too tired to go out the next day. After our show finished around 11:30, Nick and I wandered out, found a late - night Starbucks still open, then continued on to try some Turkish coffee, beer, and some other specialties of the area. It was a wonderful evening out.

The last two days have been the absolute highlight of the voyage so far - Israel!! On the first day I took a short tour to see the highlights of the port city of Haifa and also the crusader town of Acre or Akko. I had never heard of it before, and was really impressed with everything there is to do there. Back in town for the afternoon, Nick and I walked around and managed to find fresh falafel stands for our lunch, then a baklava bakery which had countless types of the stuff. We bought a boxful to bring back with us - it was amazing! Since we had the night off in the theatre, we managed to get approved to eat in the dining room for dinner, which was really nice. Then we were up bright an early the next morning for our big tour - Nazareth and Galilee!!! It was absolutely incredible. I found myself overwhelmed with emotion from our first stop - the church of Annunciation in Nazareth, Mary's home where she was visited by Gabriel and told she would bear a son. I found myself overwhelmed that this was the actuall place the event occured - it brought tears to my eyes. We visited Joseph's home, drove up all the way around the Sea of Galilee, and made a stop at the Jordan River. It was there we discovered that not only did we have an hour break there, but this was the site of Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist, and there was a baptismal facility available for use (robes, showers, changing rooms etc). It seemed absolutely meant to be - Nick has been waiting to be baptised and hasn't had a chance yet. We were with one other Christian lady from our ship, and the three of us decided we felt called to do it, and we would simply baptise each other. So we did....and Nick got to be baptised for the first time in the Jordan River. We were all overcome with emotion, and prayed together before and after. It was an absolutely incredible experience, something we will always treasure. Afterwards we continued on to visit Capernaum and the Temple on the Mount, as well as the site where the feeding of the 5,000 took place. What a day....more than I could have imagined we'd see on our crew tour.

Today we are in Cyprus, and we had a fairly low-key day of just a couple hours wandering in town. There is a medieval castle near the old port.

Tomorrow we are meant to be in Egypt for the guests to make the trip to Cairo and the Pyramids. In light of what's been on the news lately (anti-american sentiment and demonstrations) I will be very surprised if we continue there as planned. If we do I'm not getting off the ship anyway, so don't worry, Mom. But I will be interested to see if we have a sea day or go somewhere else instead. Exciting times...I promise to post again soon! Sorry about taking so long!
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Leaving Southampton

Our last Southampton was a really big day for the ship, for everyone involved.  We had a major turnover of crew - over a hundred signed off and were replaced by new crew.  The stage staff were busy all morning unloading set pieces and props for shows that have been cancelled, to be stored in the huge warehouse of old and recycled sets in Carnival House near the port.  We got a new string quartet and solo pianist among our musician family on board, all ladies I know from my first contract here, one who was my roommate for several months.  We said our final goodbye's to the actors, except for the one who managed to get himself back up the gangway as entertainment staff when someone didn't show up, despite all our efforts to get him off the ship.  We did our final shopping in our favorite stores, in preparation for 3 months in Greece, Italy, and Turkey where certain things will be harder to find.  Later in the afternoon when Nick was able to get ashore, we met up for a final lunch with his "mum" Lynne, and his niece Hope.  Nick took advantage of his last chance to offload some things at home.  Lynne gave me a great birthday present - tickets to see Starlight Express in December when I'm visiting them.  I can't wait - its a show I've never seen.

Today we're in Gibraltar after two days at sea, which means we've completed our final crossing of the dreaded Bay of Biscay, known for rough seas.  Things should be fairly calm here in the Med now, much to the relief of my roommate who invariably succumbs to seasickness on rough days.  I don't ever get sick, but I do feel really tired and sluggish on those days, so I won't miss them either.  I have moved back into my old cabin from last year, with my old roommate Kat, a stage tech from Southampton, an old friend of Nick's.  Its nice to be back in the normal section where all the musos (pronounced mew - zo's, ship and international slang for musicians), cast, and techies are.  Now I feel like I'm part of the normal community I'm used to again.  I'm back on the top bunk again, but Kat was here first this time, and fair's fair.  I had it my entire last contract, so I can't complain.  And I'm finding I don't mind at all.  I like having Kat for a roommate, and that makes it a great place to be.

Last night we weren't required in the show, so it was my turn, along with our tenor player Bryan, to be on jazz sets with the rhythm section.  We played two sets in the Garden Lounge up on the top of the ship, a beautiful indoor garden style room with a glass roof.  During the second set an older gentleman brought his trumpet up and asked if he could play a tune with us.  I allowed it, despite it being a bit of an awkward situation since we didn't know how well he played.  I had in mind for him to play one solo on one of our tunes, since the set is all improvised anyway.  But once I let him up there, he sort of took over, and had even brought a chart for us to play.  He even sang the verse on the microphone and then kept yelling things like "Come on, you lot!" to get us to improvise along with him on this song we'd never heard before.  It was interesting, to say the least.  Its a difficult situation when you want to accommodate a guest without compromising the integrity of the set.  Later Tim (my boss, who wasn't present) told me in the future I can say something about it being company policy not to allow guests to perform.  Stories of the incident had got back to him, likely as a result of the gentleman managing to insult half the band with his opinionated comments and domineering attitude on stage.  I believe he told Vlad he played his guitar like a balalaika, with which somewhat racist comment Vlad was understandably unimpressed.  I know this guy is going to show up at Tim's jazz set later in the voyage, and I hope he will be able to let him down gently after me having set the precedent of allowing him to play.   From the experience I'm taking the lesson that its better not to allow a guest to join in, unless you already know them, their attitude, and their abilities.  It's a bit unfortunate that it has to be that way, as I like to make people happy and give them a chance, but after that experience I wont be tempted to a repeat anytime soon.  

The hot summer begins!

We just finished our first trip to the Mediterranean, and it has been really really hot! This much sun is definitely a big change from Norway and the British Isles.  We had several nice days in Barcelona (where I got to catch up with my RCCL Rhapsody friends Tim and Mandy), Cannes (where I found a place that did an amazing mango soy milkshake, Florence (where I celebrated my birthday), Civitavecchia (where I visited my favorite outdoor market and enjoyed some great Italian pasta and espresso), Alicante (a Spanish port, first time for me, where we saw an old Spanish Galleon docked), and Gibraltar (where I caught up on internet).   Today we are in the lovely Lisbon, and Nick and I went up the old elevator Santa Justa, built in 1902.  At the top there is an amazing view of the city! We also managed to find a great vegetarian restaurant for lunch with an amazing buffet.  Yum!! I love trying new things.

Tomorrow is our last time to have our turnaround in Southampton.  After tomorrow the ship won't return until December, after I've signed off.  I will be sad to leave it behind, I really like it as a home port.  So from now on we will be based solely in the Med, out of Piraeus (Athens), Greece and Venice, Italy.  I am looking forward to revisiting some of the beautiful Greek islands, as well as the Holy Land. And I can't wait for the upcoming overnights in Venice!!!  

Norway

We just got back from a one-week voyage around Norway.  I apologize for not posting sooner, my blackberry somehow got tangled up in the the scanners in Southampton terminal without me realizing, so I've been without it all week.  I get it back today, very excited about it as I'm going through withdrawals.

Norway was really great - we were lucky enough to get some good weather, which can easily make or break it.  In Bergen I took Nick to a couple of things that I had previously done last year - a great restaurant called Pygmalion and a hike up to the Floin lookout point that has a fantastic view of the city.  In Geiranger Nick had big plans - we rented a sea kayak and spent a couple of hours exploring the fjord on our own.  It was a fantastic day.  We followed that up with a big hike the next day in Skiolden, a 3 or 4 hour round trip to a lookout point over the fjord from a mountain farm called Rebnisli.  After two days of heavy activity in a row we were pretty exhausted, but very happy. It was really idyllic to be in the fjords and valleys and mountains in such fine weather, with wildflowers all around and a stunning view anywhere you looked.  Our last port of call was Stavanger, which has a neat wharf area full of interesting building and shops, with a bustling atmosphere.  We recently discovered that crew have free access to all museums in Stavanger, so we availed ourselves of that and had a look round the old fire watchtower in town.

After four port days in a row yesterday's sea day was extremely welcome.  We had a dixieland set in the afternoon in the pub, our second of the voyage.  A group of half a dozen Scottish ladies who were at our first set and I had met and chatted with came back again, and sat around the very front.  They were all so sweet and energetic.  One lady, Mary, was celebrating her 79th birthday, and her friends requested we play Happy Birthday for her.  We did, and then at the end of the set I snuck in a bit more of the tune during my big final solo.  She noticed and even teared up a bit.  She told me afterwards this has been the best birthday she could imagine, and she doesn't think her family will ever top it with the big get-together they are planning for her 80th.  She was so neat to meet and talk to, and gave me some encouragement with my playing.  Its days like that which make it all worth it.  

'Round Britain

I've had really busy couple of days trying to see as much as possible on this 'Round Britain cruise. I wish we did this one more than once a year, I really enjoy it. I got to visit Kirkwall, in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, for the first time. Nick and I managed to figure out how to take a public bus and then a short walk on our own in order to see the famous Standing Stones of Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar, prehistoric monuments of unknown purpose that are incredibly still in place. Its a bit like Stonehenge, only different, haha. I was really glad we were able to navigate our way out there and back in the short amount of time we had. We were quite proud of ourselves for managing it. We also had a wander around town and looked inside the 12th century Cathedral there, as well as some ruins known as the Bishop's Palace.

In Glasgow, we got to meet some of Nick's relatives, who took us out to lunch at a nice pub-style restaurant overlooking the firth and Dunbarton Rock. It was nice to get to meet them.
Today we were in Liverpool, and the band had the night off. A few of us went to a pub to meet up with Albert, our trumpet player last contract, who lives nearby. It was good to see him and catch up a bit. After that Nick took me back to the Cavern Club to see inside, something I hadn't been able to do last time. I had been on a tour that only stopped for a photo outside. This club is a replica, just a few feet from the original, which was sadly demolished. But it uses the original bricks, which is neat. We spent a bit of time down there, there was some live music. It was a great day off! Not that we really needed one after only a week on board, but I'll take it where I can get it.
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Settling in

Today is my 4th day back on board, and we are in Invergordon, Scotland. We had a crew drill this morning, so I couldn't get out until nearly noon. It being too late to go very far afield, I decided to wander around the small port of Invergordon, population 4,000. I visited the Maritime Museum, did some essentials shopping at a local pharmacy, and wandered the antique and thrift shoppes. Its raining out, and I've stopped to have an espresso at a local cafe called the Crazy Horse. So far it is very relaxed for its name. I've decided to stay for a pot of tea as well, always welcome on a rainy day and when you're fighting a bit of a cold as I am.

Yesterday Nick and I had a really great day in Edinburgh. We decided to make the trip out to see the Royal Yacht Britannia, which is docked in exhibition there. It was the personal Yacht of Queen Elizabeth for decades, and she and the royal family and countless dignitaries traveled on her, all around the world. It was really interesting to walk the decks, from the bridge to the engine room, and all the royal rooms in between. The Queen's room itself is quite modest, really, but so elegant and immaculately maintained. I found it interesting that she and Prince Philip slept in narrow single beds in adjoining cabins. The royal dining hall is the biggest room on the ship, and it is incredible to think about who has dined and been entertained there. I found it interesting that many aspects of our ship are inspired by the Royal Yacht, such as our officer bar being called the wardroom, and even the color and design on the ship. After our tour we had tea and scones on the upper deck now known as the Royal Tea room. It was a really lovely day out.

We had our first normal show night last night, our first real test as a band to perform together under pressure in the theatre for a full guest entertainer show. We did well, and I felt very proud to be playing with this band. After the show Tim said, "we've finally graduated, we are no longer a college at sea!" Which basically means no one is needing to learn as they go, everyone is pulling their weight and no one needs to be babysat. Its a great feeling, and so rare to have everyone come together and have each member be strong and reliable. We did it! I think its going to be a great contact. Both our new members are great. Manuel, on bass, from Argentina, is solid, intuitive and can really groove. He's happy playing upright bass as well, which is a bonus. He's very friendly, about my age, and often speaks in American slang which confuses me. Where he picked it up I have no idea. Films maybe?? Frank, on trumpet, is Czech, from Prague. He seems to be great all around, I've really noticed how musical he is. I love executing phrasing, dynamics, and articulations with him already. Apparently he runs a Cuban band back in Prague. He's a bit older, maybe 50, very friendly and easygoing. I think he's going to be great as he continues to settle in. So those two are our new members. As a reminder, the others are:
Tim: English, 40's, musical director, alto sax and doubles.
Bryan: American, 31, tenor sax and doubles
Gianni: Italian, 45, drums
Vlad: Ukranian, late 30's, guitar
Dusty: American, late 30's, piano
And me!

Here's to a great contract with all of you fantastic musicians!
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Back to Work!

I spent the last few weeks at home working on my new house in Running Springs. There was and is a lot of work to be done, and I have been lucky to have so much help with it from family and friends. Everyone has really come behind me to help me get the things I need. When I look around the house I marvel at how many things were graciously given to me by friends and family and people I've met. Its now just about ready to move into, but now my time is up, and I'm broke, so its back to work. Another reason I'm broke is that I invested in lasik surgery while I was home, and can now see without my glasses! Its amazing, I'm so happy with it.

While I was home I was also lucky enough to have some good family time with my Grandpa Kopecky before he passed away, and then was able to attend his memorial services up there in Grass Valley. I'm so glad to have been able to say my goodbyes and have some time with him and our whole family together before he went to be with the Lord. He was honored by a military service which was very moving.

So now I am back on the Queen Elizabeth, for my third contract. I was able to come out a few days early and spend some time with Nick's family. They spoiled me and took me sightseeing all around their area. I got to see Winchester Cathedral, Swanage, Corfe Castle, and Longleat. We stayed very busy! Nick's little niece Hope likes me much more than she likes him, which is very entertaining. I joined the ship yesterday, and had a pretty easy night, due to the timing of a live stream of the Opening Ceremonies of the London Olympics, which they showed in the theatre for the guests. So we only had time for one early half-hour Welcome show. Finished by 8:20pm, what a great deal! I got to relax in bed and watch the Opening Ceremonies, which were spectacular!

Also because of the Olympics, they've set aside one of the lounges for constant viewing of the events, which means its one less venue that needs to have music in it, resulting in less work for us over the next couple of weeks. Today we only had a 12:30 Dixieland set in the Garden Lounge. One hour's work and done! Its nice to be eased back into heavy playing this way. So far my chops are doing okay. I prepared enough in the weeks prior to coming back. Tomorrow will be our first normal night, with a full rehearsal and two late shows. But for now, I'm kicking back and getting all moved in to my cabin. I'll write another update soon about the changes here and new band members.
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I know, I know!!

Yes, I'm sorry I stopped posting!! I really wore myself out on the World Voyage posting for every single port.  And then I lost use of my blackberry for a while, and then I had family traveling with me so I was just too busy.....I know, excuses, excuses.  Well now I've finished up my contract, and am safely at home.  I will fill you in on a couple of the highlights of the end of the contract.   We got to visit a few favorite places again, had our favorite chocolate waffles in Belgium, went out to a jazz club on our overnight in Amsterdam, walked the city walls of Dubrovnik in Croatia, and had some amazing sunny days in the Med with some beautiful meals shared along the way.  I enjoyed having Ellie back as my fellow trombonist for my last 6 weeks, big band nights are always a blast with her there, and together we tackled "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" relying on each other for moral support.  I had a new roommate, Kat, who is a childhood friend of Nick's, and a great friend and roommate.  My mom and I got to experience Sardinia, Gibraltar, Rome, Florence, and Barcelona together.  We even climbed the very top of the Duomo in Florence together for the most spectacular view.  We stood together and saw Michaelangelo's David, something we had done with 40 years separating our two individual experiences, now experiencing it together.  It was a very emotional moment.  The finale of the voyage was a regal Sail-in to Southampton Harbor, with all the other Queens of the Cunard fleet, to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in our own way.  All the guests and crew were out on deck waving British flags, and the three ships came into formation together for some amazing photos via a circling helicopter.  My mom and I almost felt British....it was a very exciting atmosphere.

After I finished my contract I stayed in England 5 days.  I spent 2 of those with Nick's family, who took me to see Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral for an incredible day out.  I loved getting to know them all better.  Then I took a coach up to spend 2 days with my old friend James and his girlfriend and family in Luton, just north of London.  I love getting chances to catch up with him since we grew up together.  My last day I spent in London on my own, but not without getting to see a few friends from past contracts, and taking in Les Mis on the West End.  I lucked out because a friend of mine was playing Jean Val Jean in the show, arranged my ticket, and even gave me a backstage tour afterwards, and took me out for drinks with some of the cast.  I had a little too much fun and was pretty tired dragging myself to the airport the next morning via the Piccadilly Line, with all my luggage.  But I made it! So now I am home, taking care of all that business that has to wait until you are home, and then some as I try to get myself a house.  I am here until the end of July, my next contract starts on the 27th of July, and yes, I will be returning to the Queen Elizabeth.  And you are officially updated!!!

Changes

As we've just finished the World Voyage, we now transition back into a normal voyage schedule. All new guests every week or two, familiar ports. Whereas during the Worldie we never repeated a guest entertainer once, now we're starting to repeat them. Various ones we had at different points on the Worldie we are starting to see again.

We also have a new cast on board, which is perhaps the biggest change. They arrived on the 27th of April, and rehearsed on board for 5 days while the last cast performed their last voyage. Rehearsing and getting costumes fitted all day long, then rehearsing again after we finish and clear out from the show at 11:30pm or midnight. They are certainly working hard. So two days ago in Southampton, Cast 2 of the Queen Elizabeth officially signed off and went their separate ways, after an incredible 11 months on board. They had chosen to extend to experience the World Voyage. I had one cruise with the dancers of Cast 1, the very first cast, before they left, but the Cast 2 singers had already taken over. They have been on board since my first contract began last year, and it is very strange and sad not to have them here anymore. I've only ever performed the shows with them in the roles. They will all be missed!

But with a new cast does come a new excitement. They are so fresh and excited, many have never been on a ship before. The singers and a couple dancers are from the UK, while the majority of the dancers are from the Ukraine, Russia, Belarus. I get to practice my Russian a little more. They have been rehearsing for months with recordings, and had huge grins when they first got to perform with a live band. They are so appreciative of us, and seem really friendly. They are excited and fresh! Its going to be a great contract for them, so a big welcome to QE cast 3!
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Southampton!! Around the World!!

I can't believe it, I've done it! Around the world by sea. I think this requires some stats-

-106 nights
-more than 37500 miles covered
-65 sea days
-37 ports
-23 countries
-sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge
-world's tallest building ascended, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai
-top of the Rockafellar Center
-Sydney Harbor Bridge climbed
-Luxor and the Valley of the Kings visited
- seen the Library of Alexandria
- added my 6th continent with South America
-transit of the Panama and the Suez Canals
-Hong Kong Disneyland
-One amazing World Voyage!
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Lisbon and last days

Lisbon, Portugal, was our last port of call on the World Voyage before Southampton. I've been here before, its a really neat city. We didn't really do much today, since we had a long crew boat drill in the morning. We wandered lazily to a restaurant not 10 minutes walk from the ship, where we had a good meal, a nice view of the harbor, and free wifi. Who could ask for more? Our restaurant was nearly right underneath the big April 25 bridge.

The last few days have had a lot of action. Firstly, our Bandmaster Tim had to leave the ship for a week or so to deal with some medical issues, so our pianist Dusty took over, and the schedules were altered quite a bit.

Secondly we had Sir David Frost on board. He is a British T.V. Presenter most famous for interviewing Nixon in 1977, and getting the first semblance of a confession and apology from him to the American people. He gave a couple of lectures, answered questions, and did a live intro to the great film on the topic, Frost/Nixon, that was released recently. I got his autograph. :-) The whole ship was abuzz about his being here. I found it really interesting to hear him speak, he has so many great and funny stories.

Thirdly we had some pretty rough weather coming into the Bay of Biscay, and the hydraulic lifts were damaged in the theatre pit from something falling over, and they are now totally on the fritz. This is going to cost money and cause blame to be cast around, which stresses Nick and the whole theatre crew out quite a bit, as well as requiring some creative reblocking for the shows. But everyone is handling it well.
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Civitavecchia (Rome) Italy

Well, we got very lucky in Civitavecchia with some great weather.  It was cold in the shade, but the sun was shining and the skies were blue.  Today we loved ourselves some Italian pizza, I shopped the local outdoor market and found a beautiful new wallet (much needed), and had coffee in three different places.  Nothing like espresso in Italy!!  

It always feels a bit nostalgic to me to come back here, as this was the place where I joined my very first ship, the Celebrity Galaxy, nearly 5 years ago.  Yes, that 5 is a little scary.  I still remember so clearly being driven down the pier in the little Mercedes and its cheaffeur that had picked me up from the airport.  I remember my first sight of the ship and how my jaw dropped at how big it was.  How my head was reeling at the thought that I was actually going to work there, and live there for 6 months, where I knew not a soul.  How I was completely terrified, and convinced they were going to hear me play two notes and send me packing, that I wouldn't be good enough to do the job.  How I had to do an improv solo that first night in the theatre, with a spotlight on me.  How I couldn't find the crew mess on my own so missed a lot of meals my first few days. How after a week I was moved rooms to meet my first wonderful roommate and great friend, the passionate French Canadian sax player Marie.  Yet that all seems like a very very long time ago.  

Today I am here, on a ship that didn't even exist yet when I first went to sea, working for a company that I was already fantasizing about someday being able to proudly say I worked for.  In a few days I will complete my first world voyage, an itinerary I never thought I'd be able to get ahold of.  Its all still a bit unbelievable. Coming back to Civi always feels like coming full circle.  And I know I'm not done yet.  Thanks, God, it has been amazing ride!!

Almost Not Piraeus, Greece

We very nearly skipped this port altogether.  There was a storm blowing itself out during the morning, and the wind was making it too dangerous to navigate into the very narrow harbor.  We sat outside the port until the authorities reopened it and allowed us to dock by about 12pm (we were meant to dock at 7am).  We musicians (and many other departments) had an alternate schedule standing by in case we weren't able to get in at all and it became a sea day.  We did finally get in, luckily, with the help of two tugboats keeping us from being shifted by the wind.  Said tugboats had to stay in position for the next 10 hours, just to keep us pushed up against the pier.  Our forward and aft thrusters were also working the entire time, just to keep us in place.  The tugboats and fuel expended just to make sure the guests got out to see the Acropolis and back cost us nearly $200,000 dollars extra today.  I hope they appreciate it!! In hindsight I'm not sure the captain would have made the same decision.  As it was we had two of our very heavy-duty mooring lines snap, which in itself is an extremely dangerous occurrence due to the huge amount of tension in the rope as it snaps.  Our gangways were shifting back and forth and up and down all day, and boarding had to be paused several times to ensure they were secure.  

All aboard was 6pm, but because of the high winds we couldn't attempt to leave the port at that time.  Everyone was on board, but we weren't going anywhere.  We got our window to leave around 10pm, and made the most of it.  Unfortunately, this was after we had already suffered through a full rehearsal and two shows in the theatre, which loudly shakes like a very bad washing machine whenever the thrusters are on.  Usually this is timed so it doesn't affect us, but in this unusual circumstance where it was ongoing, we just had to live through it.  It is very difficult to hear and concentrate and perform well in those conditions, but we managed somehow.  Nevertheless, we were extremely grateful during the day to be able to get off the ship in Piraeus, and made the most of our few hours ashore before rehearsal.  We walked a bit and had some fantastic Greek food, grabbed a coffee, and did some quick grocery shopping before our time was up.  

Since we left so late from Piraeus, we had to change our itinerary around a bit.  We had already planned on running full speed to get to our next port on time, so with the delay there was no making up that time.  An extra sea day was built in to reach it, and the port of Monte Carlo has been cancelled.  Monte Carlo is beautiful, but it is a tender port for us, which means that the likely recurrence of wind would make it impossible to operate the tenders anyway, so I think the Captain made a good decision to cut our losses and give the guests their full day in Rome.  Well, we can't control the weather!!

Alexandria, Egypt

Since I have twice made the 3 hour trek out to Cairo and the Pyramids, I felt free this time to stay local and do a tour of Alexandria itself, which has an incredible amount of history of its own. I got very lucky to get one of the two buses on the longest "Alexandria in a Day" tour, which covers all the biggest sights.

We started with a tour of the Montazah Gardens, a bit of a huge public park complex, where a nice hotel and the former Palace of King Farouk are located. It is a favorite spot for Egyptian families to visit and picnic, and as today was a public holiday (Easter), they were flocking to it in droves. We were there early in the morning so we avoided the worat of it, though we witnessed it already filling up.

Next was my favorite part (no, not lunch), the Library of Alexandria. It is a fairly modern building, built in a unique style by Norwegian architects. There is a massive, open, multi-level reading room, which can seat over 2000 readers at once. Its really incredible. The complex itself also includes several museums and a planetarium. We visited a couple of the exhibits.

After our lunch, we stopped at the Roman auditorium ruins and the Catacombs at Shawkafa. An hour was spent at the National Museum, where the highlight was some artifacts from the sunken Palace of Cleopatra, which is under Alexandria's harbor. We fought our way through heavy vehicular, equestrian, and pedestrian traffic to see the Fort which now stands on the point where the lighthouse of Alexandria once stood, one of the original 7 wonders of the world.

Our ship was the first of the season, they haven't had any since October or November last year. As such, there was a lot of interest in us throughout the day. People were asking to take pictures of and with us, for quite the role reversal. They waved at us all day.
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Suez Canal

Today I got to transit through the second of the world's major canals. The Suez Canal belongs to Egypt, so they are the ones receiving the revenue generated by the transit fees. I went up on a crew are on deck 12 to watch our transit for a couple of hours. The western side of the canal is very green and inhabited, whereas the eastern side is desolate, just dirt and sand and desert. We went under a neat bridge at one point. People along the sides were waving at us, and there were even little fishing boats we passed along the way. There weren't locks like in the Panama Canal. The horizons are flat, where in Panama they are hilly and covered with jungle. And here's some useless trivia - the Statue of Liberty was originally intended and created to stand at the mediterranean entrance to the canal, as a functioning lighthouse. Somehow funding didn't come through and instead the French gave is to us instead. Also, revenue from the bridge used to be second only to tourism on Egypt's GDP, but tourism has dropped by 80% over the last year due to all the political unrest there, putting the canal in first place as the main moneymaker. I saw some soldiers at small guardhouses at various point along the canal. Another amazing difference between this canal and Panama was the weather. In Suez the air is drier, but we changed from a warm still afternoon to a chill wind a very noticeable drop in temperature as soon as we neared the Mediterranean exit. The shift in region was amazingly tangible. Next time I'll drag myself early (5am) to see what the entrance is like, but I needed some recovery sleep this morning. Also, Nick and I both helped out with the Captain's Maritime service this Sunday morning, so that took precedence. We both did scripture readings. It was a really nice day. I can check off both canals now!!
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Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

This is perhaps Egypt's most commercial port, hugely popular for tourists. It has all the recognizeable western restaurants, lots of beach hotels, and a big night life.

Jane and I took a taxi into town after a bit of drama with the taxi drivers (very common in Egypt). Our driver offered to take us for $10, the others were angry at him, because he undercut them and he was actually nearer the back of the taxi line. Lots of yelling and physical aggression, which we had to push through. But it sure beat being ripped off for $50 to drive 10 minutes.

We walked around the beach town for a while and soaked in the atmosphere. We saw many outdoor bedouin-style restaurants and Hasish bars, where you sat on cushions on the ground. It was obviously much too hot for anyone to sit out there in the heat of the day, but I could easily imagine them all coming to life at night. We took it a bit easy today, and just grabbed some lunch and used some wifi. It was nice to have a less intense today to recover a bit. Our legs are all sore from our hiking in Petra yesterday, and were glad to slow things down a bit.
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Aqaba, Jordan

This is a day all the crew have been looking forward to, for their chance to take the much anticipated crew tour to the Lost City of Petra. Our ship docked in Aqaba, which is at the very tip of the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea, and is a duty-free port city. As such, when you leave the borders of the city, you must pass through customs. There is going to be a great reason to visit Aqaba, as, unbelievably, a multi billion dollar Star Trek theme park will be openingin 2014. Apparently the King of Jordan is a Trekkie, and Jordan is about 30 years behind the US in terms of television entertainment. There will be rides, theatre shows, five and six star resorts, the works. Its already well under construction. So we are all going, right???

We left Aqaba and drove about an hour and a half to reach the entrance to Petra, which is located on the base of the slope of Mount Hor, where Aaron of the Old Testament is buried. His tomb is marked by a white monument we could see from the bus. Petra, (Greek: stone) is a city literally cut out of the rock cliffs, the capital city of the Nabateans, established in the 6th century. Many of the famous facades are actually entrances to tombs. Since many of the buildings were carved straight out of stone, they have survived to this day, though many have suffered erosion. It is a huge complex, truly staggering in size. To reach the city from the ticket gate (tickets cost about $70 now) you must walk about half an hour, or alternately pay for a horse drawn carraige, donkey or horse ride. We walked. 20 minutes of the trek takes place in a narrow winding passage between colorful sandstone cliffs, known as the Siq. Suddenly around a corner the Treasury (Al Khazneh) comes into view. You may recognize it as the supposed entrance to the resting place of the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the last crusade. It is huge and stunning, and literally just appears in front of you as you come around a twist in the passageway. That moment is unforgettable for anyone who experiences it. (Mom, I'm reminded of when you first saw the statue of David in Florence)

From the Treasury, we spent about an hour and a half trekking all over the valley, seeing as much as we possibly could before reluctantly hurrying back to the bus. The only thing we couldn't get to was the famous Monastery, at the very far end of the valley, which would have been about a 3 hour walk roundtrip from the treasury. We'll have to save that for next time. Another thing to put on this always semi-hypothetical 'next time' list, is an overnight visit to Wadi Rum (Valley of the Moon, nothing to do with rum, Mom, sorry), the famously beautiful desert area where you can stay with Bedoiuns and experience the desert by night and witness one of the world's most spectacular sunsets. So a full vacation is starting to take shape here - who's in for Jordan 2014??? Aqaba, Petra, Wadi Rum, Sinai, and of course, Star Trek Theme Park!!
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Safaga, Egypt

Safaga is a port on the east coast of Egypt, on the Red Sea. From here I joined one of the guest tours for the long journey into Luxor. It took us about 4 hours to reach our first destination - the Valley of the Kings. This is a desert location where many royal and noble tombs are located, most famously the tomb of King Tutankhamun. The desert was chosen at some distance from the Nile to avoid any humidity and protect the mummies from degrading - how smart were they?? I learned that the fame of King Tut comes from his tomb being found "intact" (though in fact it had already been broken into very early on, but the thieves weren't interested in the gold and left it, they took some rarer oils), and isn't in itself as impressive as the Royal tombs, since his death was unexpected and a nobleman's tomb had to be converted quickly. I went up to the entrance and had a peep inside, but didn't pay the extra $20 necessary to go inside. Instead I used my time to visit the three tombs our guide recommended, of Ramses III, IV, and IX. These Royal tombs were way more than I was expecting. The walls and ceilings are covered in hieroglyphics, and they are all in stunning colour! The colours are what most surprised me, I always imagined hieroglyphics as being carved into dull stone. There are bright yellows, reds, blues, greens....it all has the feel that the artist just walked out of the room. Apparently the colours have been brought to light through a restoration treatment, not added on by the restorers. The result is breathtaking. Even the ceilings are painted in blues, with stars and scenes of the heavens. We had three tomb entrances included in our ticket, and there was just enough time to visit these. I wanted more time there...as usual...if I ever go back I'll cough up the extra $20 to say I've been inside King Tut's tomb. Apparently he's still in there. But for now right outside will have to be close enough.

After we left the valley we made two photo stops, one at the Colossi of Memnon (two great stone statues which guarded the entry to a tomb) and the Temple of Luxor. Then we moved swiftly on to our next big attraction - the Temple of Karnak. Now this was something I hadn't really heard of and didn't know what to expect. Again, I was blown away...it's a huge temple complex, with rows of sphinx lining the entrance, a gallery of immense pillars covered in hieroglyphics, a sacred lake, several obelisks, and statues everywhere. Apparently a scene from James Bond "The spy who loved me" was filmed here, I've made a mental note to check it out. We had plenty of free time here, of which I used every last second, wandering around with my mouth open, giving my camera a workout. The place is really incredible, I feel so lucky I had the chance to go.

A special mention to the Steigenberger Hotel in the town of Luxor where we had lunch - it was an amazing meal!! I was stuffed enough not to get hungry on the three hour drive back to Safaga. Thanks!

I also need to mention the less showy but just as engrossing sightseeing that happened on our coach as we drove most of the day. We passed many many small villages along canals of the Nile, where life is still lived much as it was thousands of years ago. The men and boys all wear long tunics to the ground, ride donkeys and pull their wares along in carts. Sugarcane is a big export here, and many farmers were in the process of bringing their wares to the train to send them north to Cairo, Alexandria and beyond. Later in the evening I noticed men and young boys relaxing on curbs chewing on leftover bits of sugarcane stalks. Some of the roofs in the villages are still made of straw, and the walls of mud and mudbrick. The people were so friendly - very excited to stop what they were doing and wave at us as we passed by.

Some of the locals do have cars, in the larger villages and especially in Qena and Luxor. But these were lined up for blocks in order to get gas - there is a fear at the moment that fuel will run out so people are stocking up and filling up at every opportunity. There were literally a hundred cars in line at every station, waiting for hours for their turn, along with motorcycles and even police cars. It was a pretty crazy sight every time we passed a station. You would know one was coming up based on the line of cars beginning on the side of the road. Glad we weren't in one of those lines!

Anyway I know this post is long, I'm just still reeling a bit from another amazing experience in Egypt!
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Piracy and April Fools on the QE.

Today is day 88 of our World Voyage, which is pretty hard to believe. For the past week or so, we have been in transit through the area known for high piracy activity over the past several years. As such we have some extra security measures is place, just to make sure we don't become a victim. Our open decks are closed from sunset to sunrise, so no crew or guests are allowed outside during those times. At sunset all outer lighting is lowered on the ship, as well as windows and portholes being covered with black sheets to prevent light from escaping. We have a Royal Navy liason officer with us to provide extra intelligence and pull with peacekeeping forces should we require assistance. We also have three armed guards just for this section of the voyage, though the weapons themselves are kept on the bridge unless the are required. We have rigged water hoses, of all things, with high pressure capabilities, to use on anyone attempting to board. We also keep a speed constantly above 18 knots, making us a very difficult target. No ship has yet been targeted that has kept above that speed. All of us crew were put through a special drill and training in case an incident should occur. We all feel very safe here, especially because of all the measures in place to prevent an attack from even being considered.

We were given a memo by Tim requiring us to attend weapons trainign, where we would be briefed in the basics of firearms. This turned out to be an April Fools joke. I caught on right away and didn't bother to go to the training, but Tim was there to laugh at more than half the ship musicians who did. The captain also had a little April Fool's joke - he had printed in the program and made a very serious announcement that the ship was running low on fuel and might run out somewhere in these pirate waters....but we do have special converters that can run on all sorts of different products that have chemicals which can be harnessed. If every guest could donate a squirt of sunscreen, that would provide the necessary fuel to get us to Mumbai on time. They put a huge canister for collection in the lobby, and guests were flocking to donate their suncream. Some gave whole tubes. Some brought their specific brand to my friend Martin at the purser's desk, who made a big show of reading the ingredients and pronouncing it fit to be donated and a possible fuel source. What a ball they had....a few guests were a bit upset when they discovered it was a joke. These are probably the ones who are walking around sunburned.
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Muscat, Oman

Wow! I must admit, I was completely taken by surprise by how much I liked this place. Having absolutely no idea what to expect, I was amazed at how much character it had. Muscat is the capital of the Sultanate of Oman, a country of about two and a half million people that makes about 80% of its income from rich oil resources. It is indeed run by a Sultan, from the royal line of Oman. We were asked to wear pants below the knees and avoid public displays of affection out of respect for the largely Islamic religious sensitivities.

My tour was a general overview of the capital. It was really hot and dry, a very desert feeling, but with lots of sharp rocky hills surrounding the white and other very light-colored buildings, all of which had a distinctly Arabian character, though at times reminding me in color and setting of a Mexican pueblo. As a location, it really stood out to me among many places that can begin to look similar to each other. Muscat has a true uniqueness. We visited a museum which I really liked, learning about the traditional clothing and weapons of the Omani. We saw the Sultan's palace, the Grand Mosque (which holds 20,000 people), and explored a Souk, which is like a marketplace with vendors along narrow covered alleyways. The air smelled like frankincense since they were selling it and burning some in the different stalls.

After my tour was over I went back out with Yuri. We did some more shopping and had time for a quick snack before heading back to the ship. I had a falafel pita, and both of us tried the traditional Omani coffee, laced with spices. Very different. I bought a few souvenirs, including something that looks very much like Aladdin's lamp. However, no genies have appeared as of yet.
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Dubai, United Arab Emirates

I have been looking forward to this port for quite a while! It is definitely one of the highlights of the world voyage as far as I'm concerned. I got off the ship around 8am with Jane and Ed, we had booked ourselves in advance on the "At the Top" experience - taking an elevator to the observation deck of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. We just barely managed to book our slots before they sold out, about a week in advance. It was a magnificent view of the city from the top.

After the Burj Khalifa, we explored a few of the sights - the Dubai Mall with its huge aquarium and impressive atrium waterfalls, the Palm with the Atlantic Resort at the end of it (an entirely manmade formation of beachfront property in the shape of a palm tree on the ocean - amazing!), the Burj al Arab hotel, and the Mall of the Emirates, with its indoor ski slope and winter wonderland. We took taxis everywhere this time, and split the fare, it was pretty reasonable. Our goal was to see as much as possible - pretty difficult to accomplish in a few hours.

Stepping off the ship in Dubai is like stepping into the future. Everything is so modern, clean, glitzy, open, civilized. I was really impressed. Every store and restaurant we know in the states can be found there, plus all the best of Asia, Europe, and the world, really. Having been there I would now feel really comfortable living and working there as so many musicians so in the many fancy hotels. It was hot though. Hot and the dryest I've experienced since Australia a couple months ago. But what a place!!
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Mumbai, India

My second port in India, I discovered that the city of Mumbai is actually an island, something I didn't know before. Predictably, I took another highlights tour to get an idea of the city. We went up to the Hanging Gardens, which overlooks the city, and it basically a big park that has been landscaped on top of a roof. We got to tour Ghandi's house, where he stayed in Mumbai for quite a number of years. There is a memorial to him there now. I really enjoyed that visit. We got to see some other landmarks like the Gateway to India, and visted a temple dedicated to Krishna. I met a young monk who is actually originally from Canada, I wonder how he came to be there. He must have quite a story.

We visited a museum, the most interesting thing to me was a huge stone elephant that was salvaged from some ancient caves in India. It ended up at the museum because the British had at one point attempted to take it back to England with them (when you see the size and weight you realize how ludicrous and arrogant this seems), and the crane broke and dropped it to the ground. The broken pieces were left in India, but later reassembled. It was neat to see.

After my tour I met up with Yuri, and we went back into Mumbai, haggling with several cab drivers before finding one who wouldn't rip us off. We went to a very nice restaurant called Khyber, where we met up with an old friend, Chiara. She was the harpist here last year, and she is now doing very very well for herself playing for weddings in Mumbai. We caught up with her over lunch - she makes more in a month playing for 2 or 3 gigs than she did here on the ship working every day. Of course we are all jealous....a gig on land is the stuff of dreams for cruise ship musicians. :-) after lunch we walked around and shopped on our own, soaking up the sights and sounds of India. After days of admiring the women in their Saris, I decided to buy one. It is beautiful! If only I can figure out how to put it on....the ladies in the shop made it look so easy!

India is full of very rich and very poor, and the poverty is hard to see. Just knowing the sheer amount of people who are below the poverty line is daunting. I know just spending my money there helps a little, but so much more is needed to raise the standards of living for so many people. Yet it is such a vibrant, exciting places. The colors and smells of spices and amazing food (vegetable cashew cream curry and fresh warm naan bread!!) Are incredible. I would love to come here again.
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Cochin, India

Welcome to India! I was really looking forward to visiting this country, and I wasn't disappointed. It is such a colorful place. I went on a "Best of Cochin" tour. We started out by taking a boat cruise around the harbour, and got to sail by the Chinese fishing nets, which we later visited on foot. These were the most incredible thing we saw during the day. They are absolutely huge wooden counterweight mechanisms that lower giant nets into the water and then raise them back out again, and are operated entirely by hand with no machinery. They are amazing to watch in action, though I'm finding the sight rather difficult to describe. After our cruise, we walked through the former Jewish Town, which is now a spice market. We visited a museum nearby, then had a snack and beverage at a nice beach hotel. On the way to another museum (focusing on the Portuguese influence in India), we happened by a field where school kids were practicing their cricket skills on an open field. It was fun to watch and get a little glimpse into their culture. It was second only to seeing the Nets in action. So many times on tours I feel we see the "sights" but miss the experience, which is why I always love it when you get to see something truly local.
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Colombo, Sri Lanka

Another new country for me! I went on a tour in the morning - "Colombo Highlights." We first drove through the poor but vibrant parts of the city, with colorful markets and ladies in Saris all around. We saw the old clocktower near the harbor, a temple, and many british colonial style building from the time Britain occupied the area. The locals get around on cars, motorcycles, public buses, and trishaws, also generally known to us as tuk-tuks, small open air motorcarts with one wheel in front and two behind, ideal for quick manouevering through heavy motor and pedestrian traffic through the narrow streets and alleys. We saw 'slave island' - where in olden times the slaves were kept at night on an island in a local lake. We visited Independance square where monuments were erected 60 or so years ago to celebrate Sri Lanka's independance. By the way, ever heard of Ceylon tea?? It is from Sri Lanka, which was known by the name Ceylon until the year 1972.

My favorite moment of the day was an unexpected treat of a look into truly local culture. As we drove along a street, we started to pass teenage boys dressed in black and gold, waving matching banners and riding on top of trucks and cars. It was a local cricket team, creating excitement for an upcoming match, parading through the streets. As we passed by each group of guys, the waved and smiled enthusiastically at us, yelling for their team. Near the front of the procession there was even an elephant, draped in the team's colors. And at the very front were two boys with whips. They swung the long, dangerous leather ropes around, cracking them loudly on the street, demonstrating their extremely effective traditional way of clearing the street before them, to make way for the parade. Well, that's one way to do it!

After the tour, I ventured out with my friend Yuri, our petite, sweet and fearless Japanese hostess. She and I braved the streets near the port to find ourselves some food and experience the atmosphere walking around. We were so obviously out of place in the area that everyone was staring at us. But the Sri Lankan people are so friendly, once you smile at them their faces instantly light up and send it back to you, and immediately you become a fellow human being, instead of a white stranger. It is am amazing feeling when that tiny transormation happens. Yuri asked to take one fruit vendor's picture, and he was so thrilled he put on one of the most beautiful smiles I have ever seen, and proudly posed for it. Afterwards he inspected the result on the digital camera, then insisted we take another, and smiled even bigger for it. Yuri and I had a snack and mango juices (amazing and so cheap!!) At a very local cafe, and went to a street vendor for the Sri Lankan golden coconuts they serve as beverages. The vendor was kind enough to machete them open for us and gave us straws. Yum!

One more favorite moment of the day was two little girls standing on a box by a public phone, pretending to call someone and giggling. Oh and finally, while we were touring a museum in the morning, several Sri Lankan classes of young girls and boys were having a field trip there. When they saw us, they were so excited and leaped at the opportunity to speak English to us. Most of them only know two things: Hello, and "what's your name?" I was asked this half a dozen times. When I answered they were thrilled, and repeated my name back to me with huge grins. What a neat day!
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Penang, Malaysia

To make up for spending my last port in Malaysia at a mall, today I went on the "Grand Penang Tour." It was a really well done tour, and if it got back a bit late I was in no hurry since I had a night off to look forward to!

We started out visiting the Mansions of two Chinese millionaires who lived here more than a century ago. The houses were of course, lavish, beautiful, and filled with expensive antiques. The second one we saw, the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, recently won a major UNESCO World Heritage award for best project, regarding the major restoration some private investors put into the building a few years back.

After the mansions, we visited two contrasting temples, both Buddhist, but one Thai style and one Burmese. The Thai temple has the 4th largest reclining Buddha in the world, and yes, it was big. It was really interesting to me to see the urns of people's ancestors displayed in cupboards in the walls, like small gravestones stacked on one another along all the walls. Apparently, the higher up your ashes are placed, the more expensive the "plot."

We had a great lunch at the Golden Sands beach resort and some time for photos there, then our next stop was the Penang Butterfly Farm. I saw a sign claiming it was the first live tropical butterfly farm in the world...could it be true? Who wants to google it for me? :-) Anyway I love butterflies so enjoyed having a bit of fun with my camera. Next we headed on a drive around the island (about 800,000 population), with stops at a spice stall and a local village. It was really a great day and I enjoyed myself. I love feeling like I've picked the best tour. :-)
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Port Kelang, Malaysia

This port is the docking point for guests to access Kuala Lampur, the capital of Malaysia, with its famous twin towers (think Entrapment). I wasn't lucky enough to have time to get there, as it is nearly two hours each way. Instead I got off the ship with two of my friends, Ash and Eddie, English guys who work as stage technicians. We took the shuttle bus that was offered from the terminal, and it dropped us off at a really nice mall. Now there were all kinds of stores that I recognized, and plenty of ones I didn't. We went shopping in their grocery store, I tried a few local pastries (one, a roll with red bean in it, was pretty good and interesting). We saw a starbucks, but opted for the road less traveled, and did a bit of internet catch-up in a coffeeshop packed with Malaysian people. We got a few stares, but it was nice to try their food and relax. I had a potato curry. A few hours later, before we left the mall, I managed to eat again. We decided to check out the food court, where all the options were very decidedly Asian, the one thing very distinct from an American mall. I had a big plate of noodles and veggies. We passed a movie theatre in the mall, and I was tempted to take the time out to see a film and feel a bit like I was at home, but ended up doing quite a lot of wifi instead. As a nice surprise, I was able to skype my parents!!

We hurried back in the early afternoon as I had a reahearsal to get to (the reason why I couldn't get out to Kuala Lampur). We had a little hallway party each eating our cupcake from the box of 3 we had found for 5 Ringitts, less than $2.
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Singapore

Today I decided to tackle this brand new city on my own, without the aid of a tour. Jane and I took public trans into the downtown area of Singapore, and conquered their subway, or MRT here. Not to be confused with Hong Kong's MTR, the MRT is similarly easy to use. We walked around the city a bit and took photos of some of the amazing buildings. A visit was made to the famous Raffles Hotel, where their signature drink, the 'Singapore Sling', will set you back $26 singapore dollars (about $20 USD). Jane and I split one. It has 8 different ingredients, I can't remember them all, but one of them is definitely gin. There are plenty of yummy fruit juices too, so it tastes pretty good. After Raffles we walked along the main road of Orchard Grove for a while. On our way back to the ship we made a stop in Chinatown where I nearly got talked into buying an unlocked iPhone.

My overall impression of Singapore is that there is definitely so much more to see, I hardly scratched the surface of the city. It is clean and organized and interesting. I hope I come back someday!
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