Thrills, expensive and cheap.

Yesterday the band had the day off, so a few of us decided to have an adventure on our own and make the trek out to the island of Capri. I've been there once before years ago but it was on a tour with very limited time there and I didn't get to do everything I wanted to do. So off we went - me, Daniel, Mike, and Dave, all from the band. So I picked up more British turns of phrase and got picked on for being the only American, as usual. Daniel invested 15 minutes of his life that he will ever get back trying to get me to say 'water' and sound properly English (I'm proud to say I've finally mastered it). I got to play tour guide, so I had fun showing them where everything was and making suggestions for what to do there.

Capri is a 45-50 minute ride by hydrofoil ferry from where we dock on the pier in Naples. We got an early start (especially for musicians!) and were off the ship around 8:30am, caught the 9:10 ferry, and were in Capri by 10am. Because of hearing great things about seeing something called the Blue Grotto, I was really hoping to get to do that at some point during the day (Thanks, Chris!!). The guys were agreeable, so we signed up right away for a 2 hour boat tour that stopped at the Blue Grotto and also circled the entire island. That definitely turned out to be the best thing we did, although none of us really knew what we were in for. The Blue Grotto is accessible only by tiny little paddle boats run by local guides, that pick you up from your boat a few at a time to take you into the Grotto. The entrance is a tiny hole barely big enough for the boats to slide through, and the clearance is so low that everyone has to duck their heads basically underneath the waterline inside the boat. The guide pulls his boat in by grabbing hold of a chain that leads inside, giving a heave and then bending backwards almost horizontally to avoid having his head taken off by the rocky cavern ceiling. He also has to time the entrance perfectly - just in between waves - otherwise the entrance is submerged in water and it is impossible to enter. Actually many times of day and days of the year its just too dangerous to enter at all. Talk about an adventure!! I can see why they don't arrange to do this little bit of sightseeing with the guests from the ship. It definitely wouldn't stand up to insurance policies.

But once inside the cavern, the ceiling opens up and you can see why the Blue Grotto is famous. Sunlight from outside reflects from underwater to make the water a glowing blue color that is really incredible to behold. The guides also started to sing something in Italian as soon as we were inside, which echoed in the room and added a neat atmosphere to the whole experience. 5 minutes later, we had survived our tour of the Blue Grotto, and after some doing managed to pry ourselves out of the little rowboat (I had been crunched up sideways in the back, horribly uncomfortable but apparently making a comfy backrest for my friends who were squished up against me) and back onto our big boat for the rest of the island tour. We saw a few more caves, inlets, and cliffs, and all came away with amazing photos. We even got to sail through a tunnel through one of the huge cliff/rocks that are the symbol of Capri. The boat tour was really worth all the money we spent on it... actually I spent more yesterday than I care to admit. The trip to Capri and back alone (on the ferry) cast 32 Euros. Yikes! But so worth it. After the island tour we took the Funicular up to the top of Capri for some more stunning views and for some very expensive coffee and ice cream.

We stayed out as long as possible, maybe even pushed it more than we should have, and got back to the ship just before the deadline (whew!). It was truly an incredible day, and we all felt a big sense of accomplishment as we trudged back onto the ship completely exhausted. Once back on board I was ready for bed, unfortunately I had to stay awake for a very important rehearsal at midnight last night. A rehearsal at midnight? Whatever for, you might ask.....well, two weeks ago, Daniel signed both of us up (I guess we are a bit inseparable already, but this??) to volunteer to perform the dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller for the guests on Halloween, along with a group of cruise staff and cast members. We've had several rehearsals to learn the dance, and last night was our night to set the staging/blocking in the actual room we're going to perform in, and to have a couple of run-throughs. So the rehearsal had to be after midnight after the room was closed to guests. Yes, you read that right, I am performing the Thriller dance on Halloween. Crazy. But I have to admit, it has been really fun to learn. Daniel and I have gone all out and had our own separate little practice sessions to make sure we have it down. We can't wait for our big debut in a couple days!!! Life is so strange....but I must admit I thrive on life bringing the unexpected.

Old Friends, New Languages

Today, as every time we are in Civitavecchia, we docked nose to nose with a ghost from my past, the Celebrity Century. I spent 5 months on board the ship, my sister Chelsea managed to stay with me on board for a month, I explored the Baltics, Norway, Ireland and the Arctic Circle, saw the midnight sun for the first time from her decks. Today I looked across to the bow of the ship, Deck 7, where I spent countless hours reading and sitting in the sun, watching sunsets and passing part of every day as we crossed the Atlantic in the most beautiful weather. It was strange to look across at the benches Chelsea, Marie and I sat on a year ago. On board right now is one of my good friends Yuki, with whom I've done 2 contracts and have actually been able to visit once on land in L.A. I went to the ship today looking for her - security all remembered me and let me on board right away, which was flattering. I found Yuki and we talked a bit - we plan to spend our day together next week when we are here again and she is off work. Also this Sunday we'll be in port with a Norwegian ship, which my friend Erin is on. I knew her from the Majesty - she and I experienced swimming with dolphins for the first time together. We plan to meet and catch up this Sunday. I can't help marvelling at how small the world is, and how today I met a friend from Japan in Civitavecchia, and Sunday I will meet a friend from Australia in Barcelona. What a strange life...but I really love it.

And what do I mean by new languages? Well, I am noticing my English changing to match that of my friends. Spending most of my time with British friends is influencing my word choice and pronunciation, slowly but surely. For example, eight-thirty becomes "half eight". Elevator becomes "lift". Pants become "trousers", and so on. We have had several arguments about whether "disoriented" or "disorientated" is correct (Turns out they both are). Fortunately, I can also say that conversation with them is improving my vocabulary, grammar, wit, and dry sarcasm. My American-isms have started to affect them as well, and they always cringe when they catch themselves saying something stereotypically American (eg: "I know, right?") When they attempt to imitate an American accent it either comes out very Valley-girl or intense New Yorker, they can't imitate mine at all, beyond one word at a time. Its quite a lot of fun, actually - accents and differences in language have always fascinated me, and being made fun of for my accent is worth being able to spend time with them.