September 30, 2008
Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy
There is nothing like following one early morning up with another in order to make the most out of a morning in Rome! I met a fellow musician, some of the dancers, and two of the production singers at 7am to hop on the ninety-minute train ride to Termini station, and we then took our time walking over to the Colosseum. I kept looking at it in amazement thinking how lucky I was to be there, and enjoyed spending upwards of an hour walking inside of it. I rented an audio guide for a few Euro and was able to learn a great deal about the history of the building and the games that took place there, and additionally was able to get a better idea of what I was looking at while inside the massive structure.
After leaving the Colosseum, I went for a quick bite to eat before heading back to Termini to catch the train back to the port in Civitavecchia. All in all, it was a splendid day spent off the ship. We would have also gone to the Vatican City, but we had to be back on board at 4:00pm for a passenger boat drill (so that the guests know exactly what to do in the event we need to abandon ship). I will be returning to Rome once in October and twice in November, so hopefully I’ll get the chance to see more wonderful sights at some point.
Tomorrow: NAPLES!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sicily
September 29, 2008
Messina, Sicily
Another exciting day, more exciting places. I spent this morning escorting a tour entitled “Messina & Surroundings”. We spent a large portion of the four-hour tour in the bus, but unlike Saturday’s tour of Athens, the bus ride was exciting. We spent close to forty minutes driving up a long, curvy, narrow road to a point over 2,500 feet above sea level that offered both eastern and western panoramic views. The road was narrow enough that I thought it was a spacious one-way street until I watched a car squeeze between our bus and the other side of the road. Prior to coming to the top of the Chiarino “hill”, as it was called by my tour guide, I had thought the views I took in from the ground in Istanbul and from the hills in Yalta were going to be the best I would end up seeing during this voyage; however, I was very wrong. Every time the bus turned a different corner, a different Kodak moment arose. I did my best to capitalize on the opportunities, but it did start to rain and random roadside items such as guardrails or power lines seemed intent on ruining what would otherwise be a perfect photograph. On the way down from the top of the mountain, despite the incredible amount of clouds in the sky and the resulting low visibility, the Stromboli volcano (still active) showed itself to me in the distance. It is the first volcano I have ever seen and even though it was so far away, I could still see the smoke coming out of the top. Unfortunately, as the bus descended more and more, the volcano decided to go back into hiding. I was able to snap a decent photo of it prior to its disappearance though.
Our next sightseeing stop on the tour after the mountain top was the Museo Regionale di Messina, a small museum containing works by Caravaggio and Antonello di Messina and other interesting paintings from the Baroque era as well. It was the first museum I have visited since starting my contract on the Queen Victoria, and while it was nice to visit, I am beginning to realize I much prefer to see things that are more of a landmark (e.g. the Acropolis or an old temple or mosque) than a museum. On the other hand, if the ship went to Paris, I would head straight to the Louvre without hesitation.
Our last stop on the tour was Cathedral Square, which houses a beautiful church and a very interesting clock tower as well. On one side of the tower is an astrological calendar, but on the front is an amazing display. Every day at noon, to the tune of Shubert’s Ave Maria, several golden characters start moving. It is tough to describe, but it looks like a fancy, jumbo-sized coo coo clock, though instead of the birds tweeting, there is a lion that roars and a rooster that goes cock-a-doodle-doo. After the display, we had enough time to enter the [massive] cathedral, which is over 500 years old and is built mostly with marble and a wooden ceiling. It was a true spectacle of beauty.
Tomorrow we will be in Civitavecchia, Italy, which is the closest port to Rome. It marks the end of my first voyage on the Queen Victoria. The plan at present is to visit the Sistine Chapel, and hopefully, the Coliseum as well.
Messina, Sicily
Another exciting day, more exciting places. I spent this morning escorting a tour entitled “Messina & Surroundings”. We spent a large portion of the four-hour tour in the bus, but unlike Saturday’s tour of Athens, the bus ride was exciting. We spent close to forty minutes driving up a long, curvy, narrow road to a point over 2,500 feet above sea level that offered both eastern and western panoramic views. The road was narrow enough that I thought it was a spacious one-way street until I watched a car squeeze between our bus and the other side of the road. Prior to coming to the top of the Chiarino “hill”, as it was called by my tour guide, I had thought the views I took in from the ground in Istanbul and from the hills in Yalta were going to be the best I would end up seeing during this voyage; however, I was very wrong. Every time the bus turned a different corner, a different Kodak moment arose. I did my best to capitalize on the opportunities, but it did start to rain and random roadside items such as guardrails or power lines seemed intent on ruining what would otherwise be a perfect photograph. On the way down from the top of the mountain, despite the incredible amount of clouds in the sky and the resulting low visibility, the Stromboli volcano (still active) showed itself to me in the distance. It is the first volcano I have ever seen and even though it was so far away, I could still see the smoke coming out of the top. Unfortunately, as the bus descended more and more, the volcano decided to go back into hiding. I was able to snap a decent photo of it prior to its disappearance though.
Our next sightseeing stop on the tour after the mountain top was the Museo Regionale di Messina, a small museum containing works by Caravaggio and Antonello di Messina and other interesting paintings from the Baroque era as well. It was the first museum I have visited since starting my contract on the Queen Victoria, and while it was nice to visit, I am beginning to realize I much prefer to see things that are more of a landmark (e.g. the Acropolis or an old temple or mosque) than a museum. On the other hand, if the ship went to Paris, I would head straight to the Louvre without hesitation.
Our last stop on the tour was Cathedral Square, which houses a beautiful church and a very interesting clock tower as well. On one side of the tower is an astrological calendar, but on the front is an amazing display. Every day at noon, to the tune of Shubert’s Ave Maria, several golden characters start moving. It is tough to describe, but it looks like a fancy, jumbo-sized coo coo clock, though instead of the birds tweeting, there is a lion that roars and a rooster that goes cock-a-doodle-doo. After the display, we had enough time to enter the [massive] cathedral, which is over 500 years old and is built mostly with marble and a wooden ceiling. It was a true spectacle of beauty.
Tomorrow we will be in Civitavecchia, Italy, which is the closest port to Rome. It marks the end of my first voyage on the Queen Victoria. The plan at present is to visit the Sistine Chapel, and hopefully, the Coliseum as well.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Athens
September 27, 2008
Piraeus, Greece
Today, I saw the Acropolis. I feel the need to write a lot about this, but at the same time, the above sentence should speak for itself, so I think I will just say it again:
TODAY, I SAW THE ACROPOLIS!
Words cannot describe the feeling one experiences when seeing something they have wanted to see since learning about it in fourth grade. I ended up escorting a bus tour around the city today and our long stop was at the foot of the Acropolis. Even while walking, I kept finding myself staring up at it. Even though it is covered in scaffolding, it is still beautiful, and the next tour I do will be one that travels up the steps to the Parthenon. I hear the view from up there is spectacular, so hopefully I will get to take some great photos of the city as well.
The tour I escorted today also made a brief stop at the original Olympic stadium, which was also cool. We then drove past lots of interesting landmarks in the city including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the original temple of the Olympian Zeus, though all that remains of the temple are a few columns.
Athens seems to be a great city and I eagerly await my return to see [and eat] all of the wonderful things it has to offer.
Piraeus, Greece
Today, I saw the Acropolis. I feel the need to write a lot about this, but at the same time, the above sentence should speak for itself, so I think I will just say it again:
TODAY, I SAW THE ACROPOLIS!
Words cannot describe the feeling one experiences when seeing something they have wanted to see since learning about it in fourth grade. I ended up escorting a bus tour around the city today and our long stop was at the foot of the Acropolis. Even while walking, I kept finding myself staring up at it. Even though it is covered in scaffolding, it is still beautiful, and the next tour I do will be one that travels up the steps to the Parthenon. I hear the view from up there is spectacular, so hopefully I will get to take some great photos of the city as well.
The tour I escorted today also made a brief stop at the original Olympic stadium, which was also cool. We then drove past lots of interesting landmarks in the city including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the original temple of the Olympian Zeus, though all that remains of the temple are a few columns.
Athens seems to be a great city and I eagerly await my return to see [and eat] all of the wonderful things it has to offer.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Odessa & Yalta
September 24, 2008
We docked in Odessa, Ukraine today, and while I was initially led to believe that I would not be allowed off the ship without a seaman’s book (an official document that looks like a jumbo-sized passport; it allows seafarers entry to certain countries, namely Russia and Brazil), but as it turned out, a United States Passport was sufficient and I stepped off the ship and walked around for about an hour and a half.
I debarked with zero expectations or plans and ended up following the general direction of the ships’ guests that were getting off and found myself at the bottom of a gigantic flight of stairs that led to the city. I later found out it was about 200 steps in total, but it was still fun to climb them. Vendors, who sold a wide variety of goods, occupied the sides of the steps towards the bottom. They were selling everything from USSR war medals and stamps to postcards and the traditional Russian fur hats you see on occasion in the USA. I ended up buying a postcard for a friend from one, and then paid another lady a dollar to hold her pet owl (though I had to ask her what it was since it looked like it was missing its entire face) while she took my picture. And yes, I am that easily amused.
When I got to the top of the stairs, I decided I would make the most out of my time in Odessa by walking around the city, and it seemed like that was what most of the cruise’s guests were doing as well, as were some of the crewmembers I ran into during my shore leave. As one guest I had previously met on board reminded me, it has been less than 20 years since the dissolving of the Soviet Union, so the city is still very much in a rebuilding/reconstructive process. An entire street was being redone (and from the looks of things, so was the plumbing under the street), but the buildings were still beautiful. I found my way to a small park that had a couple statues and also a fountain, took some pictures, and relaxed before turning back toward the ship. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much else to do there besides walk around then turn back.
The parking situation in Odessa is like nothing I have ever seen. On some streets, there are designated spaces; however, many people turn the sidewalk into their own personal parking space and pull right up onto the curb (pictures will follow eventually...) and it seems like the police there could not care less. I can only imagine what New York City would be like with this relaxed parking regulation.
Tomorrow we will be in Yalta (also in the Ukraine), and I was lucky enough to get myself on a tour as an escort. This basically means I just keep an eye on the tour guests and make sure everything is okay and in turn, I get to go for free. I’ll be doing this again this voyage in Athens and hopefully in Messina, Sicily as well. The tour tomorrow will take me to the Livadia Palace, where Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill held the Yalta Conference in 1945, and I will actually get to see the hall. There are other stops on the tour, but this one was easily the greatest draw for me. By the end of the voyage, I will hopefully have gotten the chance to explore five wonderful ports (Istanbul, Odessa, Yalta, Athens, and Messina). As a pianist working for Carnival, in total, I visited eleven ports (New York, San Juan, St. Thomas, Tortola, Dominica, Barbados, Aruba, New Orleans, Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel). Needless to say, I am excited with this itinerary.
September 25, 2008
Yalta, Ukraine
The whole concept of having good days every day is something new to me. I spent the better part of the morning and early afternoon on a tour of Yalta’s main attractions. After a whole mess including a delay in being cleared by Ukrainian immigration and then an additional delay in boarding a tender, I finally made it ashore with the tour group I was escorting about ninety minutes behind schedule. We immediately boarded the buses and made our way to the Livadia Palace, which was the summer home of the last Russian Tsar. As I said in my last posting, it was also where Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin held the Yalta Conference of 1945. I got to see all the rooms where they met, and even the tables they sat at. We then proceeded to a refreshment stop where we had an amazing view of the Black Sea, and additionally we were able to see the Swallow’s Nest, a castle built by a German Baron for his lover on the edge of a cliff above the water. It looked like the Magic Kingdom was sitting at the edge of the world.
Unfortunately this attraction is only accessible by boat unless you make a reservation at its on-site expensive Italian restaurant (which my tour group obviously didn’t do).
Before heading back to the port, my tour group stopped briefly at the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a beautiful Orthodox church and we had a chance to sneak inside for a minute. It was more interesting on the outside in my opinion, but it was a welcomed stop en route back to the ship.
I found my way to the local McDonalds and ordered a McChicken sandwich before returning to the ship and alas, here I am. Yet again, it is still yet to hit me that I am in the Ukraine today. As I boarded the tender to be transported from shore back to the ship, I looked up at the mountains that cover the Yalta terrain and the cloud ceiling was low enough that it covered most of the mountain peaks. I did not take a photograph, but this beautiful sight will be a lasting memory of my time spent in The Ukraine yesterday and today.
We docked in Odessa, Ukraine today, and while I was initially led to believe that I would not be allowed off the ship without a seaman’s book (an official document that looks like a jumbo-sized passport; it allows seafarers entry to certain countries, namely Russia and Brazil), but as it turned out, a United States Passport was sufficient and I stepped off the ship and walked around for about an hour and a half.
I debarked with zero expectations or plans and ended up following the general direction of the ships’ guests that were getting off and found myself at the bottom of a gigantic flight of stairs that led to the city. I later found out it was about 200 steps in total, but it was still fun to climb them. Vendors, who sold a wide variety of goods, occupied the sides of the steps towards the bottom. They were selling everything from USSR war medals and stamps to postcards and the traditional Russian fur hats you see on occasion in the USA. I ended up buying a postcard for a friend from one, and then paid another lady a dollar to hold her pet owl (though I had to ask her what it was since it looked like it was missing its entire face) while she took my picture. And yes, I am that easily amused.
When I got to the top of the stairs, I decided I would make the most out of my time in Odessa by walking around the city, and it seemed like that was what most of the cruise’s guests were doing as well, as were some of the crewmembers I ran into during my shore leave. As one guest I had previously met on board reminded me, it has been less than 20 years since the dissolving of the Soviet Union, so the city is still very much in a rebuilding/reconstructive process. An entire street was being redone (and from the looks of things, so was the plumbing under the street), but the buildings were still beautiful. I found my way to a small park that had a couple statues and also a fountain, took some pictures, and relaxed before turning back toward the ship. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much else to do there besides walk around then turn back.
The parking situation in Odessa is like nothing I have ever seen. On some streets, there are designated spaces; however, many people turn the sidewalk into their own personal parking space and pull right up onto the curb (pictures will follow eventually...) and it seems like the police there could not care less. I can only imagine what New York City would be like with this relaxed parking regulation.
Tomorrow we will be in Yalta (also in the Ukraine), and I was lucky enough to get myself on a tour as an escort. This basically means I just keep an eye on the tour guests and make sure everything is okay and in turn, I get to go for free. I’ll be doing this again this voyage in Athens and hopefully in Messina, Sicily as well. The tour tomorrow will take me to the Livadia Palace, where Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill held the Yalta Conference in 1945, and I will actually get to see the hall. There are other stops on the tour, but this one was easily the greatest draw for me. By the end of the voyage, I will hopefully have gotten the chance to explore five wonderful ports (Istanbul, Odessa, Yalta, Athens, and Messina). As a pianist working for Carnival, in total, I visited eleven ports (New York, San Juan, St. Thomas, Tortola, Dominica, Barbados, Aruba, New Orleans, Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel). Needless to say, I am excited with this itinerary.
September 25, 2008
Yalta, Ukraine
The whole concept of having good days every day is something new to me. I spent the better part of the morning and early afternoon on a tour of Yalta’s main attractions. After a whole mess including a delay in being cleared by Ukrainian immigration and then an additional delay in boarding a tender, I finally made it ashore with the tour group I was escorting about ninety minutes behind schedule. We immediately boarded the buses and made our way to the Livadia Palace, which was the summer home of the last Russian Tsar. As I said in my last posting, it was also where Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin held the Yalta Conference of 1945. I got to see all the rooms where they met, and even the tables they sat at. We then proceeded to a refreshment stop where we had an amazing view of the Black Sea, and additionally we were able to see the Swallow’s Nest, a castle built by a German Baron for his lover on the edge of a cliff above the water. It looked like the Magic Kingdom was sitting at the edge of the world.
Unfortunately this attraction is only accessible by boat unless you make a reservation at its on-site expensive Italian restaurant (which my tour group obviously didn’t do).
Before heading back to the port, my tour group stopped briefly at the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a beautiful Orthodox church and we had a chance to sneak inside for a minute. It was more interesting on the outside in my opinion, but it was a welcomed stop en route back to the ship.
I found my way to the local McDonalds and ordered a McChicken sandwich before returning to the ship and alas, here I am. Yet again, it is still yet to hit me that I am in the Ukraine today. As I boarded the tender to be transported from shore back to the ship, I looked up at the mountains that cover the Yalta terrain and the cloud ceiling was low enough that it covered most of the mountain peaks. I did not take a photograph, but this beautiful sight will be a lasting memory of my time spent in The Ukraine yesterday and today.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
En Route from Istanbul to Odessa, Ukraine
Greetings from the Black Sea. Ship life has been going well thus far (though once again the roommate is quite the distraction from having a good time). We sailed through the Bosporus today but I was still sleeping; hopefully I’ll see it on our way back from Odessa and Yalta.
We were in Kusadasi on Sunday, but unfortunately, I had safety training and then a rehearsal. We set sail at 1:00pm so I was unable to step off for a minute. I did go out on the crew deck and take some pictures. All the Turkish scenery I have seen so far has been beautiful. Mosques are everywhere, but the coolest thing I’ve seen in Turkey was a statue basically sitting on top of a mountain.
We had a drill yesterday morning because the British Coast Guard will be conducting more drills at the start of our next voyage so we need to be ready, and that, coupled with being stuck on in-port manning from noon until 6:00pm, meant I only had enough time to step off the ship for about 40 minutes. I got off, took some pictures, and got back on. Istanbul is a beautiful place, and even though I was walking on the pier, it was still nice to get off the ship. The surreal feeling is still present; it is yet to hit me that I am overseas and not in New York anymore.
Last night, after finishing work at about 12:15am, I went with a few of the other entertainment staff on board to a hookah bar in Istanbul, and we ended up staying there till 2:30 or 3. The bar was located right across the street from a beautiful mosque, and I also enjoyed a great chicken kebab. It has just occurred to me that I haven’t spoken about the quality of food aboard the Queen Victoria. It doesn’t totally suck but it is more or less the same every day. There’s always some salad, a random type of pasta, and then they tend to have a chicken, beef, and fish dish each night, along with a potato-based variety. Consequently, the chicken kebab was wonderful.
We will be arriving in Odessa tomorrow morning, and then will be proceeding to Yalta on Thursday, before heading back through the Bosporus to Athens and Messina, Sicily; the voyage will end in Rome on the 30th. Unfortunately, I lack the necessary document to get off in Odessa, but Yalta should be amazing!
We were in Kusadasi on Sunday, but unfortunately, I had safety training and then a rehearsal. We set sail at 1:00pm so I was unable to step off for a minute. I did go out on the crew deck and take some pictures. All the Turkish scenery I have seen so far has been beautiful. Mosques are everywhere, but the coolest thing I’ve seen in Turkey was a statue basically sitting on top of a mountain.
We had a drill yesterday morning because the British Coast Guard will be conducting more drills at the start of our next voyage so we need to be ready, and that, coupled with being stuck on in-port manning from noon until 6:00pm, meant I only had enough time to step off the ship for about 40 minutes. I got off, took some pictures, and got back on. Istanbul is a beautiful place, and even though I was walking on the pier, it was still nice to get off the ship. The surreal feeling is still present; it is yet to hit me that I am overseas and not in New York anymore.
Last night, after finishing work at about 12:15am, I went with a few of the other entertainment staff on board to a hookah bar in Istanbul, and we ended up staying there till 2:30 or 3. The bar was located right across the street from a beautiful mosque, and I also enjoyed a great chicken kebab. It has just occurred to me that I haven’t spoken about the quality of food aboard the Queen Victoria. It doesn’t totally suck but it is more or less the same every day. There’s always some salad, a random type of pasta, and then they tend to have a chicken, beef, and fish dish each night, along with a potato-based variety. Consequently, the chicken kebab was wonderful.
We will be arriving in Odessa tomorrow morning, and then will be proceeding to Yalta on Thursday, before heading back through the Bosporus to Athens and Messina, Sicily; the voyage will end in Rome on the 30th. Unfortunately, I lack the necessary document to get off in Odessa, but Yalta should be amazing!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
First few days on board...
September 18, 2008: Sign-On Day
wToday was the big day. I finally set foot on a cruise ship for the first time in over three years (I signed off of the Carnival Conquest in New Orleans on August 21, 2008, one week before Hurricane Katrina), and what a wonderful day it is: the musical director on board actually gave my band the night off (which means I am going to take a nap and then it’s off to the crew bar to have a few beverages). I was talking to the drummer from my band and he said that since he came aboard in April, this is the third night he had been given off.
Let me start out by saying that getting from JFK to Venice was anything but easy. My initial itinerary was awesome: fly from JFK to Charles de Gaulle in Paris at 915pm on Tuesday night, and then on Wednesday, after a short two-hour layover, fly from CDG to Venice., arrive by 2-ish and go from the hotel I stayed at on the mainland onto the island and look around. Unfortunately, the air traffic controllers at Marco Polo airport didn’t think too highly of this plan and decided that some of them should go on strike. Consequently, my flight was canceled. I was initially put on a flight for Thursday that would get me into Venice around 530pm. This was not good; it would mean staying in a hotel overnight in Paris (which wouldn’t be the end of the world, except as I later discovered, they HATE Americans; for more on that, see my last posting to the blog). Upon arriving in Paris, I went straight to a few different Air France ticketing/reservations counters, when finally I arrived at one who could help. She gave me three options:
1. Wait around and see if I could get on a 4:30 flight to Venice (it was about 1030 in the morning at this point, and I definitely wasn’t the only one who needed to get there)
2. She said, and this is a direct quote: “I can get you to Milan, but it would then be your responsibility to get to Venice from there. “
3. Take a 2pm flight from Paris to Rome, and then an 815 flight from Rome to Venice.
I went with option number 3, and ended up getting to the hotel around 10-1030pm. I would like to meet the person that would take option 2 in that situation.
The hotel I stayed at was pretty cool, called Hotel Venizia, VERY old fashioned, with gold-colored trim and the like. The bathroom was weird in that there was no floor partition between the shower and the rest of the bathroom, but just a curtain. I haven’t ever seen that, not even on cruise ships.
My body seemed to adjust okay with the time-difference, as I fell asleep somewhere between 1230 and 1am. I was up at 7am, so I had enough time to go and eat before being picked up at 745 by the bus that took me to my new home: the Queen Victoria.
I probably managed to make it to my cabin at about 845, 9ish this morning, and went on a quick tour with my musical director, who is a quirky old Australian named Fred. It has taken me no time to realize his favorite expression, hands down, is “Bottom line, mate,” which is often followed by “you can’t do this,” or “you MUST do that every time ‘x’ or ‘y’ occurs”. I haven’t heard many good things about Fred; in fact, I am yet to hear a good thing about him. Thankfully, he plays in the other orchestra so I won’t have to deal with him too much [keeping fingers crossed].
At around 11, my roommate, Gary, a 40-year-old drummer (from the other orchestra as well) woke up and I finally met him. He’s quite quirky himself, and unfortunately, he is not a night owl. Should be fun. Also, he enjoys practicing his drumming by tapping on his knees with a metronome on in the background. Nonetheless, he will never be worse than the DJ I had to live with on the Carnival Destiny in 04: Terry from Tulsa, who was quite possibly the biggest redneck I’ve ever met, and a scientologist to boot. To each their own, I understand that, but come on. I guess I’ll just have to make due.
The one sad point of the day is when I reviewed my in-port-manning schedule, which shows when I have to stay on board the ship [regulations require that a certain number of crewmembers stay on]. This cruise, I believe it’s Athens and also Istanbul, which isn’t horrible since we’ll be back more than once to both these places. Sadly, Fred didn’t take into account that he also scheduled my group so we NEVER get to get off in Alexandria, Egypt, which is, as the Italians say, NON BUONO! Hopefully I will be able to find someone to switch with me as there is NO WAY I will be missing out on seeing the pyramids. We shall see though, we shall see.
Other than that, there is not too much to report. I will say that the room I am playing in, the Queen’s Room, is BEAUTIFUL, as is the entire ship. She’s practically brand new (less than a year old), and her facilities are top-notch. I got a chance to play briefly on the piano I’ll be using and I am very happy! It is a Yamaha baby grand, and it sounds perfect to me. Unfortunately, I will not be able to play in there until tomorrow night, but I’ll take the one night off I’m lucky to see for a while.
I am looking forward to going up on the crew deck this evening when we set sail at 10pm… it is the front-most open deck on the ship, and there’s even a little hot tub there. It should be beautiful at night!
That’s all for now, ciao from the Queen Victoria!
September 19, 2008
At Sea, sailing to Kusadasi, Turkey
Yesterday evening was remarkable. We set sail from the dock in Venice at about 10pm, and shortly thereafter, we were in the Grand Canal! I stopped off at the crew bar, bought myself a Corona (for $1), and went outside and got my first glimpses of the real city of Venice. Words cannot describe how beautiful a moment this was. I had been waiting my whole life to see Venice, and it was well worth the wait. We dock there again October 11-13, and I am eager to walk around the city and perhaps go for a traditional gondola ride.
So far, everything is, more or less, going well. The band I am playing in, the Queen’s Room Orchestra seems to be stacked with solid players across the board and I fear I might be the weakest link [goodbye?]. The trumpet player, Andre, even spent seven years playing for the Count Basie Orchestra (long after Basie passed away however), and I look forward to working with him this evening. The only downers at the moment: I seem to have come down with a bit of a cold, and my roommate continues to reveal his insanity to me. The guy NEVER leaves the room; he practices the drums by tapping weird syncopations and polyrhythms on his lap while counting aloud and listening to his metronome through headphones. Not fun. Unfortunately, he is here through January 10 as well, so hopefully we can find a way to make it through the next four months. It’s a shame, really.
Tonight’s schedule is actually a bit heavy: I’m playing from 5:15-6:15, 7:45-8:45, then 9:45-11:00 and 11:15-12:15. Four hours. This will all undoubtedly be followed by at least a little consumption of alcohol at the QV Crew Bar. The most I have paid for a drink thus far is $1.25 and that was for a shot of Jose Cuervo. I love that place. The only downside is that it closes at 1, but you can purchase excess beverages in advance to prepare for their early last call.
I have discovered that the Internet is both expensive and slow, so I will probably be posting every few days. As for posting photos, it is looking like that will have to wait until after I return to the states, or hopefully, until I can get online at an internet café on land.
September 20, 2008
Another Day at Sea
Yesterday evening was a great time; I finally got to do some playing, and enjoyed it immensely. The first two sets were for the captain’s party; no dancing, just easy tunes played by a quintet (trio + tenor + trumpet first set / alto saxophone second set), and after the first set, the bandleader came up to me and said, “I can’t tell you how happy I am to have you in the band,” and handed me a glass of champagne. After the captain’s party, the first formal ball on board took place, so the next two sets were for the dancers.
The band sounds real solid, and they’re a great group of guys as well. Everyone but the trombone player is American, and together we probably make up 1/3 of the Americans on board. The majority of the crew seems to hail from the Philipines, Ukraine, or England, but the ship is definitely staffed by people from everywhere. One of the things I missed about working on cruises is that you get the chance to experience living with people from other parts of the world, and additionally, you get to experience living with people that ARE NOT AMERICANS. I cannot explain the differences, but it is a welcomed change.
We dock in Kusadasi, Turkey, tomorrow, but unfortunately, I will be unable to get off because of some new-staff training and a rehearsal in the morning, and the ship sets sail at 1pm. Monday and Tuesday we will be in Istanbul, where all I have planned thus far is a trip to a local hookah bar on Monday night; then we’re off to Odessa and Yalta in the Ukraine before we hit Athens on the 27th and then Sicily before our final destination of the voyage: Rome. From the looks of things, I will be going to the Parthenon in Athens, which is one of the few things I am dying to see. From what I hear, it is covered in scaffolding (as is the rest of the Acropolis), but it will still be a great experience.
Okay that’s all for now; hopefully I’ll get another one of these out by the time I reach Athens.
wToday was the big day. I finally set foot on a cruise ship for the first time in over three years (I signed off of the Carnival Conquest in New Orleans on August 21, 2008, one week before Hurricane Katrina), and what a wonderful day it is: the musical director on board actually gave my band the night off (which means I am going to take a nap and then it’s off to the crew bar to have a few beverages). I was talking to the drummer from my band and he said that since he came aboard in April, this is the third night he had been given off.
Let me start out by saying that getting from JFK to Venice was anything but easy. My initial itinerary was awesome: fly from JFK to Charles de Gaulle in Paris at 915pm on Tuesday night, and then on Wednesday, after a short two-hour layover, fly from CDG to Venice., arrive by 2-ish and go from the hotel I stayed at on the mainland onto the island and look around. Unfortunately, the air traffic controllers at Marco Polo airport didn’t think too highly of this plan and decided that some of them should go on strike. Consequently, my flight was canceled. I was initially put on a flight for Thursday that would get me into Venice around 530pm. This was not good; it would mean staying in a hotel overnight in Paris (which wouldn’t be the end of the world, except as I later discovered, they HATE Americans; for more on that, see my last posting to the blog). Upon arriving in Paris, I went straight to a few different Air France ticketing/reservations counters, when finally I arrived at one who could help. She gave me three options:
1. Wait around and see if I could get on a 4:30 flight to Venice (it was about 1030 in the morning at this point, and I definitely wasn’t the only one who needed to get there)
2. She said, and this is a direct quote: “I can get you to Milan, but it would then be your responsibility to get to Venice from there. “
3. Take a 2pm flight from Paris to Rome, and then an 815 flight from Rome to Venice.
I went with option number 3, and ended up getting to the hotel around 10-1030pm. I would like to meet the person that would take option 2 in that situation.
The hotel I stayed at was pretty cool, called Hotel Venizia, VERY old fashioned, with gold-colored trim and the like. The bathroom was weird in that there was no floor partition between the shower and the rest of the bathroom, but just a curtain. I haven’t ever seen that, not even on cruise ships.
My body seemed to adjust okay with the time-difference, as I fell asleep somewhere between 1230 and 1am. I was up at 7am, so I had enough time to go and eat before being picked up at 745 by the bus that took me to my new home: the Queen Victoria.
I probably managed to make it to my cabin at about 845, 9ish this morning, and went on a quick tour with my musical director, who is a quirky old Australian named Fred. It has taken me no time to realize his favorite expression, hands down, is “Bottom line, mate,” which is often followed by “you can’t do this,” or “you MUST do that every time ‘x’ or ‘y’ occurs”. I haven’t heard many good things about Fred; in fact, I am yet to hear a good thing about him. Thankfully, he plays in the other orchestra so I won’t have to deal with him too much [keeping fingers crossed].
At around 11, my roommate, Gary, a 40-year-old drummer (from the other orchestra as well) woke up and I finally met him. He’s quite quirky himself, and unfortunately, he is not a night owl. Should be fun. Also, he enjoys practicing his drumming by tapping on his knees with a metronome on in the background. Nonetheless, he will never be worse than the DJ I had to live with on the Carnival Destiny in 04: Terry from Tulsa, who was quite possibly the biggest redneck I’ve ever met, and a scientologist to boot. To each their own, I understand that, but come on. I guess I’ll just have to make due.
The one sad point of the day is when I reviewed my in-port-manning schedule, which shows when I have to stay on board the ship [regulations require that a certain number of crewmembers stay on]. This cruise, I believe it’s Athens and also Istanbul, which isn’t horrible since we’ll be back more than once to both these places. Sadly, Fred didn’t take into account that he also scheduled my group so we NEVER get to get off in Alexandria, Egypt, which is, as the Italians say, NON BUONO! Hopefully I will be able to find someone to switch with me as there is NO WAY I will be missing out on seeing the pyramids. We shall see though, we shall see.
Other than that, there is not too much to report. I will say that the room I am playing in, the Queen’s Room, is BEAUTIFUL, as is the entire ship. She’s practically brand new (less than a year old), and her facilities are top-notch. I got a chance to play briefly on the piano I’ll be using and I am very happy! It is a Yamaha baby grand, and it sounds perfect to me. Unfortunately, I will not be able to play in there until tomorrow night, but I’ll take the one night off I’m lucky to see for a while.
I am looking forward to going up on the crew deck this evening when we set sail at 10pm… it is the front-most open deck on the ship, and there’s even a little hot tub there. It should be beautiful at night!
That’s all for now, ciao from the Queen Victoria!
September 19, 2008
At Sea, sailing to Kusadasi, Turkey
Yesterday evening was remarkable. We set sail from the dock in Venice at about 10pm, and shortly thereafter, we were in the Grand Canal! I stopped off at the crew bar, bought myself a Corona (for $1), and went outside and got my first glimpses of the real city of Venice. Words cannot describe how beautiful a moment this was. I had been waiting my whole life to see Venice, and it was well worth the wait. We dock there again October 11-13, and I am eager to walk around the city and perhaps go for a traditional gondola ride.
So far, everything is, more or less, going well. The band I am playing in, the Queen’s Room Orchestra seems to be stacked with solid players across the board and I fear I might be the weakest link [goodbye?]. The trumpet player, Andre, even spent seven years playing for the Count Basie Orchestra (long after Basie passed away however), and I look forward to working with him this evening. The only downers at the moment: I seem to have come down with a bit of a cold, and my roommate continues to reveal his insanity to me. The guy NEVER leaves the room; he practices the drums by tapping weird syncopations and polyrhythms on his lap while counting aloud and listening to his metronome through headphones. Not fun. Unfortunately, he is here through January 10 as well, so hopefully we can find a way to make it through the next four months. It’s a shame, really.
Tonight’s schedule is actually a bit heavy: I’m playing from 5:15-6:15, 7:45-8:45, then 9:45-11:00 and 11:15-12:15. Four hours. This will all undoubtedly be followed by at least a little consumption of alcohol at the QV Crew Bar. The most I have paid for a drink thus far is $1.25 and that was for a shot of Jose Cuervo. I love that place. The only downside is that it closes at 1, but you can purchase excess beverages in advance to prepare for their early last call.
I have discovered that the Internet is both expensive and slow, so I will probably be posting every few days. As for posting photos, it is looking like that will have to wait until after I return to the states, or hopefully, until I can get online at an internet café on land.
September 20, 2008
Another Day at Sea
Yesterday evening was a great time; I finally got to do some playing, and enjoyed it immensely. The first two sets were for the captain’s party; no dancing, just easy tunes played by a quintet (trio + tenor + trumpet first set / alto saxophone second set), and after the first set, the bandleader came up to me and said, “I can’t tell you how happy I am to have you in the band,” and handed me a glass of champagne. After the captain’s party, the first formal ball on board took place, so the next two sets were for the dancers.
The band sounds real solid, and they’re a great group of guys as well. Everyone but the trombone player is American, and together we probably make up 1/3 of the Americans on board. The majority of the crew seems to hail from the Philipines, Ukraine, or England, but the ship is definitely staffed by people from everywhere. One of the things I missed about working on cruises is that you get the chance to experience living with people from other parts of the world, and additionally, you get to experience living with people that ARE NOT AMERICANS. I cannot explain the differences, but it is a welcomed change.
We dock in Kusadasi, Turkey, tomorrow, but unfortunately, I will be unable to get off because of some new-staff training and a rehearsal in the morning, and the ship sets sail at 1pm. Monday and Tuesday we will be in Istanbul, where all I have planned thus far is a trip to a local hookah bar on Monday night; then we’re off to Odessa and Yalta in the Ukraine before we hit Athens on the 27th and then Sicily before our final destination of the voyage: Rome. From the looks of things, I will be going to the Parthenon in Athens, which is one of the few things I am dying to see. From what I hear, it is covered in scaffolding (as is the rest of the Acropolis), but it will still be a great experience.
Okay that’s all for now; hopefully I’ll get another one of these out by the time I reach Athens.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Sightseeing is fun from the sky...
I thought I'd put up a photo of the Alps, which was taken during my flight from Paris to Rome. True beauty lies within nature!
The Mid-Travel Blog
Greetings from CDG Airport in Paris! This posting will be a bit more negative than usual, so I apologize in advance.
There are three things I hate right now:
1. Air France employees in New York
2. Most people from France (for seeming to hate Americans)
3. Air Traffic Controllers in Venice.
Due to a lovely strike by #3 from above, my connecting flight from CDG to Venice was canceled. They couldn't even put me on another flight but only could put me on STANDBY. I didn't even know how I was going to ultimately be getting to Venice until about 11:50am (Paris Time) Today! Why do I hate Air France's New York Employees? They booked me on a flight going out the WRONG DAY to Venice. That really helps; thanks a MILLION!
I should retract number 2 from above. French people can be cool. All the Club Med GOs from France tend to be good people; however, it is no secret that the French hate Americans (and apparently British people as well). There is no question as to whether they are able to speak English or not. Nevertheless, when conversing with someone WHO ONLY SPEAKS ENGLISH, THEY CHOOSE TO SPEAK FRENCH. WHY? I HAVE NO IDEA!!! On the other hand, it was still cool to experience their lack of Gringo-Tolerance first-hand. Culture shock is definitely going on over here and I am yet to leave the airport.
I will close this blog on two positive notes:
1. As my flight approached Paris, I was lucky enough to spot the Eiffel Tower from the distance and got to snap a few photos of it even (will post when I can). I was hoping to get to see it while flying into Paris but was uncertain as to whether or not it would happen. It definitely brightened my morning.
2. The next time you hear from me, I will be in Italy, or at sea after departing from Italy; it's really a win-win either way.
I shall leave you with that; au revoir mes amis. :-)
Monday, September 15, 2008
As Departure Nears, Sleep Deprivation Occurs...
It is 3:14am, and for some reason, I am feeling compelled to post something right now. I am sitting on my bed watching Gladiator, and I cannot help but remember how this all started.
Friday Afternoon, May 16, 2008:
I was sitting in my cubicle; it was just another regular long day at the office when my phone rang. It was Lesley Tascon calling from Suman Entertainment, a small booking agency based in Miami that deals mostly with getting musicians/bands work at sea. Lesley mentioned there were a couple contracts available with the Cunard Line, and after viewing the itineraries, I knew that I had been presented with an amazing opportunity. After about a week of back-and-forth emailing with Lesley and Michael Suman, the head of the agency, I finally got the call the morning of May 22nd that Cunard was going to hire me. I couldn't help but jump for joy when I hung up the phone. I ran to the nearest person in the office and while still shaking exclaimed, I GOT THE JOB. I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!
________________
It is interesting to look back at the very beginning of the prologue to this journey, especially when I am so close to actually writing Chapter 1. I am about 48 hours away from touching seeing Europe for the first time in over a decade, and quite frankly, I really do not know what to expect. I am still in retention of the mentality that if I get to see Venice, the Parthenon, and the Coliseum, everything else will be an added bonus.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Oh, The Places I'll Go...
On my way home from [my antepenultimate day at] work, I stopped in at the local Barnes & Noble to look at some travel books in preparation for my journey. I grabbed a book on Malta (the port I knew the very least about) and it was while giving it a quick browse that I realized I am EXTREMELY UNPREPARED in the 'What Should I Go See' department. On that note, I hereby announce that I am open to suggestions for what to do in these wonderful ports of call. I am more or less covered for the Caribbean (Beach Beach Beach), but as far as European destination goes, help me out! I would love for them to be left as comments on this entry, or you can email me them or message me them on Facebook.
Thank you in advance!
Monday, September 1, 2008
2:15pm
Today I woke up this morning to a pleasant surprise: an email from Cunard with a few attachments enclosed. I finally have all the necessary paperwork (or at least, the forms that are required in order to obtain all necessary paperwork) to sign onto the Queen Victoria on September 18th.
Included in the email was my flight information, which is something I had been waiting on for quite some time now. It wasn't a life or death situation, as I don't leave for another 2 weeks, but I just wanted to know. I am scheduled to depart JFK on an Air France plane September 16th at 9:15 pm, and after a 90-minute layover the following morning at Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris, I arrive at 2:15 PM on Wednesday, September 17, in Venice, which should give me PLENTY of time to explore Venice that evening prior to boarding the ship some time on Thursday Morning.
Venice is one of those places that I feel like everyone should go see at least once in their lifetime. I have heard mixed things about the city; some people say it is dirty, and most people say it smells bad. But in the end, it is practically a floating city, which negates foul odors and dirt/trash sitting on the city streets or floating on the canals. Besides, anyone who knows me knows that trash doesn't seem to bother me. My mother was right in buying me a little sign with a skull and cross-bones pirate symbol on it which states "THIS ROOM IS A WRECK". I have wanted to see Venice ever since first hearing about it as a child and am glad that day will finally come.
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