Spa Day

Sometimes the best way to see a port is not through a sponsored tour. It can be more fun to explore the port and surrounding areas on your own. Or, better yet, with a group of friends. This is what happened on our second consecutive day in Reykjavik, Iceland. 

After the overnight stay and tapas the evening before, Dustin (alto sax), Mark (trumpet), and myself rented a car and navigated our way to The Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is a geothermic spa about a 45 minute drive from the port area. To get there, you have to take a bus or drive through miles of rocky terrain. For a good portion of the trip, you may as well be on the moon. However, there is a reward at the end of that trip: an amazing spa complete with mineral rich water heated naturally, a swim up bar, floating massages, steam rooms, saunas, and an amazing lunch buffet. We fortuitously and unexpectedly met up with Shannon (singer from our last production cast) and Dieter (production manager) and a few other ship friends at the Lagoon and had a terrific day. 

Mark and I with the rental car.

Some ship friends in the spa.

"What the hell kinda rock is this?"

Arrival photo.

Mineral rich water.

It's a HUGE spa. All "jacuzzi" warm!

Specific shower instructions.

Shannon was not looking at the camera. First time for everything!

Mark and Dieter.

Dustin, Shannon, and me.

Dustin with some fresh wheat grass juice (or something).

My facial mask (self applied).

Swim/wade up bar.

Look at that SKY!

Tapas…in Iceland?

I experienced a scheduled overnight port with Adventure of the Seas during our cruise to Iceland and Norway. The ship docked in Reykjavik, Iceland late morning on a Tuesday and didn't leave until the following Wednesday evening allowing the crew members a rare opportunity to spend some time off the ship at night. You know…when it's dark outside? 

After playing our big band set, a few of the band members and myself made a decision to try to get to a tapas bar downtown. The problem is, the bar closed at around 10 pm. We left the ship at 8:45 pm. Doesn't seem like a big deal until you realize that the downtown area of Reykjavik is not within walking distance from the pier. To complicate matters further, taxi service was sporadic. Not to mention all of the other groups of crew members trying to make it to downtown before all the local establishments closed as well. 

It took a bit of doing, but, we made it. Stepping into the tapas bar just before the kitchen closed and sweet talking the staff to let us stay late, we took our seats. After ordering half of the menu (seriously…it was as if we hadn't eaten in weeks) the meal included some of the tastiest food I've had since signing on the ship. I even tried whale. Chewy, but, not bad!

I've said it before and I'll say it again: there's something about doing things as a group of friends that brings you closer together and enriches the experience. Even just a simple taxi ride to a late dinner can turn into an incredibly memorable experience.

Mark is ready to eat!

L - R: Mark (trumpet), Kris (drums), me, Dustin (alto sax)

Kris looking tough.

This picture taken JUST before his tapas slid off the plate.

Dustin doing his thing. He's eating puffin - a local bird.

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

Another beautiful port in Norway is a small village called Flåm. Protected from the ocean by the mountainous fjord, Flåm is a quiet, almost miniature, port for the Adventure of the Seas. The ship looms huge and hulking over the small village where guests and crew visit to take tours and enjoy nature hikes. No major industry here with the constant loading and offloading of cargo ships in the harbor slips next to the cruise ship commonly found in most other ports. Flåm is a respite from all of that. Dustin (alto sax), Andrew (tenor sax), and myself took the opportunity to hike to a waterfall that was visible from the ship. A beautiful day with some great scenery and wonderful exercise. Enjoy the video below.

Touring Ålesund, Norway

One of the advantages to being a crew member is the ability to escort shore excursions. The job of the tour escort is to guide the paying guests to the transportation off the ship (usually a bus), help count heads when leaving tour destinations, and enjoy what the tour has to offer while filling out a comment/rating sheet. That's it. In addition to the job being really easy, you get to go on tours for free. Nice!

I took the opportunity to escort a tour of Ålesund on our last visit. I wanted to get out of the port city and enjoy a little bit of the countryside and inland areas. As it turns out, there aren't very many inland areas of Norway to explore. I did get a chance to see and learn many different things about the town thanks to our tour guide, Aydin (like Haydn, the composer, but without the 'H'). Aydin is Turkish, but, moved to Ålesund in 1977. He speaks Turkish, Norwegian, and English and LOVES boogie-woogie rock and roll. 

The town of Ålesund (3rd largest city in Norway, I believe) was re-formed by fire in 1904. A fire started in a canning factory and burned through most of the port city including setting fire to many fishing sailboats in the harbor. The fire extinguished due to lack of fuel - it had literally destroyed everything in it's path. There was only one casualty in the fire, one elderly woman who actually lived next to the fire station. She got out of her house safely in time to avoid the fire, but, went back inside (presumably for belongings) and never made it back. Ålesund reflects the devastation of the incident today in that the area of the town that burned is divided from the VERY small area that didn't by the design and architecture of the buildings. When the town was rebuilt, many architects moved to town and took the opportunity to design very modern structures, for example, complete with indoor plumbing. Doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but, in 1904 it was rare. Furthermore, the rebuilt area of town contain concrete buildings as wood buildings were banned after the fire. Ålesund was rebuilt in 3 years. Over 600 of 850 buildings had to be replaced. 

Our first tour stop was at an aquarium near the shore. It's not exactly Sea World (although, maybe that's a good thing), but, the aquarium did have a lot to offer. Many fish indigenous to the waters of Norway could be viewed behind the glass in tanks. There were also a group of penguins living outside near the water's edge. Penguins are not found in Norway naturally, but, these animals seemed to be comfortable in their environment. The main attraction of the aquarium was the largest tank holding. I never got the exact dimensions of the tank, but, it is filled and refilled with over 10,000 liters of unfiltered sea water per minute. The water is sucked in through a pipe 450 meters out in the ocean. The tank was filled with hundreds of fish. Cod, halibut, wolf fish, and more. The 'glass' of the tank was actually acrylic plastic measuring 21 centimeters thick.  The fish are fed twice a day by a diver with shrimp and pieces of smaller fish. I was lucky enough to be there during a feeding and got a few photos of the diver inside the tank. Very cool.

Our next stop was at a very old church on a nearby island. We travelled to the island by bus through an undersea tunnel. Many of the islands in Norway are connected this way. The church is over 900 years old and, I believe, is one of the oldest in Norway. I thought the best part of the church stop was checking out the 900+ year old marble outside. Scratched into the marble were "kissing crosses." These scraggly crosses are reported to get you absolution of sins for 90 days if they were kissed on the birthdays of certain saints. Pretty good get-out-of-jail-free-card for a little smooch. 

We also stopped at a lighthouse (which I climbed all the way to the top of) and a mountaintop lookout. Some great views were captured at both places. I also had a homemade waffle with jam and coffee at the lighthouse. Excellent! Homes on the mountaintop start at 1 million USD. Don't think I'll be retiring there anytime soon.

Anyway, I learned a lot about Norway on my tour. Looking forward to escorting some tours to Rome and Pisa when we return to the Med.

The Big Tank.

From just outside the aquarium.

This is the pipe that fills the big tank with ocean water.

Penguins. Just hanging out.

Ringing the dinner bell for all the little fishies.

A farm near the lighthouse stop.

Not great weather, but, beautiful views anyway.

The view from the top of the lighthouse.

This house has a turf roof. Kind of cool.

From the mountaintop lookout.

I can see my house from here! Wait, that's just my ship.

I took a picture of the mountaintop lookout from the pier.

Skjolden - A Beautiful Port

Made our second stop in Norway this cruise in Skjolden (don't ask me to pronounce that). A beautiful, SMALL, town located at (I'm told) the furthest inland fjord in Norway. A fjord is an narrow oceanic waterway, usually surrounded by mountains. I didn't get far off the ship today, as I was busy with other things onboard, however I was able to take some amazing photos and video from Decks 4 and 5. I put them together in a short iMovie for the blog. This is truly a beautiful place. Next week when we return I'll take a tour to either the glacier or to the waterfalls nearby. Either one should be amazing. These photos will have to suffice for now.

Photo Post - Malaga, Civitivecchia, La Spezia, Gibraltar, Southampton

Being back in Malaga was a trip for me. When did my first contact on Adventure of the Seas, Malaga was my sign-on and home port for 3 weeks. Lots of memories for me here. My first trip to Europe, ever. Upon my return, I checked out some old hang spots, grabbed a cup of coffee, had a bit of pizza and took a picture of a shopping area and some shade-providing-thingys that I always thought were cool.

See the curved shade line? Makes the return to the

ship walk a little more fun.

Civitivecchia

My first port in Italy. My first experience of Italy. Actually, really turned me off. I found almost every person I met there to be generally rude. This must be a isolated experience since I've heard so many great things about Europe and Italy especially. I can't wait to get back there and work on changing my impression. In spite of all that negativity, Dustin and I had a good time eating local cuisine and trying some limoncello.

There is old stuff in Europe. 

Deserted afternoon street. Why stay open

during the busiest shopping hours? What's the

point of that?

I got the 4 cheese pizza. Awesome.

Dustin enjoying and mocking local

culture at the same time. 

Always represent UM. Go Blue!

Big guy. Tiny gelato. Tiny spoon.

Limoncello. Liquor made from lemon rinds. Not

my favorite, but, at least I tried it!

La Spezia

My second port in Italy. My second experience of Italy. A polar opposite to my first experience (Civitiveccia) here, La Spezia was great. Beautiful, secluded, quiet, and the people were largely friendly and welcoming. Maybe this was because it was Sunday and everything was closed (except for ONE restaurant)!

Just a short walk from the pier.

Gardens, gardens, gardens.

More gardens.

Cool pedestrian bridge.

For some reason, I take pictures of statues.

Local theater.

More old European stuff. The wall, not the bikes.

How old is this?

Dustin prepping for fresh cooked seafood!

Pasta carbonara with seafood.

Pro tip: always get dessert.

The owner's dog with a face only a mother could love.

Random.

Gibraltar

My time here was quite short. After sleeping in (after a late night gaming/music session onboard, no doubt) I jumped off the ship to grab a quick bit of internet time. Still had a chance to take a couple of snapshots, though. One of "The Rock" and a statue commemorating a wartime evacuation of Gibraltar. More investigation to come soon!

Pretty sure they mean the evacuation of Gibraltar. I'm 

this is not a statue of "Gibraltarians" being evacuated.

Trust me, no one wants to see that. Think about it.

Southampton

Not much to say here. I wandered around aimlessly and unsupervised in port for about 3 hours during my first turnaround here. Apparently, I went the wrong direction when I left the ship and therefore missed most of the shopping and internet offerings here. Things were so bad, I ate at T.G.I Fridays. Yikes. However, I did think this picture of the port entrance (with the cloud break in the background) was pretty cool. Snapped this pic with my iPhone 5. #shamelessnamedrop

Quick hits - Tales from the European Trail

A mixture of old and new experiences awaited me upon (re) sign-on to the Adventure of the Seas. Obviously, having spent 6.5 months here on my previous contract, I know my way around. Finding my cabin, all the training meetings, rehearsal spaces, and dining areas are as simple as a little refresher course. New to me was signing on a ship and seeing familiar faces. Some people who were here during my last contract are still here. Not just musicians, either. I mean, moving back in with my roommate and having most of the orchestra be the same as before is great. Definitely a treat to play with musicians that you know. Old friendships are rekindled quickly and former routines quickly become re-established. On the other hand, it's interesting to have share the "recognition up-nod" with officers, mess attendants, cruise staff, blue boys, stage staff, and many other departments. Ship life is temporary and unique, so, it's interesting to return to a ship and have it feel habitual and comfortable. Broken in like an old pair of shoes.

In addition to feeling accustomed to my surroundings, I learned within a few days of signing on that 3 people who I've worked with before on previous contracts will be joining us on Adventure soon. This is great news. As excited as I am to meet new people, it's going to be terrific to get back together with these folks.

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I'm working my way back into my workout routine. Well, that's not really true. I'm not working my way back at all. I decided to get back on the Body For Life program. I'm in my 4th week and feeling pretty good. The workout portion of the program is easy to do. I'm literally 1 minute from the gym. Roll out of bed, step in the elevator, walk in the gym, commence getting ripped. The hard part for me is the diet regimen. I'm not allowed to bring food back to my room, especially fruit or protein sources. It's a fine line, but, I'm really not supposed to. The mess is literally on the other end of the ship and my eating schedule doesn't really align with the mess schedule. Not aligned enough in order to eat 6 times per day as the program recommends, anyway. However, I'm sticking to this as best as I can. I have a calendar, I'm journaling my workouts, and working towards goals. We'll see how this goes. I have a big reward planned for me at the end of this rainbow.

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Elmore Leonard died this past Tuesday. He is one of my favorite authors. No doubt, his connection to Michigan and the city of Detroit was part of that, but, he is clearly recognized as one of the giants of modern fiction. Especially, in the realm of crime fiction. Ernest Hemingway was his idol and after Leonard started his career writing short stories in the Western genre, he moved to crime novels. His crime writing, largely set in Detroit and Florida (or some combination of the two, as in Out Of Sight, for example) is some of the best I've ever read. Leonard was known by readers and other authors alike for being a master of dialogue and for his concise style. I enjoyed those parts of his writing, but, to me his greatest achievement would be in the development of characters that lived on the fringe of society, but, were made into protagonists. As the reader, you ended up rooting for the loan sharks, mob muscle men, and bank robbers of Leonard's world. He was famous for "trying to leave out the part [of books] that readers skip" and, reportedly, "would rather be writing than doing anything else…except maybe watching the Tigers." You'll be missed, Dutch.

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Recently, during a late evening/early morning listening session onboard, a few musicians and myself were watching a DVD of a concert featuring Duke Ellington. All of us were marveling at the musicality and swing of the classic band. They are the BEST, for sure. There was one song, that I had trouble listening to, however. It's called Solitude. Probably the saddest and most relatable lyrics (for me anyway) of the genre. Check it out. Those who know me will get this. The song hits so close to home for me. Still a ways to go, I guess.

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Being back onboard is not without its interesting and testing moments that drive me to sarcasm. A few of these include: 

1) Yes, instead of using headphones like a normal person, please play your music super loud on your phone/iPod. Everything sounds like crap on those tiny speakers, including your Caribbean-DubStep-Mashup-Rap-Merengue. 

2) Just go ahead and walk down the middle of the hallway/sidewalk. I'm not, like, 6'9" and trying to dodge hi-fogs, doorways, and bulkheads or anything. This also includes sidewalks off the ship. Is this a European thing?

3) This just in, the gym is apparently a playground. Being based out of Southampton also includes packs of roving pre-tween riffraff in the gym crowding around machines and watching each other go through the motions and play around on the weight equipment. Some of us are actually here to do real work, kids. 

Thanks for listening, everybody. I feel better now. 

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Recently, during another late night hang session in the MD cabin, a Johnny Carson DVD was played. Believe it or not, it was my first experience with that show. I found it…hilarious. Late Night onboard with the King of Late Night. Yes, please. More of that, thanks.

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If you aren't watching The Newsroom on HBO, you should be. It's the latest Aaron Sorkin vehicle and it's awesome. Sure, it shares a lot of characteristics with other Sorkin shows (The West Wing, Sportsnight, Studio Sixty on the Sunset Strip, etc), but, those are good things. Smart characters. Fast, witty, intelligent dialogue. Relevant stories. It's a show that expects a level of return and investment from the audience. That's how TV should be. Funny, dramatic, and challenging.