On The Kiel Canal

Good day to you all!

Nina and I in overlooking Falmouth, in England:

Saw this in Top Shop and had to wear it in Saint Helier:

I can’t believe that Norway is on the horizon. NORWAY! We’ll be in the North Cape soon enough, who would have ever thought I would be exploring the top of the world? I can’t wait and am so excited. Where did I leave you off last time?!

Paris? well, here are some photos:

Arc de Triomphe:

Nina and I at Louis Vuitton:

Louvre:

I would love to tell you a few stories about ship life, if you’d like to hear them? Any objections? Well… guess not. Haha. (I amuse myself.) After our Broadway show in the Panorama Lounge this guest came up to me, she took my hand in hers and looked deep into my eyes and I was ready for her to tell me something about her late husband and how she missed him or something like that, the usual about how “someone to watch over me” was her favorite song and how she was so glad that I chose to sing it (as it is truly one of my favorites) and yet, this little old lady, took hold of my hand and said, “You, Rhett, are a glass of warm milk.” I mean, what? A glass of warm milk? I almost laughed. Perhaps it’s and expression I’ve never heard before; I mean, my grandmother drinks a glass of warm milk every night before bed, so maybe for someone who does that so often, she was saying I was indispensable? But it seemed as if she was coming on to me. Anyway, it was definitely an amazing moment in my life. Haha.

Notre Dame:

Here is me next to a statue in the Louvre gardens:

This is just silly:

Our fabulous cruise director Judie is leaving us for a two-month holiday at the end of this cruise when we reach Copenhagen. I am a bit distraught. She is the best. A cruise director is exactly what it sounds like. She makes everything happen. She organizes the entire operation of everything, from when the shows start to which newspapers the guests receive. She does it all and is so overly accommodating that I am sad to loose my “Dame Judie” as I’ve dubbed her. I have also titled her, “the voice in the sky” as she makes all of the announcements. For our Broadway show I wrote her a farewell song, (entitled “Judie, The voice In The Sky”) as my going away present to her and while it was a crowd pleaser and everyone was laughing in hysterics, she was brought to tears. Jimmy is our new cruise director and I’m sure he will be wonderful. I have heard great things and upon meeting him immediately got the sense he would be an excellent temporary replacement until Judie returns to us.

A sensible basket lift:

At a club:

Well my friends, I think I had just come back from Giverny, Monet’s home and gardens. That night we sailed into Honfleur. A lovely northern French town, one which I saw adoringly from the ship as, you guessed it IPM. A real you know what, sometimes. That’s alright, as I got the feeling it was much like the other. So I ran around the ship in my tennis shoes and suit, oh did I fail to mention the blisters from Paris? Well, they’ve healed since then, but the next day I was not in my boots, I’ll tell you that much!

From france up the coast to Belgium! A first for me. That gets added to the list of new countries I’ve visited: Spain, Portugal, The Faroe Islands of Denmark, Iceland, and now Belgium. Coming into the port of Ostend, I took a tour of the unbelievable Bruges. What an incredible place steeped in history! I went on a canal boat around the city and did a walking tour of the 15-18th century buildings. Unreal. I would go back there in a heartbeat. Also I tried my first street Belgian waffle with real Belgian chocolate. HOLY HEAVEN was that amazing. It was sin wrapped in a bow, and tasted like magic. I then indulged in the seasons prize mussels and fries for lunch (have I been getting this everywhere, duh!), which I must thank a wonderful couple from the Chicago area for. WE had had dinner the first night of the cruise and they saw me on the tour and invited me for lunch with them! How sweet of them to feed a starving actor, as this tour was a lunch on your own tour and I would have had to eat something really cheap, my budget just didn’t allow it. Anyway we then the three of us went to the famous chocolate shop called “The Chocolate Line” and there I purchased some indescribable Belgian chocolates. One was called non other than “Lara!” So of course I snatched that up. Let me tell you, the chocolate of my sister’s name, was an explosion of elation for my prim, picky and expensive taste buds.

Over the smooth sailing night we came to port in Antwerp the next day. A charming city, with some of the most attractive people I’ve seen yet. I did a little shopping. (I’ve taken an oath not to do so anymore. Well not a real oath as we’ll see how long that lasts…one day?) In Antwerp, there is the most beautiful Marble-esque train station, a long shopping street. Which has a Disney store of course. I’ve added that city to my list of Disney stores in Europe as well! London, Dublin, Edinburgh, Plymouth, Paris, and now Antwerp. Hopefully that list will grow too! (I’m such a mouse geek.) After Nina and I walked all over, grabbed hold of a Belgian waffle (again, Heaven created these) and some free wi-fi courtesy of McDonalds haha, we found that Urinetown the place, not the musical, really exists all over Europe. For those of you who don’t know, Urinetown, the musical, is about the future where the water supply is very low and there are laws preventing people from using restrooms apart from a select few that are taxed, so in other words, you have to pay to pee. As you might imagine, paying 0.40euro is not ideal, that’s almost a dollar to pee. I got yelled at for trying to only wash my hands! Thus the entire day I’ve been singing a theme song from the show, “it’s a privilege to pee”.

Next we had a day at sea, but we kept busy with Captains farewell parties, rehearsals, shows, and, as always, taking with guests. Currently we are transiting the beautiful Kiel Canal. With the greenery passing by my window maybe fifty feet away, its amazing to think that we will soon be in the Baltic Sea and at Copenhagen. I hear it’s a bit like passing through the Panama Canal, an interesting comparison, as it feels like we are floating through the middle of the countryside. I am enjoying looking out at the serene and tranquil breeze through the trees and watching the people waving from their houses which overlook the narrow passageway. A new and exciting cruise ahead and that also means a whole new faction of people.

Disney Store Paris. duh.

Until then, love, life and happiness to everyone. I purchased a shirt a few days ago which reads in bing bold blue letters, “IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY.” So enjoy life and the beautiful world that this life has given us. Stay positive and happy and many great things will come to you!
Love and care from who knows where (somewhere in the Keil Canal),
xoRhett