Copenhagen to London and so much more!

Copenhagen. What a wonderful city! In the city center I found a long people only street filled to the brim with shops, (one more tick for Disney Copenhagen!) people, and chatter. I found a really neat peter-pan looking green sleeveless shirt that I had to get, it was on salg. (that’s a cross between Norwegian and Danish for Sale.) I also bought some candy and got whistled at in the street. Apparently people are not timid about what they want in Denmark. Well, any way I had a lovely day in Copenhagen as it was my second visit there. We boarded somewhere around 250 new guests as per the usual debark / embark day and they seem to be a nice crowd.

Some photos from Copenhagen!

Our next POC, or port of call, was Sczenzen, Poland! A pretty but needy little city with grand grassy hillsides leading up from the riverside, into the hot city center, which had a giant shopping center called galaxy, where I spent the better part of four hours catching up on my internet, TV shows and all the things I haven’t done or seen on-line in the last two months. There was a supermarket with the most reasonable prices and I bought some Polish Cheetos. They are the most amazing junk food ever; I only wish I had bought more! They are kind of a giant long puff rather then the gnarly little bumpy things in the states (look at me all European calling America “the states”).

Nina and I in front of a Church in Poland:

After that came Warnemunde, Germany! A neat port near Rostock, which had a beautiful beach and a long fair looking market street. We walked along the market street and I invested some money in some German Haribo Gummy bears (duh) and they were just as good, if not better then they are at home. Eric, Ares, Nina and I explored the street and looked all around at everything from the lighthouse to the waterfront windmills. The German people along with the Polish people, it seemed were not really versed in English as much as some of the other foreign speaking countries have been, so it was interesting to try and talk to the people who did not speak English.
We then went to the top of Denmark, to a small town called Skagen, pronounced Skaen (the g is silent). It was a boating town, which had a small little street of shops. There was a candy store making fresh fudge, which was delicious (however not as good as mums). Other then that, not much else, except for a random Gant, which I had no idea had a branch this far north in Denmark. We basically hopped back on the next shuttle bus back to the ship as there wasn’t much else, and it was pretty desolate; leave a bar called Javobs where everyone was having a drink at 10.30AM.

Germany:

After Skagen came Oslo, where I met up with my old friend Erik, who I hadn’t seen for fifteen years. We went to elementary school together for two years and became very good friends, then he went back to Norway. He recently found me on facebook and we reconnected and he took Nina and I around his city for the day. It was an amazing day… we went for a behind-the-scenes type look at the Jump tower where they held the long jump skiing world cup this past winter, and it had beautiful views over the city. We went to a wonderful garden filled with a lifetime’s work of statues by the same artist. He showed us the Castle, we had some lunch at this and then Nina left to go have some coffee with another crewmember. Erik took me around some other awesome sights like the beautiful opera house where we sat on the roof and ate some ice cream on the warm day…by the way I was in a tee most of the day! At the end of the day we said farewell, and that we shouldn’t let it be 15 years till the next time we see each other, hah!

Oslo: (more to come)

A day at sea led us to Amsterdam was our next venture; I took a lovely boat trip down the canals of the city and saw a couple museums and some beautiful gardens. Went past the house that Ann Frank was locked away in, and walked past some “coffee shops” where the smell alone made me enjoy my day more and more. Just kidding, however, we did get a strong puff of the stuff every time we walked by an open door. Nina and I went over to the red light district, and wow, there were half naked women standing in windows and doorways as far as the eye could see. What an interesting city; a beautiful city with a lot of bicycles.

Amsterdam:

We then sailed on to Ostende, Belgium, and Gemma and Nina and I went in search of wifi. We found along the way some delicious Belgian chocolate and some sweets and a very interesting street performer with a huge crowd riding a unicycle the height of my mother’s house! After a delicious Belgian waffle, we headed back to the ship and carried on to Honfleur. I was on IPM, again in Honfleur so I alas did not get the chance to go out and see the port, but looking on was nice and I had a wonderful lunch (a crab cake burger with fries) on the deck in the open air.

A photo of the cast and some guests:

After leaving France we sailed into London for the last time this contract, which again was amazing, even though it was pouring with rain. I still got chills going under Tower Bridge, which opens up like a magical pop-up book. When we ported in London we had an over night and then the next morning we were to get the next lot of guests for the next cruise. I decided to take the train down to the Isle of Wight and stay the night with Granny. It was the best decision I’ve made, as I was welcomed with open arms to a warm land based home and warm chicken roast. It was the best night I’ve had in a long while. Just me and granny. She always fills my heart with such joy. I am so happy that I got to see her even if it was just for the night. However the end of the Isle of Wight Regatta was that night so I even got fireworks!! I returned that morning for embarkation and then got off the ship for a wonderful all you can eat sushi dinner. Following that I had a little night by myself and went to tower bridge and let out a really loud crow like Peter Pan. It was amazing. Then I went back to the ship and we started our next cruise around the British Isles!

More photos to Come soon!

Lots of love to everyone. Remember to love!
Rhett

The Three Sisters in Norway

Hey everyone, so Bette Midler once introduced a song this way, and when it’s late and foggy out I always think of this, so I feel like starting my blog today the same way:

“I’m about to sing for you now, a song from the sea…Sometimes you get out on the sea in the middle of the night, and, you know, you can’t see your hand in front of your face. There’s a way to navigate though you know, by the stars...I never learned.”

The cast along the Geirangerfjord:

The Wedding Veil:

Ares is the new the Senior Accountant on board, so he is in charge of really boring things, that you wouldn’t want to hear about; well, boring to me. However he is not one of those people who sits at his desk with grey whiskers and a green visor cramming numbers into a calculator like The Producers leads us to believe; instead, after Nina and I met him in the gym (yes, you read that correctly mother, the gym) we all became buds and he took Nina and I on a tour of our next city Tromso. Norway’s towns get more interesting when you have a guide. We went across a bridge that was ¾ a mile long to the incredible Arctic Cathedral who’s architecture is absolutely stunning:

We walked all over, did I mention that Ares keeps asking me if I have been to the gym today?! He like to be very active and now that we’re friends he’s making me do the same. As I’m writing this Nina, who is sitting next to me kindly reminded me, “uh…you haven’t been to the gym in ages babe, you know that right?” Thanks Nina, for those loving words. I so appreciate them. After sitting down for a coffee in a little local coffee shop on the main street (which my the way, we started dubbing the main street in ever down Oxford Street, or fifth avenue for the Americans because the size difference is so ironic), the three of us went back to the ship and sailed on to Honningsvag, which is the very top of Norway!

Part of the Geirangerfjord:

The Seven Sisters:

I escorted a ship tour to the North Cape! The North Cape is the most northerly part of Europe and there is a building with a cinema (showing a wonderful film about the North Cape set to music), post office(where I got my port postcard!) and many a statue commemorating the area, including the famous globe! We were welcomed with a champagne and caviar toast in the bar with giant windows and a balcony cut into the cliff three stories below ground. There is even, get this, a Thai museum, which made me think of no one but one of my best friends Kavin, so I took a picture of it to show him, which I’ll have to post once I upload them. We met two bicyclists that had just arrived from the south of Spain, a whopping 3,000 miles away. It had taken them two months to get there, and we witnessed it. I even took a photo with them, again waiting on the upload. It was quite thrilling to look down the sheer cliffs that dropped 1,000 feet below into the ice-cold Barrant Sea of the North. The top of the world, pretty much. Well, with the rugged tundra and the 6,000 reindeer running around at 71˚ north it certainly felt like it.

Nina & I at The Globe at North Cape:

Gemma & I in Leknes:

After the Northcape, we rounded the top of Europe and sailed into Murmansk, Russia: a barren place, which was rundown and sad looking. I had IPM, so I stayed on, plus the Russian Government wouldn’t allow me to disembark anyhow as I was not on a scheduled tour and did not have a Visa to enter the country. I did however get out at Archangel, Russia on a tour of the city and it was nothing to write home about. It makes one realize how lucky we are to have what we have. It felt as though I was stepping into a time warp to the past. Some areas were nicer than others, but it felt as though the money was being put into having more secret service looking people roam the streets than anything else. I would have loved to get my hands on some caviar and vodka but wasn’t allowed to do anything outside the tour, so missed out on that one. I’m sure the other areas of Russia are lovely, but this far north it just seemed disappointing. Perhaps if I was Russian I would enjoy it more or be more familiar with everything. Our ballroom team, Anton and Olga who are Ukranian had a lovely time purchasing snacks and things that reminded them of home, so that reminded me that everything we experience in life is completely subjective.

Me at The Wedding Veil:

Nina & I in Hellesylt:

Me at the Hellesylt waterfalls, near where I jumped into the Fjord:

We had a couple of sea days, and in between them we stopped (for some wi-fi) in Hammerfest, Norway. A rainy little town with the most random shopping center, where we ran into another Peppes Pizza, I must have been wrong when I wrote a status update saying “Peppes Pizza. A Norwegian chain? Doubt it.” We have had internet from Peppes Pizza in almost every port that we’ve had internet in! Thank you Peppes Pizza! Haha. Anyway, a few more brightly colored houses. It’s funny, I don’t mean to drag on the towns in Norway, but they become the same thing after you’ve seen one of them. However the scenery is beautiful! We’re now in a slightly larger city, Kristiansund, Norway, sitting at, you guessed it another Peppes Pizza (haven’t tried their pizza yet, lol). It looks like a lovely town, the hillsides are packed with little houses that all look alike, I’m reminded of a song:

“Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes made of ticky tacky, Little boxes on the hillside, Little boxes all the same. There's a green one and a pink one and a blue one and a yellow one, and they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.”

We found this amazing fountain in Copenhagen:

Nina and I are just talking about the blog while I’m writing this and the second highest country views, after the US are from Slovenia, thanks to her mother, Ljuba! Thanks Ljuba!

A random Statue in Copenhagen, I had to put my head in the middle of:

Now then, I must tell you about the most amazing women that are on this eighteen day leg of the journey. They are three sisters, and as always I won’t use names, to protect their privacy. These women are amazing. They are funny and have so much life within them and are living every moment for what it is. Living life to the fullest. I admire them so much. I found out a few days ago that one of the sisters has cancer and is not doing to well. You would never know it. She is beautiful and happy all the time and in fact they celebrated a secret birthday party for her, which I found out about too late, so I’ll have to sing for her before she leaves. Anyway, they’ve taken a liking to us performers and by the end of the cruise we’ll have dined with them three times. Whenever they see me, they all shout my name with joy. It’s a wonderful thing to have such admiration from someone who has sailed with Silver Sea for many years and is a Lady! I mean an actual Lady, meaning her husband is a Sir! How cool. They give me such wonderful strength to see them facing this battle head on and living life to the fullest. Did I mention that they sit in the front row of all the shows and cheer until their hands are red!?! So in our Broadway show I sang a song for them called, “I’d Rather Be Sailing” which I have a new found love for as it is a song about doing exactly what they are doing. In context it is sung to someone who is in the hospital, and the singer is telling him to slow down and not worry about work, but to live his life the way he wants to live it, to do the things that bring him joy and to make the choice to live happily while he can. I love these three women for everything they are and I am so proud to know them and know that they love me back.

Me at The Royal Palace Square in Copenhagen:

We have our last show this leg tonight, a sea day tomorrow and then we get a whole new load of people in Copenhagen day after tomorrow! I hope all your lives are well, and everything in them is grand! If I’ve learned one thing this trip, its that you have no time to be anything other than elated, so just don’t be bothered to be miserable. Hah!

Lots of love - and I do mean love…spread the love, people don’t love enough,
Rhett

P.S. One of my best friends in the whole world Shanna made a video of herself doing a dramatic reading of the the opening sentence from my last blog (the one I'd put on the back of my book) and it made my life so happy. So although I can't share it with you, I just wanted to thank her for being so amazing!

Life in Norway

“As the unsullied and clean-tasting breeze passes through my hair, I look out over the bow of the ship to see the high Norwegian snow-capped mountains accompanied by the crystal white waterfalls cascading down the thunderous cliffs which drop into the deep green and blue waters of the Geirangerfjord.”

(more pics to come!)


Hello all,

I felt as thought if I should write a book about my experiences along the Norwegian coastline that would be the sentence on the back cover. A truly remarkable place, Norway is one breath-taking scenic view after another. I said this morning to a guest, “I think after a while, all my pictures start to look the same. Implausibly beautiful but how many water falls can one see in the span of ten minutes!?” Considering that one fall is called The Seven Sisters and is composed of seven different falls in one place, quite a lot I would imagine. Traveling all over Norway is amazing, however, this country is a lot of scenery and not a lot of city. I have yet to visit Oslo, which is Norway’s capital and cultural Mecca, but each town we do visit, has one main street and that is it folks. An amazing place to be for a few days, maybe a long vacation, but only one for those who want to get away from everything. I mean everything. Gemma, our new HR (human resources) manager, asked me as we were walking through the little town of Leknes, “What would you do if you lived here?” To which I responded, “Go on another hike? Uh, read another book? Take another nap?” So as you can imagine there isn’t too much to say about Norway… I don’t really know what I was expecting to say, but it is really summed up as: Norway is a place you have to visit and see to believe. I could keep saying it is gorgeous, but, it would get boring and my thesaurus would become tired. Of course, as far as town life goes: there is a lot of camping, and some great knitwear stores. Its also extraordinarily expensive here. Perhaps more exciting adventures will come when we hit the North cape. So far I’ve hiked to a few waterfalls, and oh yeah, how could I forget…

The most thrilling thing I have done so far on my adventures across the high seas, it wasn’t a long tour, nor did I go to an incredibly amazing man made landmark. Simply, I jumped into The Hellesylt Fjord. That’s right. I put my swimsuit on and jumped in. I don’t quite know how to describe it. Its something you have to do in your lifetime. The water is so clear and fresh. It felt as though pushpins were attacking me from every direction. Forget the feeling before I jumped, which was fear and elated excitement, after encroaching upon the water, for a split second, I did not know which way was up. I could only think that every tiny piece of skin on my body was being burnt in a warm fire. But it didn’t hurt; it was shocking. Then after the thrill it was cold. We (Vicki, Oli, Kelly and I) climbed up onto the pier and the surrounding air outside felt like a hot summer day. It was so warm and took us by surprise as it was not a brilliantly sunny or warm day. All I can say is if you are ever in a Norwegian Fjord…jump in.

I also don’t want to forget that before we left for Norway, we had a debark / embark day in Copenhagen, and it was awesome. Nina and I woke up at 6.45 and left to go out into the almost deserted city, save a few drunk and naked men who were climbing out of the harbor from a swim after their very long night. We went to The Little Mermaid statue, which no one was at as it was seven in the morning. Funny enough after our walk through town, visiting the royal palace square and other incredible sights along the harbor, when we came back to the statue (which was near the ship) around 9.30 there were hoards of people taking photos and clobbering all over each other to stand near it.

I’ll be in Norway for about the next week and a half, so I’ll keep you posted on what happens. Were headed up to Archangel, Russia before we turn around on our way back down to Copenhagen!

Always love,
Rhett