6/13/12 day 49: Oslo, Norway

The first time I was in Oslo was in Sept of 2009. It was on my very first European Tour. I had my guitar on back, my huge pedal board in one hand and my suitcase in the other hand. It was snowing and yet I had sweat through all the layers of clothing I had. We played a joint called Palace Grill and the first song I played was "What I'm Looking For." The guitar was badly out of tune, and I think that night we stayed on a boat in the harbor across from the Opera House. That's really all I remember from that night. Weird to walk around this city again. Only three years have gone by but I feel like a different person.

My buddy Jason and I hit the streets after lunch. Our other companions celebrated Philipino Independence too hard last night and decided to stay in bed. We started off across the harbor towards Aker Brygge, with pier side restaurants and cafes. It was about 60 degrees and mostly cloudy but the patios were busy with people. There was a TGIFridays there and it was jumping. Jason and I both needed some time with a coffee and reliable Internet so we hit Wayne's Coffee that looked suspiciously like a Starbucks. No matter, it had Internet, that was the important thing. We then walked up towards the palace, as sun began to break through the clouds, and maybe we were experiencing palace fatigue, but we were both underwhelmed by this one. We walked east down past the University and headed into the pedestrian shopping area. I looked for red pants, which I am starting to think I will just pick up when I get back to the states. Red pants, people, everyone is wearing them and I will not be left behind in this fashion trend. We headed south to the Opera House and then back along the water to the ship.
Lots of construction along the water as with many Scandinavian port cities. ln a time of economic difficulty I wonder if they are realizing that there is money to be made with these cruise ships. I want to start opening Internet cafes in ports and cater to the crew of the ships. Good coffee, fast Internet, snacks and beer, postcards AND stamps, etc. Now I need an angel investor! Who is in?

Hosted my first table tonight. Everyone in the entertainment department "hosts" a table in the main dining room tonight was my first time. Basically, guests are invited to join you for dinner. They get to chat with the entertainers and I get an amazing dinner and a chance to connect w some of the guests. It was actually a lot of fun. My table was very cool, we were 8 total, and we chatted about travel, European economy, American healthcare. They were very curious about ship life and what it is like working on a ship. The dinner apparatus, meaning the attentive waiters, the luxurious and spacious dining area, the elegant table spread, the amazing food and the presentation were very formal but not stuffy. The meal was delicious: I had slow roasted beet and goat cheese gateau with sherry vinaigrette, and then potato leek soup with lobster croutons, and then oven roasted tenderloin with a prosciutto and gruyere filling and Gorgonzola spatzle.... Um yeah. It was bomb. I would have taken pics, but I thought I'd play it cool instead. I did have to miss dessert though as I had to play another set in the club. I had a good crowd though and will be as to see some of the guests leave the cruise in a couple days.

All in all, a pretty killer day.