6/8/12 day 44: Bergen, Norway

Up and Adam today at 7:50 to escort a tour to the top of Mt Floien, one of the seven hills around Bergen. The tour was described as a "hike" but it's tough to gauge what that actually means. Most of the guests on the ship I wouldn't consider "hikers" i.e. they are generally older, less likely to volunteer for exercise. I flicked on the TV in my room at 815 to check the weather and to my surprise it looked clear. Skeptical, I brought a hat and a scarf just in case looks were deceiving. Among its many nicknames is "the rainy city," (it rains like 300 days a year) and I didn't want to take a chance. We struck out from the ship at 9 and walked along the very picturesque and very Norwegian old wharf or Bryggen pier where Hanseatic merchants set up shop long ago (see pic). We took a funicular part way up the mountain and started to ascend by foot. We passed a kindergarten group and runners and bikers of all ages. The weather held up. Could of gone with shorts had I trusted my eyes back in the cabin. The hiking trail was very well maintained and while it got moderately steep, was still very enjoyable. Once at the top, I found a seat on a rock and took it all in. Great view, clear skies, good exercise. It was another "what the hell am I doing here" moment.

We made it back down to the funicular by 1230. Quickly checked out the fish market by the old harbor and walked past open tanks of shrimp and clams and carts of Norwegian sweaters and flags and variety packs of caviar. Caught the last ten minutes of lunch on the ship and took a brief nap before heading to the gym.

Oh, not sure I mentioned this before but two nights ago, the night we were at sea, was the busiest night in the club yet. The place was just about packed with people and everyone was in a party mood. By about 1045 the crowd was electric, or as electric as they could be. I had them singing Country Road and Hey Jude and really got them warmed up for the full band set that happened after me. The next morning the cruise director, my boss, came up to me and told me she had never seen a solo guitar player get people singing like that in the club. I was pretty proud of myself.

Met a Mount Holyoke College alumna class of '86 in the club tonight. Small world. I told her my older brother probably dated her roommate.

The sunset tonight was amazing. It didn't actually set until about 11:15. The sky was pale blue and pink and for about an hour after that. It was really beautiful.

6/7/12 day 43: Stavanger, Norway

It's fjord time people! Haven't been here since my first European tour back in 2009. Stoked to come at it from a different angle. I am noticing a lot of the guest excursions involve hikes which should be rad. Of course the definition of "hike" is malleable. I'll tell you what, it won't be a hike up Camelback! It will be like walking to the trail head... I can't imagine many of the guests being able to do a real hike, but anyway, excited to get outside and are some Norwegian wilderness.

Today we were in the small port town of Stavanger. It has the highest collection of authentic 18th century wooden houses (see pic). So stinking quaint! Cobblestone streets, white wooden houses, blue doors, neatly trimmed potted plants... The downtown was filled with shops, restaurants. It was a quick walk. Norwegians discovered oil off the coast and this town got a surge of cash. Big tourist attractions are the Norwegian Oil Museum and the Norwegian Cannery Museum which makes sense considering this town made all it's money from fish and oil.

Award for the weirdest sighting of the day goes to the two homeless looking dudes grilling up some sausages on a tiny grill on the steps of the Cathedral. No big deal, just making a snack. Also, if Norway was responsible for setting clothing trends, we'd all be wearing red trousers. I'm seriously buying some before we leave.

Lastly, there were about three Costa ships in the harbor today (you know, of Costa Concordia fame). I wonder how cheap a ticket is for a Costa cruise right now. One of their ships was HUGE. You can see the big C from the main exhaust towering over the historical buildings in the harbor (see pic).

We set sail around 6, and after dinner we took a short cruise up the Fjord and the views were amazing. Photos could not capture the immense size of the cliffs. And on the other side of the ship were these rolling hills right down for the water. Small cottages and pastures dotted the scene. I've never seen pine trees growing right at the water's edge before. We were literally waving to people on their porches, we were so close to the shore. Ive never seen anything like it.

6/6/12 day 42: At Sea

We struck out from Hamburg last night and set a course for Norway. Today was a quiet day. The seas are quite calm. I see some new faces in the mess at meal time. Friends getting caught up. The crew bounce around a bit between the different boats in the fleet, so you are bound to see familiar faces on your contract. I am still the subject of many questions: how long is your contract? I reply, three months. Usually the answer to that is "oh, that's not bad at all." some of these people are on 7 months at a time! Three months to them is a vacation. Another question i hear from other crew is "don't you get bored during the day?" Are you kidding me?! How can you be bored on this ship?! Boredom is the pastime of listless teenagers and uninspired bullies. I really dig the free time, especially now that we got a bunch of new movies on the in-room entertainment system. Plus, the gym is always open. Boredom? Please.

6/5/12 day 41: Hamburg, Germany

I woke up today eager to walk around hamburg. It is our last stop in Germany for the rest of my contract so i wanted to make the most of it. I even made the decision to not eat lunch on the ship in order to maximize time, which completely goes against my frugal nature but I was determined to squeeze the most Germany out of Germany. My friends Chris and Liam joined me as we struck out from the pier north to the Rathaus Platz. It wasn't the nicest day, overcast and chilly, but at least it was dry. We basically wandered aimlessly through the streets, kind of half looking for something until we all agreed we were hungry. I managed to convince the team that a "Doener" was in order seeing as this was our last day in Germany. A Doener is basically the Turkish equivalent of a Greek Gyro: grilled lamb, lettuce, tomato, onion, garlic yogurt sauce, and chili sauce stuffed into a pita bread style wedge. In heaven, you will be granted eternal enlightenment and a Doener. It's real. I am kind of a Doener addict. I remember the first time I enjoyed one in fact.... It was the Rathaus Platz in Aachen in the summer of 1994. The square was full of people young and old enjoying a warm summer evening, sitting on the large stone pavers, drinking a beer, chatting w friends. I was a naive and lanky 18 year old American from Massachusetts who just rolled into town to spend a year with a host family. Someone walked by with one, actually it was technically a Gyro, and I asked my friend immediately a) what the hell that was and b) where I could procure one. That was it. I was hooked. And today, I was on a mission for a Doener. While in a Camper show store, I asked where the nearest one was. The salesman said there was one a couple blocks away. As we were walking away, he said "...but if you want the best Doener..." At which point I stopped dead in my tracks, swiveled around and gave him a look like 'well yeah dude, I'm no amateur?!' "you have to go to the train station. There you will find the best Doener in town" We now had a mission. 15 minutes later, once at the train station, we saw a Gyros place but kept searching. I mean come on, we weren't gonna have traveled so far only to succumb to our hunger and settle for just any lamb filled sandwich. We were better than that! I asked the cat at the information booth, and he pointed us down the hall. I am happy to report, we made it..... but BARELY. And yes, they were tasty. We ate in silence standing awkwardly in the middle of the sidewalk. Was it the best Doener I've ever had? The joy is that the journey, nay mission, will not end here but continue on, as it has since that Summer day in Aachen.

The End.

6/4/12 day 40: At Sea

Had a great last set of the cruise tonight. Great way to end the trip, had everyone singing "Sweet Caroline."

Back in Hamburg tomorrow. New guests and some new crew. Safe travels to all as they head home.

6/3/12 day 39: Copenhagen, Denmark

Up at 0800 hours to escort a tour today. It was a cold, mostly cloudy Sunday in Denmark's capitol. First stop was the most famous statue in Copenhagen: the little mermaid, a tribute to Hans Christian Anderson's character. Snapped a couple photos. Then we took the bus to Amalienborg Castle, the Queen's winter residence, watched the changing of the guards and then cruised to Rosenborg Castle which was the Kings's summer home and home of the crown jewels. Implanted in the walls of the surrounding barracks was a canon ball that was left lodged when the Brits leveled Copenhagen in 1807 because the Danes supported Napoleon. Then we cruised by Nyhavn which has long been the naval port of the city, birth place of Hans Christian Anderson and now a place for canal side restaurants complete with wool blankets for colder weather. Last stop was the historical core of Copenhagen, Christiansborg Castle where in the 1100 century (if I am not mistaken) was erected the first castle to protect Copenhagen. A great tour, a decent day, and an even better tour escort (if you ask me).

Got back to the ship around 1200 in time for a quick lunch in the mess, ad then a quick turn around back to the city center. Back in 2009 on my diet European tour, Copenhagen was my first stop with Mr Clint Bierman. However, my history with this city dates back to 1997 when I spent new years eve here with some friends from Freiburg. On the bus tour in the morning, I passed the bar (The Globe) where my 21 year old self spent an evening eating parmesian reggiano from the Italian bartenders family farm and drinking fine Danish beer. Unfortunately, the bar was closed when I went back around 1pm so I strolled back into the pedestrian shopping area and visited my old haunt, The Dubliner, where in 2009, Clint and I spent three glorious nights performing music and getting the know this amazing city. On my way out, I ran into my friend Chris from the ship. We decided it wasn't quite time to head back to the ship, so we walked around a little bit more. We got back to the ship around 4:30 which gave me enough time for a power nap before dinner and a full night of music. I really dig this city. Its top 3 in western Europe for sure, behind Berlin and Paris.

All in all, an amazing day. Tomorrow
is a sea day as we round the peninsula of Denmark and head back to Hamburg. Gonna catch up on reading, Danish, and movies. Sweet.

6/2/12 day 38: Sassnitz, Germany

Had a quick walk around Sassnitz. Picked up some goodies at the supermarket: German chocolate, vegetable broth for my award winning salad dressing, vitamin tablets, etc.

Had a good couple of sets tonight too. The Neil Diamond and John Denver are still slaying. Tomorrow Copenhagen. Escorting a tour of the city. Haven't been to the mermaid since Christmas in '97. You'll know what I'm talking about when I post pics tmrw.

Had post performance drinks with new friends (guests) from Philly. Actually, last night, I was introduced to Macallan 25 year, and I may never be the same. It's sublime. Over and out.