I think I need to catch everyone up on the past summer and
fall.
I was on a ship in Norway last time I talked to you. My last
cruise’s highlight was going to the North Cape, the northernmost point of
Europe. I hiked a mountain not too far from the Cape where we docked and I
could see for miles- huge jagged rocks surrounding dark blue water. It was very
beautiful. In Tromso, a great little city, I went to the northernmost brewery
in the world. And who would’ve known their beers are very good! Besides those
highlights, I went on some hikes with friends and ate more of Norway’s
expensive but very delicious food. I said some goodbyes, and off I went on a 2
½ week European vacation!
Me and my friend Russell, our bass player, disembarked in
Rotterdam, the Netherlands and rented a car. We made a short little tour of
Holland that first day, stopping in Gouda to see where the cheese is from, and
then ending up in Utrecht, a nice-sized Dutch town with a university and lots
of young people.
The next morning we were off to Hamburg, Germany, speeding
on the Audobahn (because you can). We met up with a percussionist we met on the
ship who lives there with his wife and kid and invited us to come stay. He
showed us around town, treated us to some great German wheat beers, and
barbecued/made crepes/ate amazing Germany food.
After a couple days relaxing in Germany, we headed towards Belgium,
stopping in Cologne for a couple hours to look at the amazing church there and
eat some currywurst (bratwurst with curry ketchup!). In Brussels we also met up
with a friend we know from ships who gave us a short tour of downtown. We
stayed there for the next few days. The beer in Belgium was amazing, not only
the Trapist ales that their known for, but any local Belgian beer was great.
There are tons of corners in the city where 4 or 5 restaurants will have tables
and chairs out in the sidewalk, and everyone will congregate at all these bars
at any day/night of the week to eat a little and have a drink. We did this most
nights and it was really nice! Brussels is pretty touristy, lots of stupid
American college kids traveling and drinking cause they’re under 21. But I
always try to find where the locals are and go off the beaten path, so these
corners were perfect for me. One day we did a day trip to the beach in Oostende
which was beautiful and so relaxing. On the way we back we hit up Bruges to
walk around and see where they filmed everything in “In Bruges.”
Our next city was actually my favorite of all- Antwerp. We
stayed in a really nice hostel close to everything, I had an amazing meal, and
they have the best shopping. Everywhere in Europe in July has huge sales going
on for the end of summer. Antwerp is already known for having the best fashion
and clothing in that area of Europe, so we got some pretty good deals. But
America might not be ready for my European purple pants and green shorts. Or at
least not Eugene.
We stayed in Amsterdam for a few days after this. We stayed
right in the heart of the Red Light District, which on a Saturday night was
pretty crazy. The city is pretty touristy, but you have people from all over
the world visiting, and there’s many areas to check out. We went to the Van
Gogh museum and the Anne Frank house, both of which I really enjoyed. I also
met up with some friends here. One was a friend I worked with at summer camp in
upstate New York a few years ago who was studying there. Another was a piano
player from college who works on another cruise ship who was in port that day.
And then a friend from elementary school, who we played on the same basketball
and soccer teams a looong time ago, walked past me while I was sitting on a
bench. It was pretty crazy!
I then flew to London to see the Olympics! I couldn’t get in
any events, but anywhere I went in the city was buzzing with Olympic
excitement. I went to a big park that had huge screen tvs with events being
played (mostly Team GB supporters). Athletes were everywhere in town, even
riding the subway with me. People from all over the world were wearing their
flags around the city and chanting in foreign languages. It was a really great
atmosphere. I also traveled up to the north of England to stay with a couple
friends from ships who showed me around Liverpool and Manchester- I got to see
the street and pub where the Beatles first got started, as well as went to Old
Trafford, the stadium where Manchester United plays soccer (football).
After this amazing trip, I headed home to take a little
break from the constant excitement and traveling to enjoy the mild and perfect
summer in Oregon. Great weather, meeting up with friends I haven’t seen in a
long time, celebrating my birthday, watching some live music including a big
festival in downtown Eugene, and buying a new laptop and recording equipment
for my birthday!
I then headed on a ship that first did 3 weeks of Alaska
ports out of Vancouver, which included lots of good seafood, some dogsledding,
and lots of hiking and rain. Then we headed down the west coast, hitting up
Astoria, San Francisco, San Diego, and some Mexican ports, to finally go
through the Panama Canal and end up in the Caribbean 6 weeks. It’s been a lot
of beaches, sipping drinks, catamarans and snorkeling, rainforest hiking, and
seeing some wildlife like sloths, monkeys, toucans, and lots of iguanas! Just
the usual work days. All of the ports - Cartagena, Colombia; Aruba; Curacao;
Costa Rica; and the Bahamas - were really fun in their own ways!
Another update to come about the next 5 months of my adventure!
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