Wow what a week! We are just wrapping up our first week at sea in Europe and it has been so overwhelming. On the ship route we were on before you had a lot of sea days, which are just that, days spent at sea. On these cruises there is no time to breathe. We are literally exploring somewhere every day. The days are also very long. We can get off the ship as early as 7 sometimes and not be back on until 6pm. I’m amazed anyone is awake. Ever. The shows were on Wednesday and went great. It’s a fast, fun, furious show that goes by so fast. We also did two scriptless improv shows in one of the lounges and they went well too. It’s a relief to have that first week out of the way. Now let’s get to the MEAT ! Let’s talk about the weeks European adventures!
Rome
We were in Rome on Thursday! This was a non-stop mover and shaker. First off, props to our Musical Director Brian Morris. This guy knows what he’s doing. He’s the only one that knows any Italian which is amazing, and he did this exact same route last year so he knows where he’s going……oh and he’s fun as hell. So Brendan and I stuck with Brian on Thursday and we kicked it off by going through St. Peter’s Square where we saw the Vatican. Two years ago when it was Pope Decision ’05 Brendan and I were on another ship. Since CNN was one of a few stations we got, we saw the square a lot and the tons of people waiting for the new Pope to be announced. It was surreal to be there walking through that actual place. After that we moved onto The Pantheon. Rome is so walk able and so fucking European. I mean that in the best way. Shops, restaurants, cute little nooks and crannies. During the Pantheon walk we stopped at a couple of great shops on the way. Brian also likes to shop. For good stuff. Like made-to-measure shoes and shirts. Italian style ya’ll. The real deal. This guy ain’t screwin’ around. So we stopped in a shoe store where we met a lovely woman named Daniela. She was learning English and showed us her book and cd to prove it. She was incredibly sweet and helpful with shoes and directions. The Pantheon is insane. It’s just bizarre to look up and see this ancient structure in the middle of a city. A lot of Rome is like this which is so beautiful. After the Pantheon we went and had an amazing lunch at a place Daniela had recommended. I’m learning that you should always ask the locals. We found out that morning that in Italy Thursday is the day they make the fresh gnocchi. Lucky f’ing US ! For those who don’t know what Gnocchi is they are heavenly, delicious sexy bites of potato dumpling pasta-eque goodness. If I had Gnocchi shop that’s how I would explain them. So we just happened to be there on Thursday when the new Gnocchi was birthed and holy shit was it great. Brendan had some of the house wine which was some of the best wine this gal has ever put her lips to. After lunch we booked it over to Trevi Fountain which is a massive, beautiful fountain. Europe has not disappointed on any architecture yet. I should also add that during this day we happened upon the church of St. Agnes which was Brian’s favorite, ate a ridiculous pastry filled with Nutella that was also heaven, drank 90 cappucinos and saw like 50 hundred more fountains and frescos. IT’S TOO MUCH! BRAIN EX…PLO…DING……
Livorno/San Giminano
My brain is back together. This next day I’ll describe has been the best day for me so far. I should also mention that this past week our director Matt and our producer Beth, were also along on the ship and accompanying us on our journey’s. Someone suggested that we rent a car on Friday and drive to the Tuscan countryside and explore a little town called San Giminano. So as soon as I heard this I piped up “I’LL DRIVE!” Now in all fairness to myself I do love to drive, I was one of two who could drive stick, and I get car sick pretty quick as a passenger so it helps in that respect. But, do I know any Italian? No. Am I familiar with any of the road signs in Italy? Absolutely not. Can I even tell you how far a Km is ? Suck it Metric and No. So we get a car and before I know it a nice Italian man from Hertz is leading me out of the port on his motorcycle and I have the five kids all packed up in the Peugeot station wagon ready for a Tuscan vacation. This ended up being an amazing drive. The Tuscan countryside is unbelievable. The driving is easy once you figure out how to maneuver around a damn roundabout. I also had the aid of Brian, Cody and a GPS system for navigation. Once we arrive in San Giminano we went into this delightful walled city and explored our pants off. Again, lots of shops, old buildings, delicious cappuccino and buttery pastry. It’s a miracle we’re walking as much as we are, or I’d be coming home in an 800 lb phylo dough case called my skin. The views were stunning. And even though there were a lot of people it was nice to be far away from the ship and away from a ton of tourists. We had another ridiculous lunch courtesy of Beth that included asparagus gnocchi, some delicious prosciuto, bruchietta, pasta that either had shaved beef or truffle on it (the jury’s out) and more house wine that would knock your socks off. They also snuck some wild boar on the anti-pasto plate, but I didn’t try it. And by snuck I mean no one knew what wild boar was in Italian, so we got what we deserved. The drive back was even more gorgeous and full of fields, vineyards, sunflowers and Tuscan homes. Everyone kind of dozed off which I liked because it let me drive and hang out with the Tuscan country by myself. We made it back in one piece, with time to spare. Brendan and I have definitely discussed getting a car again and venturing out. What a ball.
Saturday was France which I’ll describe in a later post and Sunday we were back in Barcelona for another full day. This trip has been such a dream so far and I can’t believe it’s only the first week. It’s overwhelming. I think we’re also just starting to get over the sleep schedule hump. It was worrisome for a bit, getting up at like 6am, sleeping for 4 hours in the afternoon. It feels better now. Thanks for being blog patient! These days are so long and exhausting so it might be a bit before I get to update. For those wondering how Penny is doing, she is thriving in the great up north. She’s gotten into a routine with the other pups and my mom is loving her up with kisses and treats ! Hooray ! Brendan and I are also going to figure out how to say “Can I pet your dog”? in every language on this trip. We’ve pet quite a few. Till next time !
Rome
We were in Rome on Thursday! This was a non-stop mover and shaker. First off, props to our Musical Director Brian Morris. This guy knows what he’s doing. He’s the only one that knows any Italian which is amazing, and he did this exact same route last year so he knows where he’s going……oh and he’s fun as hell. So Brendan and I stuck with Brian on Thursday and we kicked it off by going through St. Peter’s Square where we saw the Vatican. Two years ago when it was Pope Decision ’05 Brendan and I were on another ship. Since CNN was one of a few stations we got, we saw the square a lot and the tons of people waiting for the new Pope to be announced. It was surreal to be there walking through that actual place. After that we moved onto The Pantheon. Rome is so walk able and so fucking European. I mean that in the best way. Shops, restaurants, cute little nooks and crannies. During the Pantheon walk we stopped at a couple of great shops on the way. Brian also likes to shop. For good stuff. Like made-to-measure shoes and shirts. Italian style ya’ll. The real deal. This guy ain’t screwin’ around. So we stopped in a shoe store where we met a lovely woman named Daniela. She was learning English and showed us her book and cd to prove it. She was incredibly sweet and helpful with shoes and directions. The Pantheon is insane. It’s just bizarre to look up and see this ancient structure in the middle of a city. A lot of Rome is like this which is so beautiful. After the Pantheon we went and had an amazing lunch at a place Daniela had recommended. I’m learning that you should always ask the locals. We found out that morning that in Italy Thursday is the day they make the fresh gnocchi. Lucky f’ing US ! For those who don’t know what Gnocchi is they are heavenly, delicious sexy bites of potato dumpling pasta-eque goodness. If I had Gnocchi shop that’s how I would explain them. So we just happened to be there on Thursday when the new Gnocchi was birthed and holy shit was it great. Brendan had some of the house wine which was some of the best wine this gal has ever put her lips to. After lunch we booked it over to Trevi Fountain which is a massive, beautiful fountain. Europe has not disappointed on any architecture yet. I should also add that during this day we happened upon the church of St. Agnes which was Brian’s favorite, ate a ridiculous pastry filled with Nutella that was also heaven, drank 90 cappucinos and saw like 50 hundred more fountains and frescos. IT’S TOO MUCH! BRAIN EX…PLO…DING……
Livorno/San Giminano
My brain is back together. This next day I’ll describe has been the best day for me so far. I should also mention that this past week our director Matt and our producer Beth, were also along on the ship and accompanying us on our journey’s. Someone suggested that we rent a car on Friday and drive to the Tuscan countryside and explore a little town called San Giminano. So as soon as I heard this I piped up “I’LL DRIVE!” Now in all fairness to myself I do love to drive, I was one of two who could drive stick, and I get car sick pretty quick as a passenger so it helps in that respect. But, do I know any Italian? No. Am I familiar with any of the road signs in Italy? Absolutely not. Can I even tell you how far a Km is ? Suck it Metric and No. So we get a car and before I know it a nice Italian man from Hertz is leading me out of the port on his motorcycle and I have the five kids all packed up in the Peugeot station wagon ready for a Tuscan vacation. This ended up being an amazing drive. The Tuscan countryside is unbelievable. The driving is easy once you figure out how to maneuver around a damn roundabout. I also had the aid of Brian, Cody and a GPS system for navigation. Once we arrive in San Giminano we went into this delightful walled city and explored our pants off. Again, lots of shops, old buildings, delicious cappuccino and buttery pastry. It’s a miracle we’re walking as much as we are, or I’d be coming home in an 800 lb phylo dough case called my skin. The views were stunning. And even though there were a lot of people it was nice to be far away from the ship and away from a ton of tourists. We had another ridiculous lunch courtesy of Beth that included asparagus gnocchi, some delicious prosciuto, bruchietta, pasta that either had shaved beef or truffle on it (the jury’s out) and more house wine that would knock your socks off. They also snuck some wild boar on the anti-pasto plate, but I didn’t try it. And by snuck I mean no one knew what wild boar was in Italian, so we got what we deserved. The drive back was even more gorgeous and full of fields, vineyards, sunflowers and Tuscan homes. Everyone kind of dozed off which I liked because it let me drive and hang out with the Tuscan country by myself. We made it back in one piece, with time to spare. Brendan and I have definitely discussed getting a car again and venturing out. What a ball.
Saturday was France which I’ll describe in a later post and Sunday we were back in Barcelona for another full day. This trip has been such a dream so far and I can’t believe it’s only the first week. It’s overwhelming. I think we’re also just starting to get over the sleep schedule hump. It was worrisome for a bit, getting up at like 6am, sleeping for 4 hours in the afternoon. It feels better now. Thanks for being blog patient! These days are so long and exhausting so it might be a bit before I get to update. For those wondering how Penny is doing, she is thriving in the great up north. She’s gotten into a routine with the other pups and my mom is loving her up with kisses and treats ! Hooray ! Brendan and I are also going to figure out how to say “Can I pet your dog”? in every language on this trip. We’ve pet quite a few. Till next time !
I included a pic of the Tuscan countryside. I'm having a real hard time uploading today so more pics later !
(PS: If anyone can save me some internet time and e-mail me about something that would be great. How do I post pictures within my blog post ? Not just on the top or side. Email or leave a comment please !)
1 comment:
Beth...It sounds awesome. Can you bring me back an EYEtalian?
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