Oxshott, UK
Well, I'm home. In the last seven months I've covered (at a back-of-a-postage-stamp level of accuracy) around 40,000 nautical miles. I've visited a huge number of different places, in almost as many countries. I've seen and done some amazing things. I've had some fantastic days, and some very bad ones; I've laughed, I've grinned, I've frequently been awed (if that's a word), and a number of times I've cried. It's over. For the moment.
On 29th May I join Oriana to spend two months there as Stage Manager. Destinations in that time include the Baltic capitals up to St. Petersburg, the Norwegien fyords, and Spitsbergen, as well as some Med cruising. Hopefully I shall be able to post tales of the midnight sun. Until then this page will not be updated. During May I shall be visiting lots of people all around the country, so if you'd like me to visit let me know! (and if you can provide a bed or a floor for me overnight, even better...)
Finally, if my email filter hasn't been letting you contact me for ages, I've slapped it hard and deleted the blacklist so hopefully things should be better now.
And if nobody has actually been reading this all along (well, I know of two), none of this will matter anyway :-)
posted by Simon Tuesday, April 29, 2003
Mid-Atlantic
...for the last time. In seven days we arrive back in Southampton. Before then I have to light a new show, tidy up all the documentation from the past seven months and do handover notes, and pack! And still have time near the end to say goodbye to people and get addresses...
posted by Simon Monday, April 21, 2003
Dominica
Which is one of the Windward Islands, and is unrelated to the Dominican Republic, a country on the large island of Hispaniola.
I've just got back from swimming underneath the waterfall from the Timotai (spelling?) advert! There was nothing around but greenery, and there was a sparkeling pool at the bottom of a gorge. It took ten mins of climbing over rocks to get there, ensuring that most of the passengers weren't there...
Dominica seems to be powered mostly from hydro-electric sources. Interesting.
Right, must go rehearse cabaret.
posted by Simon Friday, April 18, 2003
Tortola
Back to the Carribean. And back to Norwalk. This morning for breakfast we couldn't use the tongs to get our own food, but a crew member had to do it for us. Which makes sense. Unfortunately it meant that there were no pain au chocolate available!
Of more concern to passengers is that they haven't been allowed ashore yet today by the local health officials. Said officials are inspecting the ship and will hopefully allow those who haven't been affected recently off soon... (it's now 1100, we've been here 3 hrs).
posted by Simon Thursday, April 17, 2003
Atlantic Ocean
It's been a while since I last wrote... well, as of the 8th I'd been around the world in 91 days. Or 92 days, depending on whether you go by the number of hours divided by 24, or the number of sunrises and sunsets. Wow.
Southampton was nice, seeing my family after three months and doing shopping in British shops! Sarah, I will come and visit you when I get back...
We're now on the Carribean Classic cruise. Yesterday was Madeira, although I didn't manage to get off (pity, I like Madeira), and we're now into the Atlantic crossing. It's getting rather rough, and the new show company are getting sick.
Yes, new show company - this is why I didn't get off in Madeira, and may not for a number of other ports; it's every-available-moment lighting sessions. There's one new show and the others need tweaking. The one last night started off as a tweak, as far as we knew, but we ended up with about a third of the show being new.
posted by Simon Saturday, April 12, 2003
Oops. I've just realised I never mentioned Rome in this diary. Well, it's the first time I've been and I only had 4.5 hours. I spent the whole morning in St. Peter's. Which was incredible. The size of it is just awe-inspiring. This is a church which can seat 60,000 people. When you're inside it feels almost like being outdoors. The front facade of this building (which is the part not designed by Michaelangelo) is the size of a football pitch. And the incredible thing is that the detail of decoration, less ornate than some Catholic churches but all the better for it, is just as intense throughout this entire area. As well as latching on to a free tour of the place, I climbed the dome (without using the lift, more fool me). The top part of the climb is clastrophobic as both walls tilt with the shape of the dome and the passage is narrow enough that you have to climb while standing at an angle. The view from the top is... well, rather impressive. But possibly nto as impressive as the view halfway up where you go onto the inside of the dome and look down at the church, and up at the paintings and mosaics.
After that I did a fast walk across town to the Pantheon, Forum and Colluseum, which TBH were just like most other Roman remains but bigger (the colleseum is worth seeing, but the best view is from the outside and it's certainly not work 8EUR to go in.). I then got on the metro back and had to run for about 8 mins from the station to avoid missing my bus home...
posted by Simon Sunday, April 06, 2003
Off Cape Finesterre
Back in Biscay, after three months.
Yesterday was Lisbon. It was incredibly nostalgic; last time I was there was at the end of Tall Ships '98, and we were parked on the outside wall of the dock where all the tall ships were berthed. I could see all the areas I remember so well, and I really wanted to go up to the site of Expo' '98 and see what has been done with it. However, yesterday night was the show company's big farewell spectacular, so I have spent most of the last two days solid in the theatre programming lighting. At one point I was having a real self-confidence problem has I just couldn't get inspiration for some bits... but in the end everybody liked it. Some parts were messy, but some parts were very nice, and considering that it was the first full-length (ie 1 hour) CMC show that I've done on the WholeHog, and that it was done in considerably less time than is normalyl available for new shows, I'm not too unhappy. Hey, we got two full houses with standing ovations, which is unheard of at the end of a world cruise...
posted by Simon Sunday, April 06, 2003
Off the coast of Portugal
Hey. We're back in the Atlantic. Seeing Gibralter seemed almost like coming home ;-)
Although there are another four days to go on the World Cruise, we completed our circumnavigation at 0421 this morning, in that we crossed the longditude of Southampton. I've been around the World!!!
Things at present are insanely busy due to the big CMC farewell show which happens tomorrow and which I still haven't done half of the lighting for... everyone's tense anyway from a world cruise, I'm going slowly mad cos I'm still here after over six months... one happy family! It's getting hard now seeing all the people talk about getting off on the 8th (in addition to the passengers, it's a major crew changeover).
posted by Simon Friday, April 04, 2003