Homeless in the Med 7

Hi, Blog Fans,

I want to continue my "Alone and Homeless in the Med" story.  This is part 7 - click here to start from the beginning: Crew Member Abandoned in Europe


In my last six posts I was dropped off the ship in Barcelona without a hotel room and there were no vacancies in the city because of F1 racing. You might ask, "Isn't the cruise line required to put you up or send you home?"  Well, the answer is, "Yes."  They gave me a choice to either fly me home, or put me on my own for 10 days and spend the summer in Europe on a ship.  I figured I could easily find a place to stay. 

I was wrong!  Anyway, I guess "abandoned" is the wrong word since it was entirely voluntary!



Anyway, the morning after being woken up by a transvestite hooker sleeping on a public bench outside I figured it would be best for my safety to find a hotel room somewhere.  I went and bought a map of Europe.  The size of the city-dots were in relation to the size of the city.  I looked at the largest dot far away from Barcelona and decided: I would take a train to Paris.  There was no way I would stay in this crazy city on a bench or in the bushes again.  I had about a week until the ship I was working on came in.  I went to the station and bought my ticket, a "sleeper," and got excited.  This train had a bed!  The train left in the afternoon, we stopped near Marseilles for a break and then for the first night in three days I had a bed with sheets!

I put all my belongings in the bed against the wall under the covers with me and slept the night away.  It is a good thing I did because people in my train car had items stolen from them during the night - but not me.

We pulled into Paris which was beautiful as always.  I met an American on the train and hung out with her all day.  We went to Luxembourg Gardens and there was a huge map of the world you could walk on.  Funny, at the time I hadn't traveled much and this was just the beginning of my ship adventure.  I probably wouldn't have believed you that day if you told me I would be around the world a few times in the next few years!

I spoke to the American and some other folks and decided to spend the next few nights at the Aloha hostel. It was a youth hostel that attracted English speakers and after being on my own in Catalonia it sure felt goo to have some beers and normal conversation with some Aussies, Brits, Americans and Canadians.

The story does get pretty boring for awhile.  Paris is civilized and I took advantage of the restaurants, wine and museums.  I couldn't find any jazz music worth mentioning but the city was beautiful.  Towards the end of the trip I was looking forward to getting back to work and making some money.  I had a few days left to go and didn't want to risk going to that heck-hole Barcelona.  I pulled out my map and saw there was a medium-to-small dot south of Barcelona: Tarragona.  Why not?  It was about 1-2 hours from Barcelona and had hotels.  Towards the end of my ten day adventure I boarded another overnight train to Tarragona, Spain to wait out two nights before going to work on a ship out of Barcelona.

Stay tuned to see how the trip finished out and definately check out how I ended up in this mess with parts 1-6!  Bye for now...

Homeless in Barcelona: Part 6

Hello, Readers, and thank you for tuning in to trumptettravels - the true accounts of my 11 year adventure on cruise ships as a crew member aboard Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, P&O Cruises, Premier Cruises and the Holland America Line.  I started this blog in 2010 to share my experiences of working on a cruise for those who want to work on a cruise or for those cruise-a-holics that are curious what goes on behind the smiles and professional attitude you see "front of house" on a  ship.  I've got a great reception so far with hits from all around the world.  Thanks for your interest!

Previously I was writing about how I got stranded in Barcelona, how I nearly got mugged by five Moroccans, how I slept in the bushes and it was only my first day!  If you want to start from the beginning, click here: Crew Member Stranded in Europe.


When I last left off I had just narrowly avoided being mugged by 5 sketchy guys from Morocco.  At the last moment some British tourists ended up walking down the deserted street I was on.  I was homeless in the Med with a wad of cash in my pocket but all hotels were completely booked.

Turning onto the heavily populated street of the Ramblas I rethought my attempts to find a hotel.  I had checked everywhere around in the city, tourist kiosks, phone books, cab drivers, anything possible.  No hotels were free.  I went all the way down to the Christopher Columbus statue (point nearest the water) and realized there was one part I had never been.  There is bridge that goes over the water to a place called Maremagnum.  I thought is was an area where I might find some peace and quiet and a hotel bed to sleep in.  I was wrong.

Maremagnum is a whole complex of bars and nightclubs that starts getting busy around 11pm.  As I go tthere and had no place to sleep I hopped from place to place having drinks, chatting up Barcelona's finest and doing a little dancing.  I surprisingly had a blast considering I was by myself.  I could do whatever I wanted and say whatever came to mind and I didn't know a soul there and more than likely wouldn't return.  I guess that's why some people feel so liberated on vacations - no one from the office is there to raise their eyebrows.


Well, the party was coming to a close so I hailed a cab.  I had a few drinks and couldn't walk back to the city. PLUS, I knew there were more than 5 Moroccans there and I had a wad of cash on me from the last contract.

I asked the cab about the closest small city or hotels in the area and he kind of laughed since it was one in the morning. There were no hotels free and other towns were too far.  Well, with nowhere else to go I headed back to the jazz club where I had been treated so well and found a lovely spot to sleep in the bushes.  I hit the small bar next to the jazz club and they were open late for some reason.  I had played there the night before and everyone was happy to see me.  I knew I had to sleep since I had a rough night sleeping in someone's bushes the night before.

I figured the bushed were safe and it was a wealthy area - I just needed to find that apartment building and I would be good for the night, or at least a few hours.  After about 30 minutes it was getting too late.  I didn't think I would ever find the apartment building.  It was finny the night before I just stumbled on it and now I realized how perfect the little ledge was, off the main street.  I had no clue how to find it, even though I knew I was in the right neighborhood.

I gave up.  Exhausted and annoyed, I headed back down towards the city where I hit a very nice wealthy area and found a bench to sit on.  I started to think of what I could do and I closed my eyes.  My head bobbed down and up and I realized this is where I would sleep.  I had my backpack and camera and I didn't know if I would wake up if someone started to rummage through my things.

I took my cash and shoved it down my pants figuring if someone got down there I would know it.  Also, I took my Nikon camera and basically used it as a pillow, keeping it as close as possible. And there, on a metal bench in Barcelona, I fell asleep.  This was my second night in a row sleeping outside.

Alcohol, fatigue, and the semi-conscious state of being woken up created a thick fog that was difficult to navigate through.  I heard something and I knew I should focus, but it didn't mean anything to me. "Que dormis." I heard in a deep man's voice.  "Que dormis aquis?"  I opened up my eyes and saw what I thought was a very beautiful woman.  For some reason it still didn't click to me and I was really trying to figure out what the question was.

As I was looking at this pretty gal again he/she asked the same question, "Que Dormis? Why do you sleep here?" This last one was in English. It was at this point when I realized I was looking at some type of cross dresser or tranny or who knows what.  It was still dark out and had no idea what time it was.

My brilliant observation was confirmed when he/she added, "Why don't you come to my apartment to #$%^."  I don't know if it was the proposition or the lack of sleep or what, but I sat up and just shouted, "NOoooooo," probably a little too loudly and too freaked out.  I guess I was somewhat justified, though.


As he/she strutted her stuff away I jumped up and started walking towrds the town.  I didn't know where to go, but I thought my little refuge of a bench next to a major city was now ruined and not safe.

I headed down the hill to Barcelona and just headed towards the Sagrada Familia (church).  I remember seeing dawn break on the walk down and wondering what the heck I was doing and how long I could keep this up.  I found a solid concrete bench and noticed people starting to open up shops.  The bench was cool when I sat down and felt nice since I was a little warm.  It didn't heat up because the concrete was so thick.  I lay down and fell asleep and didn't wake up until the sun was out and many people were walking about the sidewalks and pathways around the Sagrada Familia.  At this point I was on very little sleep and I realized I wouldn't be able to spend 8 more days like this.  I diefinately could not be woken up by a tranny hooker ever again in my life so I dedicated the entire day to that mission.

I hope you enjoyed the my posts about my stay in Europe in between cruise ship contracts.  I still have more days in the adventure left so "Follow Me" (on the right) and you can click the "SHARE" button on facebook to show your friends, too. As always, this blog is viewer supported. There are far less ads here than on most websites and if one catches your eye feel free to visit my sponsers.  Stayed tuned for Part 7!

Alone and Homeless in the Med: Part 5

Hello, Readers, and thank you for tuning in to trumptettravels - the true accounts of my 11 year adventure on cruise ships as a crew member aboard Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, P&O Cruises, Premier Cruises and the Holland America Line.

In my last posts I described how I ended up stranded in Barcelona (of my own will.) If you want to start from the beginning, click here: Crew Member Blog.

I left the restaurant and Barcelona was beginning to come to life at night. With the sun going down I started to have visions of laundered pressed bed sheets and a fluffy bathrobe.  I had spent the last night sleeping in the bushes and my back was sore.  I was probably due for a shower, too, but I figured, "Hey, it's Europe - I'll fit right in!"


Roaming down the back streets of the old town in Barcelona I passed the gothic cathedral, many quanit restaurants and shops, and many hotels.  With 2-3 hotels per block I figured I would have much better luck tonight than last night.  Door after door I went into the hotels (with "no vacancy" on the door) and pleaded for any tyoe of room.  I would've slept in the boiler room if that is all they had, but I was turned away at every hotel.  As I walked deeper and deeper into the old town the cacophony of the Ramblas faded into a thin herd of tourists and eventually only one or two couples walking on the cobbled streets.  I saw a hotel down a dark street and no "No Vacancy" sign on it.


Thinking in was in luck I headed down the street, walked inside and was told there were no rooms.  I asked if the concierge could help me and told him all of my problems.  He made a few phone calls and apologetically explained to me all about the F1 racing and how the hotels were completely full.  At that point a mild panic was setting in and I started to contemplate the Four Seasons or luxury hotels and blowing all my money on one nice night's sleep.

With the clerk unable to help me, I grabbed my backpack and my Nikon N60 (35mm) and left the hotel. I distinctly remember leaving that hotel because it was quiet.  REALLY quiet. and as I turned left, away form the Ramblas and into the more quiet section of the old town, I passed 5 Moroccans who were talking with each other leaning against a car.  I could tell they pretended not to look up or notice me which I thought was unusual.  For me, when anyone passes me at night I look up to see what kind of a person they are.  For them, I could tell they were specifically ignoring my passing.  With the Moroccans at my back I starting walking deeper into dark neighborhoods looking for a hotel.  I noticed the five guys talking behind me stopped.  I isn't hard to imagine what I heard next: the click clack of ten shoes on cobblestones.  I knew I was being followed.


What happened next happened in all of five seconds, but to me it felt like five minutes of slow motion.  It is funny when you are in danger, real danger, how the world seems to slow down and almost stop.  I took note of what I had on my person.  My camera, my last pay check (in cash of course), and some clothes in a tooth brush.  Racking my brain to come up with a weapon I was unable to.

Scanning the sidewalks and buildings I looked for a restaurant, shop, or a rock or weapon on the ground that I could defend myself with.  The gang had chosen a good spot - nothing was available.  I imagined even a lead pipe, a powerful weapon, against 5 thieves with knives and realized without a gun I was in trouble.

Faking a fly was bothing me I swatted at my head once and then again, turning my head slightly the second time.  Yup, they were following me.  They say flee a knife and charge a gun.  I was approaching a small perpendicular street and was on the edge of running for my life.  Acting like I was going straight and to the the right I was going to open the throttle and run as fast as I could to the left.

Funny how all of these details happened in about five seconds and still to this day they are crystal clear.  The street on the left was approaching and just as I was about to make a break for it a group of six British men round the corner, arm in arm laughing and clinking beer bottles.  I immediately turn and do a 180, falling in step with my new blokes.  I just start walking with them and just as I am about to pass the five Moroccans I look up to see all five of them walking straight ahead, but turning their heads and staring directly at me.  They looked like lions who just had their meal taken from them.  Not one was smiling.

I walked for a bit with the Brits back to the Ramblas and still was out of luck. It was still relatively early and I didn't have a place to sleep. Alone in Barcelona at night with every single hotel room completely booked - again!  The most dangerous part of the night had just passed, but you won't believe where I end up sleeping and who gives me a wake up call! If you'd like to know, "follow me" on Google or subsribe to my RSS Feed.  If you enjoyed this post, don't forget to push the "like" button or post a link so your friends can follow me, too.  As always, the blog is user supported by my readers clicking on sponsers posted in the blog.  It is free to do and helps support this blog. 

Homeless in the Med Part 4

Hello, Readers, and thank you for tuning in to trumptettravels - the true accounts of my 11 year career on cruise ships as a crew member aboard Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, P&O Cruises, Premier Cruises and the Holland America Line.

When I last left off, I had just dropped my trumpet in the Lladro shop. I had a really great day in Barcelona. I felt light as a feather without my heavy horn. I spent the next few hours going to tourism kiosks, phoning hotels, and even went to a big internet cafe. If was full of computers and you had to pay at a kiosk to get a ticket and then use the credits up. They don't exist now because everyone has WiFi.


As I looked and looked for hotels things became a little desperate.  I had spent the night before in the bushes in a very nice neighborhood, but I was a little cold and dirty.  I bath and a steak would do me well.

I had no luck at all because the F1 car racing was in town and this was a big deal I guess.  Not to let such trivial matters damper my day, I went to see the Olympic Stadium, the Miro Museum, travelled the subway for a bit and even toured the Gaudi architecture.  Standing in Parc d'Gaul I looked down on the city and the thousands of hotel rooms wondering why there wasn't one for me.  As the afternoon wore on I started to get very tired so I stopped in somewhere and had a nice dinner.  It was some assortment of Spanish tapas I remember with Spanish red wine.

This was my second night without a hotel room in a huge city and when I stepped out of the restaurant it was getting dark.  I noticed some seedy characters standing around on the street corners - night was coming along with everything that accompanies it in this Metropolitan city.  This was just the beginning of that crazy night - stay tuned and I'll tell you what happened in my next blog post.

Homeless in the Med Part 3

Hello, Readers, and thank you for tuning in to trumptettravels - the true accounts of my 11 year career on cruise ships as a crew member aboard Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, P&O Cruises, Premier Cruises and the Holland America Line.


It is hard to imagine the transition from unconsiousness or sleep to full awareness on that morning I woke up in the bushes in Barcelona. I'll do my best to describe it.  If you are just tuning in and you don't know how I ended up in the bushes, click here: Royal Caribbean Cruise Crew Member Blog

The one thing I knew was that I was outside. It wasn't cold, but sleeping outside definately has a different feeling than sleeping in a warm hotel bed somewhere. You are kept on alert, even while asleep.

My next realization was that I was quite cold. Sleeping outside for 5 hours anywhere would make someone cold.

As I tried to look around my next realization was that I did not use a pillow that night and for that reason my neck was as stiff as a board.  Also, it was quite painful.

As I breathed in I realized I was quite parched and the drinking and staying up until the wee hours with drinks on the house did not do me justice.  As I became quite aware that I was sleeping in the bushes behind someone's apartment building in Barcelona and that someone would probably call the cops if they found me, I gathered my things, hopped off the little ledge and put on my backpack, picked up my trumpet case and camera and had my final realization: carrying a trumpet and flugelhorn and all my stuff for a full day was KILLING my back.  I was tired, hungover, and in a lot of pain.  I had nine days left until I was boarding a ship to work and Barcelona was completely booked and "NO VACANCY" was the phrase of the day.


I remember the sun wasn't even out yet, it must've been 5-6am.  As I set out down the hill back into town, I stopped at a diner and sat.  I heard patrons greet the waitress, "Bon Dia" in Catalan so when she came I did the same and order, "Un cafe por favor."  I overheard other patrons ordering churros and other local breakfast foods and without knowing really what it was just repeated what I heard and have a great breakfast.

One thing was for certain - I had to get rid of this trumpet that was killing my back.  I went to the Ramblas and sat on a bench for an hour.  At this hour it was only locals and it was interesting to see a whole culture that I didn't know about previously.  Walking through a huge market just off the Ramblas there was a colorful assortment of everything from candies to goat's brains.  The goat's brains did look quite fresh, but I passed on those.

At 8am the Lladro store was open and I went in to plead my case.  The owner didn't want to store my stuff as it was and I told him the whole story of how I slept in the bushes and I had to get rid of the weight.  Relunctantly, he let me store my trumpet there.  To be honest I didn't want to leave it, but it was digging into my shoulder and my back hurt so much.

I set out of the Lladro shop with the goal of having a great day, seeing the city and finding a hotel room.

If you have the chance - check back with trumpettravels soon.  I thought I would have a few hours to write a nice chunk of this adventure, but my son just woke up.  "Follow me" on the right if you'd like updates, or you can subscribe by clicking the RSS Link (that orange chicklet thingy with BLOG FEED by it.)

Bye For Now!

Alone and Homeless in the Med. - Part 2

Hello, Readers, and thank you for tuning in to trumptettravels - the true accounts of my 11 year career on cruise ships as a crew member aboard Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, P&O Cruises, Premier Cruises and the Holland America Line.

Welcome back to trumpettravels.  Don't forget that's ONE WORD if you're google searching for me or telling a friend about how you've been enjoying this blog.  I've had some really nice comments from readers who have probably found me through the cruise critic website.  One reader asked if I could blog shorter, but more frequently.  I wish I could, but there's a reason why I do it the way I do.  I work full time now and I have a son and wife, who is expecting our second.  Things are hectic here and the only time I have to blog is on a Saturday or Sunday, if I can sort out all my housework and make sure we are ready for next week.  So time is an issue, and I don't have enough time during the week.

Another reason is that after ten years it actually takes some effort to close the door, shut off the darned TV and internet poker (for free only!) and concentrate on my memories.  You know my family doesn't know most of what has happened to me in the last 11 years or so?  I have shoe boxes full of beautiful photographs that I've literally never looked at. For me it was always about experiencing the adventure, not the trophies to brag about.  I'm keeping the same mindset with my new adventure, my wife and son.  Once I'm settled in (blogging), I enjoy conjuring up these travels and thinking about them. I'm a terrible typer and I hate doing the physical writing.

My last post left off where I had my trumpet and some clothes and I was dropped in Barcelona between contracts.  If you want to read it click here: Cruise Ship Crew Member Blog.  It was ten or eleven AM and I set out into Catalonia to find a place to stay.  Internet was not really that big then (2001) and Expedia and American sites didn't work in Europe.  I went to a tourist kiosk to inquire about hotels or hostels and was informed of something very unusual: Formula 1 racing was in town so alot of the hotels were full.  I was thinking about NASCAR and how a couple os cars shouldn't be a big deal, but apparently F1 racing in Europe is a HUGE deal! Wouldn't you know that every single hotel in the entire city was booked?


Well, it was early and I was only 24 so it didn't worry me much.  I mean, the OLYMPICS were held in Barcelona and that was a pretty big event, right?  And there were trains, there were so many options.  I spent the day strolling up and down the Ramblas, researched the night's entertainment and found a jazz club that would be showing a concert by Lew Tabacin at a place called La Cova de Drac. I went for lunch at a wine cellar that had free tastings in the old town and bought a city map.  I would be spending ten days in Barcelona and I wanted to make the best of it. Churches, museums, sites, sounds, tastes and nightlife were all things I wanted to experience.

Coming out of lunch I started to walk as the city shut down for "siesta." I should've rested, too, but as I'm not accustomed to sleeping for a few hours in the afternoon, I walked around while everybody in town ate, drank, and rested.  I went to Sagrada Familia and learned about that amazing church.  It was started 150 years ago and still isn't finished.  Generations of local families hand down their trades to family and there are a few there who have direct lineage to the workers who broke ground at the site.  That is pretty amazing to think 30-40 years AFTER they broke ground on this church a young artist from Malaga named Ruiz came into town and failed to get work.  He made posters for the Carnival and his favortie - bullfights.  Unable to make a living, he went to visit his friend in Paris where he started to sell his first works.  He had a big show in Paris to announce his new identity - Picasso.

The church is magnificent.  Decades after the idea was conceived the city handed over the stalling project to one of the city's jewels: Gaudi.  Gaudi took this idea for a traditional church and brought a whole new light to the concept.  Every square inch of the cathedral is rife with symbolism and stories.  I only know because I mixed in with guided tours and listened to the guide.  I didn't want to pay for the tour but boy was it worth it!
Stolling around the city, I looked at my map and scoped out my venue for the show. It was a few miles away in Muntaner. I continued to search for a hotel but kept hearing the same thing over and over, "the entire city is sold out." I couldn't get any information on how far a hotel would be.  I mean, if Boston or New York is "sold out" ther eis always a Motel 6 in Jersey or Waltham, right?  Really, nobody was any help.  I had so much energy, I didn't care.  Stopping at a few bars along the way to sample some local beers I headed up to Muntaner.  It was quite a hike, but I managed. 

Arriving at 5pm or so the place was closed.  I asked around, and the place would open at 9 or whenever the show was.  Luckily, right next door, there was a bar and cafe.  I sat outside and had some beers.  Around 6 or so it started to get crowded and some kids started to bring in music equipment.  Everyone knew each other and felt like a family, it was a really small cafe.  The kids started to play and I moved inside to listen.  They really were not very good, just basic chords and "jam band" stuff. A fter some liquid courage I asked if I could sit in.  They couldn't really understand, but I just whipped out the trumpet and they were thrilled.  I sat in and the room that had been ignoring me for suddenly lit up.  After 30 minutes, they took a break and all of a sudden I was not allowed to pay for beers anymore. I noticed a well-dressed man standing in the door for a while watching, but the band started up again and got me up there and I was happy playing.  At 8:30pm I knew the show was going to start soon so I headed next door to the Cove du Drac.  I paid my overpriced entrance and with it came a free drink.  Having my fill of beers, I order a gin and tonic.


There's something you should know about ordering drinks in Barcelona.  The waiter came with a glass of ice, a bottle of gin and a bottle of tonic water.  He took the gin and started pouring, looking at me. It was 1/4 full, then 1/2, then more and more. The waiter then slowed and said, "Enough?"  And I said, "Yeah, of course."  He told me that I was supposed to tell him to stop!  This is crazy coming from the US - home of the watered down drink.

The band come out and started to play and to my surprise the waiter came back with a tray full of money.  I was confused.  He said, "The owner is an American trumpet player and said your money is no good here."  Can you believe it?  Nothing like that has really ever happened to me before or since. I stayed and heard the show - AMAZING. At the end of the show the staff started to take all the tables and chairs and throw them in these cages toward the side that I hadn't noticed.

The crowd cleared out and at midnight a bunch of kids showed up and the place turned into a disco!  How bizarre!  I danced a little bit, but I was so drunk and tired that the whole scene kind of freaked me out.  My table from the jazz thing was a booth in the corner and some Spanish girls came and when they found out I was America I was a big star.  It was a little too much effort and without any place to take anyone home to was rather pointless.

I gathered my backpack and trumpet and headed out, after thanking the owner for such a great night.  I started walking aroung this suburb of Barcelona, largely residential, and suddenly it struck me how tired I was.  I had been up at 5-6am that day to sign off the cruise ship, lugged my bags to the Lladro shop and had my first beer at noon.  Carry the trumpet around the entire city was tiring. After roaming around not really knowing what to do I came to a conlusion.

I was in Spain. I was in a safe area. I was dead tired. It was night. I could not stay awake any longer. All hotels were completely full. I had to pee.

I didn't want to pee on the street - this was actually a nice, classy neighborhood. Instead I went down a driveway of a small apartment building, rounded the corner and quickly began to relieve myself.  Suddenly it sounded as if I was peeing on a snoring man.  I could hear extremely loud snoring coming from a 4' X 4' vent which was only 2 feet from me! I was in midstream so I couldn't stop but I swear he must've been only inches from me. 

Looking around, I noticed a ledge that was about four feet tall with some bushed or landscaping in it.  The whole ledge was only 4-5 feet wide.  It was here that I threw my trumpet, backpack and camera and I climbed up.  Taking out a sweatshirt from my bag and using some tee shirts as a pillow it was near the snoring man I practically peed on behind the bushes where I slept that first night in Barcelona.



That was day one of a ten day adventure!  Don't worry, I lived to blog about it.  Thanks for reading, if you enjoyed this you can "like me" on facebook and share it with your friends.  Add me to your Google Reader
or click on the orange "feed" button to get the next edition.

Lastly, I was removed from the cruise critic website for shameless self promotion.  If anyone is in a forum and they are covering something that I talk about here, feel free to mention my blog and do a link.  The traffic really helps with my motivation to keep going.

Well, that was the FIRST night I was homeless in Barcelona and trust me it only gets better.

Alone and Homeless in the Mediterranean

Hello, Readers, and thank you for tuning in to trumptettravels - the true accounts of my 11 year career on cruise ships as a crew member aboard Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, P&O Cruises, Premier Cruises and the Holland America Line.  I started this blog in 2010 to share my experiences of working on a cruise for those who want to work on a cruise or for those cruise-a-holics that are curious what goes on behind the smiles and professional attitude you see "front of house" on a  ship.

Today's article will not save you money on a cruise and does not really talk about working on a cruise, but it is a true story of something that could only happen to a crew member on a cruise ship.  If, at the end, you enjoy this story please note that this blog is sponsored by the ads at the right.  Tell your friends or link to me on facebook and please visit one of my sponsors.



If you are a new reader you can "follow me" by clicking the follow me link on the right hand side of this blog (scroll down if you don't see it.)

It was in the year 2000 that I was working on my first major cruise line armed with my sense of adventure and a Bb trumpet. I had been working on the Premier line previously which was fun, but too small.  After signing off the Oceanbreeze in Ft Lauderdale I went home for Christmas and contacted the man in charge at Royal Caribbean.  Luckily, some drunk trumpet player had fallen in the shower and they desperately needed a trumpet player to fill the spot. I wasn't very good at the time, but that's beside the point.


I signed on Royal Caribbean's Splendour of the Seas for three months as it finished the Caribbean season and then transitioned ot the Med.  Unfortunately, my contract was up right when the ship hit its first European port of call, Barcelona.  I was upset - I wanted to see Europe, experience the cities, the art, the music, the food.  I was just out of college and the world seemed full of opportunities and possibilities. I had no obligations or responsibilities so traveling Italy, France and Spain finally as an adult making money was a dream come true.  Would I go all that way just to see the airport and go home?

Weeks before I was scheduled to leave my boss got an email form "head office" asking if I could call in.  I waited until we were in Ft Lauderdale and bought a phone card and called in from a payphone like all crewmembers.  You see, cell phones weren't popular yet so all crewmembers used payphones.  Payphones were actually placed there by a phone company hoping a stranger would walk by and deposit money into them to call people! They took coins.

Anyway I called the office and the staffing manager asked if I would like to sign on the Legend of the Seas ten days after I signed off Splendour.  The Legend was in the Med for the summer so this was a dream come true for me.  I could see Florence, Rome, Barcelona and the most amazing cities on the Med and get paid for it!  I told the manger of course I'd love to do it - where am I staying?  Well, that was the catch.

He wasn't going to put me up in a hotel for ten days.  And he wasn't going to fly me back to the US and then back to Europe in only ten days.  So, basically, if I wanted to spend the next three months in Europe I would have to spend ten days on my own.  Signing off in Barcelona didn't seem like it would be a problem to get a hotel room.  Barcelona was a huge city - they even hosted an Olympics there!  I checked on the internet for some hotels but internet search wasn't what it is now - I couldn't really find anything in Barcelona availble.  There were no good European travel sites that I knew of.

I took the job and was lucky enough to get talking with the Shopping advisor on the ship.  She was rolling out the shopping program for the first time in the Med.  She heard I'd be stuck with my luggage and was kind enough to negotiate with a Lladro merchant to hold my luggage.  The owner was VERY confused why he should do this but when he heard I was stuck, took in the luggage.  The store was bright and modern - right down the end of the Ramblas by the Christopher Columbus statue, and the owner brought me to the back.  Opening a closet there was a hole in the floor with stairs which he directed me to bring my luggage.  In the basement of this unassuming store was the most beautiful porcelains I've ever seen.  He was restoring them.  all of the piece sin the basement were heirlooms of local families that he was restoring.  I put my luggage down and out of the way and something caught my eye.  He was currently working on a statue of the virgin Mary and she was wearing a veil.  The veil, though porcelain, looked like woven cloth.  Pieces of the veil had chipped in time and the owner was painstakingly restoring the "fibers" of this veil.  It's funny how my memory isn't the best but the intricacy of this artform, not available to the many tourists squandering their money upstairs in the showroom, has stuck with me all these years.




With only a "double gig bag," a back pack, and my camera (a Nikon N60, or F60) I started up the stairs. I bid fairwell to the Shopping Advisor and opened the front door.  From being in the basement my eyes had adjusted to the dark.  It was only 10am and I had hours and hours to find a hotel room.  I had just been paid on the ship and had a few grand in my pocket.  The light blinded me for a few seconds and then slowly the cobbled walkway, street entertainers, and thousands of tourists came into sharp focus.  I was alone and one of the most exciting places in the world and was totally free for ten days. If you want to know what happened over the next ten days... you'll have to "follow me" and check when I update next!


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