Australia, New Zealand, and the rants of Bradley!!!

Hello from New Zealand the farthest south I could possibly be unless I was in Antarctica. Here is a little fun fact…New Zealand is actually the closest point to Antarctica then any other place on earth. I am currently sitting in my gym clothes, drinking a protein shake and trying to wait as patiently as possible for my 2 weeks worth of laundry to dry while listening to Pete Murray (one of my new found favorite Australian artist). The crew laundry room can be quite the gamble at times, but today I was lucky and found a washer right away and then a dryer when it was time to switch. It doesn’t usually happen like that folks!

I have been out and about exploring Oban today, and there really was not much too it. It is a quaint little fishing harbor. I believe about 300-400 people are residents and it is located at the southern tip of New Zealand. I ran around with one of the Steiner’s from the spa. Her name is Sara and she is from the London. We stopped in for a beer at the local pub in their only hotel, walked around town, up to this peaceful little Presbyterian church, and then sat and had coffee at this little crepe café called Kiwi Crepes and Bakery. It was quite the posh little hang-out for such a small town and only lacked wireless internet. The only wild-life I saw were 2 sheep…in a pin. I was hoping to see a Kiwi bird, but I had to suffice with a picture of the Kiwi Bird crossing sign instead. Tomorrow Dunedin will be much more exciting.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family. Our day on board was different from any other thanksgiving I had ever experienced. There are only about 40 American crew members on board so the celebration for us was few and far between. I completely forgot it was Thanksgiving until a youth staff girl wished me a “Happy Thanksgiving” at breakfast. The ship really didn’t do anything special for the crew, which was kind of a bummer, but we did have the traditional Thanksgiving feast for selection at dinner in the Lido. Without my friends on board it would have been a sorry holiday, however, we made the most of it and overall it was grand. I did miss my family, Macy’s thanksgiving day parade, watching football in my pjs, and the ability to just relax all day since we had to work.

I had a lovely time in Sydney and cannot wait to go back on December 9^th. There is so much to see and do there that it is a bit overwhelming to try and fit into a few short hours. The biggest downfall of cruising is the limited amount of time in ports of call. I woke up early for our sail in to Sydney with a few other crew members. The weather decided to act up, but even through the rain and chilly morning air it was a beautiful sail in. A fire tug boat guided us into the harbor and the entire time it sprayed it’s hoses as a salute to the Zaandam arriving. The opera house was bigger than I expected it to be and the design is truly breathtaking from the sea. It resembles the sails of a ship and tucked right next to the Sydney Harbor Bridge it makes quite the Kodak moment. Even though it was raining Brittany and I decided to go on an early morning jog around 7:30. We ran around the harbor directly to the Opera House and then after circling it we headed into the botanical gardens that are just to the right of the House. I will have to say that it was one of the best jogs of my life. First, I was running in Australia, secondly, I was taking in the majestic opera house, and lastly the gardens were amazingly laid out and incredibly beautiful. Some of the tropical plants reminded me of Jumange or Honey I Shrunk the Kids because they were much larger than me. I think we jogged for about 45 minutes in the rain…it was refreshing and exciting. After drying off I went off the ship exploring. I ran around The Rocks, which is the historical district of Sydney and then ventured into downtown for some shopping. I didn’t end up buying anything but the trip was fun with the gang. We ate at this new restaurant that had just opened up. They specialized in smoked meats served with a tasteful and trendy flare. Of course I also checked out some of the local coffee shops in the area as well. The Aussie’s have all different ways of ordering their coffee, “short black”, “flat white”, and other things that I couldn’t seem to wrap my brain around. I need to ask my Australian friend Meagan what they all mean. By mid-afternoon I was quite run down and I ended up finding the oldest pub, “Future of War” and had 2 beers with Liz and Brittany while we talked about how amazing life is at the moment and the greatest that is Australia. I am hoping to see even more of Sydney since the weather was so crummy this last visit. I also am going to make sure to eat a meat pie=)

The weather has been a little disappointing for this cruise…rainy, with highs in the 50s. It has reminded me of my Alaskan summer weather and I could do without. On the flip side today was one of those perfect fall weather days and I truly enjoyed feeling fall since I missed the season change this year. One stop we made before arriving in NZ was in Milford Sound. It was early scenic cruising for us that began at 7am. When I stepped outside on the back deck I said, “ Dear God this is the most beautiful place I have ever seen.” There were over a hundred water falls falling over the massive rock faces. It reminded me of the Lord of The Rings scenes. Most of the movie was shot in New Zealand and I could tell exactly why. The morning was full of more rain, but the clouds and mist made for a magical setting where slight rays of sunshine could trickle through between showers. Some of the falls were a few hundred meters high and the waterfalls even with the largest flow were well over 100 meters tall. Unfortunately with no camera, I couldn’t really capture the beauty of the moment, so it will have to be one for the memory bank! Milford Sound was created by the glaciers and I definitely believe it is the most beautiful fjord I have seen to date.

Tonight we have two showings of Southern Nights. All of us approach each show with a little different attitude now since we only have 6 left before leaving in Feb. I am so proud of my cast. We are drama free and have the time of lives together. I am going to miss each of them very much.

Speaking of cast mates, I received a contract offer this week to join the team at Universal Studios Japan for a season. They offered me the role of Dracula in the Monster’s Live Rock N Roll show. It is there longest running show in Japan and apparently the cast in the show are viewed as celebrities in the eyes of the Japanese. The opportunity is an amazing one and I still honestly can’t believe that the casting directors want me. I have a little time before giving my final yes since I have to wait for my contract to reach me on board. There are so many incredible positives about this contract, including the chance to live, breath, and experience the Japanese culture like never before. However, one of the biggest downers is I will only get one week between contracts and this next contract ends March of 2013. It is a long time to be away from family and friends, but 20 years down the road I don’t want to look back and regret not going…it would be life changing!!

So that is all for me. The Zaandam is starting to get into the Christmas spirit. I started cutting out construction paper snowflakes to hang on my Christmas lights. I am still hoping to buy a few ornaments and some more decorations for the season for my cabin. I am getting excited about Secret Santa and The Twelve Days of Christmas progression of drinks, and all the other fun and exciting holiday fun on board.

Zest up your life a little this season, do something out of the ordinary! LIVE and BE MERRY!

Lots of love,

bradley