Upon the Tyne

Newcastle UK

Well, we survived our first travel day in the UK via bus and it may have been a late night, but we made it.  Having to go all the way around the city due to road closures, but we made it.

Upon arriving in the city there were still lots of people out on the town even at 2:30 AM on a Sunday night.  This definitely gave it the college-town feel and we were staying basically in the middle of the campus neighboring the Tyne River.  Ah, it kind of felt like home in the slightest way and maybe that’s just because it was Homecoming week at The Rock too.

Anyways, with only one day off we were bound to see something.  And just like Europe promised, there were cathedrals after cathedrals from Saint Mary’s to St. Nicholas to even the Newcastle Castle; which gave the town its name and served as burial grounds from even before 1080 when the castle was constructed. 

There’s so much history in all of these towns and while some are easy to find and others are not, lately we have just been stumbling up on them during our walks through the city.  Grey Street, Eldon Square along with a hidden Arcade were places just as such and lead to more and more shopping.  There are certain stores that you can find basically anywhere for your necessities.  If you need an appliance or every day cosmetics or basically anything there the stores to go to are Boots or Argos and as for groceries, there are Sainsbury’s or even Greggs.

And yes there is a bit of a language difference here.  For example, when someone asks you, “How are you doing?” instead of saying “Hello,” that’s what it is taken for.  Just as when someone says “Cheers,” they are not referring to drinking, but instead it’s their way of saying “Thanks!” or even “Thank you.”

There are old-school taxis and double decker buses and brick and cobblestone streets; some aren’t even wide enough for two cars to go up and down on. 

Oh, and we also got the joy of experiencing a UK fire drill; at 5:30 in the morning!  Ya, they are just the same everywhere. 

But just like that, it was time to move to the next city.  It’s crazy to think that we are already heading into week three of being here and with a full day of sightseeing ahead, it was time to get some much needed sleep before embarking on our journey to Stonehenge and the Roman city of Bath while we resided in Birmingham.    

European Soil

Manchester, England UK

Back at it again.  That break was so nice and of course like any other, we always wish it was longer.  However, it was great to catch up with everyone that I was able to and for some it had been way too long.  To those I was not able to see I know there will come another time soon…like Spring 2017!  So, until then I will be seeing you from the other side of the World!

And, I must admit that even though the goodbyes still don’t get any easier, I was feeling a little more at ease heading into a country where for at least the first three months I will be in English speaking countries.  Yes, I know some of the accents may make things a little more difficult and some words and phrases may take some getting used to, but hey, I made it through Japan; I feel like that says a lot right there.  I am not by any means saying that it was easy, but now I feel like that may be the hardest and most culture-shocking part of the tour this year.  I am ready to see everything that Europe has to offer!

It was a quick turn around with only 10 days at home and then stepping off the plane and getting back to business with one full day of rehearsals and a dress run then stepping right back into “show-mode” that night. 

And while we weren’t at the building we were trying to soak in all of what this first city for the European Tour had to offer. 

For most of us, this was our first time in this part of the country so getting acquainted to things was the first task at hand.  So far, the traffic is reversed as to what the norm is in the states, but just like on busy roads with lots of stop lights, people still like to run the red lights.  Time to cross the street via foot seems quite short too if you ask me.  Also, power voltage is different and if you do not have a converter and adapter either you won’t have any power flowing to your device or you will have too much and will learn that the hard way.  The British Pound is also decreasing in strength, so it is going to help us Americans out over here when we spend money since its value is slowly getting closer to the American dollar.  Which is always good to know when we are out shopping at the Arndale Mall or out for a bite to eat at the Botanist or some fun at Tiger Tiger.  And if you are really lucky, you may even run into Stan; a very friendly fellow who was not shy in asking any lady to dance and quite a regular who was liable to make anyone smile. 

Sometimes you never know who you are going to meet or run into and I was graciously thankful to see a friendly face all the way away from home!  We were finally reunited while I was still on tour after tour was where we were first introduced and it was lovely!

So, city number one is complete and we off to Newcastle and just like that we are back to the grind of this World Premier.   

The Final Destination

Matsuyama, Japan

 

Well, we did it!  In the beginning it seemed like such a daunting tasking looking at the schedule with back to back weeks of over 20 shows and climbing the mountain on the only day off in between; but we did it!  We survived Japan!!  

 

      

      

To be honest, I wasn’t sure that I was going to be able to be that far away from home in a culture where I didn’t speak the language at all nor did I really know much about or how to communicate, but we made it work.  Thanks to lots of games of charades and Google Translate, we were able to figure things out.  It also helps that the people are always so nice and kind and caring.  They will literally leave work to show you what you are looking for.  Its also, the safest place I have ever been; children as young as 1st grade travel back and forth on trains all by themselves.  

 

       

 

I can’t believe its time to go home already.  At points it seemed like time was taking forever to pass and now that its time to depart, its almost as if time flew by.  So, of course we were all trying to cram everything into our last week; eating our last of Japanese food, spending time with everyone outside of the workplace, and enjoying the Japanese culture one last time.  

 

                                

And of course, they always save the best or the worst for last.  I really enjoyed this city because within 10 minutes of walking from being down town you were able to get to a little more reserved area and gaze upon the whole city from above in the Matsuyama Castle.  However, at the same time, we were in the hottest building yet of the tour.  Just when we thought it was going to cool down we were in for it.  We were performing in a Japanese Martial Arts building and while the construction of it resembled that of the culture and really reminded me of a Cabella’s of a Bass Pro Shop, the air conditioning was quite lacking.  

 

      

 

This definitely had us looking forward to some cooler weather that is soon approaching as we head to Western Europe after our two-week break at home.  But, before that, we had to officially close and in doing so we had our Closing Night/Farewell from Chukyo.  

 

It was probably the most exquisite gathering I have been to on tour.  Not only were there tables and tables of food and drinks, but also there were chandeliers hanging from the ballroom ceiling where speeches were to be given as the night passed.  

 

      

It was a true pleasure to be given such an opportunity and even though I was hesitant in the beginning, I am very thankful that I had it in me, to take full advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity.  I will forever cherish it.  I can’t wait to see what the next adventure brings.  For now though, I just can’t wait to spend two weeks at home! See you down the road!