To Rome?
This summer was looking pretty slow as a speed painter and I was settling in to develop some new ideas that have been on the back burner and just taking it easy and enjoying being home.
Then, my manager calls.
I am always happy when he calls, but I have learned to make sure I am sitting down. “Do you want to go back to the Mediterranean with Disney Cruise Line?” “When?” I ask. “Two days from now.” Welcome to show business and life as a speed painter. So I negotiate bringing Cindy along as well as my tour manager, James Mackey and we scramble to get our studio stuff together and off we go. I have to pay for Cindy, but that is a price worth paying.
Of course, as usual, two pieces of the luggage, our stage gear, do not make it. This is WAY problematic on a last minute deal halfway around the world where we are about to be on a ship with no access to stores. There was no time to ship stuff in advance. This time it is not too bad. Everything except our vinyl backdrop to protect the stage and our canvas stretchers make it.
The last Mediterranean cruise was worse. Then it was drape, drop cloth, easel, poles to hang the drape and stage tarp. We had to scramble at three different stores in Gibraltar including a music shop to buy an ultimate support speaker stand to modify into an easel on that trip.
The Disney people had saved our stretcher frames from the previous trip at our request and we were able to recycle those and wing the rest. If we keep working with them, we will have a set of gear standing by. Working as an event entertainer and speed painter I cannot say enough good things about Disney. They have been wonderful.
We flew into Rome and were driven to Civitavecchia which is the cruise ship port 45 minutes away
1. Disney ship
The Disney Magic. Our home away from home.
2. Tink
Tink. You can fly!
We were performing in the small theater and they had to turn people away from the two shows. Standing ovations for both shows! Working our way up to the main stage I suppose. I think at this point we are filling in for other acts last minute to see how we click, then we go bigger. The plan is to work the end of one cruise, get off the ship for 5 days and get back on in Palermo for the beginning of a second cruise. Our room was to be used by another act while we were away. Sounds good to me! Five days kicking around Europe. Why not? it is over a hundred degrees back home.
We stopped in La Spezia and had the day off so we took a train to Pisa. We were too late in the day to go up in the leaning tower until much later in the day so we just explored the city and the church, took the obligatory photo holding up the tower then found an air conditioned restaurant and ate pizza. They were able to stabilize the tower and have removed the scaffolding that has been surrounding it for years so it is really beautiful.
3.Pisa
Saving the world, one architectural masterpiece at a time…
From there we returned to the ship, had another successful show and got ready to disembark.
We docked in Ajaccio, Corsica, then after a delightful day at the art museum and the beach including a swim, enjoyed a wonderful meal on the shore looking at the blue Mediterranean sea. We ate wood fired pizza and drank inexpensive but delicious red wine. We then spent the night in a nice 3 star hotel. In the morning, we figured that we needed to take a train to Bastia on the other side of the island to catch a ferry to Rome and rent a car to explore Tuscany. Then, the plan was to return to Rome and fly to Palermo to rejoin the ship.
4.Corsica beach
So we arrived at the train station to find that the morning train to Bastia had departed an hour ago. We should have checked the schedules before bed. Blame it on the wine…
We figured they would run throughout the day. Never assume. The next one would be at 4 pm. So, plan B: onward to the ferry station. Cindy is fluent in Spanish and I can get by, but none of us speak much French. Corsica is the home of Napoleon and French is spoken there. Often with Italian you can work some of it out if you speak Spanish. Not true of French.
There are no signs declaring Rome as a destination in the ferry terminal so James asks at the window. “Do you go to Rome?” The guy says something that sounds like ” To Rome?” and James says “Yes!, To Rome! How much?” Fifty euros per person. Seven hour ferry ride. Perfect!
5. Ferry
So we get on the huge ferry which is like a cruise ship inside. We rent a small cabin for an additional 50 euros. We have lunch. We chat, we nap, we stroll around the deck, we drink beer. Just a lovely time. And we arrive at the port.
Cabin on the Ferry. Just chillaxin’…
James and Dan clowning around in a heavy wind.
As we lean over the rails, I say to James, “This does not look like Civitavecchia,” (the port near Rome). James is staring straight ahead. The color has gone out of his face. We see a terminal building that is clearly marked. “Toulon.” Not “TO ROME” but “TOULON” France. 800 kilometers from Rome.
We look at the tickets which are in French. Clearly marked “Toulon 13:15″ We had 
never heard of Toulon so we did not recognize it as a destination. I started laughing and then Cindy started laughing and eventually James understood that he still had a job as tour manager and he started laughing. And so, happily, we went to France.
9. Toulon Centre
Toulon view from our hotel room window. How charming is that?
Just between you and me, France is far more beautiful than Italy and cleaner. Italy has bigger, more impressive monuments no doubt, and Florence is amazing. Sorry if you are Italian and reading this. I would make the same comments about American cities. NYC is wonderful good fun and a dump. Both statements are true. But I do love NY. Just saying…
France, outside of Paris, has very little litter and seems way less junky. Less graffiti. A scourge that encompasses the modern world. Architects labor to build magnificent cities and kids mark their turf. I would mind it less if they had talent, but mostly it is just loopy lettered names. It does not improve the look of things. Sorry if that is a narrow minded opinion coming from an artist who believes in freedom of expression. But there you have it.
10. Chateau
This chateau is being used as a Catholic private school outside of Marseille. We were not supposed to be in this driveway. We were being tourists trying to see the chateau, ignoring no trespassing signs. Had to turn around here. What a way to go to school. Like Harry Potter at Hogwarts.
I was in France last summer for the Le Mans Grand Prix, and Cindy and I toured castles and chateaus for a week afterwards. I cannot think of a better place to be for 3 days, so we rented a car and took off to explore Marseille. A seaport town built on hills, it is a maze of narrow streets and France’s second largest city. The highlight was the Notre Dame de la Garde basiica
on the highest point of the city. We really had to search for it because when you are on narrow streets with three and four story flats, in the hills you cannot see the church except occasional glimpses. And because iPhone data is ridiculously expensive overseas and they were out of GPS units to rent with the car, we were winging it.
11. Notre Dame
There it is! Oh dang! We are on the wrong hill. Turn around. We did this for a good 30 minutes…
But find it, we did and well worth the effort. The view was fantastic, the basilica is a work of art dedicated to the sailors and pilots lost at sea from Marseille. There were model ships hanging from the ceiling and the holy water vessels were shaped like boat bows.
12. Notre Dame
13. Notre Dame
14. Notre Dame Pieta
Pieta overlooking the harbor.
15. Lady Liberty
Liberty enlightening the world in a small village in France.
On to Aix-en-Provence where we heard there was a music festival. When we got there we learned that it was a mostly Mozart festival in concert halls and you needed a ticket and they were probably sold out, etc… So we walked the streets and enjoyed soaking it all in. Aix-en-Provence ( pronounced “X in Pro-vance” ) felt like a mini Paris to me. Charming, bustling, but not as crazy as Paris. Very nice. We ate crepes from a street vendor. I had nutella and banana.
16. fountain
Aix-en-Provence.
17. Cezanne
Aix-en-Provence. The birthplace and home of Paul Cezanne. And the countryside looks like his paintings.
18. Railing
Oh the naughty French. Hee, hee, hee, haw, haw, haw… Can you find the hidden images?
We then headed for Salon-en-Provence which was a charming little town. We found a castle, closed for the day but then found a charming little restaurant next to it and had a wonderful meal. James ordered dessert and received what looked like French Toast with whipped cream. The waiter insisted that this was made with brioche and nothing like what we know as french toast. James said it was just really good French Toast. After dinner we found another 3 star hotel downtown in an ancient building and called it a day.
19. French toast
French Toast for desert. Oh, perdone moi. Brioche…
In the morning we were planning to head for Avignon, and see the Roman and Greek ruins at Arles and Nimes, but we went to a cafe and checked e mail. Change of plans: The flight for Cindy to go home was booked solid so the Disney people had arranged for her to leave a day earlier than we had planned. Now our plans were cut a day short. Oh well… When you do the cruise ships, they set all this up and it is all last minute and flight changes are not possible. Roll with it baby!
So we now abort France and try to get to Rome ASAP. We are professionals so no worries. Sort of.
20. Map of France
Here is an overview. We got around quite a bit in a short time.
21. Map of cruise
Here is where the Magic cruises and some of the stops along the way.
We drove to St Tropez, because James wanted to see it. What you could see of it was beautiful. It was a lovely drive through insanely beautiful, rolling, winding, hill country roads getting there. Once in St. Tropez, you can’t really see anything because it is very wealthy and exclusive and unless you belong to the club you have to keep driving. Lots of walls…Mostly walled in beaches. With more giant white yachts than I have ever seen together in one place. The harbor looked like a yacht dealership. We are talking Aristotle Onassis type yachts. James Bond stuff. Literally hundreds of them for kilometers down the coast.
22. Yachts
Yachts, yachts and more yachts in St. Tropez. Taken from a moving car, because you could not stop…
23. Highway
You would think you were in Colorado or West Texas… Beautiful area.
From there we went along the coast through St. Rafael and Cannes to Nice and that was the best part of the trip. Breathtaking vistas, blue water, tanning bathers. James was on “topless patrol” and his vigilance was rewarded more than once. We spent the night in Nice, turned the car in, had another pleasant dinner at a sidewalk cafe. I excused myself from dinner and went to bed. It had been an exhausting fun day. We got up in the morning and caught the train to Rome. Barely.
24. Sweetie
With my sweetie. Near Cannes? Before Nice…
25. Blue sea
Yeah, it’s that pretty in real life too…
The people at the train station told us Roma, track 6. There was a monitor listing track 6 as correct. But there was no train at track 6. So we stood around for 15 minutes wondering where the train was and noticed that there was a train leaving at 9:38 on track 5 but its destination was Milan.
9:38 was the time we were supposed to leave and it is a few minutes till, and so James looks it over and says “That’s our train!” And starts running off. A dozen others with babies in strollers on the platform see this deal go down and realize that they are also on the wrong platform, and when James makes a decision he becomes a leader and people follow. Everyone is getting excited and hurrying. So we are all running down into the tunnel under the tracks and I am thinking ” I hope he is right, because we have suckered everyone else into this if he is wrong.”
26. Station
He was right and James and I jump on the train, but in the confusion, we don’t see Cindy. She was right behind me a few seconds ago. I panic
and call out for her and her head pops around the corner in her sweet voice. She waves. “I’m here!” The doors were closing and she could not get on, so she ran down to another door. I think the door pinched her bottom as it closed. Whew! Good times! We did not have cell phones and had not discussed a back up plan in case we got separated. WOW!
27. Monaco
Monaco. A very wealthy small country.
We settled in for the train ride though Monaco and around the coast to Rome. Monaco has money. It also has casinos. Lots of them.
28. Colosseum
We arrive at Rome an hour before dusk and find a hotel near the train station. Then we go for a walk to the Colosseum. We have dinner at an overpriced touristy restaurant in front of the Colosseum at sunset, with an opera singer and accordion player. Yeah, it was not cheap and the food was just O.K. but it was Cindy’s last night in Europe and it was perfect!
The next morning I get up and take the train with Cindy to the airport. By this time we are learning. We bought the train tickets at the tobacco shop for 3 euros cheaper and avoided an hour long wait in line at the window with the other tourists. That is a handy bit of information. Thanks to our hotel desk clerk for that.
She is flying home to see our 17 year old daughter off on a trip to Ecuador. I put her in line and go back to Rome to meet James. We walked all over Rome, visited the Castle San Angelo and strolled by the other major sites. We have both been to Rome before, so no pressure to see anything in particular. In the morning we catch the flight to Palermo and do two more shows in a few more days before heading home.
29. Colloseum Night
Classic night time shot.
30. James Castle
James taking a load off at Castle San Angelo at the rooftop terrace.
31. Pantheon
The Pantheon. Still a marvel and still standing and in use since Roman times. The temple to all the other gods. Just in case we missed somebody… Later the Church “Christianized” it.
32. Pompeii
James and I went on to Naples and paid a cab driver to take us to Pompeii and Herculaneum. Pompeii is HUGE. You can walk the streets for hours. I wish we had spent another hour there at least. Maybe two. It was fascinating. Everything preserved with volcanic ash when Vesuvius blew in 90 AD. Herculaneum is small and very well preserved. It was also covered in the same eruption. Lost for centuries, nobody was sure where these cites were. They were rediscovered in the 1700’s and they have been excavating ever since. You can tour it in about an hour. We paid a guide which was the right choice.
33. Herculaneum
Herculaneum. A small Roman vacation village. Streets are curved so the sewage could drain down to the sea. They had lead pipes, plumbing, Roman baths, an amazing civilization for the time.
34. Pompeii body
Body-shaped hollows in the ground where ash had covered people and burned them and they decomposed leaving a hollow space in the rock. Plaster was poured into the cavity and the rock chipped away to make these plaster casts.There are several of these around. Even one of a dog. This was the citizens last moment. They were not being displayed well though. Maybe there was another area with other casts. The place was enormous. Like walking a downtown area today. Miles of excavated streets. I felt a sense of reverence looking at a man’s last moment. Frozen in time.
Of course getting home had the usual hassles. We have an extra bag going back so they charged me $450. Upon arriving in Detroit Delta delayed the flight and changed the gates twice. We are delayed 4 hours. The usual stuff.
It was a fun adventure and we rocked the shows. Good to be home. On to the next thing.
Cheers!
Dan, Cindy and James. Team Paintjam.
