Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Day trip to Timisoara



After a few days of Mr. Pam, Rich and I constantly working we all agreed to finally go out and about. I had already planned a trip to look for a country house to film at and go on to Monte Negro and return through Kosovo, but we all decided we had too much work to do so we had to cut that trip and do something that would take less time and effort.

I suggested a quick trip to Timisoara, Romania, and Mr. Pam and Rich thought "cool!" So we took off to the North-East part of Serbia which happens to be very pretty with amazing little towns with really old buildings that look like the American Old West! At the border the Serbians harassed us a bit (something to do with my video camera) but they left me alone finally (I'm sure the border agent called us "dirty Americans" or something, I just could not tell what adjective he used...I just know his tone of voice was nasty and "Americani" followed it!).



The drive through Romania was equally as amazing, but very different from Serbia. First, the architecture is a world of difference and I could understand many of the street signs because Romanian is a Latin language and similar to Spanish in many ways. We arrived into Timisoara on its ugly industrial side, but then we happened upon the very beautiful downtown with amazing architecture and streetcars. i parked the car and we stumbled upon the main square where we ate a great tasting, but cheap meal. We then walked down to a very interesting church (I think it is Orthodox) and then got back in the car and started our drive back to Serbia.





On the way home we saw what looked like a carnival so we stopped and check it out and what an experience! The carnival was run by Gypsies and they were playing amazing music and selling local items and toys. We hung out a bit and then decided we better get going because it started turning dark and I hate driving in foreign countries at night. We finally got back around 10pm and we all ordered room service and went to bed early.




Sunday, August 26, 2007

Day at Sex i Grad on the Ada



After a long night out and Mr. Pam catching up on some sleep too, we all decided to head out to Belgrade's waterfront where everyone goes on the weekend in Summer to stroll and cruise. After eating we met up with some friends at Sex i Grad and relaxed until sunset.





Glamor Pig (aka Super Pam) decided to pay for our drinks...FABULOUS!




Mr. Pam says good evening from Belgrade!

Saturday, August 25, 2007

SERBIA Part 2

After a great cruise and a little vacation, Rich and I took back off to Belgrade to finish my movie there. Our camerawoman Mr. Pam got stuck in Chicago with bad weather so she did not arrive into Belgrade until very late at night and of course she was jet-lagged. So, Rich and I went out to check out Belgrade's gay scene but were drawn into a park by loud music. Rich and I walked into this big concert in the park series and hung out for a bit drinking and dancing.




After the party in the park Rich and I went back to a small gay bar where this blond thin guy started picking up on me and then I took advantage of his kindness and Rich and I bugged him to show us where the big gay club was. We arrived around 2:30am and stayed until 6am dancing to Serbian Folk-Pop....I loved the music!


Friday, August 24, 2007

The Rest of Italy....a little vacation

After picking up a rental car at the port of Rome and dropping Roman off at the airport Rich and I continued back down to Sorrento to take in a few days of personal time before heading to Serbia to finish shooting that movie.

When we checked into the hotel I notice a piece of luggage missing: my video camera for business! I was thinking back to when I left the ship and remembered that I did not have it then so I must have left it under the bed in my
cabin. Since it was the weekend, the cruise line’s help desk was not open so there was no way for them to help so I went to the website to see where the ship was docking next and noticed it would be in Monaco the next day. The following day after changing hotels I called the Port of Monaco and a wonderful woman contacted the ship for me and it was confirmed

that they had my precious cargo, but they wanted to send it to the corporate office lost and found instead of shipping it to me in Italy from their next port which was to be Livorno, Italy! I made an executive decision to fly to Pisa and rush the ship and insist they give it back to me, but flights were too expensive and there were no nonstops. After a ton of searching the net for a decent airfare I decided to look at train tickets. I found the train was direct from Naples to Livorno and took about 5 hours so I made the decision to take the train the next morning. Driving was just not an option since we had already booked a non-refundable hotel and really wanted to spend more time in Naples in addition to the drive taking about 7 hours.



The next morning I woke up early and took a commuter train from Sorrento to Naples and then the big train from Naples to Livorno. I slept a lot along the way and the time seemed to go pretty fast. I decided to walk to the port since it looked close on the map. However, I first went to the wrong port so I had to turn around and go to the next port when it started raining. By the time I arrived at the ship I was soaked and the person that was to have my camera had just “stepped out.” 5 minutes later here she pulled up with my baby all safe! I thanked the staff (some of them recognized me and asked where the rest of the previous passengers were…LOL), took the ship’s shuttle into town then a bus to the train and 5 hours later Rich picked me up at the station in Naples.














The following day Rich and I went to Ponpeii which is truly amazing but very hot and dusty! I also stopped in to get my hair cut which was a very interesting experience. Italians LOVE to chitty chat and they so desperately wanted to do the same with me and the hair cut took about 20 minutes longer than it should of, but it was a great experience nonetheless. The next day we drove back Rome and relaxed a bit. I went to go meet a “friend” and drove all through RomeRome trying to find the apartment. which was a crazy experience, but I saw a lot of







The next morning we took off for Belgrade on our favorite airline: JAT Airways…LOL. Our camerawoman extraordinaire was going to very late since she called me at 3am Rome time to let me know her flight was severely delayed. I took a nap while Rich worked and then we went to go get Pam from the airport sans luggage. YEAH! Mr. Pam made it to Serbia safe but extremely exhausted!


Saturday, August 18, 2007

RSVP Cruise Day 9: Salerno

Since we had so much fun in Dubrovnik with Diane, Michael, Randy and James I decided I would take a shot at a group effort in Salerno. We all wanted to head to Capri, but getting 6 people to be at the same place and same time would be hard and Randy was late so the rest took off while Rich and I waited for Randy. After a short bus ride into town and walking about 1 mile to the port we somehow caught up to the rest of the guys even though we were about 40 minutes behind them. We dumped the Capri trip for a Positano trip because the boat already left and Capri is much further than Rich thought.

I fell asleep on the boat ride that first docked in at Almafi before it continued onto Positano. When we finally arrived we only had 2 ½ hours to putz around
and have lunch…so that’s just what we did! After lunch and gelato we boarded the boat and I fell asleep again. We barely made the last bus back to the boat and then spent the rest of the day lounging by the pool. Since this was our last night basically the ship started shutting down. At 9pm, when normally there would be a ton of people floating around, I could not find one person anywhere. Eventually I just retired to my room and prepare for the arrival into Rome’s port the next morning.

Friday, August 17, 2007

RSVP Cruise Day 8: Malta

After a day on the open sea relaxing and a kind of late night partying it up on the back deck, we pulled into Malta early in the morning. When I opened my curtains I was completely amazed by how beautiful Malta is. I learned my lesson with Corfu and decided to reserve a car so we could drive around the island a bit. So Roman Rich and I headed for a taxi to get to the rental agency with our laundry (it was so expensive on the boat) and our laptops for a bit of work.

When we arrived at the car rental agency we drove immediately to drop off our laundry and then go to the internet café just blocks apart. Rich and I finished our work quickly, but Roman wanted to stay and finish his work so Rich and I drove off into the Maltese landscape. With Rich as my navigator I took off up the hills towards a town where the JAT Airways office is (don’t ask…well, yeah, I have to fly a model to Belgrade and needed to buy the ticket…JAT still does not have e-ticket ability!) We found the city but the oddest thing is that I parked the car in the main square so I could find the JAT office by foot and guess what? I parked right in front of the bloody office! LOL! We went through a store, then up some stair and into the office where the JAT woman only accepted cash payment so I ran to the ATM, got the money and finished the transaction…back in the car and on the road to a nice beach!

Ok, so this is going to sound really odd, but hey, I am human and also a strange person! For the LONGEST time I have always wanted to go to “Popeye Village” in Malta (http://www.popeyemalta.com). I knew if I ever went to Malta I would go to Popeye Village but since we did not have much time and I did do my homework in advance I thought my dream would never come true…… But then a sign appeared! A sign on the side of a random road on our way to the beach that said…..POPEYE VILLAGE 5 KM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHH! Rich flipped a nut at me and said no “no way!” But I insisted and we went…wooo hooo! After a quick romp at the village we went to hop in the water. After about 1 hour splashing around we had to head back to get our laundry and then to see the beautiful for city of Valetta, the capital, before returning to the ship.

After picking up our freshly cleaned and folded clothes we headed to Valetta that totally reminded me of Beirut! We walked around a bit and then drove back to the port where we found the gay bar! We stopped in and talked to the bartender that gave us great info regarding coming back to film my “Malta” movie!!! Oh yeah! After dropping off the car in front of the ship rich went off to sleep and I went to the back deck again for a really cool 70’s party!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

RSVP Cruise Day 6: Venice

We pulled into Venice around noon so I was able to catch up on sleep and relax a bit since the past few days have been rush rush rush and fun fun fun. I have been to Venice 2 times before, so I was not as excited as when we pulled into Naples or Dubrovnik, but Venice is always nice to return to since it is such a unique city. First and foremost Rich and I had some work to do so we headed to an internet café, but before we could reach one I found a Ferragamo shop…..OOOOOHHHHH AAAAHHHH…Now, I’m not label whore, but Ferragamo has such nice masculine fashions. Of course, there was an item I just had to have so I went to go check my personal account and do work and then I returned to make my purchase!

After whizzing by San Marco Square rich insisted we eat at a local restaurant and not a touristy joint. We found a place, but the food was not as good as we both thought, but after we found a way to take a gondola for 50 Euro cents instead of the hefty 200 Euros usually expected. The secret is to take the cross canal public gondolas which are run my gondola drivers all dressed up and running authentic gondolas…a great photo op for just 50 Euro cents!

We made our way back to the ship and we both crashed! Walking all through Venice is a pretty rough work out and the air conditioning of my room really made me conk out! I woke up around 10pm to find another great party going on up on the deck. While in Venice Rich and I bought typical masks from Venice so we put them on and went upstairs with Roman Ragazzi to have some fun! Once again another great party with a lot of energy and DJ De Leon rockin’ the house!





Monday, August 13, 2007

RSVP Cruise Day 5: Dubrovnik, Croatia

Today was a day I did not want to waste since we docked into a city both Rich and I really wanted to see and come to for a long time: DUBROVNIK! But as I was not watching Rich closely the night before (I took a very long nap while he went to dinner with the RSVP people) and he made commitments for us both…AAAHHHHHH…well, that is what I thought initially. I was kinda pissy that Rich committed us to the RSVP photo shoot in Dubrovnik, but after the bunch of us got going I warmed up to the idea and eventually warmed up to each individual person by the end of the photo shoot. DJ Dan Leon and his partner Alex really impressed me as well as the photographer Michael and his wife Diane. Now, Diane is one of those people I would call “koo koo for cocoa puffs”…LOL…a bit out there and constantly talking and moving around. I pulled Rich aside and asked what her story was and he let me know she is an attorney and highly intelligent. Well, that makes sense! Most people I quip with my coo coo…etc, are highly intelligent people whose minds go 100 miles per hour. Needless to say, Diane is one person I became extremely fond of!

Now, back to Dubrovnik! Diane found us a nice restaurant to have seafood at the pretty port and then we all broke in separate groups and ours went on to take a boat to an island and go swimming…it was amazing! We all headed back to the ship where I took a long nap and then another night party on the back deck of the ship. So far, the cruise has been very nice and I met some great people!

Dubrovnik is a must see on any trip to Europe. It is a tiny well-preserved walled in port city that has a truly unique European flare with a beautiful setting right on the Adriatic coast. It is not overcrowded with tourists making it very romantic and a well kept secret!



Sunday, August 12, 2007

RSVP Cruise Day 4: Corfu, Greece

Corfu! Rich learned his lesson about inviting people along on our excursions so we left the ship early to investigate the island of Corfu by ourselves. We tried to rent mopeds, but it seems they were either all sold out or the other agencies wanted an international driver’s license which neither Rich nor I have. We then moved onto rental cars and they were even sold out, so we just putzed our way into town. It was so hot and both Rich and I were lazy that we decided to get on this kiddie-like fake choo choo train that does a quick tour of the town! Rich and I are so anti-tour, but heat and laziness sometimes takes over and we were extremely happy to be sitting and in the shade. The 40 minute ride took us everywhere around the city we needed to see and then dropped us off at the main square. We quickly popped over to a nice coffee shop with bali-beds and laid down and sipped cold coffee drinks until we could muster enough energy to investigate the castle.

As beautiful as Corfu is, we also needed
to do some work so we headed into town to find internet access. After 2 extremely hot ours of sitting in front of a computer we had to haul our asses quickly back to the ship. Later in the evening RSVP threw another great party on the back deck of the ship. Inspired by our recent Greek port of call, the party was a “god’s and goddesses’” party…woo hoo…and of course lot’s o’ fun!

Saturday, August 11, 2007

RSVP Cruise Day 3: Messina, Sicily

The night before Rich invited a fellow passenger to come with us on our trip to Taormina by train. But, the best plans can be ruined by someone’s previous nights’ party schedule. By the time I gathered Rich and the fellow traveler and made it to the train station we missed the last train and I kinda blew a fit and marched off. I walked around the city of Messina for a bit checking out the hot Sicilian men, but then decided to go back to the ship and spend the rest of the day at the pool on the ship. Another nice outdoor party with DJ De Leon and then off to bed.

Friday, August 10, 2007

RSVP Cruis Day 2: Naples


Woke up early and headed into Naples. Rich and I walked through town, went to a suburb up high along the ridge above Naples. The views were amazing and so was the gelato! We found our way back to the ship and had a nice nap before continuing to party on the deck.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

RSVP Cruise Day 1

Roman, Rich and I woke up early and headed 2 blocks over to the hotel where the RSVP shuttle to the hotel was waiting to take us to the port. Since we were with RSVP we were whisked onto the ship very quickly and were able to access our rooms, drink champagne, and much at the taco bar next to the mid-pool. People started to board the ship heavily about 2 hours later and some people came up to me to thank me for bringing them pleasure (that really makes me happy!) Later on, we had drinks by the back pool and mingled with the passengers and the RSVP personnel then had an early night.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

The Day Before The Cruise

Rich and I arrived at Rome airport in the afternoon so we grabbed our bags and headed to the hotel by train to find Roman in the hotel sleeping. I decided to take a quick nap also and then we all headed out around 4pm to go see the sites of Rome. We made a quick trip through Vatican City and then off to Trevi Fountain and then finally the Coliseum. We ran into Julian from RSVP right as we were leaving the Coliseum and had a quick chat about the following day. Had a quick dinner and then some gelato (everyone that goes to Italy HAS TO taste the excellent gelato!) and then we went back to the hotel for an early night so we were fresh for the next day.