The Photoshoot XD

Ok, as a birthday treat I went to London to have a photoshoot. It was absolutely amazing. Even though it's not really me - I'm not at all photogenic and so I tend to cower away from cameras - I really enjoyed it. Here are some of the photos below:

Home sweet home

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the cruise, I am glad to be home on solid ground in the comfort of my own house, my own room, my own bed. I spent the first few days recovering and reminiscing. But soon got down to coursework. My sister Gemma came round one evening with her boys on Monday. Chris was at a friend's house, and so it was me that had to play football with Joey. He won. But only because I let him.

I went round to Sizz's on Wednesday. We watched a genius film - you probably haven't heard of it - but trust me, it's genius. It's called "Stand by me". Watch it! We then went on DeviantArt and admired everyone's photography and artwork and listened to Sizz's masses of music on iTunes. I wish I had as much music as her. And she has such good taste.

Day 13

CRUISE COMPASS

Today we are in: Barcelona, Spain

Sunrise: 6.32 am

Sunset:  8.28 pm

Today's forecast

Sunny

80°F (23°C)

Humidity: 76%

Wind: Calm

UV index: 6 medium

Au revoir 

Now you may think that "au revoir" is just goodbye in French. In fact, its literal meaning is "until we meet again". And we will see the ship again. Maybe not the Brilliance of the Seas, but certainly another of Royal Caribbean's cruise ships. We have enjoyed the holiday so much, it was definitely worth the money, and - although it would take a couple of years saving up - we will go again. I will miss the ship, its friendly, welcoming staff and the spectacular sites. It definitely is a holiday to remember. And I will cherish the memories.

Day 12

CRUISE COMPASS

Today we are: at sea

Sunrise: 6.30 am

Sunset:  8.34 pm

Today's forecast

Sunny

81°F (23°C)

Humidity: 83%

Wind: Calm

UV index: 5 medium

Tonight's Dinner Dress Suggestion: Casual

The penultimate day means packing 

Unfortunately, today was the penultimate day. It was our last chance to make the most of the ship. Table tennis. Pool. Swimming. Golf. Rock climbing. We did everything.

We thanked all the staff one last time. The waiters. The Chef. The Cabin Attendant, Sean. We particularly complimented Sean with his amazing towel folding. Every night we would return to our cabins to find a clever towel animal on our beds. There were dogs. Bats. Elephants. Rabbits. Monkeys. I tried making them myself. But I failed. 

There was a farewell show that night. Neal Austin. He did a lot of zany magic. It was very entertaining. A true comic.

Day 11

CRUISE COMPASS

Today we are in: Naples,  Italy

Sunrise: 6.14 am

Sunset:  7.58 pm

Ship's arrival: 7.00 am

Today's forecast

Sunny

83°F (28°C)

Humidity: 83%

Wind: 10 - 15 mph

UV index: 8 medium

Tonight's Dinner Dress Suggestion: Casual / 70s

After a storm come calm

We have already been to Naples, and thoroughly exhausted all there is to see there, including Pompeii, Herculaneum, Mount Vesuvius, Sorrento, so we all took advantage of the rather quiet ship. My mother and I had spa treatments. I had a massage - it was sooooo good. I think I am going to be having a lot of them over the next year, to try and ease the stress of GCSEs - argh the pressure! My mum had a treatment called Ionithermi...which basically involves sending electric pulses through your body to help you lose weight. The idea is that the pulses provoke reflexes in the muscles, thus strengthening and toning the muscles and burning the surrounding fat. She insists it works.

After our spa treatment, we had some retail therapy. I bought a lovely white dress. One shop we went into, one of the shop assistants came straight up to me throwing outfits in my direction. He insisted that I try each of them on. As I came out of the changing room each time, he would circle me once, twice shouting Bellissimo  and then rushing to get accessories that would match the outfit. If it wasn't for the fact that he was very gay, I would have been very nervous.

The entertainment kept exceeding expectation. String Fever, a London based family string band (3 brothers and a cousin) performed on an electric cello, viola and two violins. They were extraordinary. I wouldn't do them justice by describing them, so all I can say is, youtube them. They're on there. I checked. And they have their own website as well.

It was Casual / 70s disco, so I felt obliged to wear my slutty dress. And I am glad I did. I saw Scott again. I shouldn't go into too much detail, for risk of a few disapproving readers being a little shocked. Lets just say we kissed and exchanged numbers.

Day 10

CRUISE COMPASS

Today we are: at sea

Sunrise: 6.56 am

Sunset:  8.46 pm

Today's forecast

Sunny

84°F (29°C)

Humidity: 84%

Wind: 15 - 25 mph

UV index: 8 medium

Tonight's Dinner Dress Suggestion: Formal

Cooking up a Storm

We were at sea. I will get straight into describing the title. There were several cooking demonstrations on Deck 4. Chefs would come and talk you through making their dishes. But this one was different. The chef demonstrated how to make sushi. And not only that, he had Gordon, the Cruise Director, and one volunteer from the audience, standing either side of him, copying him. It was not only educational, but entertaining. I am definitely making sushi some time. 

It was very stormy that day. There were strong winds, even stronger than that suggested above, in the cruise compass. We went out on deck in our formal attire, after dinner, and we were rocking about all over the place. We could see the waves bashing up against the side of the ship, yet as soon as you step inside, you don't notice it. 

The Brilliance of the Seas' Singers and Dancers performed their new show "Centre Stage". I feel very privileged to be one of the first people to see the show. It was truly amazing. And to think they only prepared it in a matter of weeks. Every note, word, step and lift was perfect. 

Day 9

CRUISE COMPASS

Today we are in: Piraeus (Athens), Greece

Sunrise: 6.29 am

Sunset:  8.18 pm

Ship's arrival: 7.00 am

Today's forecast

Sunny

98°F (36°C)

Humidity: 65%

Wind: 15 - 25 mph

UV index: 9 medium

Tonight's Dinner Dress Suggestion: Casual / White

Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of arts and eloquence. 

I love Athens. I had never been before. In fact, before the cruise, I had never been to Greece. We went to the top of the Acropolis - many people make the mistake of thinking that the Acropolis is the main temple at the top of the hill, but in fact the Acropolis is the hill itself and the main temple is the Parthenon, which is dedicated to the Goddess Athena. Again, I have photos of the site at the top of the Acropolis, and the views of the beautiful city from the hill. Not only did we look at all the ancient ruins, but we also had a look at many of the Olympic Stadiums, both from 2004 and 1896, when the Olympic Games first started again.

And tonight was toga night! All the guys wore sheets. And often, JUST sheets. It certainly was a sight. The entertainment that night was fantastic. John Taylor. An Australian magician. Usually when I see magic shows, it isn't long before I work out how the trick was performed, and how it worked. But this show, I couldn't figure out how any of the tricks worked. It was so frustrating. And even now, having googled all the tricks, I have no idea how they worked. And amazingly, he designed all of them. I really suggest looking him up. He is an amazing magician. I certainly would go and see him again. 

Day 8

CRUISE COMPASS

Today we are in: Kusadasi, Turkey

Sunrise: 6.25 am

Sunset:  8.06 pm

Ship's arrival: 7.00 am

Today's forecast

Sunny

101°F (38°C)

Humidity: 51%

Wind: 10 - 20 mph

UV index: 10 high

Tonight's Dinner Dress Suggestion: Formal

Ephesus and Flying Carpets

As you may have guessed from the title, we went on a tour round Ephesus. Again, I will upload photos. I won't bore you with the details, I could spend hours describing Turkey. It is a wonderful place. But I wouldn't do it justice. All I can say is, you should really go, if you haven't already. It was incredibly hot that day, and so our tour guide kept us out of the sun as much as possible, but it was difficult at times, particularly at the ruins of Ephesus. After our tour round Ephasus, we went to the House of the Virgin Mary. We each had a clay pot which we filled with the Holy Water from the Spring. But mine leaked in my bag. 

When we returned to the harbour, we went to a traditional Turkish rug store. They talked us through the different types of rugs, rolling them out on the floor, and letting us walk in them in our bare feet - they were so soft. But what was particularly amazing was how long each rug took to make - there were rugs there that had taken 12 years of solid work, if not more - and also how well they wore - he showed us rugs that were 200 years old and they looked as good as new. Not surprisingly, the rugs cost a fortune. The cost was dependent on the materials, the pattern, the size and how long it took to make. One small rug, about the size of a door mat, was round and intricately decorated. It was worth £250,000. That was because it was made of silk, and had taken 11 years to make. Anyway, enough about rugs, but before I leave this topic, I think I should explain the second part of the title - the flying carpet. It's true. The rugs fly. I saw it. 

It was another formal night. I wore my brand new Boohoo dress. It didn't cost much, and is absolutely amazing. I love it to pieces. My family wasn't particularly impressed by the entertainment. Elvy Rose. The other guests seemed to find her amusing and entertaining. To me, she just appeared to be a woman with no dignity prancing about on stage singing out of tune. And no, that wasn't the intention. She is meant to be a professional singer. Maybe I am being a bit cruel. Perhaps she only seemed like that in comparison with the amazing act the previous night. 

Day 7

CRUISE COMPASS

Today we are in: Santorini, Greece

Sunrise: 6.34 am

Sunset:  8.11 pm

Ship's arrival: 7.00 am

Today's forecast

Sunny

83°F (28°C)

Humidity: 58%

Wind: 15 - 25 mph

UV index: 10 high

Tonight's Dinner Dress Suggestion: Smart Casual

The Sunken City?

You may be wondering what the title means. You have probably heard of the Sunken City. Santorini is considered one of the possibilities, if the myth is actually true. Santorini is a volcanic island some distance away from mainland Greece - despite being a Greek island. The volcano erupted relatively regularly and ferociously. About 3000 years ago, there was one particular eruption that was so strong that the entire volcano collapsed in on itself. Leaving the island in a rather bizarre crescent shape. Hence the Sunken City of Atlantis.

I really enjoyed the tour in Santorini. We learnt a lot about the history of the island, and am quite proud to say that I saw Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's new house. We visited the main town of Santorini, and I must admit, I did a little bit of shopping, and we went to a winery, where we all tasted some wines which had rather a rather interesting palette - putting it politely. To get down the hill back to the harbour, we rode a donkey part way, and then took a cable car down the particularly steep bit. Again, we did more shopping along the harbour, before catching a tender boat back to the ship. That's 4 methods of transport in 2 sentences.

This was most probably the best night for entertainment. Two words. Chris Hamilton. The greatest musician that ever lived. He has seemed to have already made quite a name for himself, having written a musical that was performed at the Edinburgh festival last year, and got extremely good reviews. It is going to be performed in Holland in October, and auditions are being carried out for a production of it in the West End. He predominantly a pianist, but he also sings and is generally a good entertainer. 

Having played us a variety of different pieces, both classical and modern, major and minor, his own composition or the work of others, he spoke a lot about how he admired Liberace. He particularly admired how Liberace would end each performance. He would get up from the piano and talk to the audience. He would ask them to shout out any pieces they wanted him to play. He would write them all down and sit back at the piano. And then, he would play this beautifully arranged piece including all the pieces written down on this list. Chris then mentioned that a friend recently bought him a DVD of one of Liberace's performances, as a birthday present. He played it through, and realised, that this supposedly extraordinary piece of arrangement     had in fact not included any of the audience preferences. It had been arranged previously. 

Chris Hamilton then announced that, as he was on a cruise ship, and would probably never see any of us again, he was willing to make a complete fool out of himself and so would try, and probably fail at what Liberace never truly attempted. He got out a pen and paper and asked for requests. There was a ridiculous variety of songs. Clare De Lune. Great Balls of Fire. The Entertainer. Elvis songs. The Beatles. Abba. Bohemian Rhapsody. Various songs from musicals and other songs which I have regrettably forgotten. Overall there were about 20 songs. And he played them. All of them. The links between one piece and the next were so seamless that the applause was not sounded until the main motif of the next piece was played. No breaks. No pauses. No stumbles. He even sang at times. Absolutely unbelievable. And I am proud to say: he is English. I really recommend looking him up, he will probably be on tour in England soon and will probably make an appearance at the first performance of his musical in the West End. A truly amazing musician. I should really practice more.

Day 6

CRUISE COMPASS

Today we are: at sea

Sunrise: 5.44 am

Sunset:  8.24 pm

Today's forecast

Sunny

82°F (27°C)

Humidity: 81%

Wind: Calm

UV index: 6 medium

Tonight's Dinner Dress Suggestion: Casual

Calm Sea and a Prosperous Voyage

The title of one of Mendelssohn's Overtures. This day was another sea day, and was just as calm, and peaceful as the last. Again we had a lie in, revelled in the silence of the Windjammer at both breakfast and lunch, and took full advantage of the activities and facilities on board. My mum and I also had a nice relaxing swim in the Solarium swimming pool. Technically, I shouldn't have been allowed in - the pool is for over 16s - but nobody was stopping me. It was certainly more relaxing than the main pool, there were no little kids around doing dive bombs and screaming. No, I could do some proper lengths in this swimming pool, without being interrupted.

It was a quiet evening. We had lunch in the Minstrel, then went to Schooner bar, where we all had cocktails, and had a go at the Rolling Stones trivia. I have to admit. I was pretty damn good. I got quite a few songs that even my mum didn't get. 

The entertainment didn't particularly enthrall me as it had on previous nights. It was pretty good, I must admit, but I am not particularly keen on latin dancing, especially not the Tango, and so, despite me being impressed by the dances and wondering how on earth they could move that fast and gracefully, I wasn't jumping in my seat throughout the performance. Although some of the male dancers were...quite something.