London's nice

As I mentioned before my rehearsals are taking place about an hour north of London in Northampton. Well "Hello," if i'm only an hour away from London you bet your butt I'm going there. The last time I was in London was May of 2010 before I had even been offered a position on a cruise ship. Unlike now, it didn't rain one day and the weather was beautiful. But it wouldn't be called Foggy London Town if it weren't for its rainy days, so maybe I was just gipped of the experience. Rain or no rain I was on a train to spend my weekend there.

I wasn't just going there to see the city. I saw a lot of it the last time I was here, more importantly my two friends, Marko and Louise from my last cruise contract work and live in London. I was so excited to see them. Since we split ways in June, Marko has been stretching himself from being a dancer to also being a model. He has taken a retail job while he pursues his dream work of performing. He is originally from Slovakia, but moved to England when he was young. He is so sweet, very opinionated like myself and he isn't too bad looking either. We hugged for a good while when we saw each other just in front of the Shakespeare Statue in Leicester Square. It felt like we hadn't even been apart. I complimented his attire and we quickly found shelter as it started to dribble. Dribble? I meant drizzle.  We then got a bite to eat and drink at a near by pub. My spending money had begun and so did our long night.

"I never thought I'd see you again," Marko said. I was shocked by this statement. He continued to say that he hasn't kept in touch with many of the others since we left. I understood what he was saying. While ship life isn't for everyone and it certainly wasn't for Marko, there is no denying that you build strong, long-lasting relationships with the people you work with on board, especially amongst the cast. You aren't going to connect with everyone, maybe a handful each cast but nonetheless I have made some amazing relationships along the way, not to mention, I've found love as well. So I explained this to Marko and since I am not one to have long lasting drama with people I tend to keep and see the friends I make. I was so happy to see Marko.

The rest of the night he took me to bar to bar to bar. His friend, and fellow Royal Caribbean colleague, Charlie joined us and we partied the night away. Now, being from New York you'd think I'd have an idea of what a night on the town looks like. And while New York city doesn't sleep and it has it's popping joints, I was shocked by the party scene in London. The streets where packed of people and inside the clubs they were dropping balloons and confetti. "They do this every week?" I asked.  It felt like I was at a special event or something! We danced, we drank...we laughed...we sweated...we danced some more...and our 6am cab ride was waiting for us.

Charlie had offered us to stay at his place in Stratford. He was so lovely. I didn't really get to know him when he was rehearsing in Hollywood with us, but we had a great time. As we drove in the cab we looked through the pictures and videos we had took throughout the night. O geeze! I looked out the window and the buildings and structures looked so familiar. "This is where there olympics were," inserted Charlie. I knew I'd seen it somewhere. To think they were only just last summer is strange to me. I was happy to be seeing it. I had intentions on going. A year later isn't too bad.

The next morning, I said goodbye to Charlie as he headed to work and to Marko as he headed home to rest on his day off from work. I went to meet Louise. I had some time to spare before I did, so I dropped into McDonalds to get out of the rain and use some wifi. Louise has been teaching young kids theater and dancing since her time off the Vision of the Seas. She too is looking for her big break on the West End. Her voice is stellar. I don't say that word much, cause I don't like it but there is no other word to describe it. She took me to eat at this nice place called Maxwells in Covent Garden. It was good time. We laughed quite a bit. It's nice to see people on land in their own element. They are kind of different people than when they are on the ship. With her and Marko I would pinch myself thinking that I was with THEM in England.

Louise and I were going to go to the Cinema (that's what they call it here) but once we saw the price 14.50 pounds which is about equivalent to 21.00 dollars, we quickly changed our minds and decided to watch Downton Abbey at her place instead. Once we were on the tube (which is the subway here) we realized how tired we were and that we made the right choice. Louise was the cutest hostess. She made me a little bed on the floor made of cushions and blankets because she doesn't have a couch, nor a living room for that matter. We sat on her bed and watched our fave, Downton Abbey and I drank some hot chocolate she made me. Bed immediately followed.

My weekend was everything I wanted and more. Im riding the train back to Northampton and I'm at such peace. I also can't wait to go back. To know you have people in your life is one thing. To know you have people in your life in different parts of the world is a whole other level.

I have rehearsal later on as we start blocking our first show. The fun is over. Back to work I go. Hope I remember my words.

~Michael-Anthony

P.S. YUCK! McDonalds is awful in the UK. Never going back.