Athens- this is my third trip to Athens, so I visited the Acropolis quickly, but then walked off the beaten path by myself for the afternoon enjoying the Parliament, the Roman Agora, the cathedral, the market, a lamb gyro, the National Gardens and temple of Zeus. Off to sing at the welcome shows tonight!

Suez- fun day-long transit of the Suez Canal. I took a drawing class and sketched the scene off the port side of the ship. During the transit the young VG's saw the pyramids, which the rest of us saw last year. We have now landed in Athens and welcome new guests on this week-long cruise through Greece!

Safaga- Memorable day snorkeling in the Red Sea by two reefs off the Egyptian coast- supposedly some of the best reefs in the world! Beautifully colored fish, coral, and other marine life. Larry hosted a dinner for the graduates tonight and the we sang a few songs for the crew members.

Aqaba- We finally reached land and saw Petra, a true wonder of the ancient world! I've never seen anything like this city carved into the rocks and the canyon path. Got some great pictures of the mountainous Jordanian landscape! Thoughts and prayers with Kelsey and K.Elzinga who both undergo surgery today

Red Sea- we've escaped the pirates and swine flu, but have re-routed the cruise so that we won't see land 'till Tuesday (Petra), so we're over-eating and just relaxing on the ship. The guests have been very kind and receptive. Dinner tonight was French- best one yet! A mind reader had a show last night

Oman- Not! A crew member might have swine flu, so we couldn't dock today and now have 6 sea days in a row! More trivia and food today plus napkin folding- the ship opened bars as an apology, which we graciously accepted ;) Rooming with DJ and enjoying spending time with the VG's! Off to face the pirates!

2 fun Arabian Sea days: reading, workouts, trivia, ice-cream and tons of food, spa, dance lessons, singing "Dream" and "Brandy" for the last time, karaoke, swimming, Mozart tea, more eating... Probably already put on a few lbs! Group tour of Salalah tomorrow and then a rendezvous with the pirates Friday!

Dubai- we took a great city bus tour today around this futuristic city- saw the indoor ski slopes, the burj Dubai, Dubai museum, the creek, and the old markets. Gave our welcome performance, welcomed latecomers Tre, Nathan, and DJ. It's midnight here, and we're pulling out of port! 2 sea days then Oman!

Dubai- we've arrived safely and boarded the Symphony. I went with four others to the hotel that looks like a sailboat for a drink. Dubai looks like a beach-style Vegas- very Western. Off to bed- it's been a long day of travel. Full day in Dubai tomorrow and we set sail at midnight. Congrats fellow grads!

The Virginia Gentlemen are aboard the plane in Atlana after a group excursion to Five Guys led by Hill Jeffries. I spent the flight from Dulles reflecting on four great years at UVa- it still hasn't hit me that it's over. The honors of Honor... Alright, we're off to Dubai!

First Post

Dear friends and family,

Thanks so much for visiting my blog! This site allows me to post messages via a direct login to this site (from an internet cafe) or via SMS text message from overseas. I highly doubt that this blog will be the most gripping reading you will do all summer, but I felt that this would be a good way to keep in touch with everyone and let you know what I'm up to. I am so excited for this opportunity to travel to so many wonderful places, and it all begins in two days when I fly with the Virginia Gentlemen to Dubai to begin our three week stint as guest entertainers aboard the Crystal Symphony (pictured in the title image of the blog above).

The VG's have been hard at work preparing about 50 songs to take aboard the Symphony, and as the "Cruise Crunch" winds down, the UVa graduation festivities are just kicking up. Mom arrived this evening and Dad arrives tomorrow around lunchtime. They are happy to be spending graduation weekend on the Lawn, but are less thrilled that I will not actually be attending my own graduation ceremony on Sunday, as I will be boarding the ship across the pond while my classmates walk the Lawn.

This concludes my first blog post- told you it wouldn't be too exciting! Thank you again for checking in. I'm off to VG initiations followed by an early morning filled with packing up my apartment.

Lots of love,

Law