Galloint friends!
Wow, what a magnificent journey I had traveling all the way around the world! The tour lasted for three weeks and it was something I will never forget. In Italy I performed in Naples and Sigonella (Close to Sicily). In Spain I performed in Rota. In Japan I performed at Atsugi, Yokosuka, Sasebo, and Okinawa. And I had two shows in Guam. All of the shows were for U.S. Navy families except for one of the shows in Guam, which was for the Air Force.
Everyone I encountered was so friendly and helpful. They went out of their way to help with the performances and show me around each town to get some local flavor. Special thanks to Kelly, Staci and Antonio. The local flavor was amazing — we ate some really fun and delicious food! (My favorite was Italian bruschetta with fresh mozzarella & pizza and … well, I’m not too sure what all I ate in Japan, but I liked it 🙂
The shows went over very much like shows in the States: Families getting up and having a good time, singing and dancing along to the music. “Funky Fish Party” and “Recycle Bin” were big hits. People seemed to really appreciate the shows. I considered it an honor and a privilege to be able to perform for them.
Some of the non-show highlights of the trip:
-Going to Caserta Palace in Naples, Italy. They filmed some of the Star Wars prequels there and I was very excited to visit. You’ll see in one of the photos that I even had my own light saber!
-Walking the streets of Sicily. My favorite parts were eating at a little Italian deli (delicious pastries!) and photographing the amphitheater ruins in downtown. Sicily has been destroyed seven times by the volcano that overlooks it — Mt. Etna.
-Exploring Japan. I was struck by all of the natural beauty. Nagasaki was especially beautiful. The people were so friendly. It was fun to be considered “exotic”. Note the photo of me with the soccer team. They were especially fun.
-Discovering Guam. I had no idea it was so beautiful there. I went snorkeling and found Nemo! We had a funky fish party! It was an incredible experience. I love snorkeling and plan on doing more.
-Getting reunited with my guitar. My guitar went around more of the world than I did! It was lost by an Italian airline (note to parents) and ended up in Heathrow Airport in London! Note the photo where I am happily reunited with my guitar in the Okinawa airport.
The whole point of the trip was the kids, and I met a bunch of fantastic kids and parents. I am thankful for the opportunity and hope to be able to do it again someday. Thank you for going along on the adventure with me!
-David