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Norway Stole My Heart.
When young Newcastle actor Lewis Jobson (29) was offered presenting work through his job as a Butlins yellow coat, it was his first time aboard a cruise ship. But rather than the all singing all dancing stage extravaganza that we might expect, Lewis became part of an interactive show teaching children about Aardman animation, which then lead to children making their own simple animations. (I must say, I wonder how many non-cruisers know how amazing the entertainment is for children? I would have killed for a workshop like that when I was young.)
This was three years ago and he has worked on two more cruises since, presenting another, more complex Aardman workshop and then a science one. Turns out this young man is not only creative but he has a BIG brain.
Lewis’s cruise ship adventures led him to art, hikes and lots of rain…
When I catch up with him, Lewis is working front of house in a theatre in Newcastle. He is a multitalented fella who is not only co-creating a new one-man show for the stage right now but also, until recently, had his own business in catering, as well as his sideline in teaching clever stuff to kids on ships. I ask him what he thought of his first cruise.
He admits that when he was told that he’d be working on a cruise to Norway, his first thought was ‘why didn’t I get the Med?’ Despite loving hiking in the Lake District, he thought he’d want the warmth, like most of us do. But then he got on board, became stupidly busy for a week and was intrigued. The whole trip was so alien to his experience of holidays and work. He found that many of the other staff on board, those serving food and looking after guests, were so busy they rarely got time to themselves and weren’t all partying hard after their shifts ended.
He also realised that you had to pay for wifi and saw it as an unnecessary extra, so staying in his room and watching Netflix in his short free time wasn’t really an option. Constantly looking at Facebook, Instagram etc was also impossible without wifi, so suddenly he wasn’t checking his phone every two minutes, which he found extremely liberating. Instead, after two shows a day he enjoyed exploring the food; the themed nights – Indian, Italian, Best of British etc always tempting him to put more on his plate than he ever would at home. Plus he got a reduction at the bar and could enjoy a drink and a chat in the evening with his colleagues.
‘WHY DIDN’T I GET THE MED?’
A day and a half in, while working on his show, he observed that the sea had been swapped for a Fjord, as 110 miles was negotiated through Norway via one of their famous waterways. Suddenly Lewis was confronted with stunning scenery, as the ship made it’s way past many tiny villages and through spectacular rocky terrain, often three times the height of the cruiser itself. He said he was particularly moved at night as the ship passed the twinkling lights of little villages he would never have seen or heard of otherwise.
Lewis related his first stop on the first cruise which was Stavanger, where he and his work mates decided to stretch their legs.
“I’d been to Oslo once before as part of an acting tour and loved it but apart from that, didn’t know Norway at all. So we queued to get off as you have to show your pass and it takes a while to disembark and then once we’re off, I’m standing there in my raincoat and my green Doctor Martins that leak and dye my toes green and the sky is slate grey and it starts raining even harder, like really really heavily.”
At this point, Lewis and his work-pals looked at each wondering if they should just get back on.
“But when we turned to the ship, there were already masses of people waiting to show their passes to get back on board because of the rain, the queues were hideous, so we said, come on, let’s go for a walk.”
This was a turning point for Lewis and his colleagues. They went to a café and had coffee and cakes and used the free wifi for a bit and then emerged into clear sunlight which made exploring the place joyous. They wandered around, stunned by the gorgeous artwork, the beauty of the streets, (including stone steps with a waterfall running down them apparently, something I’d love to see) and the way the town is visibly surrounded by nature. They then had a beer and returned to the ship, having truly bonded – going from friendly work colleagues to best buddies. Lewis found Bergen was also beautiful and filled with gorgeous artworks but he can’t speak highly enough of the smaller places either, like Alesund, Flam and Geiranger, where the only thing to do is hike up a mountain and/or explore nature. He really has fallen for the whole country.
“The people there are just lovely and their language may be the most beautiful language ever. Plus, the feel of the place and the wonderful walks and hikes… I don’t even mind the rain there, Stavanger and Bergen are the rainiest places ever but I just love it.”
Lewis’s next cruise job took him to Amsterdam – Bruges – Guernsey which he also enjoyed but last year, working on a ‘Brainiac’ based science show, he was reunited with Norway and was delighted that he was working with different people and could introduce them to the place. He says the looks on their faces as they discovered the beauty around them was a wonder to behold. He also says, there are places he’s seen that an airplane wouldn’t get him to, so this cruise actually was the only way to easily explore some hidden gems.
I think it’s safe to say that taking a job on a cruise ship turned into a love story for Lewis Jobson. His heart was stolen and he says he wants to go to Norway again when he can and explore the glaciers. His enthusiasm was so persuasive I have now put Norway near the top of my ‘go there asap’ list, after having a similar love affair myself with Reykjavik and Iceland.
I hope Lewis gets to visit the glaciers soon as Norway seems to be good for his soul. How wonderful that working on a cruise brought him such a gift.
Read all the Reviews of cruises in Northern Europe on Cruising Journal!
Tracy Whitwell