Edinburgh, Scotland

May 06, 2026 by Mike Vitale in Blog, Brain Droppings, Life, Music, Photos, Stories, Travel

It’s 2pm on a Monday, and I’m in Inverness Scotland, at a bar called Monty’s drinking Guinness and watching Snooker (it’s played on a Pool Table). Shaun Murphy and Wu Yize are having at it. It’s my day off—I plan to celebrate the occasion.

As far as Snooker is concerned—I have no idea what’s going on—because I don’t play snooker. However Loch Ness is beautiful, and Monty’s is right along the Ness River, in the Highlands of Scotland.

This is has nothing to do with the pictures I posted. Those are of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is righteous. Undoubtedly.

Drop everything you are doing and go take a vacation there. It’s cold in the Spring—and you feel you have a wand and are living in a Harry Potter novel.

Shaun Murphy is winning (Snooker match).

I have this feeling that is some sort of small way: I am too—and not in a Charlie-Sheen-Tiger-Blood-Kind-of way; it’s in a Shaun-Murphy-kind-of way. I feel happy and that is priceless. We’re on a United Kingdom tour this week, and we’ll be heading to Norway, afterwards.

The world is beautiful. I am writing a lot of music that I can’t wait to share with you. I am finding people on the Nieuw Statendam that love my music. I’m listening to Scottish folks curse in a bar and take digs at each other.

I’m learning how to speak Dutch and Spanish and I have plenty of good and kind people around me to practice speaking to.

Life is good.

I did the best I could on the photographs of Edinburgh. I hope you enjoy them. I sincerely mean what I say. Edinburgh, Scotland is incredible and worth your vacation.

Uh oh. Wu Yize is in the lead now. Wish I knew why… I appear to be the only person in the room who doesn’t know how this sport or game or what have you, works. Pardon me. I’m gonna chat these folks up and find out how Snooker is played.

Update: Red balls are one point and the color balls are worth more points and are drawn back out to the table repeatedly after each successful pocket.

Shaun Murphy came out on top, and everyone around me was thrilled.

WHO IS MIKE VITALE?

I am a storyteller, songwriter, singer, music producer, traveling musician, Jungian dream analyst, all-around curious fellow (Spiritual, Mathematical Historical, Scientific), Taoist, and much much more, based out of Los Angeles, California. I’m constantly releasing new music, in all sorts of different genres. You can listen to me below, on Spotify:

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Lisboa, Portugal

April 22, 2026 by Mike Vitale in Blog, Travel, Photos, Music, Life

Lisbon, Portugal is magic. I am fairly certain this is the oldest city I have ever visited. It’s three thousand years of narrow passages between claustrophobic ancient architecture and people’s homes, dividing stone floor alleys, switchbacking narrow corridors, climbing the sides of coastal mountains and rolling hills.

A castle rests its fortitudes on the top of a plateau, as an overlook. Dozens of ancient cathedrals and arches and statues. A mile of fancy red restaurant tables along an ancient street, ready to serve steak and lobster and whatever other dishes one may desire to feast upon.

Designer stores on either side of large thoroughfare, divided by giant obelisks and marble statues that are far older than any Jaeger-LeCoultre or Prada or Hugo Boss or whatever-wealthy retail location is renting prime space on this ancient street peppered with luxury and museums and yet more cathedrals.

I nearly cracked my head open on Calçada Portuguesa sidewalks that are dangerously slippery, even in the absence of rain on a warm spring day in April. It’s cobbled by calceteiros, laying art on the ground with history and hand-made mosaics for people to walk all over. People like me. I did a lot of walking. 30,000 steps and I loved every second of it. I just admired the public transit—you know—for photographs. The train cars look pretty in pictures, from the mosaic I was standing on.

It’s a special place. Wow.

WHO IS MIKE VITALE?

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Stonehenge | Wiltshire, England

April 19, 2026 by Mike Vitale in Blog, Brain Droppings, Travel

Greetings from Wiltshire, England! We arrived in the United Kingdom this morning, and a few new friends and I, from the Rolling Stone Band, took a quick trip out to Stonehenge. It’s the stoniest of the henges, me thinks.

England is beautiful and we’ll be coming here quite often over the course of the next several months.

Tomorrow, we’re heading across the English Channel to France. I’m giddy. Then. Back to Dover and London on Friday.

It’s cold, and beautiful and my nose is the brightest color of red, right now. Thanks to all the wonderful Mariners I’ve been meeting on the Nieuw Statendam and I deeply appreciate you listening to my music and for being so supportive and attentive.

It’s been fun crossing the Atlantic Ocean with you.

For those who follow along about my life on this blog, I am now performing on a new vessel called the Nieuw Statendam for Holland America Line. I boarded the vessel on April 4th, and we will be touring around Europe, Scandinavia, the Baltic, Greenland, Iceland, Africa (just Morocco and only in the initial bits of the cruise itinerary), and the Canary Islands (only for the first few weeks).

For any of the passengers happening upon this post, welcome! Thank you for being curious about me and my music and for reading this. I’m honored and have a vast wealth of my travels listed here on this website blog that call INSIDEmyHEAD.

Here is a link to find my original music and cover recordings online: https://linktr.ee/mikevitale

May this find you in good spirits and with the wind to your back, as it is mine.

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Belize City, Belize

January 21, 2026 by Mike Vitale in Blog, Brain Droppings, Life, Love, Photos, Stories, Travel

Yesterday I had the privilege of visiting Belize City, Belize.

I chose the word privilege as a measured coinage of value and learning—as it came with tears. However, the experience also makes me think and ruminate, which is without doubt, the highest of privilege. Always.

Belize City is not a wealthy city. Belize is not a wealthy country. Like Jamaica, it was under British rule and control for a long time, before gaining its independence in 1981.

Tourism is an enormous driving factor of its economy. It was known at British Honduras until 1973. There are Mayan Ruins that I wish to see if I have the additional privilege of being here again.

There were children beating on whatever plastic container they had handy, trying to make some tips.

I passed an adult maybe forty paces later, who jokingly asked for me to give him two million dollars. What he doesn’t know is that I was nearly evicted out of my apartment last year around this time and almost lost my car, and everything I own. However, who can blame him? What he saw with his eyes, was a tourist.

… and I am. I know. Painfully, I know.

What do I know of life or how hard it is around the world? Not much. I am trying to learn though.

Regardless of wherever we are born on Earth, it is nearly impossible to be born in a place that does not have a government with borders or a currency—or some sort of military. We inherit this from those who came before us.

We inherit invisible lines and exchange rates on rectangular pieces of paper and tiny flats of metals and minerals, collectively taught to believe that they have value. Ultimately, they must, as it helps these human tourists of Earth, no matter where they are born, to put food and water in one’s mouth or to pay rent to the individual who laid claim to a piece of land, long ago.

And from all of this, we get social hierarchy and classes and wealth gaps. And while the last two are unique and not ubiquitous to other animals, the first very much can be found in all animals, which tells me that we have a long way to go, yet still, as a species, if there is any chance of survival, living in harmony as equals.