Silversea Water Cooler: Part 3, Welcome!

There were some parties going on ....

.... and of course "our Seadream host" was filmed for TV at the back of SD ..

....... and the party finished in San Trop.

....... anyway hope the diversions were interesting to fellow petrol heads.

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Jeff.....what brilliant pics....love the Grand Prix circuit walk and capturing party mood......Monaco is one of my favourite places to be at night.

Hope the balcony is pleasing......😊📸

Hi Soapy, yes Monaco is magical at night ..... that walk was such a lovely magical experience that we often talk about .... and thanks yes The Balcony is fine.

I've bought down a ton of really nice cheese mostly small produced British hard cheeses but some French goats cheeses as well. So lunch on the balcony. Some Digestive biscuits, grapes, apple and some Provence rose ...... I know it should be a robust red, but it is getting sunnier and` I think weather should define the wine as much as the plate! We,also,have some nice plump cherries which I think would be nice with cheese.

I happened on a beguiling Gérard Depardieu foody programme on satellite an hour back, funny what you find when you are channel flicking, where he was eating his way around Catelonia. Mostly talking to very old men who were passionate about food, and growing and fish and tomatoes.

I was struck by a bean grower who was so passionate about his beans. He grows them, and then carefully individually sorts them ... discarding all those that are not perfect .... the largest for seeding next years crop ... and cooks them with extraordinary tenderness and love. He dishes them on to plates in small precious reverential quantities with some fatty pork, and it made me realise that I had not really given legumes and beans a fair chance, and when I get back home I may see what I can do with some beans. It also made me realise that if I were to ever move again a main criteria of choosing where would be what was available in marlets to eat as well as all the other stuff we consider. I so envy much of continental Europe their access to wonderful local produce and fresh fish etc.

Cheeses sound delish Jeffers.....l often opt out of pudding after dinner to enjoy a good cheese board.

Are we talking about runner beans? Love them as l love all the Mediterranean food....Alex Polizzi (sp) did a fabulous series on Spain even finding off tourist eateries in Benidorm!!

Am not a great lover of fish...odd l know...l love seafood but not lobster....I'm a Dover sole/ Plaice fan if anything....but if l find a bone I'm done!

😊

No these were white beans .... mongettes I think they are called.

http://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/barcelona/2015/bean-week-2/

We just a had short downpour, but now the sun is out and the cheeses are a-breathing in the lovely sea air ...... I have to indulge wifey as when I first met her she wouldn't eat cheeses and bit by bit I have weaned her onto cheese. Once at a Negresco lunch anniversary celebration she tip toed into gooey French cheeses ..... the Negresco are brill at local French cheeses .... and she has now becoming more hooked although I have to indulge her with Port Salut .... and she does like decent Stilton.

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There were some parties going on ....

I just returned home (last night) from my first Silvesea cruise...sailed SPIRIT and she is beautiful:D......hope you have wonderful cruise:)

Fun, interesting party pictures from Jeff. Keep 'em coming!!

On another post, shown above, it was great to hear from Lois that she is back, safe and sound!! Fortunately with Lois' timing that her cruise started in Barcelona before the "incidents" there. Looking forward to learning more details and specifics from her first sailing with Silversea. Plus about the various ports and locations visited.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean adventure that started in Barbados, here is the link for that live/blog. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.):

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 52,507 views for these postings.

Hi Coolers:D......not sure where to start but I will say it is going to be VERY, VERY difficult to go back to mainstream

cruising;)..........this trip was simply FANTASTIC.......I will try and give some more detailed thoughts on a new thread

later today. But suffice to say, I was VERY impressed:D

Greetings Coolers!

Wonderful pictures J! And the cheese array looks amazing! Myster and I developed a love of manchego cheese on our last cruise and we frequently enjoyed it with a glass of port for dessert.

On a more serious note.....so much hate in this world! It is seeping out of every nook and cranny. Our neighbour to the south is awash in it. Even here in Canada the voices of hate are sounding. Where did respect for humanity, tolerance of differences, generosity of spirit go? What is happening to the sane people? Are there really so few of those left? It is becoming more difficult to hold on to the hope that our world is not on a path of implosion.

Even so.....I will continue to wish everyone a day with laughter, merriment, love and tenacity of spirit!

Lois, so good to see you back here amongst your friends .... we share your delight snd look forward to hearing more.

M, yes ....... CHEESE!!!!!!!

To me there seems a misconnection with some of the well intended comments about this but I really think many of us miss the point.

The idea that people sending a message to these scum will somehow or other make them feel that their campaign is losing and eventually they might therefore say "fair enough" and stop seems to me to be misplaced optimism.

Any defiance or dissaproval from non Muslims, and in fact pretty much most flavours of Islam ( as they hate most other Muslims as much or even more than they hate "non believers") will in their twisted logic validate them and show that their effort is working.

Apart from physical "war" effort, all we can realistically do is to prevail on our sensible peace-loving Muslim co-existers to ensure that they ensure that this outfit does not have its ranks swelled by future generations. I know it seems impossible and perhaps counter intuitive, but all these mass solidarity events might make us feel great, but might they be providing the oxygen being sought? Tough and impossible, but might a bit of silence and stoicism and a vacuum of reaction, be better than all this well meaning and fluffy solidarity flag waving? We all know that giving attention to attention-seekers gives them impetus and motivation to do more to receive more.

We have to dispense with the damaging worship of political correctness and debate clearly what the relevant communities are expected by the rest of us.

If we do not we are going to see a rise in dangerous "easy solution" but dangerously ignorant and over simplistic populism that will continue to produce dangerous world leadership like the one you refer to and that is going to decrease all our safety much more than these extremists.

We need to remind ourselves that it is our leaders who currently represent a greater threat to us than any of these nasty idiots.

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Firstly, that cheese plate is beautiful! At this point in the morning I am now craving CHEESE!

As to the other point of discussion, the whole hate thing expands well beyond the Islam issue. The hatred being so loudly expressed recently on this side of the pond is blanketing everyone. Hate groups are proliferating and their hatred is directed at anyone "not like them". I tend to agree with the idea of not providing them with the "oxygen of attention". If only that could be done! One group spews venom and there is an immediate reaction from the opposing group spewing more venom. The silent majority are criticized by both sides when they don't choose a side. It really seems like a lose/lose situation.

One of the things I find most bewildering is that the society that should so rightfully be the worlds flagship when it comes to showing successful inclusion (after all these years of supposed effort ..... ) not only seems to have failed to make the same historic group of oppressed and badly treated people feel included but it seems this group - in total proably a majority - feel more marginilised than almost ever before, but this puzzlingly coincides with a stronger right wing which clearly does not have a positive trajectory for the future health of that society and effort.

The point about silence is that well intentioned people have a natural desire to show sympathy and solidarity, and presumably the noisier and more ostentatious the better, but there is a fine line that becomes defiance, and defiance doesn't really provide much goodness except,it makes one feel as though one has a sort of power that as it turns out is not only illusory but has the opposite to the desired effect. Our defiance feeds and validates their effort, but I think our siltent but dignified stoicism however sort of says we will push on much more powerfully. With silent stoicism we are sort of saying we are not bothered by you, and that I think would be better.

Hi Coolers:D......not sure where to start but I will say it is going to be VERY, VERY difficult to go back to mainstream cruising;)..........this trip was simply FANTASTIC.......I will try and give some more detailed thoughts on a new thread later today. But suffice to say, I was VERY impressed:D

"FANTASTIC" is a great word and description. Appreciate your posting and am looking forward to any and all details. Also, assume that your body clock will be needing some adjustments and that early evening you will be getting challenged. Plus, waking up early, early for the mornings during the next few days. How long, Lois, does it take you to recover from the time zone changes?

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 218,868 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

Wholeheartedly support silent stoicism!

Greetings Coolers!

 

Wonderful pictures J! And the cheese array looks amazing! Myster and I developed a love of manchego cheese on our last cruise and we frequently enjoyed it with a glass of port for dessert.

 

On a more serious note.....so much hate in this world! It is seeping out of every nook and cranny. Our neighbour to the south is awash in it. Even here in Canada the voices of hate are sounding. Where did respect for humanity, tolerance of differences, generosity of spirit go? What is happening to the sane people? Are there really so few of those left? It is becoming more difficult to hold on to the hope that our world is not on a path of implosion.

 

Even so.....I will continue to wish everyone a day with laughter, merriment, love and tenacity of spirit!

Yeah...I don't always agree with Trump, but I was a huge fan of his clarification briefing earlier this week. In the US we have become so focused on segmentation, stereotypes, that we have forgotten about color blindness. We have categories for everything. Black lives matter (IMHO marginalizes Asians, Indians, Hispanics, or anyone else). We even have a channel called BET (Black Entertainment Channel), a discriminatory group called NAACP (that focuses on only people with color), heck my pretzels on Delta today were supposedly made by a "woman owned business". In our business we can get additional business incentives if we profess to be LGBTQ. The only proof that seems to be required is alignment with political correctness with a strong left bent.

I am less racist than anyone I know. Have a daughter that I hope will be able to grow up in a world where she can be safe and have great opportunities...although I suspect women's sports as we know it will be gone by the time she is in college (now that anyone can qualify in any category, no differentiation).

We are way too sensitive. I'd eliminate all supposed things that help (I was a poor white kid with no access to community support). Treat everyone equally and with respect; punish companies/people for not doing it.

Protests and anti-protests make no sense to me. Especially since they are usually conducted by rich unemployed college kids.:o

Hi, ......... only a few more days ..... you must be getting very excited. :)

Hi Jeff, Terry and all who have welcomed me back:)

I could post a long thread about my views on what is going on around here....but will just put a little bit of my feelings.......I will say

I don't agree with him, think he really is somewhere in his own universe and I will never "get him":eek:...........comparing

NEO-****'s/Anti Semites/KKK Supporters to others? That just doesn't fly for me.:eek: Oh, he took back his clarification

and doubled down on his real views:(..........I could go on, but I won't.

mdpa, there is such a thing as "under-represented minorities", and that's why you have "black lives matter" and "women-owned business" clarifications. We, hispanics, and asians, are also under-represented but we will benefit from the fair representation of blacks and women...and I am talking corporate, as well as Main Street business and government.

It certainly is the place to express views ...... as long as we express ourselves in a measured well reasoned way ....:p

I'm surpised no one even bothers mentioning more sackings. After his primary responsibility to the American people, the rest of us plebs sort of hope whoever is the American President will take a sort of World leadership role ie making the the rest of the World's leaders feeling that they are all in the same team of World leaders doing good for all of us. He cannot even form and maintain a support team without falling out with all of them. We had The West Wing. What will Netflix or Amazon call the next fly on the wall? Is it too bizarre to dramatise?

Only one person in the original Oval Office picture is still in office - Mike pence, and I guess it might be tough sacking him ..... but will there be an "Et tu Brute" moment soon?

mdpa, there is such a thing as "under-represented minorities", and that's why you have "black lives matter" and "women-owned business" clarifications. We, hispanics, and asians, are also under-represented but we will benefit from the fair representation of blacks and women...and I am talking corporate, as well as Main Street business and government.

Very well said, Camillus! I agree wholeheartedly. It is a difficult time and I hope that some day in the not too distant future, we get beyond it. I wonder though, when the man in the White House continues to stoke the fire.

Penny

Hi Jeff:)....oh the people who are gone? If you have a different point of view in this administration then you will probably

(eventually) be gone.........

I met some wonderful folks from around the world on my cruise.....most really think he is just out of this world (not in a

good way)........

Very well said, Camillus! I agree wholeheartedly. It is a difficult time and I hope that some day in the not too distant future, we get beyond it. I wonder though, when the man in the White House continues to stoke the fire.

Penny

Penny, I hate to state the obvious and unwelcome, but we appear to be going in the wrong direction for those that wish to see things improve.

Nothing wrong with nurturing hope, but ....:(

Hi Jeff:)....oh the people who are gone? If you have a different point of view in this administration then you will probably

(eventually) be gone.........

 

I met some wonderful folks from around the world on my cruise.....most really think he is just out of this world (not in a

good way)........

Sensible leaders seek out those that they think are clever and wise but who disagree with them for their advisor counsel team, and people who agree with them to expedite the decisions once they have been made.

Really looking forward to reading your post regarding your cruise, Lois! So glad that you had a wonderful time.

Penny

Penny, I hate to state the obvious and unwelcome, but we appear to be going in the wrong direction for those that wish to see things improve.

 

Nothing wrong with nurturing hope, but ....:(

I fear that you are correct, Jeff but one can hope!

Mdpa, couldn't agree with you more!!

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