Not-quite-live from the SB Quest, Barcelona to Dover, 4/15/17-5/1/17

This is a not-quite-live trip log and mostly free association cruise commentary, Barcelona to Dover, Seabourn Quest, 4/15/2017-5/1/17, billed as an “Epicurean” cruise. I had been suffering from Cruise Withdrawal Syndrome (CWS) since my last cruise in September, struggling through almost 7 months without a cruise. I need to make sure this does not happen again :)

DH and I are cruising together this time and are 1/3 of the way through enjoyment of a 16-night cruise Barcelona to Dover on the Quest, led by Captain Joost Endearing. Internet is unfortunately very slow to absent, in our suite, and marginal even in SB Square most of the time, so we will not likely be able to efficiently post DH’s pictures as we go along despite our $399/voyage “unlimited" internet plan.

Internet is much better in SB Square than in our suite, but it was quite busy there on this sea day, as all are captives to the ship and no one is on excursions (at least not on deliberate ones). I usually sit outside on a sofa at the Square to get internet access but today it is not too inviting as we are in a storm with 50 knot winds and 5 meter swells. I greatly enjoy watching the rough waves both from our 6th deck veranda suite and from the 4th deck dining room windows as we rock and sway towards our next port, Bilbao, in the Basque area of Spain. It helps that the day is sunny and so far we are not sea-sick.

DH and I spent 3 nights in Barcelona prior to this cruise, at the Hotel Arts, (a Ritz chain hotel, recommended by our TA) which I rate 4/5 (Club level). There were quite a few people staying there pre-cruise. We had beautiful water views and friendly staff, but only a so-so overpriced tapas restaurant on site with inconsistent service (Arola). We had been to Barcelona before, but it is hard to get enough of this interesting Catalonian city. This time we spent one day at the Museum National Catalonia on a scenic hill with views above the town, and also at an odd nearby constructed composite village called Poble Espanyol which showcased different parts of Spain all in one place, and had been recommended by the concierge at the hotel. There was a very interesting private art museum there worth the 14 Euro price of admission to the “village”, Foundacion Fran Daurel, which showcased 300 pieces of 20th century modern mostly Spanish art. The second full day we did a tapas bar hopping event, combined with a Picasso museum tour. We had previously done the many Gaudi structures and Montserrat, which are not to be missed. It is quite clear why Barcelona is such a popular port for cruising and we look forward to returning.

Day 1 on the ship, boarding in Barcelona

We boarded early at 12PM. The port is very near the main part of town. Everything went smoothly, and it was less then half an hour until we were headed for the Colonnade for our embarkation lunch, with scattered welcoming smiling staff greeting us on the way including the very nice cruise director Mr. Conrad.

Compared with July 2016 embarkation on the Quest in Copenhagen and September 2015 in Athens on the Odyssey, the embarkation luncheon buffet and experience was more basic, though adequate, and less impressive on food choices. This was surprising considering Barcelona is a port well-supplied with many fruits, vegetables, cheeses and meats. There were no special menu fish or meat options listed on the menu board, and no special soup. Hot dish options were self-serve "beef bourgignon" (the sauce was ok but meat was a bit tough), a turkey breast hot dish (ok, but a bit like Stouffers), teriyaki salmon (looked too dry to bother with), and a quite good pasta carbonara.

Salad bar was limited: some lettuces, an eggplant salad, a basic Greek salad, smoked salmon, basic breads. There were some mini-desserts (a couple ice creams, a pleasant pistachio cream mini-pudding), and some cookies, nothing special, but good enough to keep the wolf away prior to going to our room. Perhaps the limited selections were due to major crew turnover in Barcelona, or perhaps due to cutbacks, unclear.

The disinterested waiter, who seemed tired, asked if we wanted water, we requested sparkling, he said he had none, and asked if club soda was ok. He asked if we wanted wine, we asked for champagne so he reluctantly went looking for it and came back with the expected Nicolas Feulliatte (NF), SB’s flagship champagne. He did not come back for over a half hour to check on us, oddly walked around singing to himself, and also attended to two dressed up couples who came in whom he greeted warmly and apparently knew, and fawned over with repeated visits to their table. Eventually we were able to flag the waiter and add a wine to our beverage choices. Coffee would have been nice at the end but no waiter came over so we shrugged, left and just got some separately at SB Square one floor down after standing in a short line.

Our immaculate suite, equipped with a chilling bottle of NF champagne, was ready at 2:15, with our luggage waiting for us, nothing was lost or delayed. The foam topper we had ordered for the bed and reconfirmed in advance multiple times was not on the bed, but was put on later on while we were at dinner. Our stewardess was almost immediately available, friendly and helpful, and took our mini-bar and other room customization requests. The suite, a Level V veranda, is in the front third of the 6th deck, and seemed somehow more crowded with less counter and easily accessible drawer space than the mid-6th deck suite we’d been on in 2016 slightly further back, perhaps because the layout was a little different despite reported identical square footage. But I eventually adjusted my storage set-up to the space available, with room to spare.

We had anticipated the rock-hard black/gold sofa in the suite so we placed a camping Thermarest we had brought on top of it to make sitting on it tolerable. The suite was very clean as usual, and as expected. The bathroom is equipped with a soaking tub, dual deep sinks, Molton Brown toiletries, and a separate though small shower, (perhaps designed to discourage eating too much on the cruise), as well as an important and appreciated grab bar and rubber matting in the tub, for safety. Unfortunately there still is no rinsing faucet at the tub, and the tub was too narrow to be able to turn around in and rinse hair under the faucets, so I made do with a half gallon plastic water bottle I parked at the tub for the journey for rinsing, and encouraged the stewardess not to remove. The basic sized bath towels are variable in quality, either fluffy or a bit threadbare. I have had no problem getting extra towels and pillows on request.

We sat in the relatively private whirlpool on the bow of deck 6 shortly after sail-away, which was very pleasant, like sitting on your own private yacht, but probably much cheaper per unit time spent. We then

ate at The Grill (reservations required) featuring Thomas Keller grill cuisine. Just like last year, the main annoyance was the loud music pulsating overhead, ranging from big-band to 60’s “I-am-cool” type numbers. The entrees this year tasted better and service was very good. However, the overall volume in this restaurant due to the loud music, poor sound muffling of sail-away tipsy happy passenger voices, and our difficulty understanding heavily accented though pleasant and efficient waitresses in the din did not create a relaxing environment. Appetizers were once again raw veggies (radish, cucumber, cauliflower) with Green Goddess dressing that is supposed to be really special, though I don’t quite get the appeal. Caesar salad prepared tableside with enthusiasm by a charming waitress from Quebec was fine, and a beef consomee was excellent, as was the freshly baked bread. My Dover Sole Meuniere was very good, as was DH’s ribeye, properly cooked, though not at the OMG level TK’s restaurant Bouchon in Napa Valley inspires when we visit there. Portions were substantial, likely large enough for professional athletes. We were the last to leave, happily armed with a small bag of chocolate chip cookies to assure we would not waste away during the night.

Day 2, Sea Day

In addition to the usual generic ship activity options (pool, exercises, instructions on how to look 10 years younger by buying spa services, etc), there were 4 different lectures throughout the day about various topics including upcoming shore excursions, Gibraltar, nearby archeological excavations, and Spanish explorers. I went to them all to get a taste of the speakers, who ranged from decent to very good, all seemed competent, none were haughty. The main dining room was open for lunch 12:30-1:30 and was calm and uncrowded with outstanding service and calm, quiet music. I am delighted that the MDR is open for lunch, as an alternative to what has become a more hectic Colonnade. I had a veal scallopine that had a terrific sauce over risotto, which made up for the meat that was a bit tough and gristly.

DH enjoyed a massage in a quiet room with calm, serene music, though he said it was not quite as good as on our last Quest trip (I realize masseuses can vary and the spa has contract employees who do not work for SB). I had a manicure/pedicure in the not so serene public area which included loud noises from blasting overhead pop music, blow dryer noise , and nearby chatter from customers and spa personnel trying to outshout the music, the dryer, and each other, so although I had planned in advance on another manicure later in the trip, I cancelled it to avoid getting stressed by noise. Loud public areas for what are supposed to be relaxing procedures is one criticism I have about the SB ship spa (I am comparing with the manicure area on the last cruise, which was on the MS Europa, which was private and quiet and where you can pick your music style and volume).

Then we headed off to test afternoon tea in the Observation bar, where there were five caffeinated tea options and a few herbal teas on the menu. I asked about getting a little pot of dark roast coffee instead of tea and the waiter cheerfully informed me that they had none except the kind he would get "from a machine after pressing a button," so I passed. Small cakes and sandwiches, none of which were particularly appealing, were brought around (there is no display, presumably for hygiene reasons), we tried a couple including a scone, they were just ok. We did not stay long, especially as all but the window chairs in the lounge are stiff and uncomfortable and they were understandably already occupied.

It was formal night, and we joined four other amiable pax from different walks of life at a table for six (joining others was not required, just an option). Main courses on this formal night were:

Broiled marinated Maine fresh lobster tail with lemon risotto, glazed artichokes, snow peas, newburg nage (I had this, it was ok)

Herb crusted lamb chop with potato gratin, ratatouille, haricot verts, mint flavored jus (my tablemate had this, liked it a lot)

Filet of beef Wellington with sautéed vegetables, pommel dauphine, madeira jus

Grilled aubergine involuting with mushroom velvet (the veggie offering of the night)

OR a TK swordfish with various trimmings (DH had this, liked it)

The main entertainment in the Grand Salon was talented British former West End star singer Jacquie Scott, who belted out Broadway style tunes with her powerful and expressive voice.

Day 3, Gibraltar

Breakfast room service, though uninspired in quality and substance, arrived on time and was more than edible, no comical mistakes. I appreciated that personnel called later to see if everything was in order (new since our last Quest cruise). We headed off for an interesting “City under Siege” excursion, which focussed on viewing the defensive tunnels erected in the 1700’s by the Brits to oppose a Spanish takeover, and were again used for defense during World War II. The local tailless monkeys were also visible, prancing around passengers and making some nervous as they attempted to steal belongings. We walked almost 4 miles, with elevation gain of 50 stories total on our pedometer (it had been marked only “two men” in difficulty, which I usually handle fine). I was surprised about the 200 meter uphill to get to the tunnels, and though I made it, I would not recommend this tour for people with lung, heart, and mobility problems and would mark it 3 men instead of 2. The tour ended with a visit to the interesting Gibraltar museum with representations of "Nana and Flint," a Neanderthal woman and child whose ancient bones were unearthed by archeologists in the area. The town looked cute but we did not have energy left to try and stroll around to see more.

We returned to the ship to another basic luncheon buffet in the Colonnade around 1 (we tried the Patio first but it was full, with no tables available as not very many were set up, even though there was space to do so). We asked to open up the side of the outdoor seating area in the Colonnade to find an outdoor place to sit on this lovely day, though personnel appeared to be trying to keep it unmanned and steer people inside. Having stormed the side of the outdoor Colonnade, additional pax soon joined in. The buffet selections were once again limited, but we each found enough to increase our body mass. Table wine service was excellent (I had a pleasant, included Banfi rose).

Then came a lecture about Portuguese explorers in the Grand Salon. The room was cold and I asked the cruise director Mr. Conrad if there were any blankets. There were no blankets but he offered to get me a jacket and to my surprise showed up with one a few minutes later (an example of some SB staff making extra efforts for pax). A local flamenco dancer/singer performance followed, which was pretty bad (the older woman sang off key), and then came a cocktail reception for guests of a certain travel consortium (there are 90 consortium guests on board, though not all were at the reception). Dinner attempts at the Patio around 8:30 required a wait at the bar as we were told the open table we were headed for was reserved for the captain (so now we know to make a reservation if we want Patio dining for dinner again). No one came back to fetch us from the bar when tables cleared up, so 15 minutes later we had to pursue on our own to secure our place in “line” before seating service ceased at 9 and other people were getting service ahead of us though we had been waiting. We did not wish to risk emaciation. We had a tasty mixed grill, including Bratwurst, French baby lamb chops, and steak, presented by a waiter who struggled with both English and the order, but met another who amazingly remembered us from Norway the prior year, though our interaction there had been limited. The show that evening was a talented Australian pianist Bernard Walz who did an eclectic collection of rag-time, classical with improvisations, and Broadway pieces, kind of like Liberace, but without the glittery clothing (and who did a second, purely classical performance later in the cruise).

Day 4, Portimao

We were awakened around 4AM by an overhead page for a medical emergency (the crew later reported that the medical team got to the distressed passenger’s room within less than a minute to render relevant medical attention), and the next morning, the ambulance picked him up, cruising delights cut short, but life saved.

DH went to the gym to hopefully work off a couple ounces of adipose tissue. I went to the spa to try and rearrange some appointments for DH and and the one lady at the desk was serving another customer, so she snippily told me to sit down and wait, I obediently did. The consultation with the confused customer already there went on quite a while, but I continued waiting as there was only one reception person. Then after ten minutes another customer came into the spa and a new desk guy who had appeared started helping her instead of me, though I had been told to wait my turn. There was no coordination between the initial reception staff and the new guy (similar to the lack of coordination at the Patio). It wasn’t that important to me to pursue, so I just left and cancelled all subsequent appointments by phone. DH and I have the view that if too much headache is involved in something on a cruise, it is best to just skip it, as it defeats the purpose of relaxation.

In the PM we did a SB sponsored excursion called “A Taste of Algave” which involved a trip to a canning museum (almost all exhibits are only in Portuguese, so our guide translated), and viewing of an interesting and amusing film with subtitles about workers in the cannery. This was followed by a trip to a seaside town called Alvor (a composite of old and new architecture) which showed promise, but where we barely had enough time to get a drink or snack after getting into the business district around. We sat briefly at a bar/restaurant that played ? typical Portuguese music, e.g., ( songs from Queen, and the song “Love Shack” and “Sweet Home Alabama” :), then strolled by a restaurant named Lusitania. The excursion ended with a trip to a local small winery where fish spread on crackers and ruffled potato chips were served with local drinkable and inexpensive wines, after an awkward tour. Between the boring guide Ana who talked to us like schoolchildren, a lot of standing around in warm 80 degree weather, a bus from “Buzz” excursions services that was under-cooled, and fellow cruisers who were late returning to the bus because they were busy shopping and lost track of time, this was an excursion we wished we had not done, even though DH secured some interesting photos as he always manages to do, and we still managed to enjoy ourselves. Better would have been to do a private trip to Alvor and take our time there and eat locally.

Our group returned to the ship late, 15 minutes before sail-away, with the sail-away horn blasting (I love that sound as it brings back so many pleasant memories), but in time to join an already ongoing poolside tasting of Portuguese wines and cheeses. The two wines being poured were easy to get service for, but were forgettable and the red was way too warm. The line for the special cheeses was 20-people deep, with pax standing in the sun, while one SB crew member slowly dished out the interesting looking cheeses. I waited 5 minutes and the line was not moving at all, and my red wine was getting lukewarm, so as I was tired and starting to get inspired to say “moo”, and getting very hot in the sun, I just left and skipped the cheese and instead headed for our in-room fridge Bailley’s which we consumed in air-conditioned splendor. It is unclear why SB only had one crew person serving the cheese, with no crew supervisor in charge of making things flowed more smoothly, but no one in charge seemed to notice or care about the long and unnecessary line (there were other crew just standing around who could have helped, but there was no coordination).

DH and I went to a late dinner in the MDR and were assigned a lovely window table, and had excellent food (the regular SB salmon, cannelloni and spinach special, a terrific royal oak salad). Unfortunately the quartet of pax next to us was absorbed in telling stories about the trials and tribulations of modern medical school admissions and training of their offspring, massive educational debt loads, difficulties of medical practice, and financing problems with Obamacare in all its gory details, topics we are interested in but would prefer not to think about while on a cruise. But we know that overly excited pax come with the territory so we just smiled at each other and stared at the waves and savored the excellent food as the light faded on the horizon (we probably should have brought headphones, or walk-talkies for covert communication in competition with our neighbors). The pax were loud and close enough that it was hard not to listen, but it was not worth trying to move to another table.

Day 5, Lisbon (and excursion to the village of Obidos)

I had spent 4 enjoyable nights in Lisbon last year prior to a cruise doing the basic sights, so this time instead of touring the interesting city some more with DH, we went on an excursion to the medieval village Obidos 1.25 hours or so outside of Lisbon, followed by a winery luncheon. This was part of the travel consortium program, i.e., not a regular SB offering). The town is lovely for strolling, photographing, historical churches and buildings, real Portuguese wares shopping (lots of cork products), and eating/drinking, i.e., one could easily spend the whole day there. One of the pax unfortunately had her wallet stolen, but otherwise it was a lovely day. Luncheon afterwards at the beautiful wine estate Quinta de Sant’ana was nicely done, very classy, comfortable seating in the cellars, good table wines, and we also received wine to take with us. The place reminded me of some California wine estate touring we have done.

In the evening, one hour before dinnertime, we got a call inviting us to a table hosted by one of the singers and accepted, ten people total seated. We had assigned seating spots, deliberately separated from our spouses to encourage cross-pollination conversations. We met more interesting and disparate people from around the world and had a terrific meal, with good service from MDR staff.

I had been trying for a few days to get a list of included wines from various MDR and Colonnade personnel, without success, but finally the gentleman in charge of the MDR promised, and delivered, a list to our suite so we do not have to play wine guessing games when ordering, and I was pleased to note several I am keen on trying.

Entertainment for the evening was a young British female magician called Romany, who incorporated Vegas-style audience participation embarrassment humor and sexual innuendo into her act, plus glitz. This was mostly not to our taste, nor was her choice of annoying music, though there were some moderately amusing moments and most people in the audience seemed to enjoy it. We will try most entertainment on ships at least once (but will not be back for her second night)

Day 6, Sea Day

We are being lazy today on this rough but beautiful sea day. We skipped the cooking presentation by guest chef Daniel Sherlock and the “Fortified Wines of Spain and Portugal Seminar” , (too busy bubble-bathing) but instead attended another performance by pianist Walz (purely classical this evening) and “Showtime Songs in the City”.

We also skipped the “Portuguese Pig Roast” in the Colonnade, as have started feeling a bit porcine, and instead again enjoyed lunch in the MDR (a very good sea bass), with terrific service.

The captain announced we will be in hurricane strength gusts for a while. Earlier in the MDR at lunch I saw a passenger who was wearing a shirt that said “I am not drunk, I am by nature a loud friendly clumsy person”. I suspect there will be many in the halls tonight who could easily wear this T. It is a good thing that the scheduled entertainment was not an acrobatic balancing act.

So far, the cruise is going well, despite minor glitches, the only main issue being the generally unsatisfactory internet since the start of the cruise.

Dear Catlover54, many thanks for your well organized and detailed exposition of your cruise journal. I have followed your previous threads and posts, especially on the Europa2, and find them extremely valuable as well as entertaining. I hope that you continue to enjoy yourself, and look forward to your continued postings. Thanks!

Catlover54, thank you so much for taking the time to write this detailed and most interesting report. I look forward to more😀

Enjoy the rest of your cruise😜

Catlover54. Many thanks for the interesting report. We're joining Quest in Dover so it's a good preview. Any chance of posting the wine list?

:)

Thanks for taking the time to post such a detailed report. We had thought of being on this cruise, but in the end decided against.

There were still suites available a week before embarkation - I wonder if you know how full the ship is?

What is sad to read is that there seem to be too many staffing problems. Do you think there are not enough staff to cope/ too many new staff who do not know the ropes, or are not the helpful and friendly type? Wonderful staff are what have kept many of us loyal to Seabourn over the years, but if this has changed we will be taking our business elsewhere. Last autumn staffing on Sojourn was not as good as it should have been, explained by staff we knew as because so many had been seconded on to Encore.

Included wine list:

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Lincslady, destination services told me the ship is full

There is a little problem IMO with both understaffing at times plus some staff still training, though today things seemed better

All service issues of course have to be compared with other luxury lines. Also, this is only my third SB cruise so my experience may be different than that of seasoned SB cruisers known to staff who might get special attention.

This is our route:

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Many thanks for the current wine list - helpful to lots of people. It has not changed a great deal since we were last on board, but a few are reasonable drinking.

Pleased if staffing is improving; could have been quite a few changes after the TA. I have always felt that staff treated everyone in a friendly way, although of course if you are a SB 'oldie' some of them already know you and remember your name quite quickly.

We have in the past loved the sail up to and out of Rouen - if sailing out is at 6, one of our nicest dinners was sitting at a 2 by the window, soon after dinner opened, to look at the scenery while enjoying the meal. (Hopefully without noisy neighbours, if you do it!)

It sounds as if they are trying to do a few 'epicurean'events, maybe something special in Bordeaux, and maybe a good Chef's shopping trip?

Keep enjoying it; I love cruising vicariously when I am at home.

Gibralter's Barbary macaque monkeys. Tradition claims if they die out British sovereignty will end so during World War II Winston Churchill ordered they be well fed.

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DH did above monkey pictures with a proper camera. I did a couple iphone shots

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A few Barcelona National Catalonian Museum snaps:

Between Life and Death ( Joseph Masam)

The Beast in Man ( Pablo Gargalla)

The Moon Island ( Cuixert)

Screaming Head ( or perhaps an image of a SB pax displeased with service cutbacks? :)

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Thank you for posting the images. I had read a bit about Pablo Gargallo and would certainly like to see some of his works in "'real time". Loved your comment on Screaming Head...

Day 7, Bilbao

The night was a bit bumpy but we awoke to a crisp, cool, windy and beautiful morning in Bilbao. We arrived a bit late in port due to the rough seas. The captain had announced he had to pull in the stabilizers to be able to get into port (yesterday he had described how one time he had unfortunately caught and chopped up a whale while the ship had its stabilizers out when they were in the Arctic area, unable to serve him in the MDR). I am happy we had them out, or the ride would have been even rougher.

SB room service appeared on time with all the correct food items we had ordered, except they had forgotten my very important morning medication known as coffee (which eventually came 10-15 minutes later, DH had finished his eggs). I had also ordered “assorted cold cuts” and they brought a full plate of only prosciutto (I saved it for later, nothing bad about it, just a bit heavy for the morning).

We then headed out to the Guggenheim museum for a tour (our first time there), followed by a walk around the lovely old town of Bilbao, which is about a 20-30 minute bus ride from the port town of Getxo where we docked. We arrived back at the ship around 2:30 and were pleased to find the Colonnade had been kept open with extended hours to accommodate the late tour groups (usually only open 12-2). The theme was Spanish lunch, tasty (meatballs, seafood paella, empanadas), with good service (this is in contrast to the German themed lunch from a couple days ago, which was forgettable, as it was last year, except for the sausages and creamed herring). Waiters offered a pleasant, included Bilbao Rosado, not on the usual wine list). The crew also did one of their awkward “welcome back” greetings for pax at the gangway, with Europop playing in the background, moist towels, and a couple ounces of punch in a glass per passenger. I always feel a bit bad for the tired crew when they have to pretend to be so happy and peppy to see pax coming back to the ship after an excursion, but that’s probably just me.

We got a late dinner two-top at the window, quite lovely, with an equally lovely fresh salmon, attentive service, and then went to a Spanish brandy tasting where we met a couple of lively Australians from Sydney and shared stories. I was offered a cigar to go with the brandy, with a straight face, but though tempted, declined :)

Tomorrow is La Rochelle, Saintes excursion, should be pretty.

I hope to harvest more proper photos from DH on our excursions and post when I have tapa-talk access. The ship is now quiet and stable. The repairman who was to come repair the mirror never came but at this point we don't care anymore (must be the brandy :)

catlover ,

i am glad both of you did like the cruise so far and also enjoyed the hotel in Barcelona ( also my favourite despite pricey in club but free french champagne )

unfortunately you are leaving in Dover as a day later Quest is supposed to be in my hometown.

Despite Bruges is beautiful the public transport in that port zeebrugge is extremely difficult also for taxis

Do you know the name of the chef during your cruise ?

i had the same " no cruising syndrom" and for the moment counting the days until 3rd June to a ship we both do like with a number "2":cool:

Day 8, La Rochelle

I dragged myself out of bed with uncombed hair and foggy brain this morning and snuck over to get a specialty coffee from SB Square in preparation for our excursion, rather than risk late and tasteless coffee from room service again (erratic consistency). I met a couple other fellow bleary-eyed there.Unfortunately, the barista must have also been having a bad hair day (or at least a bad brain or button-pushing day) as the coffee I returned with was terrible. Undeterred by my suboptimal caffeination fix, we headed out for our excursion to the old town of Saintes, followed by lunch at a Michelin rated restaurant and then a tour of La Rouche Carbon castle.

Saintes is a lovely town with a beautiful old church that I had to myself to be in awe of when I went in (surprisingly few visitors) and near where there was an ongoing market: myriad of olives, meats, breads, fruits, vegetables. I landed up buying a pound of normal delicious fatty cooked herbed ham I was unable to get on the ship other than on German lunch day (the kind you routinely get on HL). Observing the bustling market and well-fed people (not just cruisers), I was relieved at the incredible sense of abundance, due to peace in the country, contrasting with my reading of Steven Ambrose's book " D-Day” as I prepare for my D-Day landing beaches excursion in a couple days.

The excursion venue we ate lunch at was beautiful, with a calm dining room venue, pretty grounds (swan, duck, cat, art), soft and comfortable chairs, and no crowds. A waitress poured each of us 3-4 ounces of either a basic white or red Bordeaux table wine (she was annoyed when I asked to see the name of the wine on the bottle) and that was pretty much it for wine for the rest of the almost two hour, 3 course meal (probably all SB had budgeted for). We were each also allocated one full slice of excellent bread. The bread and wine were mostly gone by the time the delicious main dish (beef and beets) came but no refills were offered then or with the plate of creamy mini-desserts. Other than the skimping on wine and bread, and some inappropriate odd fellow passenger comments, the lunch was perfect.

La Rouche Carbon castle and grounds is absolutely gorgeous (unfortunately no photos allowed inside), and overall the excursion was 5/5. On the way back we did a bus tour of La Rochelle, including past the old fortified walls where, among other things, the Germans hid submarines when they occupied the area during WWII, and where the movie Das Boot was filmed.

We returned well in time for cocktails in the Observation Lounge at 6:20. A waiter offered me nuts, I asked if he had any canapés or just nuts, he signed and said “Well, we usually don’t serve them until 6:30, but we can make an exception”, then magnanimously brought over four little bites (a lukewarm veggie consomme, a couple sips of cold avocado soup, a small piece of quiche, and a cracker with a mushroom on it, all good). He offered my neighbors the canapés without question a couple minutes later, though they had not asked for them.

Dinner had guest chef special offerings, all good, and the sommelier made a point of coming over to help us with our included wine selection. Service at dinner was very good, and we headed off to hear the ok SB Quest singers and band (better than ok) do songs by Stevie Wonder, Simon and Garfunkel, and Roberta Flack.

Overall, an excellent day both on and off ship.

Vistaman, we do plan on visiting Brugge 4/30, with a shore excursion transportation by SB. It looks like a pretty place (we will be packing the same day)

Really enjoying your blog.

Miles

"Tulips" sculpture at the Guggenheim two days ago:

Saintes with Arcus Germanicus, olives at market:

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Again thank you; savoring every detail of your trip. The variety of olives look amazing.

Key crew as on the " guest list"

I saw Pepe with a suitcase today, perhaps was leaving

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Some DH pix, now that we are in Bordeaux with better internet and I can access them better:

Fresh fish:

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Local fauna:

. ( Guggenheim puppy)

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Generations:

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Lisbon:

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Obedos excursion outside Lisbon:

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