Live from Silver Cloud: Northern Europe – Voyage 1318; Jun 9-16, 2013

EMBARKATION DAY – Southampton, England

In port.

 

After spending a week in London, we arrived via train at Southampton Central Station at 2:00p and by 2:20p we were checked-in and onboard Silver Cloud in our suite. The staff is as follows:

• Captain, Marco Sangiacomo
  
• Staff Captain, Samuele Failla
  
• Hotel Director, Birgit Vadlau
  
• Cruise Director, Judie Abbott
  
• Guest Lecturer, Corey Sandler
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vista Suite #409

As a party of three, our suite is very nice as it provides a little additional room due to its forward location past the launderette. We really like the setup of the room and appreciate all of the extra storage spaces it provides.

 

You are very lucky to have Judie Abbott as your CD.

HONFLEUR, FRANCE

Touring the American sector of the Normandy invasion beaches of World War II

 

In the company of our private guide, Duncan Hollands of Normandy Sightseeing Services, our focus today was on the sites that provide a powerful visual backdrop to understand this complex historical event. Starting at Pointe du Hoc, our docent laid out the background for the invasion. The cliff sits 100 feet above the sea and was a key strategic location for the German’s defensive Atlantic wall. The location was a point of attack of the US 2nd Ranger Battalion and site of an intense two-day battle. We were amazed by the remarkably rough terrain that was marked with shell holes, in addition to the remains of the machine gun battery that really helped us visualize the day of the battle and set the tone for the entire day’s excursion.

 

 

 

Omaha Beach

Witnessing first hand the beach at high tide and then subsequently as the tide began to recede, only slightly began to put into perspective what the Americans faced on that fateful morning.

 

 

Looking at the beach in its tranquility, it was nearly incomprehensible to think that American men had to slog through 600 meters of beach, with virtually no cover from fire, just to reach the German sea wall. Once there, machine gun fire continued to rain down on the men from gun nests high on the hill above them. Without time to even catch a breath, the men had to pick themselves up and continue moving forward through a mine field, just to reach what looked like a sheer wall and nearly insurmountable climb to the top of the hill. I cannot begin to fathom the exhaustion these men endured, let alone the sheer terror of the battle they faced.

 

 

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

After a break for lunch, we proceeded to Colleville-sur-Mer. At this moving memorial site, we continued to learn about the important involvement of the Americans through the exhibitions and films presented. We were given plenty of time to pay our respects and visit special graves that hold particular meaning to us.

 

 

 

Pont de Normandie

Our day concluded with a beautiful sail away from Honfleur at 6:00p and its beautiful bridge.

Hi Stumblefoot, thanks so much for your on board Cloud posts with magnificent pix plus heartwarming captions to boot--as a veteran sincerely appreciate your above & beyond effort, esp this close to D-Day's anniversary (June 6th). Enjoy your wonderful cloud voyage and pls save some Relentless for us :)

Wow, that is all I have to say!

Stumblefoot I knew your posts would be good but you've surpassed expectations. Thanks for sharing your spectacular visuals and eloquent captions. And we've only just begun!

Mary Ann

Stumblefoot, thanks for posting the photos. We'll also be in a Vista Suite and what's concerning me is it appears that the Vista windows are obstructed by the dock wall on the starboard side. Hopefully, that won't be an issue for us and that it's only specific to that particular dock. I would not want to be looking out at a wall!:mad:

Stumblefoot, thank you so much for your report. As a Navy veteran, and my wife and I children of WW11 veterans, your photos and observations are welcome and somber. We look forward to boarding the Cloud next week in Copenhagen! Sorry Gianni is no longer aboard as HD. But Marco, Judie, and Corey are great! By any chance is Myra aboard as head of bar staff?

 

Dieter

Stumblefoot, continue to enjoy the cruise and thank you so much for your posts including the photos. Terrific.

 

Keith

Thanks for the wonderful pics! Looking forward to boarding the Cloud in London on Aug 4 and your reports are helping with the waiting :D

Wow! Amazing photos! Thanks so much for taking us along.

 

I would be very interested in your opinion about the condition of the ship...and how extensive the drydock was. Is the ship on par now with the Whisper and Spirit? And the condition of the cabins and renovated bathrooms? And the air conditioning (if needed)

 

We are eyeing a cruise in late August. We have cruised numerous times on the Whisper, Spirit and Shadow, but have not cruised on the Cloud or Wind.

 

Enjoy!

Keep up the good work. I have been awaiting your reports!

 

 

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Wellseasoned, you will enjoy Birgit very much. Please give our greetings to all.

Stumblefoot -

 

Thank you for all the information and the lovely pictures. We board the Cloud on the 16th. Will you still be on board?

 

Could you please tell me who the Maitre d's are in the MDR, La Terrazza and Le Champagne? Also, is Saskia who I believe is head of HR on board?

 

Many thanks.

Saskia is Guest Relations Manager. She was on the Whisper for the WC. She may be on vacation now.

Stumblefoot, continue to enjoy the cruise and thank you so much for your posts including the photos. Terrific. Keith

 

YES!! Agree with Keith, Duct Tape and the others about how we are liking so much your postings and especially the pictures. Nice to follow along and see more for the Silver Cloud. Brings back super nice memories from our July 2010 sailing from Copenhagen up and back along the scenic Norway coast.

 

Keep up the great work. Much appreciated!!

 

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 109,817 views.

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

Great cruise report.As a battlefield tragic this will be another cruise I add to the bucket list.

Thanks.

TO: RachelG, dusababy, caroak, Keith1010, RosseauGirl, duct tape, TLCOhio, and drron29 - Thanks for your words of encouragement! It's my pleasure to provide a small slice of our first voyage aboard the Cloud.

 

TO: Colonel(Ret.)Wes, Wellseasoned, and all of the veterans who follow along - I will never to be able to express the sincere gratitude I have of you for the service you have provided us all. I was able to attend college because of the freedoms you protected and became the first member of my family to obtain a Bachelors degree. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

 

TO: Herman The Cat - I'll be sure to provide some "ship" perspective later on during our voyage. Right now, we are going non-stop touring and not spending anytime on board, except for sleeping. Once we get a sea day, I'll catch my breath and let you know what I think.

 

TO: Emtbsam - Unfortunately, we disembark on the 16th, so will miss you as you come aboard later in the afternoon. I will see what I can find out for you relative to the folks you requested information on.

 

FOR TODAY'S UPDATE, PLEASE SEE BELOW...

 

 

OOSTENDE, BELGIUM

Touring the cities of Oostende and Bruges, as well as the Flemish countryside

 

Today, we started with a short tour through Oostende, which is actually a very nice beach resort in Belgium. Personally, I had no idea beach resorts existed in such a windy/rainy/cool weather climate. Apparently, Belgians love to spend their weekends in high rise buildings overlooking the coast by the look of it all. Our focus was on the Sint-Petrus-en-Pauluskerk (Saint Peter and Paul) Church which was built in the Neo Gothic style. If you like churches at all, it is a must see when touring through Oostende.

 

 

 

Bruges, Belgium

From Oostende it is only a 30-minute drive to medieval Bruges where we spent the balance of our morning and early afternoon in the historical city center. Market Square, with its beautiful Belfry (a medieval bell tower) was stunning, and the Basilica of the Holy Blood (built in the 12th century), the City Hall, the old Recorders’ House, and the old County House of the "Brugse Vrije” (a castellany) were all worthwhile stops. We found our favorites to be the Church of our Lady (the second tallest brickwork tower in the world), the Beguinage (Roman Catholic sisterhood buildings), and the Minnewater (the lake of love).

 

 

 

And, while Bruges may be famous for chocolate and lace with seemingly every corner of the city center filled with shops relating to this, our favorite was clearly a luncheon of Belgian waffles. Any country that will let you eat dessert for a main course is a winner in my book.

 

 

 

 

Flemish Countryside

From Bruges, we headed out into the hinterlands to learn about the Flemish country life (the animals, trees, various landscape styles, historical buildings and how the people live). Our private tour included visits to off the beaten path sights and smaller picturesque villages such as Damme and Liswege.

 

 

 

Along the way, we also stopped in the lovely village of Veurne. Here, we found several Renaissance-style buildings (City Hall and Belfry) around the central market square that were built primarily from the local, light-colored brick. Being the son of a brick mason, I found the square to be fine indeed and bet it would compete well with any other in Belgium.

 

 

Other lovely sites to visit include the nearby church of Saint Walburga, a splendid example of the earlier Gothic style, as well as the church of Saint Nicolas (from the 11th century), the Spanish Pavilion (from the 15th century), and the old meat market.

 

 

Beauvoorde, Belgium

The absolute highlight of the day was the beautiful and dreamy castle of Beauvoorde on the outskirts of Veurne. As a hopeless romantic, I’m fascinated with the romantic visions of others. Built in 1875 by a squire who resented the increasing industrialization of Flanders, his dream was to recreate and cherish the atmosphere, style and romance of the 17th century. Methodically, he lovingly restored the castle and filled its many rooms by purchasing original Flemish furniture and art from collectors and auctions. What he was unable to find, he had reproduced. The place was an utter shrine.

 

La Terrazza

We returned to the ship shortly after 7:00p and proceeded to get ready for our first of two formal nights.

 

 

 

We arrived in La Terrazza at 8:15p where we proceeded to enjoy a wide range of Italian culinary delights, including the famous Pappardelle Duck Ragout.

 

 

Tonight's wine was a super special selection from 2006; Antinori's Toscana Solaia. With a chewy texture of currant and a nose of smoked meats and eucalyptus of all things, it paired well with our antipasto plate, as well as lobster and veal. This is a massive wine that has at least 15 - 20 years to go before it begins to reach it's peak. The '06 was an exceptional vintage for this wine (as was the '05 and '97) and is constructed around Cabernet Sauvignon (75%), Sangiovese (20%) and Cabernet Franc (5%).

 

...what's concerning me is it appears that the Vista windows are obstructed by the dock wall on the starboard side.

We're also on the starboard side and haven't noticed an issue relative to the dock. I'll plan to take some pictures during our voyage to provide you some perspective what we see when in port.

Stumblefoot, Thanks again for absolutely stunning pix, most specifically of your beautiful family. Your Cloud posts/w/pix are uplifting, pure joy to read..thank you.

 

And fabulous choice on the Solaia, only Italian wine I would chose over this is the 2009 Sassicaia--the new 1985 Sassi.

Stumblefoot,

 

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your reports and photos. My father fought in France in the war, and I spent 30 years in the navy. So your Norandy photos were very meaningful. And, we will embark on the Cloud in Copenhagen on 6 July. Your experiences are great for our morale.

 

Please keep up the great work.

 

Bogey

Loving your pictures. Bruges is one of our favorite places, and if you ever get to spend more time in the area, here are numerous WWI sites nearby which are worth a visit.

Continuing to enjoy following along vicariously.

I love it! thanx.

Stumblefoot, thanks for confirming there are no dock obstacles. Always good to have firsthand information. Your photos are great so keep them coming.