Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome!

[MARIANH]

No I haven't. The trouble with trou is that the better it is the less it freezes! I also adore Calvados. If she adores calvados, would I be right in saying she is also an armagnac rather than cognac person? Seems to be that many do. I use to make sorbets in the Gaggia, but that seems to be confined to the garage! Last thing it made was a Christmas Pudding Ice Cream. Worked well!

 

On a separate topic, apropos of nothing, I do wish we could persuade more of our friends here to really go native more when they visit Europe. I know that many pride themselves in doing so, but it seems that so many more miss so much colour if the immunise themselves from the everyday life. I guess one of the issues is that those still at work seem to have shorter holidays than Europe, and the air travel takes a chunk of time. I love the trams, and busses, and metros, and the local cafes etc.

 

What do you think?

 

Surprisingly ,cognac is second on her list-but only if there is at least an XO on the label :(

 

And yes let's all go native. We have found that using public transport and walking the streets( somehow that has not come out right!) and going into local hostelries/ cafes etc tells you more about a country than hundreds of pages of guidebooks.

 

Ah, memories- riding the (excellent) underground in Budapest in the 70's to understand what Soviet oppression was really like. Talking to an ex SS guard in a locals Bierkeller in Innsbruck and beating a hasty retreat when he started to bare his tattoos. Being persuaded to eat copious quantities of hot sauerkraut just like the locals in Vienna with explosive consequences. Promenading with the locals in the balmy evening air on the Isle de la Cite ( Paris) and spotting a full size leopard ( complete with studded collar) in the passenger seat of 2 CV - no one batted an eyelid And on and on ......

 

One of our fondest memories is driving through rural France ( pre European Community) and stopping at local truckins to share breakfast or lunch in a gitanes/ gauloise fug with the drivers helping themselves to generous slugs from the litre bottles of red wine on the tables with a post prandial Ricard to set them on their way. But perhaps above all calling into Auberges du Ferme for a dinner shared around a large table with the host and all his family. That's the way to get the flavour and maybe even improve you appreciation of language.

 

But of course we and Europe has moved on and with the emphasis on air travel, all inclusive holidays etc everything seems more frenetic.

 

Time for us all to slow down a bit and smell the coffee or even go into that little bar and have one ( or even two) with the locals. And then get back on the metro/ tram home:(

[Mark_K]

Frantic

 

That is wonderful. Just remember to pay homage to the Routemaster when you come to London.

 

The other thing I would love to convert more Americans to is Lunch.

 

Lunch is the most wonderful invention ever devised. You can start and run a business over lunch. Make friends over lunch. Eat longer and better over lunch. You can spend all morning thinking about lunch and all afternoon (if any is left) recovering (dozing) after lunch. Dinner is so badly mistimed.

 

:)

Sunday dinner, every day. Sounds good to me. I usually nap in the afternoon, regardless.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[UKCruiseJeff]

Sunday dinner, every day. Sounds good to me. I usually nap in the afternoon, regardless.

 

Mark, you are on the right path but I view you as still “work in progress”. Lunch is a frame of mind. Just like a dog is not just for Christmas, lunch is not just for Sundays.

 

I've been lucky enough to lead several Americans astray with respect to Lunch. On one recent visit to Vienna, a client and friend of mine invited himself to join us and flew from the US for 4 days to join The Boss and myself in Vienna. I told him he could come with us as long as he gave me his mobile phone. He was puzzled but clearly desperate and so he did. On the first day, I told him that lunch started at 11:00 when we got on the 38 tram up to Grinzing and ended possibly when it was dark and when we didn't know whether to turn left or right to get the tram back into town. He had never had a 7 hour lunch before. We actually talked a lot about “life” and the place of business within the overall scheme of things and about his “business strategy” stuff between lunch and when I decided on a grappa and schnapps tasting session at around 4pm. Apart form anything else the following day he concluded that there was more to life than work, and I helped him towards that important end.

 

 

Time for us all to slow down a bit and smell the coffee or even go into that little bar and have one ( or even two) with the locals. And then get back on the metro/ tram home

 

I loved reading your memories of the different experiences … they were colourful!

 

I remember as a kid getting my first job in Paris in a club on Saturday nights. I have a clear recollection of taking a train that went on a ship that took me into Paris. I sort of now distrust the memory because it seems bizarre that a train would drive onto a ship but I sort of genuinely believed it happened. Then I added a bit of compering to the other job and found myself with two jobs on a Saturday night taking me from around 8pm to around 5 am. (The French girl singer I nearly married mentioned earlier says she saw me first during that time – in those days I was more attractive to women - as well as the dogs) – and Saturday started to drift from Friday to Sunday and I became more frogified. On one trip I decided to look at the telephone directory as I knew that one of a distant part of our extended ex-Eastern European family had found it's way to Paris. I found a single name and went and banged on the door and discovered a whole new part of my family who refused to let me go home until I had met and ate with everyone. My uncle was a blind French taxi driver who was also a women's tailor. Make of that what you will.

 

Making the Frogs like us – particularly those in Paris is pretty hopeless even if you do try to speak French. They don't like each other so why should they like us? However a short mot on a visit last year in January. We were wandering around Luxembourg gardens at early breakfast time when we happened on what looked like a wooden wide train carriage. Inside, there was just 5 or 6 tables, the windows were steamed up – it was freezing outside. Bizarrely, inside there were two waiters dressed in dinner jacket and bow tie and we were greeted with a disdainful sniff. We were asked what we wanted. I ordered two onion soups, two glasses or red wine and a large ricard. He sort of half smile went onto the lips of one of them, but once I poured the red wine into the onion soup and downed the ricard before we drunk the soup – we were “one of them”. Everything changed. They smiled and talked. Going native has it's consequences.

 

Anyway. On the lunch front today I am working on her list of what she wanted on her return from Singapore nad even though we are doing Vienna in a few days I gave her schnitzels today!

 

tappa pictures below

 

Jeff

Edited September 3, 2013 by UKCruiseJeff

[UKCruiseJeff]

[UKCruiseJeff]

Apolgies for seperate posts but the somewhat flakey tappa disaster dropped the pictures from my earlier post ....

 

 

Apologies for seperate posts but this latest tappa is clearly defective.

 

:)

Edited September 3, 2013 by UKCruiseJeff

[MARIANH]

 

I have a clear recollection of taking a train that went on a ship that took me into Paris. I sort of now distrust the memory because it seems bizarre that a train would drive onto a ship but I sort of genuinely believed it happened.

 

Jeff

 

Fear not , alzheimers may not have struck yet.

 

Yes, in those halcyon days of yore, I well remember joining a train at Victoria and waking to the sound of cowbells and the smell of new mown hay as we made our approach along a verdant valley to our destination - Innsbruck. Plenty of booze, boogying and little sleep on the Inghams Express.:)

 

Kaiserschmarnne and coffee for breakfast, local bus and then a never ending slog up a steep trail ( plenty of Gruss gotts on the way) to a mountain hut to begin a high level mountain traverse in the Stubai. What took many hours then can now be accomplished in just a few - courtesy of a gondola. Progress? And there is little time to fraternise.

[MARIANH]

[attach]285214[/attach]

 

I cant believe it's not buddha - said in my best Geordie accent.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Nice welcome in Vienna ... champers, Sachetorte and some fresh berries knicked from SS? :)

 

[Mr Luxury]

[attach]285214[/attach]

 

I thought that Jamie Oliver was banning chicken nuggets from the school menu.

[UKCruiseJeff]

I thought that Jamie Oliver was banning chicken nuggets from the school menu.

 

Welcome back! :)

 

So how was your cruise and how was your grub?

 

Jeff

Edited September 8, 2013 by UKCruiseJeff

[Mr Luxury]

What a racist comment!

 

Not at all,

A European type service is much better. IMO ;)

Edited September 9, 2013 by Mr Luxury

[UKCruiseJeff]

Not at all,

A European type service is much better. IMO ;)

 

Quite right. Matter of personal choice and opinion. I prefer to marry women. Doesn't make me sexist! I like French bread, doesn't make me racist. 'Er indoors loves Italian waiters ........:(

 

Thankfully I'm on many people's ignore lists! Shame you can't reverse engineer and add yourself to other people's list ...... :D

 

Great to hear you had such a good trip - SB sounds very tempting.

 

:)

[Mr Luxury]

Oh alright then, I'll take you off the ignore list.

 

Chevre D'or was wonderful,very attentive service staffed and run like the French know best.

Not an Italian waiter in sight,no need to take your wife there then.:rolleyes:

[UKCruiseJeff]

Oh alright then, I'll take you off the ignore list.

 

Chevre D'or was wonderful,very attentive service staffed and run like the French know best.

Not an Italian waiter in sight,no need to take your wife there then.:rolleyes:

 

 

Don't believe you. You can walk to Italy from Chevre D'or.:D

 

Where is your next trip?

[Mr Luxury]

Don't believe you. You can walk to Italy from Chevre D'or.:D

 

Where is your next trip?

 

This afternoon to the New Forest :p

[UKCruiseJeff]

This afternoon to the New Forest :p

 

 

Sound's like "after lunch"!

 

Where are you going?

 

If I'd known I would have invited you .... we're just about to tuck into rolled shoulder of stufffed West Country lamb, with croquet potatos, cauliflower cheese, green beans, carrots, school dinner gravy and mint sauce. It's raining out. Seems right!

 

Now admit it ..... you're tempted!

 

(Bottle of Tempranillo)

[Mr Luxury]

Sound's like "after lunch"!

 

Where are you going?

 

If I'd known I would have invited you .... we're just about to tuck into rolled shoulder of stufffed West Country lamb, with croquet potatos, cauliflower cheese, green beans, carrots, school dinner gravy and mint sauce. It's raining out. Seems right!

 

Now admit it ..... you're tempted!

 

(Bottle of Tempranillo)

 

Only if the gravy has lumps to remind me of school dinners.:) Glad it's mint sauce and not that sweet jelly rubbish.

 

Off to Limewood for a drink then a friends house in Lymington for dinner.

Edited September 9, 2013 by Mr Luxury

[UKCruiseJeff]

Only if the gravy has lumps to remind me of school dinners.:) Glad it's mint sauce and not that sweet jelly rubbish.

 

Off to Limewood for a drink then a friends house in Lymington for dinner.

 

Do enjoy Limewood! It's becoming Autumny .... soon be time for some foraging!

 

Judge the gravy for yourself!

 

 

When you have a moment i'd love to hear about what you had at Chevre D'Or and anything else on SB worth saliating about!

[Mark_K]

Mark, you are on the right path but I view you as still “work in progress”. Lunch is a frame of mind. Just like a dog is not just for Christmas, lunch is not just for Sundays.

 

I've been lucky enough to lead several Americans astray with respect to Lunch. On one recent visit to Vienna, a client and friend of mine invited himself to join us and flew from the US for 4 days to join The Boss and myself in Vienna. I told him he could come with us as long as he gave me his mobile phone. He was puzzled but clearly desperate and so he did. On the first day, I told him that lunch started at 11:00 when we got on the 38 tram up to Grinzing and ended possibly when it was dark and when we didn't know whether to turn left or right to get the tram back into town. He had never had a 7 hour lunch before. We actually talked a lot about “life” and the place of business within the overall scheme of things and about his “business strategy” stuff between lunch and when I decided on a grappa and schnapps tasting session at around 4pm. Apart form anything else the following day he concluded that there was more to life than work, and I helped him towards that important end.

 

Jeff

I don't think a seven hour lunch would be a problem for me, if it was in a place like this ...

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Mr Luxury]

I would prefer a table not so near to the tree. :)

[Mr Luxury]

Do enjoy Limewood! It's becoming Autumny .... soon be time for some foraging!

 

Judge the gravy for yourself!

 

[ATTACH]285879[/ATTACH]

 

When you have a moment i'd love to hear about what you had at Chevre D'Or and anything else on SB worth saliating about!

 

Jeff, Limewood nice last evening, a little cooler than I have been used to recently.

 

Chevre D'or was a great experience.The room was on three floors and had a nice balcony overlooking the gardens and the sea.A lovely spot for us to enjoy breakfast from before our journey to Monte Carlo to board the Legend.

Lunch at Le rampart which is the terrace at the Hotel overlooking Cap Ferrat.Fish all the way for lunch with a bottle of Crystal rose.Very good service from the all french staff.

Dinner was one of the great meals that we have had in this wonderful two star michelin restaurant with the most fantastic views.Claude the Sommelier paired a good Bordeaux to go with my meal.My wife said why don't we just stay hear for three weeks instead of getting on the ship it was that good,but I am glad that we boarded the legend because it was probably the best food and service that we have ever had on any ship.

What a shame that the small ships are being sold but I have booked more trips on them before they go.

Lots of Flambe dishes cooked at our table,Steak Diane,Crepe suzette,Cherries Jubilee,Strawberries madagascar,Rack of lamb,Roast chicken all served at the table.The best Sommelier we have had at sea which is usually hard to find because they are normally glorified wine pourers

Caviar,gravadlax and suberb Lobster and Nigerian shrimp.

Very good Cheese aboard.I did not have any included wines whilst on board because the wine list was good and the prices were very fair, less my club discount which brought them down to wine shop prices at home instead of the usual inflated restaurant mark up.

Went to Portofino for one day and had our usual lunch at The Hotel Splendido which is always good and with the great view of the bay.

Nice al dente pasta with basil and a Frito misto to follow finished off with good Italian cheeses,all washed down with a Gavi Di Gavi.

I don't know why people come on these boards and moan all the time.

Life is good when you know how to enjoy yourself.

Looking at the picture of your lunch yesterday,i would have enjoyed that also, although I am not a potato croquet sort of guy and would have had Dauphinoise with it instead.

What choices we have.

 

What are we having for lunch today Jeff?

Edited September 10, 2013 by Mr Luxury

[UKCruiseJeff]

Your food all sounded wonderful. Sounds like it is possible to take a cruise and eat well. Good to hear about the cheese in particular. I'm really impressed with how the food sounds. It sounds astute to enjoy the smaler ships whilst you can!

 

Re the roast lamb lunch, I'll have to own up that I had made gratin dauphinoise for the lamb but forgot to put it in and had to throw some croquettes into the airfryer at the last minute. Fel a bit ashamed because I never let on! ;)

 

Today, the wife was up to London to have her " hair done" a monthly ritual that is the price of several bottles of LPGS, but she loves her trips and it makes her smile and appreciate me more ( for not grumbling ) so these days it's a chance for me to eat something I want while she is off. So some lamb koftas with flat bread and a lovely Greek salad ... and the Tempranillo which is the current house wine until it runs out!

 

We had a few days in Vienna for some pork, budvar and the gruner veltliner but I think we're getting a tired with Vienna now and may give it a rest. Too much coaching in from the new EU countries so it's pretty different from our early visits. We use to go three or four times a year, but I guess it's reducing bit by bit.

 

 

We're back down to Devon in a few days .. and I'm hoping for some really fresh bream and brill and sole whilst down there. I'll post some piccies if anything looks good enough!

 

You were astute to go to the Splendido whilst in Portofino, it's a beacon in a place that has been spoiled by the money grabbing down below in the port. I had lunch there a few years ago and it was really wonderful.

[UKCruiseJeff]

.... forgot last weeks schnitzel for M. who seems to have disappeared!

 

[V8Babe]

Hope you're OK?

 

Mr Luxury, any idea?? Thanks.

 

Karin

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hope you're OK?

 

Mr Luxury, any idea?? Thanks.

 

Karin

 

 

Hi Karin,

 

Lovely of you to ask .... yes fine! And how are you?

 

Lot's of travel ... and lot's of contemplation of future travel. Looking forward to The Lord Mayor day in London in November and the Fireworks are going to be big this year. Also looking forward to the Christmas Markets in December - Cologne and Salzburg as well as London, Winchester and Salisbury. Just completed our January / February Singapore plans - three weeks over the Chinese New year of The Horse!

 

How did your trip to Munich and London go? What did you see ... and where did you eat?

 

Jeff

 

:)