Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome!

[V8Babe]

Just following up on your mention of cigars, Jeff. My Jeff smokes cigars but nothing as fancy as your’s. He occasionally buys more upmarket ones but mainly sticks to the small ones in tins.

He loves the Humidor on board ship and will go each night for a nightcap and cigar. It’s funny as he finds the same people go every night and they form this little ‘coterie’. We’ll be walking round during the day and he’ll say hi to someone, I’ll say ‘who’s that’ and it will be someone he’s met in the Humidor.

At home he often has a ‘sticky (wine) and stinky’ in the evening, sitting outside enjoying our new al fresco area.

Mr Luxury, loved your reference to the bottle of sauce!

Karin

PS: Nothing is ever too cheesy.

[V8Babe]

Jeff, the Mayor story is lovely.

 

The photos you posted in another thread are beautiful (Burano), thanks for sharing.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Jeff, the Mayor story is lovely.

 

 

Glad you enjoyed it ... there was another funny incident actually at Sodap in it's old base at Limassol.

 

Between two events I found myself at a loose end over a weekend and asked the concierge what I should do. He asked if I liked wine and I said "yes" and he asked if I'd like to have a tour of the Sodap Winery .. which of course always ends with a tasting. I agreed and he organised that the Chief Vignoier who was a friend would show me around. An hour or so later he asked whether I minded a dozen or so Germans joining me ... and of course I said fine.

 

We did the tour, which was now all in German and as my German in those days was less than it is now ... I just lost total interest andf mooched around the tour at the rear of the group. The only thing I learned was that the Commandria was kept in barrels out in the fierce sun, something you'd know if you tasted the stuff. :(

 

Anyway as we got closer and closer to the end of the tour and the prospect of the wine got bigger and bigger my "spirits" rose and I started to smile a bit. A couple of heavy double doors were eventually flung open and we found ourself in a faux Taverna with a smiling lady behind a load of opened bottles. Let battle commence! :D

 

Anyway, I got stuck in and after a couple of hours everything was still in German but as I was now of a somewhat friendlier disposition I didn't really mind. The day, led to dusk and dusk to early evening and one of the Germans was looking out of the window and looking at the field opposite and was musing about what the crop was ... and asked in German. The vignoier started discussing in English with the Smiling Lady what the German for "nuts" was. "Es sit Nüssen " I said. Everything immediately hushed and the Germans stared at me. "Danke"! I don't know where in my memory the German for "nuts" came from .. perhaps it was the effluence of incohol but there it was.

 

Now the Germans became convinced that I could speak fluent German and that perhaps I was just shy. So I was then fully engaged into the group and although I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about, by simply laughing at the same time as all of them and tutting at the appropriate moments I muddled through undetected. From then on - at the hotel - whenever they saw me at the bar - drinks would be bought and they would jabber away and I'd laugh and smile and nod with the occaisional "ja" and "nein" completely ignorant of 95% of what they were talking about.

 

All because I could remember the German for nuts.

 

:)

[UKCruiseJeff]

Just following up on your mention of cigars, Jeff. My Jeff smokes cigars but nothing as fancy as your’s. He occasionally buys more upmarket ones but mainly sticks to the small ones in tins.

 

He loves the Humidor on board ship and will go each night for a nightcap and cigar. It’s funny as he finds the same people go every night and they form this little ‘coterie’. We’ll be walking round during the day and he’ll say hi to someone, I’ll say ‘who’s that’ and it will be someone he’s met in the Humidor.

 

At home he often has a ‘sticky (wine) and stinky’ in the evening, sitting outside enjoying our new al fresco area.

 

Mr Luxury, loved your reference to the bottle of sauce!

 

Karin

 

PS: Nothing is ever too cheesy.

 

 

Lovely. Us men are always consigned to the garden with our cigars!

 

:)

[Nigella]

I think you mean Pink Lady? A rather thick and rather nasty Rose made by the smaller winery - Sodap? Sort of glycerine conistancy? No longer made. Sodap use to be based in Limassol but moved out to be in the center of their vinyards in Stroumbi. I was once driving through Stroumbi and saw a banner across the road all in Greek except for the date and decided to take all the family back on that day not knowing what was going to be "on". In fact it was a wine festival and we turned out to be the only foreigners and they made us very welcome and all the wine was free. You can tell because hire cars ahve red plates.

 

Earlier in that day of the wine festival we were driving through Stroumbi and we saw a lovely building with Keo Beer umbrellas on some tables outside on the main road into Stroumbi and so we pulled in and stopped and sat at a table in the garden beside a table full of local people. Mum came out and I presumed she asked me in Greek what I wanted so I ordered some coffees and a few beers. She smiled and off she went. We sat there for an hour so enjoying the peace and the old lady offered us some lovely home made cake. We asked for the bill. The man on the adjoining table said "no bill". It transpired that we were sitting in his front garden and his mum has been serving us and I'd presumed because of the Keo umbrellas that it was a taverna....

 

We went to a local shop and bought some goodies and took them back for mum.

 

He in fact turned out to be the Stroumbi Mayor and we sat at his table at the wine festival that evening. That rather shows what Cyprus use to be like.

 

Rolling laughing at that story, easy mistake to make with those distinctive Keo umbrellas and Cypriot hospitality as it was in the past.

 

Stroumbi, on the road up to Polis and Latchi. Such memories! There used to be a man who kept some sort of reptile exhibit at his house on the main road there. One of my favourite villages on the island is close, Kathikas. I used to love seeing the halloumi cheese being hung out to dry there.

 

It may well have been Pink Lady, it was truly foul.

 

On the topic of the Cypriot kindness and generosity to strangers. One day on our first visit to the island, we'd driven from Limassol to the Paralimni area to look at the east coast.

We were driving from Paralimni to Ayia Napa, and just on the coast road near Cape Greco we ran out of petrol. The gauge on the Mini Metro or whatever it was we'd hired was apparently broken. It was extremely hot, and there was nothing around us, so we walked about a mile down the road until we came to a small house where the owner was in the garden working on his motorbike.

We asked where the nearest petrol station was and he said '7'. We never did find out if that was 7 miles, 7 kms, or 7 minutes drive :D Anyway, after we'd been able to make ourselves understood better he realised our predicament, and he insisted on siphoning petrol out of his motorbike into a jerry can for us. He wouldn't take any money even though we tried to force it on him, and even gave us both a can of Kean fizzy orange to sustain us on our walk back to the car. He pointed us back to Paralimni to the petrol station which we reached safely and with just a drop of petrol to spare.

 

Speaking of the area around Paralimni, we once accidentally strayed across the Green Line in an attempt to get a closer look at the Varosha area of Famagusta.

We wasted no time in beating a hasty retreat when we were approached by a Turkish army vehicle whose occupants got out and starting demanding our passports!

 

We love the food, do you ?

 

Lovely memories these, please keep yours coming.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Rolling laughing at that story, easy mistake to make with those distinctive Keo umbrellas and Cypriot hospitality as it was in the past.

 

Stroumbi, on the road up to Polis and Latchi. Such memories! There used to be a man who kept some sort of reptile exhibit at his house on the main road there. One of my favourite villages on the island is close, Kathikas. I used to love seeing the halloumi cheese being hung out to dry there.

 

It may well have been Pink Lady, it was truly foul.

 

On the topic of the Cypriot kindness and generosity to strangers. One day on our first visit to the island, we'd driven from Limassol to the Paralimni area to look at the east coast.

We were driving from Paralimni to Ayia Napa, and just on the coast road near Cape Greco we ran out of petrol. The gauge on the Mini Metro or whatever it was we'd hired was apparently broken. It was extremely hot, and there was nothing around us, so we walked about a mile down the road until we came to a small house where the owner was in the garden working on his motorbike.

We asked where the nearest petrol station was and he said '7'. We never did find out if that was 7 miles, 7 kms, or 7 minutes drive. Anyway, after we'd been able to make ourselves understood better he realised our predicament, and he insisted on siphoning petrol out of his motorbike into a jerry can for us. He wouldn't take any money even though we tried to force it on him, and even gave us both a can of Kean fizzy orange to sustain us on our walk back to the car. He pointed us back to Paralimni to the petrol station which we reached safely and with just a drop of petrol to spare.

 

Speaking of the area around Paralimni, we once accidentally strayed across the Green Line in an attempt to get a closer look at the Varosha area of Famagusta.

We wasted no time in beating a hasty retreat when we were approached by a Turkish army vehicle whose occupants got out and starting demanding our passports!

 

We love the food, do you ?

 

Lovely memories these, please keep yours coming.

 

I loved to read your memories of the Cyprus that current visitors will never know. Lovely to hear ... but a sense of bereavement for that wonderful Island of those wonderful proud and hospitable and kind days.

 

We're you "uniformed"? Happy Valley was never happy when I use to crawl through .....

 

Yes ... I love the food and make a fair amount of Cypriot food at home .. Kleftico in my beehive... now you know why I had to have the beehive ...:)

 

 

 

I have sooooooo many more memories of that Cyprus. I hope others aren't bored toooo much ....:p

 

I remember when the Paphos - Polis road (the one on which Stroumbi straddles) was first built. On the road out of Paphos the road met an obstruction. A protected tree. That presented no problem at all. They simply built the road around the tree ie the tree simply sat in the middle of the road tarmaced both sides until approval was given to take it down. There was literally a tree growing out of the center of the motorway.

 

About roads .... when they were building the Limassol - Nicosia Highwway they built it in parts at a time but refused to open any sections of it whilst it progressed. But they never entirely closed it either. They simply put a few oil barrels across each carriageway expecting the Cypriots to respect the barrier. Well ... you know Cypriot drivers. They couldn't wait for the opening. Instead they zig-zagged around the barriers and would bomb along the open bits until they met the barriers at the end of the section and then drive down the slope at the side of the road into someones back garden and out of the other side ....... there would be queues of cars slowly progressing through several back gardens. ....:rolleyes:

 

 

You mentioned the undrinkable wines ... and it is strange how some wines can be drunk in Cyprus but simply be ghastly when drunk in the UK. Othello, Thisbe .... and for that special occaision Duc de Nicosie .... French? Mais non ....

 

Keo has one wine that may be of interest to you. In one of my visits I was reading in the paper that they had discovered some barely alive vines in an overun and never used plot of land. The owner sent a cutting to the University and they established that this was the only surviving vine in Cyprus from it's Roman time. Maratheftiko is an ancient grape variety indigenous to Cyprus ie Vambakadha (Βαμβακάδα), They took cuttings and cultivated over a number of years and then produced eventually a couple of dozen bottles which they called "Heritage". It nows has over 120 hectares of vines in Cyprus but still only less than 1% of total cultivation.

 

When I stayed in Limassol I based myself in what was then The Sheraton resort .. now St Raphael. They had a wondrful concierge who loved my challenges. Some of them was requests for local pressed olive oil (given to me in a seven up bottles ... and of course zhivania (mountain distilled hooch ... presented in R whites bottles ....) When I read that they had produced a few bottles of this wine I told him I had to have one. "I have a brother-in-law who works at Keo ......" I got my bottle!

 

[Mark_K]

It must be Lent. The neighbors are out catching fish for Friday dinner.

 

 

 

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[V8Babe]

Hey Jeff - wasn't sure if you'd gone away yet but noticed you'd posted on another thread (not that you can't post when you're away but you know what I mean :)), anyway, have a lovely long weekend!

 

Karin

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hey Jeff - wasn't sure if you'd gone away yet but noticed you'd posted on another thread (not that you can't post when you're away but you know what I mean :)), anyway, have a lovely long weekend!

 

Karin

 

Good Morning Karin,

 

Yes - we're currently in Vienna having arrived on Monday morning and leaving late on Friday. Have some food pictures for you but as I'm using TappaWallah they will be small.... and I'll think you'll need to tap them to stretch them ...

 

Some Lebeknodel soup, Stelze, Schnitzel ...... and Budvar .... etc

 

Edited March 19, 2014 by UKCruiseJeff

[UKCruiseJeff]

A few more ....

 

[V8Babe]

Thanks for sharing.

 

Enjoy the rest of your visit.

 

Karin

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks for sharing.

 

Enjoy the rest of your visit.

 

Karin

 

We will .... too much food and wine though. Hope you and your Jeff are well. When are you going to wean him on to bigger cigars?

 

Pork @ Martin Sepp yesterday ... with soup, wonderful salad, pork, dumpling and whatever veg you want for 8 euros and wine at a few euros for the handy quarter litre mugs of fresh heurige ..... which I had one or three of. :)

 

Edited March 20, 2014 by UKCruiseJeff
spelling

[Mark_K]

We will .... too much food and wine though. Hope you and your Jeff are well. When are you going to wean him on to bigger cigars?

 

Pork @ Martin Sepp yesterday ... with soup, wonderful salad, pork, dumpling and whatever veg you want for 8 euros and wine at a few euros for the handy quarter litre mugs of fresh heurige ..... which I had one or three of. :)

 

interesting looking beer colored wine in those glasses. :)

 

 

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[Mr Luxury]

interesting looking beer colored wine in those glasses. :)

 

 

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Yes,it comes from the Spanish Riding School Horses.:eek:

[UKCruiseJeff]

I have always felt sorry for the p#ss Ameicans call beer.

 

:p

[Mark_K]

I have always felt sorry for the p#ss Ameicans call beer.

 

:p

There are many good American beers, very few, if any, of which are sold in the UK.

 

This is one of my personal favorites (brewed not far from where I live):

 

Edited March 20, 2014 by Mark_K

[UKCruiseJeff]

But Mark, poor ... poor ... dear Mark. This beer is delivered in a bottle just like vinegar or pickled onions. Beer lives in casks, not bottles.

 

If it's in a bottle with a funny label ... they drink it?!

 

:(

[UKCruiseJeff]

As this trip was free ie free BA tickets and hotel on points upgraded to suite etc I took her to the Swisshouse again today and bought her a lovely lunch of schniztel and assorted sausages ie a fe Bratwurst, Weisse saussies and a couple of Franks ... as usual I forgot to take the picture until we'd almost finished ... but also caught a couple of pictures of the kitchen which hints a little about how much Stelze they sell ..... this place is wonderful. Then apple strudel, nut scnapps and a cigar for me ... followed by th tram back. :)

 

 

 

 

Edited March 20, 2014 by UKCruiseJeff

[Mark_K]

But Mark, poor ... poor ... dear Mark. This beer is delivered in a bottle just like vinegar or pickled onions. Beer lives in casks, not bottles.

 

If it's in a bottle with a funny label ... they drink it?!

 

:(

i rarely drink enough at home to make it worthwhile, but if you want it on tap, have at it

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

Mark, my lovely .. I know that good .. or indeed barely drinkable beer is a novelty to our colonial cousins, but let me try! I do understand that for any American beer to be barely drinkable not only must it be frozen to death so that all taste is removed, but to insure there is never a chance that it offends, it must also be drunk from a glass that has also been equally frozen to minus fifty four. As I understand it, a glass of beer in America must actually freeze to your lips and can only be detached by a qualified lip surgeon. He must have a specialist degree in lipodology.

 

Back to proper beer. The Bard of the Bar will be the arbiter. Let me introduce you to Shakespeare.

 

"A decent ale, a cheap plastic decorative pump maketh not"

 

:D

[Mark_K]

30 years ago everything you say might have been true, but you're living in the past. I believe at the last brewing competition held at Guildhall in London more US beers won than UK beers.

 

 

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[dusababy]

30 years ago everything you say might have been true, but you're living in the past. I believe at the last brewing competition held at guildhall in london more us beers won than uk beers.

 

 

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thank you mark.

[5waldos]

^ x2

 

Ever tried any of the Russian River beers? Simply wonderful.

[UKCruiseJeff]

^ x2

 

Ever tried any of the Russian River beers? Simply wonderful.

 

No I haven't but I have sworn duty to try some. Sadly not available in the UK I think. The web site implies they are British style?

[UKCruiseJeff]

30 years ago everything you say might have been true, but you're living in the past. I believe at the last brewing competition held at Guildhall in London more US beers won than UK beers.

 

 

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Hi Mark ... you are a one! You know I was just returning banter after making your somewhat rude remark about my mug of Gruner Veltliner .....:D

 

Amercans produce some of the best beer in the world, and I particularly like the look of some of these highly enthusiatic boutique breweries that seem to have sprung up over the last 10 years or so. I'm envious because as a country with 6 times the UK population I presume that gives you 6 times the range of boutique beers to choose from. Some of those boutiques seem to produce British style beers that are really superb and as you say they win many slots in the competitions.

 

Many of the best beer memories I have are US ones, and not just the beer. The first time I had a Michelob in Rochester when the barman reached into a fridge to get out a frozen jug had me go straight back home and starting to freeze glasses for my Pilsners. I hadn't seen that "barmanship" before the US. I'll also never forget my first night in Atlanta, when I arranged to meet my work friend in the hotel bar before moving out to some local bars. We never made it as the hotel bar was also clearly the local community bar and we were made so welcome and had a wonderful evening. The bar girl even bought the odd round and sent out for pizza and ribs .... we spent 8 hours at that bar and I wasn't in good shape for work.

 

Back home in Blighty now after the 5 day trip in Vienna. Yesterday I took her for breakfast on the Wiener Riesenrad and we wandered the park and had lunch at the Swisshouse again. We had ćevapčići, bratwurst and schnitzel .... and I had a few jugs of Grüner Veltliner and she had a few Budvars. Evidently The SwissHouse serves more Budvar than any other establishment in the world.

 

I took a picture specially for you of my gruner beside the Budvar so you can see the difference ... :)