Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Two

[jpalbny]

Fried. Seems to me that Dover sole is too thin to easily grill without a fish basket or something... Butter and olive oil win out in my book.

 

Chris isn't crazy about capers either but she will happily eat the dry, salt-packed ones. I love them.

[spinnaker2]

The posting in Spanish was related to the Michigan mark market photos.

I tried to make them larger so I could actually see the details.

But mark was unable to do so, hence my comment about my aging eyes...

 

Enjoy the day all!

[lincslady]

I love capers with skate wings - aile de raie au beurre noir - but wonder if sole is a bit too delicate a flavour? Like skate especially because you just scrape the flesh off the bone easily, rather than coping with fiddly bones.

 

Our favourite is at a little bistro on the waterfront in Calais, cheap and cheerful.

[UKCruiseJeff]

JP, I know you're right, but these Dover Sole were very thick and we had one each which I filetted.

 

I decided to really let the lava grill get very hot, seasoned the griddles/grill and sat the sole in the oil skin side down and then let it sit on the grill without turning over. I basted the top with the unfiltered oil with a brush. This totally preserved the flavour and texture of the fish and actually they all came up without even loss of skin. The skin was crisp. So actually I prefer this way as the fish stays tasting of fresh fish and not flour and oil and the flavour of the meniere is seperate and therefore optional in appropriate doses. In a way what I am saying is that grilling from underneath preserves the "majesty" and "integrity" of the fish and allows it to speak for itself in it's absolute naturalness with just cooking it - everything else being added and optional. I know it sounds fanciful but I think it is a more respectful way of cooking it. I am daft - I am sorry. After all "fish and chips" only came about to disguise fish "off the point."

 

The only thing is that we both decided we loved the plaice yesterday and preferred it to the Dover Sole - as long as it is really fresh - and that one must ignore the price of things because often cheaper provides better. We're going to order 3 whole fish between two delivered fedex next order with a whole heap of mussels.

 

Lola, you are right. The capers were a mistake. With the benefit of intelligent hindsight I like the idea of capers but I think that's it. It is the idea rather than the taste. I had been playing with the idea of using chopped up olives instead of the capers but that is now on the back burner.

 

Jeff

 

 

 

[mysty]

Smacking my lips here Jeff! Awesome looking meal! And some good news! :) My IT dude managed to get Play Memories installed on our computer. He says it is a long story about how he managed it and I will get the play by play this evening. He is dedicated once he decides to do something. The trick is to get him to decide to do something. :)

[jpalbny]

Looks delicious. I will often grill a fillet skin-side down without turning, especially over indirect heat. You understand, I can't get Dover sole like that...it's all frozen thin skinless filets that one could never grill. So the butter, flour, and oil are good additions!

[UKCruiseJeff]

M. I wish I had your man so I could get on with things!

 

JP, yes, we're lucky it's so fresh and thick that fishy. A little frustrating that when we're in Devon we can see the fishing boats of Brixham from The Balcony but cannot get good fish locally. I have to have it fed-exed from Cornwall.

 

I have no objection to frozen fish but I guess fresh is special. I think actually the last couple of days explains well why I feel what I feel about SS. I've been accused as you know as being anti-SS. But it is in a way a feeling of being angry that they won't do obvious and simple stuff and refuse to take the cash I want to give them from me. I want to go on SS. I want to eat some fish on the deck at the back. Simply grilled. I don't want much. I'm a bloke with a kitchen cooking simple stuff. They are professionals runnning a ship port to port. The ship has never been on dry land and always surrounded by fish and places that land and sell fish. Do they buy this fish and cook it simply and well? No. Why can't they do decent fish and seafood? Anyone who loves fish would love to live on a boat going port to port beside all those fish markets. The chef use to be a chef. He bought and ordered stuff. Now he leads tours around markets where he pretends to be a chef and charges $40 a person per tour. Grrrrrr. I'm expected to give up adequate daily food and a big space for a small shoesbox suite for longer than a day and eat poo food visitng places. Don't want to fill in all the dots, but it needs to be more to be a lkucry 6 star cruise line.

 

This is what happens when you drink veuve. :D

 

Some strudel with cold creme Anglaise which I prefer to double cream!

 

Jeff

 

Edited September 18, 2015 by UKCruiseJeff

[mysty]

J...in return for one of your awesome meals I would be tempted to rent him out. :) He has a great sense of humour (obviously a requirement for dealing with me) and a very sharp mind. A little more forgetful than when he was younger though I think it is a question of having a very selective memory now. :)

[TLCOhio]

Looks delicious.

 

mysty: Smacking my lips here Jeff! Awesome looking meal!

 

mysty: Your pictures of Dubrovnik are beautiful Jeff! I really wish we could have seen her beauty that way instead of with a kazillian' date=' million people when we were there on our first cruise! The new lighting looks amazing! [/quote']

 

YES, YES, great food pictures today from Jeff. Wonderful looking and I am sure that the taste was matching to the nice appearances.

 

For our one day in Dubrovnik, we were fortunate that for our ship's visit there that "Lady Luck" was on our side. We were the only ship in the port that day. I can "feel the pain" that happened for those visiting there on the days before and after our date to be there. Both before and after, there were four to six ships each day and about 8-11,000 visitors coming by cruise ship on each of those days. Our crowd situation and weather was perfect for our day there.

 

Below is one example of that area in Dubrovnik that Jeff showed earlier. KEY PHOTO LESSON? Shooting your pictures from a higher and/or different angle can make things much more interesting.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 119,662 views for this posting.

 

 

This is the Stradun or Placa, a 300 meter-long, limestone-paved, pedestrian main shopping street of Dubrovnik. Here is the view as it stretches through the walled town in the east-west direction, connecting the western entrance called the Pile Gate to the Ploce Gate on the eastern end. Stradun became the city's main thoroughfare in the 13th century and its current appearance was mostly created following the 1667 earthquake which destroyed most of the buildings. Both ends are also marked with 15th-century fountains (Onofrio's Large Fountain in the western section and Onofrio's Small Fountain on the east end. There are also bell towers (the Dubrovnik Bell Tower to the west end and the bell tower attached to the Franciscan monastery to the east). The buildings along this way all have shutter painted in the same color. The Stradun and some of the surrounding houses were damaged in mortar shelling during the Siege of Dubrovnik in 1991–92 but most of the damage has been repaired. When you look at the tile roofs, you can see the difference between the older and newer based on that battle damage. Don’t miss walking the wall in this great town.

 

[TLCOhio]

Have you tried the "P" mode yet .... seems to be a useful mode ... I use it with apperture down half a stop or so. On another thread there was some mentions of Dubrovnik so I thought I'd use that Terry-style as an excuse to post some night time piccies of D when I think it is at it's best. All the tourists have left and it is so atmosphereic. Particularly if it is raining. I took hundereds of night time piccies.

 

Hope that I do not ruin either Jeff's image and/or day by agreeing with him so strongly on two above points. YES, the "P" or program setting is one that I use on my Nikon D7100 camera nearly 95% of the time. Why? Sure my camera can do lots of fancy, sophisticated things in various manual and custom settings. BUT, by trusting the camera's smart, fast "mini-computer" on the inside, it does the "basics" for mer with exposure, distance, etc.

 

By using the program setting, then, I can concentrate my attention and interest for being creative about the scene setting, unique angles, getting people involvement, etc. Below is an example in Dubrovnik where I COMBINED putting together . . . BOTH the cable car . . . AND the dramatic setting of the coast in and around this historic town. In my view, that type of "creativity" makes a more interesting picture and memory.

 

Cheers also to Jeff for the point on the importance of night-time pictures that have more varied lighting and better "atmosphereics". As I have learned from doing four National Geographic Traveler photography workshops, it is best to aim higher in getting more interesting than just the basic "post card" view.

 

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 185,858 views.

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

 

 

Here is the view of the Cable Car going down from the high point over Dubrovnik with interesting areas and islands west of the city shown. This cable car has been re-built since the early 1990’s war years. It’s a dramatic coastline with great views here!:

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks Terry,

 

Since I didn't learn the M1 but have taken more effort with the M3 I have been using P like you for around 90% of the time only leaving it for the odd preprogrammed mode or video or panorama. In P I just open it or more often shut it a bit. The camera in P looks after everything including using HDR when it wants to. I looks at the picture and chooses the appropriate mode for itself. I've programmed all of the other cleverness into it's function keys ... and there are more than enough programmable keys, so doing something playful or sophisticated is just a couple of clicks away.

 

I think that Mysty will gravitate towards P once she has got comfortable and it will remind her of Old Betsy and I don't think she'll miss anything except perhaps extreme zoom.

 

Jeff

[mysty]

OK, now you lads (Jeff and Terry) have really got me sitting up and taking notice of the "P"! If this is as easy to use as Old Betsy, I am sold! I'm itching to get out and try my hand at it. Excellent salesmanship! :)

[jpalbny]

I pretty much only use the P setting on my DSLRs. Mainly I use it for exposure compensation. I find that all the Nikons I've had tend to overexpose pics too much for my taste, which works well if you're printing them (yeah right) but makes them look too light on my screen (99.999% of how they are viewed).

 

So I shoot at -0.7 eV almost always. I also turn down the intensity of the built in flash. That's about all I do, but the P mode works best for that.

 

I did much more playing with EC and HDR while we were in Africa . It was fun but I don't do it most of the time. I will confess I left the DSLR home for the Germany trip and just brought my pocket sized Nikon AW120. :)

[mysty]

Thanks JP for the helpful hints on the "P" setting. This is going to be so much fun!

[UKCruiseJeff]

I pretty much only use the P setting on my DSLRs. Mainly I use it for exposure compensation. I find that all the Nikons I've had tend to overexpose pics too much for my taste, which works well if you're printing them (yeah right) but makes them look too light on my screen (99.999% of how they are viewed).

 

So I shoot at -0.7 eV almost always. I also turn down the intensity of the built in flash. That's about all I do, but the P mode works best for that.

 

I did much more playing with EC and HDR while we were in Africa . It was fun but I don't do it most of the time. I will confess I left the DSLR home for the Germany trip and just brought my pocket sized Nikon AW120. :)

 

It seems to be the same on the Sony in that it always seems to need to be at roughly -0.7, but usefully it can be left in auto DRO or auto HDR in P mode.

 

So in P mode I simply think am i taking something moving quickly ie auto DRO or is it a still ie auto HDR and I have the choice programmed into a function key.

 

It seems ideal for someone like me who intends to remain clueless but wants a lot from it.

 

Jeff

[mysty]

I did not want to intrude on the other thread just in case it made some people angry but I am wondering what you meant Jeff about what the Blarney Stone really is. I looked on wikipedia but did not find anything illuminating about it there. What's the story morning glory?

[UKCruiseJeff]

I did not want to intrude on the other thread just in case it made some people angry but I am wondering what you meant Jeff about what the Blarney Stone really is. I looked on wikipedia but did not find anything illuminating about it there. What's the story morning glory?

 

In the 1300's it was the height of sophistication to have an inside toilet. The stone had a hole in it that protruded out of a castle wall on which you sat. This mean that your doings dropped down into the moat or scrubland below. The Blarney Stone is a medievsl toilet seat and you are kissing where they sat and rhyming slang ....

 

Every Irishman knows but they like to keep it a secret for some reason ...

 

:)

 

Jeff

[mysty]

OK! I don't think I need to be kissing anything that may or may not have touched someone's arse. The gift of gab is certainly not enough incentive for that! Your caution is noted and appreciated! :)

[spinnaker2]

Jeff.

Once again.

The peas have appeared.

In different incarnations.

Too funny.

[mysty]

Happy Birthday to Mrs. Jeff! Hope the family has a wonderful day of celebration for all the birthday folk! :)

[TLCOhio]

Happy Birthday to Mrs. Jeff! Hope the family has a wonderful day of celebration for all the birthday folk! :)

 

OK, now you lads (Jeff and Terry) have really got me sitting up and taking notice of the "P"! If this is as easy to use as Old Betsy, I am sold! I'm itching to get out and try my hand at it. Excellent salesmanship! :)

 

Yes, Happy Birthday to Mrs. Jeff. Appreciate this nice above "shout-out" from our Canada friend about "Excellent salesmanship!". I will check my bank account to see if the payment credit has been posted, yet!! Or, maybe the check is in the mail???

 

The smart comments from Jeff and JP prompted me to dig and research a little more. The Nikon website notes: "Flexible program mode is used to change between various combinations of equivalent exposures to allow the user to change the shutter speed or to control depth of field but allow the camera to continue control of the rest of the exposure." Yes, I do at times slow down the shutter speed when using the "P" setting to create more depth of field. If my camera on outdoor pictures is showing a shutter speed of 1/1000's of a second, I can trim that back 1/250's of a second and gain added depth of field (increasing the range for what will be in focus). This ability (in an easy manner) to override manually the camera’s choice can be helpful . . . at times, under some conditions.

 

ISO Settings?: Why? It sets what might be called the "film speed" from the "old days". The "normal" range of ISO on many digital cameras is about 200 to 1600. A lower ISO, like 100 or 200, are often used in brightest situations (like sunlight) or when the camera is mounted on a tripod. If you do not have as much light, or need a fast shutter speed, you would raise the ISO. The ISO number picked can affect the amount of "noise" in the image. Today, most digital cameras have improved so much that you can make good quality images at ISOs up to 1600 and above. Personally, with my camera, I set it at 800. That works very well inside in lower light situations as well as outside. A couple weeks ago at the Ohio State night game at Virginia Tech, I shot at an ISO of 1250 and had no "grain" problems in the images. Hope this not too "technical", but I do not like to change the ISO too much. There are times, however, when making those adjustment can be helpful to capture certain types of images. My camera will shoot at a speed of up to 1/4,000 of a second so that with bright outside light, my Nikon can adjust well for those conditions.

 

With many cameras, such as those more advanced SLR models like mine, you can get hyper "technical". BUT, you can get totally carried away . . . and distracted . . . with those many details and options. Your attention needs to be on the images and settings that you are seeking to capture. That is why what can be done with simpler point-and-shoot cameras and iPhones, etc., can achieve such great results.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Wonderful Kotor and nearby Montenegro? Check these postings. Have had over 24,882 views on this posting and appreciate those who have tuned-in and commented.:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439193

[TLCOhio]

With JP & Chris's recent visit to Germany, I notice in the news that now is the opening for the famed Oktoberfest in Munich. We have been to Munich twice, 1970 and 2002. Enjoyed the town so much both times. Below is one current picture from today, plus some from my photo files on Munich.

 

In the spirit (literally) of Munich and Oktoberfest, raise your beer mug and have a toast with your favorite brew.

 

For Candy's benefit (and my fun), I am watching Michigan beating UNLV. The score is now 21-0 in favor of UM. Lots of good college football being played today.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 119,853 views for this posting.

 

 

From the Daily Mail in London today, here is one of their visuals about people in Munich celebrating the opening of Octoberfest. Visitors from around the world, as shown here, wear the traditional Tracht. Munich tapped the keg on Saturday for the world's biggest beer festival, Oktoberfest, with six million revellers expected:

 

 

 

From our 2002 visit to Munich, here are three quick visuals from my photo library/files to bring back good memories. First is their famed City Hall with its beloved Rathaus-Glockenspiel. Every day at 11 a.m. (as well as 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. in summer), it chimes and re-enacts two stories from the 16th century to the amusement of big crowds. Second is inside the Hofbrauhaus for their music/entertainment programs. There you watch waiters and/or waitresses carrying at one time as many as ten large mugs of beer to tables. Third is an example for one of the tables along their main, pedestrian-only street near City Hall where you can dine outside and enjoy the food/beer in a great, historic setting.:

 

 

 

 

 

[jpalbny]

With JP & Chris's recent visit to Germany, I notice in the news that now is the opening for the famed Oktoberfest in Munich. We have been to Munich twice, 1970 and 2002. Enjoyed the town so much both times. Below is one current picture from today, plus some from my photo files on Munich.

 

In the spirit (literally) of Munich and Oktoberfest, raise your beer mug and have a toast with your favorite brew.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

 

Terry, thanks for the visuals. This one looks very much like the Augustiner restaurant that's on the pedestrian street between Karlsplatz and Marienplatz. We ate there several times when we were there two years ago.

 

And funny enough, we have the same guidebook (Munich and the Bavarian Alps). I can see enough of it in your picture to recognize it!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good day all .... wifey sends thanks for birthday wishes.

 

Munich isn't a place I feel that is a place to love and yearn to return to. It just feels grim. I had to go many times when working for "The Corporation" and had my one and only Steak Taretare there.

 

I also got so grumpy there on one visit I got hopelessly drunk and was at dinner with my CEO and decided to prove that his tie was made of nylon rather than silk - something I dissaproved of - and held it over a table candle. I was wrong it was silk, but he forgave me. In retirubution he took a photograph of me slumped in the restaurant with a cake on my head with a candle alight on it and sent it to my wife. It was September and my birthday. That was a trip with many stories. Apart from the clock and some great beer cellers ... not much else in my view.

 

I thought Terry's piccies of those girls can be beaten by a wife piccy. People think she has a fine pair in this piccy taken at The Swiss House Vienna which is where it sometimes feels that we use to live.

 

Jeff

 

 

 

 

 

[jpalbny]

Nice pic Jeff. Though we still love München, your story made me laugh. Those liters go down too fast!