Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Five

[jpalbny]

Mysty, very true! Speaking of storytelling I have to find time to get back to my blog...I'm neglecting my storytelling duties!

 

Forgot to say that the new restaurant sounds great, Lois. We have a restaurant here which serves the edamame dumplings and they are a real treat.

Edited November 15, 2018 by jpalbny

[UKCruiseJeff]

Hi all

 

JP your plates look wonderful. 

 

For what it's worth people should really not presume as we all have that fresh fish is better and "fresher" than frozen fish and seafood.  As you know there is a lot of misconception about this with respect to frozen fish and seafood.  Firstly it freezes and defrosts perfectly when done properly and I do not believe most would know the difference except that if there is a problem of a fish dish when served with fresh rather than frozen fish.  

 

Secondly, unless fresh fish is bought directly from a "day fisherman" or a fishmonger who has bought the fish from a quayside fish market that morning, then the majority of fish we all eat is from trawlers who stay out at sea and ice fish to be stored for several days often for more than a week at a time.  So fresh fish (ie not processed and frozen on a traswler) is fairly old when bought.  However frozen fish and seafood is effectively "fresher" than fresh fish.  And of course frozen is not only "fresher" but also significantly cheaper.  Win, win.

 

So except when we are at Seaside and buy genuinely fresh fish that has been landed form a day boat the day we cook it then frozen will always be fresher .... and frozen fish will nearly always be fresher on a cruise if it was frozen.

 

Rib-eye today and more bread is being made.  Currently enjoying 80% hydration bread using some new bannetons to shape.  Each day is a doughy day.

 

 

Edited November 15, 2018 by UKCruiseJeff

[mysty]

Hitting the YUM button again!  And the fresh versus frozen discussion supports our approach.  Being a ways inland means our "fresh" fish is nowhere near fresh.  Hence our quest while traveling to taste local.

[TLCOhio]

16 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Terry, nice shots of Athens. Great location between the Parthenon and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Did you see Silver's post on the Oceania boards?

 

YES!!  Appreciate the nice follow-up from J.P. and I did see the question from Silver Spectre on the Oceania.  Have posted a follow-up there.   We are now in Athens, Greece, and getting ready to board Oceania's Nautica ship for the first time later today.  Will start the live/blog in two-to-three days after getting settled on the ship, etc.  We have a busy port schedule with three islands (Patmos, Rhodes and Cyprus) in the next three days before arriving in Israel for two days to see Jerusalem for the first time   More later. 

 

At the strong suggestion by several on the Cruise Critic boards, we traveled to Delphi yesterday and got such a great "history" lesson for these many important periods in Greek history, why such importance related to this site, etc.  Very fascinating and informative.  Did not realize the connections 2500 years ago between the Greeks and Egypt's great historic periods.  Lots of amazing history from the Greeks and what they gave to us in culture, government structure, athletics, food, etc.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!  Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture.  This posting is now at 79,227 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

 

It was a beautiful, sunny day at Delphi, the famed historic site about two-and-a-half hours north of Athens.  Amazing setting in the mountains, overlooking the olive trees and sea.  Great learning experience with our expert driver (Alex) from George's Taxi and Georgios, our knowledgeable guide at Delphi.  Despite other countries stealing much from Greece, there are still many great treasures left there to see and enjoy in this country.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these pictures larger/better!)

 

 

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great day all!

[jpalbny]

Delphi! Loved it. The site reminded me a little bit of Machu Picchu. Construction must have been quite a challenge.

 

We had a private tour from Itea when we visited Delphi in 2012. One of my former residents is from the area and she had her parents come meet us, along with two friends. They were our tour guides for the day. Such fun!

 

Mysty, definitely time to bundle up. We spent some time in the hot tub last night, watching the glow of the moonlight on the freshly falling snow. It was pretty but I do not relish the thought of heading out to work in a few minutes.

 

Haven't been on the Oceania boards in a while but it wasn't exactly a warm and friendly response to Silver's post about Terry. Oh well. Looking forward to his blog! 

[Lois R]

Good morning, I may be booking a cruise with Azamara...…..found a fun itinerary in April and a very good deal (especially for a solo)….....11 nights out of New York called Bermuda and the South (stops in Charleston!)…...less than 4500.00!  I know they are not Silversea but I know the ship is small (which I love LOL)…….anyway, I have a cabin on hold...….just need to see that the time is open on the vacation calendar at work!

[jpalbny]

Sounds nice, Lois. Haven't tried Azamara but they use the same ships as Oceania's R-class. We love those ships and have done 5 cruises on board them (all with O) back in the day.

 

Charleston is beautiful. We went there a few years ago for my birthday - just a weekend, but enough to eat way too much and see some interesting spots in the city. Beautiful houses and interesting history. I just looked at your itinerary and I see you have two overnights there which will be nice. Plenty of time to get the flavor of the city.

 

We have done two cruises out of NY (Manhattan pier) to Bermuda, but that was around 1998/1999 I think. Very enjoyable, and easy for us - just drive to New York, park in a garage at the pier, and walk on to the ship. If you park on the top level of the garage you can wave goodbye to your car as you sail away! But you have to fly to NY I assume. It will be a bit of a hike from JFK to the pier but if it's the Red Hook (Brooklyn) pier that's closer than the West Side of Manhattan.

 

Bermuda is pretty, and your ship appears to dock in Hamilton which I think is the best place to dock. I think they've banned all but the smaller ships from docking there, which is good IMO.

 

The big behemoths are exiled to the King's Wharf location in the Northwest corner nowadays, I guess. It is not our favorite; basically all shopping and touristy stuff when we visited so many years ago, but I doubt that's changed. Luckily we docked in Hamilton most of the time, so we took a ferry to King's Wharf to see what it was all about.

 

Not impressed, so we walked back most of the way to Hamilton end enjoyed exploring the rest of the island. There is a third docking location on the other end of the island called St. George's (maybe)? Nice coastal views but not much to do. So Hamilton is the place to be.

 

Funny story from Bermuda though. A couple (good friends) visited a few weeks before our cruise was to arrive. They buried a message in a bottle at Elbow Beach and sent us a picture of the location. We went there and found the location, then dug up the message, which was still there! That was pretty neat!

Edited November 16, 2018 by jpalbny

[Lois R]

Hi JP, I booked it,,,I have been to Bermuda and to Charleston before..…..love both places! And the ship sails out of Manhattan and yes I have to fly to NY...…...no big deal.....after all I have been flying across the pond for the past couple of years LOL  I will go a day early and stay in Manhattan...…..I keep thinking about the savings on the cruise compared to what my recent one cost...…….I can splurge and stay at 5 star hotel in the Big Apple 

 

When I sailed to Bermuda on Celebrity we docked in the Navy Yard.   I saw a roll call for the cruise and now I need to tell them I booked it.  The folks sound pretty nice so far so hoping for a good cruise!

 

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny....

 

 

Have a great day all!

[Lois R]

Good morning Coolers......well, booked my flights to the Big Apple and now need to find a hotel.  The Michelangelo is supposed to be really nice and good location too.  I will check their website and look on Trip Advisor.  I want to go see a show too and see the 9/11 Museum and go to Ground Zero. My flight gets in at 1:30 the day before the cruise so I should be able to do those 3 things (hopefully).

 

Have my Saturday errands to do...….go to the bank, have to stop at the Xfinity store (just easier to talk to them in person than going through x amount of people on the phone)…...need to see a jeweler about a chain I have and see if they can fix the clasp.

 

Have a good day everyone.

 

 

[brumagin1]

We stayed at the Hotel Elysee pre cruise in September, and liked it very much.  Ir’s a small “boutique style” hotel.  Included in the rate is a nice continental breakfast, and evening wine and cheese, I think it was from 5-8 PM.  Across the street is Cellini, a small Italian restaurant with very good food for lunch or dinner.  We walked to the theater district easily, and it was an easy cab ride to the Manhatten cruise terminal.

We also did this 911 tour:  https://911groundzero.com/.     It is an extensive walking tour of the area, with a pre or post independent visit to the 9/11 museum add-on possible.    Our guide was there on 9/11, and her stories of that day are unforgettable.   The tour is supposed to last about 90 minutes, but she was with us for a little over 2 hours.     I will say that after our time with her, we did not spend as much time in the museum as we had thought we might.  There are lots of recovered items to look at, and MANY videos from that day, as well as reports of survivors and of families who lost loved ones.   If you were “glued to the tv” on 9/11 as we were,  you will have seen many of the videos.    If time is short, I would suggest skipping the museum and taking this tour.    We learned so much from her that we would not have known had we spent time in the area independently.

[jpalbny]

If you want to go to the 9/11 memorial and Ground Zero, look at the Beekman Hotel in Lower Manhattan. Walking distance to those attractions, and a cool hotel too.

 

Further north, in the Nomad area, the Nomad Hotel is really nice. They have an awesome restaurant there and it's walking distance to Eataly.

 

And yes, the Michaelangelo is a great choice near Times Square. It's relatively far from Lower Manhattan, but walkable to all of the theaters. 

 

So, a few other choices for you to consider. 🙂

[Lois R]

Thanks to you both for the suggestions...…….I will look at all of them...…...so closer to Ground Zero but further away from Broadway? I really want to see a show...…..I am guessing whichever hotel I choose can hail me a cab if needed

[jpalbny]

Lois, the memorial is in Lower Manhattan, which is about 4 miles from the Times Square area. So whichever area you stay in, you'll need transport to the other. We always take the Subway as it's cheap and easy. 

[Lois R]

12 hours ago, brumagin1 said:

We stayed at the Hotel Elysee pre cruise in September, and liked it very much.  Ir’s a small “boutique style” hotel.  Included in the rate is a nice continental breakfast, and evening wine and cheese, I think it was from 5-8 PM.  Across the street is Cellini, a small Italian restaurant with very good food for lunch or dinner.  We walked to the theater district easily, and it was an easy cab ride to the Manhatten cruise terminal.

We also did this 911 tour:  https://911groundzero.com/.     It is an extensive walking tour of the area, with a pre or post independent visit to the 9/11 museum add-on possible.    Our guide was there on 9/11, and her stories of that day are unforgettable.   The tour is supposed to last about 90 minutes, but she was with us for a little over 2 hours.     I will say that after our time with her, we did not spend as much time in the museum as we had thought we might.  There are lots of recovered items to look at, and MANY videos from that day, as well as reports of survivors and of families who lost loved ones.   If you were “glued to the tv” on 9/11 as we were,  you will have seen many of the videos.    If time is short, I would suggest skipping the museum and taking this tour.    We learned so much from her that we would not have known had we spent time in the area independently.

Hi, thanks for your post. I checked the link and unfortunately, I won't be able to make the tour....My flight arrives at 1:30pm and the last tour is at 2. Not sure how long it  will take me to get to whatever hotel I book but I will never make a 2:00 tour. (I will probably still be at the airport  LOL)  I am looking at your hotel on line...….certainly looks nice that is for sure!

[Tothesunset]

I just have to say this:

 

Ireland 16 New Zealand 9.

 

Best Saturday night ever! 

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Glad your Saturday night was stellar TTS!  🙂

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great day all!

[Lois R]

On ‎11‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 7:23 AM, jpalbny said:

Mysty, very true! Speaking of storytelling I have to find time to get back to my blog...I'm neglecting my storytelling duties!

 

Forgot to say that the new restaurant sounds great, Lois. We have a restaurant here which serves the edamame dumplings and they are a real treat.

Hi JP, I forgot to reply to you...….yes, they have some really eclectic things on the menu.  I was thinking of going there for dinner tonight LOL...….will see how I feel later today.  There was a couple at the bar sharing this BIG bowl of what looked like a floral bouquet of veggies.....their version of a croux de te……..one person could not eat it all....LOL and they have roasted Brussell sprouts with mushrooms that looked delicious too.  And they have regular entrees, dinner salads, all kinds of stuff....everything is VERY fresh....you can see the guys in the kitchen cooking away!

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great day all!

[Lois R]

Good morning friends.

 

JP, have you heard of The Park Lane on Central Park South? I may choose that one and not worry about rushing from point y to point x for the daytime.   I posted on the East Coast Forum and everyone says to plan what you want to do and then find a hotel and then figure out the time to get from one spot to another...…….I don't want to stress over anything.  My main thing is to see a show so I can stay anywhere really and grab a cab to get to the theater and back to the hotel.  Anyway, this hotel looks really lovely and prices are not through the roof either.

[jpalbny]

Lois, I haven't stayed there but the location is certainly in a nice part of town. Lots to see just within a few blocks. Some of the theaters are within walking distance. So if the price is good, then go for it.

 

We did some shopping this weekend. Visited the outlets in Lee, MA about an hour away and did pretty well finding some clothes bargains. 

 

When we were done, we had a late lunch at a Peruvian restaurant nearby and enjoyed a few authentic dishes - lomo saltado, anticucho de corazon, and picante de mariscos. Was really yummy, and tasted like what we remembered from our last visits to Peru. But there was no Peruvian wine on the list. 

 

Our orange tree that we put in the sunroom this spring had a small green orange on it when it arrived. It finally ripened. Haven't tried it yet but will soon.

 

 

The Meyer lemon tree is covered with flowers and starting to set fruit. If even some of it ripens we will have a bumper crop in a few months. No new blossoms on the orange trees yet.

 

Have a great week all!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Afternoon All ...

 

A grey overcast and cold day here.  Still.  

 

Today being a Monday and needing brightening, I shucked two dozen lovely fresh ousters and we had them with some sourdough and rose. I guess a few shells and some nread makes no real piccies but I took them just the same.  Oysters and wine and bread  have lifted a Monday ...

 

Before and after .....

[mysty]

J...that definitely brightened my day!  I savoured your deliciously atmospheric shots and enjoyed the meal vicariously.  Thanks for that!

[UKCruiseJeff]

I broke one of my shucking knives M.  I wonder whether the site will sanction the word shucking. 😞