The Bistro- Off topic and fun posts!

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my  Maasdam cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Rio.  February 11 was a sea day from Maceo to Vittoria:

 

 

Roy

[Keith1010]

How come there are so many advertisements with our song What A Wonderful World.

 

Now I see Vanguard has one out too.

 

Are they trying to rub in what has happened with Crystal?

Keith

[oakridger]

I think they are sending a subliminal message out to all of us Crystal fans.... they want us for customers!!!

 

~Nancy

[hypercafe]

3 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Today's sunrise is from my  Maasdam cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Rio.  February 11 was a sea day from Maceo to Vittoria:

 

 

Roy

Hi Roy, do you have adventures planned, I miss your daily updates.

[rafinmd]

2 hours ago, hypercafe said:

Hi Roy, do you have adventures planned, I miss your daily updates.

On a lot lesser scale.  I will be on the Enchantment of the Seas February 17-25.  After my medical issues the last year I'm trying to start slowly and this is what worked for me.  I had 2 cruise credits from Royal that were expiring soon, and this cruise is just about a half hour drive from my house so it was an easy first step.  My other cruise booked is also with them, a short cruise out of Bayonne in late May.  My remaining credit is quite a large one on Cunard but I have more time to book that. 

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

I have a sunset today rather than a sunrise; It's from my 2020 Crystal World Cruise.  On February 12 the Crystal Serenity was scheduled to visit Nuku' Alofa, Tonga but was denied permission due to the pandemic

 

 

Roy

[KenzSailing]

Vince, check this out, menu looks like your kind of place (you too Beav, but with a killer Uber fare:)

 

https://dc.eater.com/2022/2/11/22927449/inside-shoto-japanese-masterpiece-izakaya-downtown-dc-restaurant-opening

[BWIVince]

4 hours ago, KenzSailing said:

Vince, check this out, menu looks like your kind of place (you too Beav, but with a killer Uber fare:)

 

https://dc.eater.com/2022/2/11/22927449/inside-shoto-japanese-masterpiece-izakaya-downtown-dc-restaurant-opening

🤤 That whole complex is really becoming a food Mecca.  I’m so jealous of you all that can just bop down there!  Thanks for the link — I just read that and a Washingtonian (Wahrshingtonian) article about it too.  The forthcoming adjacent sister venue with the Japanese street food sounds amazing to me too, from a different angle.  I can’t wait to hear more about both!

 

On another note, I needed some socialization today, after a couple of exhausting weeks of 13-14 hour days of zoom meetings…. With all of the craziness of Valentines weekend, I wanted someplace relatively peaceful, so I dragged a friend to Bryan Voltaggio’s Thacher & Rye (against his will).  To accommodate more people and still keep the same atmosphere, they opened the small dining room in the kitchen for general dining, and we were lucky to get seated back there.  That was a really nice surprise, and a lot of fun to watch Bryan and his team at work.

 

Today was a good day.

 

Vince

[Keith1010]

On another thread where someone was asking about other lines that have speakers Brian posted about some of them and several I was familiar with and thought the same thing as Brian.  I started to list mine but then I said too much as usual and I was worried I would take the thread off topic with little tis bits so I thought I would post it here.

 

Thank you Brian for reminding me of some special speakers and provide me an opportunity to think of others. There are many more than this.

 

I love Brian's list of speakers.

 

My favorite ones are the ones who were passionate and created new presentations or repeated some but they were so good you want to come back to see it multiple times.

Jim Brochu.  Amazing.  Jim loves people, love his profession, is charming, funny and a genuine nice person and he brings alive stars of the past. I enjoyed the new lectures Jim gave but I also enjoyed just as much ones he gave in the past.

 

I had the same reaction to Harm de Blij who we enjoyed for so many years until he passed. He was so passionate about geopolitics.  And I loved the way he would draw the world with a black felt marker on a white board.  He took topics that some people would bore you to death as if they were teaching intro to xxxx at a university and made it exciting.

 

Speaking of exciting someone who brought all sorts of books to live who we loved as well is Barbara Rinella. She did it buy dressing in costume and being the person the book was about whether male or female. She like the others I have mentioned would fill up the Galaxy or the Hollywood Theater.

 

I will show my age because I am doing a mind blank. There was a gentleman who would speak about explorers and on a map would take those yellow stick em notes and place them on the map to show the journey. Very passionate and he married the Japanese Hostess back when Crystal had someone in the dedicated position. A few years later they came on board for a few hours when Serenity was near their home area.  I need to remember their names.  Ugh!!

 

There are so many more.  General Zinni who was so very logical and you just had so much confidence he knew what he was speaking about. Ken Rees with the quick wit and humor and putting it all together when he presented.  Jay Wolff who never said ummm that I can remember and when he told the story about the Titanic you felt he was there. Well maybe he was.  Oh I could list so many more.

 

Thankfully some cruise lines do a nice job with this and as I mentioned there is one that I am assuming will be expanding their program and that is all good. Yes there were times when they needed more women for sure and some new faces.  They used to be pretty much all American and they did make inroads there.  

There were some we saw one time such as James Carville and his wife and that was a good one because you got two points of view rather than one.  

 

What I also liked is that not all but many were accessible and you could meet them for coffee or dinner or a drink.  Years ago we were on when Rita Moreno was lecturing and we enjoyed her talks.  One time we were with another couple at a cocktail party  and she and her late husband asked if they could join us and after speaking for awhile she turned to me and said could we all go to dinner at Nobu? So we did a couple nights later.  We leaned so much about them at dinner and I've always wondered if I would write a book and if I did it would have been about the two of them if he didn't pass.  

 

And while she was not a charismatic speaker I don't want to forget about Dorothy Hamill.  We watched her in the Olympics and Anne Marie like many women in the USA back then had the Dorothy Hamill cut. We met her the first time in 2007 and chatted with her a few times and saw her a few years later for the world games again and we asked her and her husband if they wanted to go to dinner and they said yes and I can't tell you how many times at dinner she thanked us and I am thinking you are thanking us. It is we who thank you.

 

Keith

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2016 Crystal Symphony Antarctica cruise. February 13 was a sea day from Puerto Montt to Valparaiso:

 

 

Roy

[Ant@sea]

On 2/11/2022 at 2:11 PM, Keith1010 said:

How come there are so many advertisements with our song What A Wonderful World.

 

Now I see Vanguard has one out too.

 

Are they trying to rub in what has happened with Crystal?

Keith

The other day while watching TV I was totally ambushed by a Celebrity advertisement using that song!

[Keith1010]

Well let's start off with an update on my Traeger Grill.  It was Smoke'n.  Oh I guess that is why they call it a smoker.  Made Hamburgers again.  Delicious.  They were very moist and tasty.  Just love it.  With the pellets it pretty much does all the work for you.  Next time we'll move to chicken or we're thinking salmon.

 

OK.  What is today?

 

Well it's Monday?

Likely a week we will know more about the vessels.

 

But if it is February 14.....Yes you guessed correctly.  Today is Valentine's Day.  I realized that commencing with 2007 and ending in 2020 Anne Marie and I celebrated Valentine's Day 10 different times with Crystal.

 

A few photos and wishing everyone a very Happy Valentine's Day.  It is a Heartfelt day.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eat Hearty and Spread the Valentine's Chear

 

Keith

[rafinmd]

1 hour ago, Keith1010 said:

Well let's start off with an update on my Traeger Grill.  It was Smoke'n.  Oh I guess that is why they call it a smoker.  Made Hamburgers again.  Delicious.  They were very moist and tasty.  Just love it.  With the pellets it pretty much does all the work for you.  Next time we'll move to chicken or we're thinking salmon.

 

OK.  What is today?

 

Well it's Monday?

Likely a week we will know more about the vessels.

 

But if it is February 14.....Yes you guessed correctly.  Today is Valentine's Day.  I realized that commencing with 2007 and ending in 2020 Anne Marie and I celebrated Valentine's Day 10 different times with Crystal.

 

A few photos and wishing everyone a very Happy Valentine's Day.  It is a Heartfelt day.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eat Hearty and Spread the Valentine's Chear

 

Keith

I'll probably never celebrate Valentines Day again.  One year ago today my brother passed away.  I wasn't able to get to the funeral but hope to visit his grave when Enchantment OTS visits Port Canaveral Saturday.

 

Roy

[Keith1010]

56 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

I'll probably never celebrate Valentines Day again.  One year ago today my brother passed away.  I wasn't able to get to the funeral but hope to visit his grave when Enchantment OTS visits Port Canaveral Saturday.

 

Roy

So sorry Roy regarding your brother's passing.

 

I understand Roy.  A friend of ours who we know from Crystal sailings  lost her husband on Thanksgiving Day several years ago so that is a holiday she no longer celebrates.

 

Keith

[nancygp]

1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

I'll probably never celebrate Valentines Day again.  One year ago today my brother passed away.  I wasn't able to get to the funeral but hope to visit his grave when Enchantment OTS visits Port Canaveral Saturday.

 

Roy

so sorry Roy

 

I hope you’ll be able to visit your brothers grave on Saturday.

 

Nancy

Edited February 14, 2022 by nancygp

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2018 Crystal World Cruise.  On Valentines Day Crystal Serenity was due to call at Norfolk Island which would have been our final port before arriving in Sydney but conditions did not permit it.

 

 

Roy

[BEAV]

3 hours ago, rafinmd said:

I'll probably never celebrate Valentines Day again.  One year ago today my brother passed away.  I wasn't able to get to the funeral but hope to visit his grave when Enchantment OTS visits Port Canaveral Saturday.

 

Roy

 

Roy, I’m glad to hear you’re going to get to visit your brother’s grave by way of a cruise. And a special cruise being that it’s your long-awaited return to the seas. Two very special occasions. 

[BEAV]

Waikiki Valentine’s Day sunset one year ago. Photos taken mere minutes apart, highlighting the ever-changing skies.

 

 

 

 

[KenzSailing]

 

Roy,

 

Very sorry.  There are no good days for someone to pass, but on or near a date celebrated annually is especially sad.

[KenzSailing]

4 hours ago, BEAV said:

Waikiki Valentine’s Day sunset one year ago. Photos taken mere minutes apart, highlighting the ever-changing skies.

 

 

 

 

 

Beav,

 

Were these taken from the Prince Waikiki?  Sweet.

 

If there's no Crystal miracle comeback, I'm working on our Plan B.  I've booked eight nights at the Halekulani, Diamond Head oceanfront, for next February (too late this winter to get there, and I'm not wasting a trip to Hawaii on warm weather at home.)  Just drape me in a lei and hand me a Mai Tai.

[BEAV]

37 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

 

Beav,

 

Were these taken from the Prince Waikiki?  Sweet.

 

If there's no Crystal miracle comeback, I'm working on our Plan B.  I've booked eight nights at the Halekulani, Diamond Head oceanfront, for next February (too late this winter to get there, and I'm not wasting a trip to Hawaii on warm weather at home.)  Just drape me in a lei and hand me a Mai Tai.

 

If we were playing “pin the tail on the donkey”, you’d be VERY close, Kenz!

 

I was 1 1/2 blocks away from the Prince at the Illikai of Hawaii Five-O fame. Illikai is now part hotel and privately-owned studio condos. The hotel portion was closed my entire stay due to Covid. Renting a studio was perfect for a month-long stay. 

 

I absolutely approve of both your plans A and B! 

 

 

[KenzSailing]

9 minutes ago, BEAV said:

 

 

 

I was 1 1/2 blocks away from the Prince at the Illikai of Hawaii Five-O fame.

 

 

 

Oh man, I grew up on that show.  I can still see the iconic shot during the opening credits where the camera zooms in on Jack Lord on the balcony as the music swells.  Not that Hawaii needed it, but what that show must have done for the tourist trade.

 

And BTW,  you spent a month in a studio in Honolulu without enquiring as to my private chef rates?  Missed opportunity for both of us.

 

[KenzSailing]

So, DC is lifting its vax mandate effective 2/15, and the mask mandate effective 3/1.

 

“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”

F Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby

 

[Daveywavey70]

33 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

So, DC is lifting its vax mandate effective 2/15, and the mask mandate effective 3/1.

 

“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”

F Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby

 

Who?

[Mackenzie1]

Sunset over Maui October 15, 2017:

 

 

Edited February 15, 2022 by Mackenzie1