2008 SEPTEMBER 9 Tuesday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Sea Day on the way to Newfoundland
Another one of those great, lazy, hazy days of loitering about. We were up and raring to go, just in time for lunch! The menu at the dining room looked good, but surprisingly, today the offerings at the buffet not only looked better, but actually tasted good to Opal, the food critic. There were several interesting salads, Hungarian goulash, corned beef and cabbage, sea bass, spaghetti, and bread pudding…the soft custardy kind that she favors, served warm with vanilla sauce.
For most of the afternoon we were busy reading, trying to get picture files ready for uploading, getting the blog up to date, then reading some more, wandering the shops, looking at stuff in the library. Opal has been deeply engrossed in her book, curling up in a big overstuffed chair at every place we stopped. Although she had seen the series twice, this is her first reading of Shogun and she loves it.
Seemingly before we knew it, it was time to dress for Italian night and it’s formal, so ugh-ugh for me and yeah-yeah for Opal. We both had pretty decent dinners, in fact, quite good! I started with prosciutto and melon and this time it was cut thin, not the ‘clodish’ thick slices as I had a few nights ago. This was followed by very good minestrone soup and then a baby leaf spinach salad with cherry tomatoes and sun dried tomato vinaigrette -- ono dressing. Of course this was all accompanied by my usual Georgia dark wine, vintage 2008! And finally, fiery grilled, succulent (6 of em) fat shrimps….ringed by a bed of saffron rice…Ummm-mmm! I finished with coffee and a ss fruit tartlet. Opal started off with a baked eggplant appetizer, followed by minestrone, a green salad and then a roasted veal chop with linguini. For dessert, she had what was supposedly an Italian classic – baked peach stuffed with an almond soufflé. It was the first time either of us had encountered it, and it was a delicious ending to a surprisingly good meal.
For the first time ever, we had to set our watches back by 30 minutes; I didn’t know such a time adjustment existed……it’s been hurting my brain trying to figure out the “logistics” of this time “zone” inre how it would work on New Year’s eve with the rest of the world.
Anyway, in a mental fog, I drifted off to sleep …. As the heavy seas, rolling swells, and high winds howled away, I knew with full certainty that no matter what, I would wake up and go eat again. Tomorrow we arrive in St Johns, Newfoundland, the oldest city in North America, and I think, the furthest east.
2008 SEPTEMBER 10 Wednesday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
St Johns NF Canada
I was up early and looked out to various shades of gun metal grey, including the steel grey, icy looking 10m swells and near gale force winds whipping the crests all about, a roiling and frothy mess. The ship continually (and all last night) shuddered while taking hit after hit. At the moment we were hitting the swells head on and at the bow, there is lots of up and down and crashing wave noise. An aside-- we heard that on the east to west QM2 voyage, the one right
before our NY to England voyage, they had encountered gale force winds that push waves up and over the bow of the ship…..that brought back memories of my one experience in a typhoon while in the navy on a guided missile cruiser….there were times I was sure I would perish at sea before reaching the ripe old age of 21.
At the moment (933a) I’m on the Lido looking down at the roiling seas waiting for my walkie to chirp, telling me that Opal is awake and wondering where I am….. I have a vanilla latte to keep me company until she arrives.
We are due to arrive in St Johns about noon and then we’ll sail at 7p for NYC….. requiring 2 full sea days. This will be our first visit to THIS St Johns – there was another that we visited years ago on a New England-Canada cruise - the other St Johns, I think, is in New Brunswick, Canada.
It’s 1210 and the Lido is filled to the brim with passengers trying to eat before going ashore and even more are piling in, just as the Captain announced that the pilot has advised us to NOT try and enter the very narrow entry to the harbor, with a clearance of mere 30 meters on each side of our ship, because of rough sea and wind conditions. So, for the moment we are sort of idling/circling outside the port in 40mph winds and 5-10m waves . . . . hoping for the wind to abate so we can slip into the harbor.
Unfortunately for us, things didn’t get better….if anything the weather got worse, and the pilot boat must have been tired of waiting around with us, so at about 1p the Captain announced that we were aborting our port call as we could not go thru the narrows into St Johns in such conditions. We watched the pilot leave in his little boat – it looked like he nearly rolled over a few times as the waves were so rough – they were as high as the sides of his boat and violently rocked him left and right before we lost sight of him in the haze and spray as his boat chugged back towards shore.
The rest of the afternoon was reading and a nap. The weather continued to be lousy…more huge waves and hi winds and the banging of waves against the ship with some really serious listing from side to side. At about 5p we heard what sounded like the thruster engines being started up and running for about 3-4 minutes and then they stopped. It turns out we had taken a huge hit on the port side and we were in a steady and serious list to starboard. The engine noise was a pump used to move water in the hot water tanks…..in this case, moving hot water as fast as possible to the starboard tanks to make the ship UPRIGHT! Naturally this woke us up, wide awake, in an instant.
Well, before you know it we were vacating our cabin and sitting in the dining room ordering our dinner from Norman and Gilbert. Stella enjoyed one of her favorites – rack of lamb; I started with pineapple slices sprinkled with roasted pistachio nuts, followed by a less than average good salad and a main dish of beef filet tournedo with a baked potato and sugar snap peas ….. a tasty dessert of ss crepes ended the meal.
Stella is on the home stretch with Shogun and anxious to reach the back cover so we went back to the room where she read until finishing at some late hour as I slept away.
2008 SEPTEMBER 11 Thursday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Sea Day on the way to NYC
During the night when I got up I went out on the verandah and although the seas continued rough and the ship was bouncing and rolling along, I could see stars for the first time in two weeks. Sure enough, when we got up at 730 it looked like we would have a nice sunny day even if the ship continued on thru the rough seas.
We just had a decent breakfast in dining room instead of the buffet – I had a cheese omelet, bacon and a pancake. The coffee was good and along with a few bites of Opal’s honeydew melon, I was set til lunch. Opal had a Mexican omelet, carrot muffin, orange juice and hot tea.
There’s a special outlet sale this morning in the Traviata Dining Room where we usually have dinner. Of course, where there’s a sale, Stella has to go, especially with stuff at 50 - 75% off, of the ship’s merchandise and logo wear. This means they have dredged up all the junks that haven’t sold very well over the last few cruises, so they can reduce their inventory and add new inventory for the NE - Canada fall cruises and then the transition to the Caribbean cruises that will be coming up. But I’m not mentioning this to Stella…she’ll soon find out soon enough!
Today is 9-ll. At mid-morning, we all stopped for a moment of silence on the ship. It’s a sad anniversary for America.
Stella came out with a small bag. She found a couple of shirts for herself and her sisters. She said there wasn’t much in the way of guy things, so nothing for me. An aside, there is a very bright red logo golf shirt that I covet; Opal said if it is still there at the end of the cruise (tomorrow), it must mean that it was meant for me and I can buy it, otherwise it is too bright for her taste and she’d rather skip it. She also tells me that Liane won’t like it either. Anyways, she told me about 10 minutes ago that it is no longer there (in my size). The reason it’s no longer there is that I put it on hold…..hahahahaha.
Stella had a total blow out at dinner – from appetizer to dessert, it was a bust – the garlic soup was too salty, the halibut was overdone and dry, the NY cheesecake was “gritty” (I had to admit that the Royal brand out of the box mix would have been better) But lucky for me, I fared better…started with a fruit medley, salad, and then lobster tail with two giant grilled prawns that were almost as big as the lobster!
Stella seemed to be coming down with a cold…got the sneezies…so back to the room for a hot shower and a full night’s sleep. She thought maybe her unhappiness with tonight’s dinner had to do with the cold affecting her taste buds, but no, it was not her cold – I tasted her stuff and the food was not at all good!
2008 SEPTEMBER 12 Friday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Sea Day on the way to NYC
Today was a gloriously sunny day with calm seas. It is our last sea day, a packing day, as we arrive in NYC tomorrow morning. I was up early- I love NYC and I’m anxious for a couple of fun days to see old favorites and some new ones. I’m planning to take Opal to the Met (Metropolitan Art Museum which I’ve been a few times but will be first for her) and maybe we’ll go up to the top of the Rock (new for both of us) and we’ll explore some food places, maybe dim sum in Chinatown and Katz’s Deli and a place called Gray’s Papaya or something like that, and I’ll show her the inside of the NY Public Library – sounds boring, but it’s an awesome place.
It’s a beautiful day, the ocean was nearly glass smooth when I was up at 630 but by the time we had breakfast, it had some wee ripples and swells. Still, it was a smooth ride compared to our experience over the past few days. The Lido was jammed with breakfast people but I was able to find a table for two, first row at the front, amidships, so we won’t have to worry about people ‘horning’ in; if you have cruised and wanted to sit alone and the table is for more than 2, you know what I mean! I had a latte and I diddled til the queen arrived about 9 am. Breakfast was a ham and cheese omelet, minute steak, and English muffin for me; watermelon, sautéed mushrooms, stewed tomatoes, scalloped potatoes and a croissant for Stella.
After breakfast, we went back to our cabin so Stella could finish packing while I read. Our bags have to be set out tonight. About 1:00, we decided to try out the alternative Italian restaurant named Café Corniche. Antipasto and a ham and pineapple pizza for me; Caesar salad, veggie pizza, and a serving of lasagna for Stella. The crust on the pizzas were a little too thick for my taste, but other than that, it was a decent meal.
After lunch, we worked on the evaluation form that every cruise ends with. The staff gets high ratings, but the food does not. We will never sail on this ship again! We watched some television, I finished my book, Stella did more packing and before long, it was time to shower and get ready for our last dinner on the ship.
Our final menu looked good, and thank goodness for Stella, everything tasted all right, too!
Stella started off with a pastry shell stuffed with creamed chicken and mushroom, moved on to a Philadelphia pepper pot soup, salad of grilled veggies on hearts of romaine, and then roasted turkey with all the trimmings. I had an avocado boat filled with seafood (very good), chilled pear and ginger soup (delicious!), the grilled veggie salad, and prime rib with corn on the cob and baked potato.
As tonight is the final dinner, there was the traditional baked Alaska parade. I wouldn’t have believed it, but turns out their baked Alaska is among the top few that we’ve had. It consisted of 3 kinds of ice cream (spumoni, vanilla and chocolate) that were still cold and hard (instead of soft and melty, the meringue was nicely browned, and there was a bottom layer of cake.
As soon as dinner was over, we hurried back to our room to set our suitcases out into the hall for pickup. It’s early to bed for us, as tomorrow we sail into NYC to dock at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and I’m anxious to watch us pass under the bridge and then past the statue of Liberty.
2008 SEPTEMBER 13 Saturday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
NYC disembarkation
I was up by 5:30 and out on the deck soon after. Dawn was breaking when we swung into the harbor. I got some shots of the grand Lady on the port side and the NY skyline….pretty neat views! It’s not often one gets a photo opportunity like this.
We had to vacate our cabin by 8. So we gathered our bags and went up to the Lido for our final breakfast. Unlike those chilly days at sea, it was nice and warm so we at an outside table and enjoyed the view along with our omelets. We were scheduled to disembark by 9:50 but it was 10:30 before our group was called. By that time, I was itching to get off.
Altho our disembarkation was delayed, the rest of it went pretty smoothly. We located all of our bags in the terminal quickly, whizzed thru immigration and customs, and were in a cab to our
Manhattan hotel in no time. Luckily, our room was ready so we were able to check in right away.
After Stella had a chance to set up house, we hit the streets and after walking a couple of blocks, we found that there was a street fair happening on 6th Ave…what great timing! There were blocks and blocks of vendors (about 30 blocks – Central Park to about 30th) in tents selling all manner of things and lots of different kinds of food (Thai, Indian, hot dogs and sausages, grilled corn on the cob – huge ears still in their husk, funnel cakes, crepes, etc)! The food smells were tempting, and we waffled but in the end, Stella decided she would rather sit in air conditioned comfort somewhere instead of standing in the street. Besides, she had a yen for noodles. I found a little ramen shop called Sapporo and have to admit that their special ramen bowl and gyoza really hit the spot! After lunch, we decided that the NY public library will always be there, but the street market will not…so we spent the next hour wandering from booth to booth. The variety was amazing…from made in China junks that will last a day if you’re lucky to Venetian Murano glassware!
Saturday night the Metropolitan Museum of Art is open late, so we thought that would be a good way to spend the evening. We looked at our maps and figured out how to get there on the subway. The Lexington Ave train was packed a! We were literally body to body like sardines. And it was hot! Stella would have suffocated if she didn’t look skywards on the ride.
It would have taken two days to see all the exhibits, so we just focused on the Egyptian, Asian and American art. Stella was particularly fascinated with the Egyptian stuff…mummies, coffins, tombs and even a Sphinx. After 3 hours of walking from floor to floor, our legs gave out and we headed back to our hotel. This time, we were smart enough to take the bus. It was air conditioned and there were plenty of seats. The thought of heading down into the subway station on a warm September evening and repeating the same sardine experience was NOT appealing. . . . . and, besides, there was more to see like the glamour big name shops as we rode along 5th Avenue.
2008 September 14 Sunday NYC
Today turned out to be more hot and humid than yesterday. We had breakfast downstairs in the hotel, and headed out to see what’s advertised as the biggest store in the world: Macy’s at Herald Square, which consisted of two buildings of nine stories each. We headed for the Starbucks on the balcony level and had Stella’s favorite drink, pumpkin spice latte, and watched the frenzied shoppers below. A total mess as it was Sunday AND all depts were having big fall sales….we did a bit of a walk around and then hit the road for Central Park and the nearby shops in the Time Warner building at Columbus Circle.
It was probably the hottest time of the day when we got to Central Park. It was very crowded with families, singles, skaters, bikers all over the place; almost every spot of grass and the big flat rocks that was in the shade, were filled with people. Hot and sweaty do not agree with Stella, so that means our walk ended up being short. We plopped on a large rock under a tree to people watch but even under the shade, we were perspiring heavily. We looked over a saw a couple of homeless guys sprawled on the ground napping in winter gear and felt even hotter! No joke…these guys were zipped up in thick hooded jackets and sleeping! Well, we assumed they were alive….maybe they weren’t?! At any rate, it was time for us to get up and go!
We sought refuge indoors at the Time Warner building around Columbus Circle. This place is top heavy ($$$) with a few shops of general interest for poor folks like us, e.g. Borders. There is a Whole Foods in the basement with 40, count em 40!!!! cash registers, all crowded with customers. The lines to get to these registers snaked a mile long thru the store. There were two…one express for 10 or less items, and the other line for carts. Of course, these lines had to be managed by staff whose sole job was to direct traffic. The two main lines then got broken down to 4 sub-lines before reaching the cashiers. It was utter madness – given the crowd, you would have thought there were some fantastic sales or bargains - but the prices were NOT cheap! I sat at a table in the eating area and left Stella to go exploring. A long time later, she finally found me with two bottles of “healthy” soda in her hands….I can’t believe she actually went thru the trouble of standing in that serpentine line, but she knew I was thirsty and besides, she said she had to get the NY experience….that’s what NY is all about….lots of people, lots of lines! Sadly tho, after going thru all that, the sodas tasted like “s---“…they were carbonated low sugar “healthy” fruit juice infused green teas that looked good in the bottle…but the taste left a lot to be desired… even Stella had to agree!
By then we figured we’d get out of that mess and go look for a place to eat. Frommers listed a Thai restaurant called Wondee …supposedly a ‘very’ local favorite in the ethnic setting of Hells Kitchen. It’s been more than a month since we had Thai cuisine and we enjoyed the spring rolls, red chicken curry and pad Thai very much, but objectively speaking, any number of Thai restaurants at home would have been just as good. In that sense, it was very “average.”
Strolling after a big meal seemed like the thing to do, and taking in the sights at Times Square…..as always, elbow to elbow, neon signs glittering, gooping at strangely dressed people, and stopping at little shops along the way was totally fun. In all, we ended up doing even more walking than we did yesterday and when we got to our hotel, I showered and was asleep before my head hit the pillow. Was a very busy weekend for this old fut!!
We check out tomorrow for our flight back home. It’s been 11 weeks on the road for me and a month for Stella. It will be nice to lie down in our own bed for awhile. Until the next time the road and the high seas beckon!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
PART 2 2008 SEA PRINCESS
2008 SEPTEMBER 2 Tuesday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland UK (anchor)
When we awoke and peeked across the waters at the town of Lerwick (the small capitol town of the islands) from our balcony, we saw mostly gray stone buildings with steep roof lines and a few with turret-like structures like those seen on castles. The land next to the town was lush and green. Our ship was too big and the water too shallow for us to dock here, so we had to drop anchor and tender ashore. Although the weather forecast called for rain, it was beautiful and sunny albeit a bit windy and chilly this morning. By the time we finished breakfast at the Horizon Court, the line for the tenders had cleared and our ride over the calm waters was smooth and quick. Lerwick is a cute little town in the Shetland Islands, home of the Shetland pony and puffins, in the northern most territory of the United Kingdom. It took no more than 3 hours of leisurely ambling to see all the shops in the downtown area. The prices here were fairly reasonable and we had pounds leftover to spend, but as you would expect in a small town, the inventory was limited so we just ended up with a couple of small souvenirs. Near our tender station, we stopped in a small café and had tea and scone before getting back on board. They were out of their fruit scones so we shared a plain one that tasted like a soda biscuit. The hot tea was good tho!
Back on board, we went up to the Lido deck for lunch. Cheeseburger and fries for me; green salad and half of a knockwurst with sauerkraut for Stella. The buffet has kept us fed but there has been nothing memorable or worthy of mention thus far. We were back in our room for an afternoon of reading and napping….one that extended into the night. We were too tired/lazy to even get out for dinner, so it was lights out for us and early to bed.
But not so for the seas, they were on the verge of wild all night with much pitching and rolling in the fabled North Sea! From time to time we could see isolated lights from the drilling stations.
2008 SEPTEMBER 3 Wednesday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Thorshavn, Faroe Islands, Denmark
We like to try the different dining options on every cruise we go on. This morning we decided to have breakfast in the dining room. Usually that option would require us to set our alarm because of the limited hours, but given our early bedtime last night and the fact that we gained an hour overnight, it wasn’t too much of a strain to be ready by 8:30 a.m. It turned out to be an experience that we would not care to repeat. First of all, the menu offerings weren’t any better than those at the buffet, and secondly, it took a long time to get our order. It was only a ham and egg omelet with pancakes and half a papaya for me, and two soft boiled eggs with hash browns (small pasty lump of potatoes) and a ham “steak” (literally as thin as an average slice of Canadian bacon) and wheat toast for Stella. Our waiter was totally apologetic for the inordinately long wait and was particularly embarrassed by Stella’s overdone eggs which were more hard boiled than soft.
By the time we finished eating and had gone back to our room to gather our jackets and bags, it was 10:00 a.m. Our lucky streak with the weather ran out today….it was drizzly and overcast and to Stella, it was “freezing”…she bundled up in her down jacket, scarf and gloves. The terminal is a working terminal with trucks zigzagging about every which way, so we had to use shuttle buses that took us from the ship to edge of the terminal. The town was right next door. We wandered around town towards their SMS shopping mall, which turned out to be a 3 story center which in its entirety was probably smaller than Macy’s at Ala Moana. There was an interesting array of shops, including a supermarket on the ground floor, a little electronic store (digital cameras that sell for about $200 in the US were $600 here, DVDs were $40), clothing stores, stationery, and cafes. The most popular place appeared to be Burger King which was on the ground floor.
Lots of Toyotas and VWs here, in fact, besides the ever present Honda’s, another car we’ve seen in every port that we’ve visited this year (including Japan and China) is the RAV4. Amazing how far Toyota has marketed it and how popular it is worldwide.
After getting back to the ship about 2:30, we had a late lunch on the Lido deck. For dinner we again faced the horrendous task of near martyrdom by having to eat, for me, an uncharacteristic choice of cannelloni, which turned out to be pretty good; and for Stella, sautéed grouper – normally a favorite, but not done very good tonight. She has not been faring
well with her dining choices on this ship. Even her dessert – a dark chocolate peanut butter silk pie was a disappointment compared to my sugar free blueberry lemon cake. After dinner, we then wandered around the shops. Stella found a new nightie. As we were leaving port, we’d been warned that the harbor swells will be quite rough and, further, there was a chance of stormy weather when we fully enter the North Sea again. And the captain informed us that tomorrow late we will enter the arctic!
2008 SEPTEMBER 4 Thursday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Sea Day on the way to Iceland
Sea days always start with a sleep-in and today was no different. It was 10:00 before we stirred and peeked out at the day. Today Stella and I celebrated our anniversary…it’s been 14 years of adventure and discovery together! We decided to skip breakfast and check out our lunch options. We wandered over to the dining room and looked at the menu…nothing exciting there…perhaps the Lido deck would be more promising. They were putting on a special seafood and sushi buffet today, and it turned out to be surprisingly good. In fact, Stella thought it was the best meal we’ve had there since we boarded. I had about 2 dozen shrimps, sautéed sea bass and perch. Stella also had the sea bass and some bbq ribs that were tender and tasty.
After lunch, we indulged in another favorite sea day activity – reading and napping! Stella is engrossed in “Shogun” and is hell bent on finishing it before the cruise ends…so far she is only a third of the way thru. I’m nearing the end of my Clancy novel.
Dinner was also a surprise in more ways than one. We both had cream of artichoke soup and salad with sun dried tomato vinaigrette, then I had lobster tail and monk fish while Stella had beef tenderloin tournedos. All were good. For dessert, it was sans sucre key lime pie for me and nougat glace (two slices of vanilla ice cream with hazelnut brittle mixed in) for her. Somehow, Stella managed to let the ship know that we were celebrating our anniversary when she made our reservations and our waiters marked the occasion with a chocolate cake in the shape of a ship topped with a single lighted candy and embarrassed us by singing “Happy Anniversary” when they brought it to us! I guess it was a fitting end to a good day together.
2008 SEPTEMBER 5 Friday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Akureyri, Iceland
We arrived at the island known as the “Land of Fire and Ice” early this morning. Unlike the name implies, Iceland is not white with ice and snow….it is surprisingly green and while chilly in the mid 40s, not as cold as we had imagined. Apparently the ocean currents are responsible for the warm weather. The fire part is attributed to the volcanoes and thermal springs (there are lava fields and boiling mud) and of course the cold to the glaciers, snow topped mountains and icy rivers. We’ve been looking forward to these ports in the Arctic, the first of which is Akureyri (rhymes with “tipperary”) on the north side of the island and bought tickets for shore excursions. As we sat at the Lido deck having our breakfast, our first impression was that the terrain looked like Waianae out there! Our shore excursion met at 8:15 so it was an early rise for us. Thank goodness we gained back an hour overnight!
On the way to the Laufas museum, we stopped for a photo op on a hill over the city. In the background were mountains, and below them, hills and flat pastures, dotted with sheep, cattle and horses. The land was crossed with flowing rivers. There were a few high rises in town, but mostly houses with either steep roofs or boxy lines. At Laufas, we toured an old Icelandic turf house…it was actually a farmhouse made of wood and stone, and covered in a layer of spongy sod turf with grass growing all over it. Stella was fascinated as we went from room to room, checking out the kitchen, the weaving room with its old looms and antique sewing machine, the preparation room with its churns and jars and scale, the bedrooms upstairs accessible by a narrow winding staircase (more like a ladder with wedge steps) and their low, narrow beds.
Next to the house was a small church which featured a star studded ceiling….above us each tile was centered with a metal star.
The next stop was Godafoss waterfall, which was pretty, but not especially wide and only 50ft high but there was a tremendous volume of water. And finally, back into town to tour their botanical garden which took all of 10 minutes. After that, we did a walkabout of the town, stopping at their main souvenir shop…it was crowded with passengers and crew from the ship. Then a few doors down, we found a bakery for a taste of their Icelandic special…a pastry that looked like a big pretzel covered with slices of almonds. We ordered a piece and sat down to try it….delicious! It looked heavy but was light and delicately flavored. The walk back to the ship only took about 10 minutes….very pleasant end to a short day ashore……and now lunch was served!
Lunch was, in Stella’s terms, “mediocre”….she has been less than impressed with the quality and selections at the buffet. Yesterday was an exception. I was fine with a bratwurst w/ sauerkraut and fries.
Dinner was better. I had escargot, duck pate, French onion soup – all were excellent. I probably could have skipped the rest: salad, grilled sirloin steak, chocolate soufflé. Stella had corn and sweet potato chowder, crispy duck l’orange, raspberry crème brulee.
2008 SEPTEMBER 6 Saturday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Reykjavik, Iceland
We were scheduled to dock at the capital of Iceland at 10:00 this morning. Broken clouds, brisk with a bit of sun. After a light breakfast we went on the dock to wander thru a small souvenir shop and to get a card and stamp. Then it was back on the ship to join our excursion. The process was totally screwed up and we were 30 to 45 min late getting on our bus and away.
We took an interesting drive thru some of the newer Reykjavik suburbs. There was lots of new construction going on…even the roads look like they were newly laid. We finally arrived at a small town where a genuine Viking ship was on exhibit. The Vikings could sail from Iceland to Norway in 3 days with average speeds up to 20 mph in such a ship. The person who built the ship (almost single-handed) is a descendant of generations of Vikings and is the last one with such knowledge. He sailed it from Iceland to NY in 2003, where about 300,000 persons viewed it, and even around the world at least once. An old Icelandic house was also nearby – smaller than the one we saw yesterday, but also older. This one had dirt floors in some of the rooms. The construction was more “primitive”, external walls of stone and sod, interior walls all sod and a roof of sturdy branches and even large twigs holding up a sod roof with growing grass on top. The rooms were also smaller and the doorways narrower. There was an open hearth for cooking in one room, and the others were furnished with the implements and simple furniture of many 100s of years ago. I found similarities to the very old Irish houses that I visited in Ireland.
We then drove to a place called the Blue Lagoon. Several years ago the government drilled for thermal wells and, bottom line, they not only found their thermal steam (5000 deg) that they pump to the towns to converters that heat water and then distribute thru the houses, etc, (this is the norm for all of Iceland with no fossil fuels used for heat or electric) that are springing up, but also enough of it that they could built a hydroelectric plant AND a strange mix of water and silicates came out and filled up several large indentations in the lava that spreads out in all directions, creating lagoons of the milky blue water. One of which now has a fine restaurant, bathing facilities and a hotel. Of course, we all know the health of the Icelanders is legendary, and part of the reason is their access and use of these “magical” springs. The water really is blue!
We then went on a sort of ‘drive around’ thru some nearly fully unoccupied areas on the route back to Reykjavik. Imagine driving from Kailua Kona to the Waimea area on the Big Island, and then imagine all of that lava covered with lichen and moss…that will give you an idea of the landscape we saw. Stella was amazed that Iceland looked so much like Hawaii. People here even stack the lava rocks in piles like they do back home. But given that Iceland, like Hawaii, is volcanic in origin and still fairly “young” in geological age, it made sense. The tour guide told us that Iceland experiences 300 earthquakes a year! We know that the Big Island also has a lot of little ones, too, but not that many. The bus stopped at a tiny old one room church that was in the middle of nowhere, and the final stop was some boiling mud pots. Altho seemingly a big deal to the Icelanders, these types of pots would be ignored in Yellowstone, where there are many more and bigger ones. Stella had read about the hot spots in Iceland....supposedly featuring colorful mud from the minerals…but they were just brown and murky. The last part of the excursion was a bit of a drive thru of some parts of Reykjavik and although we didn’t stop we saw many new buildings, some very affluent senior housing, and the house where Reagan and Gorbachev had their pow-wow and decided the wall should go down, etc. We were back on the ship about 20 minutes AFTER the time to sail. A few other excursion groups were also late.
We showered and Stella treated my head where I had bumped it on the low sod roof, sort of like “a sod to sod” encounter...it was still bleeding and she was all hypers. Then it was off to dinner where she had a mixed fruit medley and roasted leg of lamb, followed by a piece of fudge chocolate cake, but it was hard and dry (she said it must have been 5 days old!) and only edible smothered with ice cream! I had a skewer of salmon, cod, scallop and shrimp….the scallop was ono but the others were bland. I then had chilled papaya soup with a kiwi float (excellent), followed by a garden salad garnished with apple shards and honey mustard dressing – again excellent. My entrée was the Icelandic cod but unlike the skewer, it was excellent. For dessert I had some emmental cheese and water crackers and grapes – again all very ono!
Back to the cabin where we intended to read and maybe watch Iron Man on the telly but after an afternoon on shore, we were soon fact asleep.
Some tidbits: we have decided never again on Princess – at least not on Sea Princess. We have a list longer then our arms of things gone wrong. At the laundry Stella met a Platinum member, who only sails Princess, and she said this ship is clearly terrible, it must be for training or the misfits and the food is totally bland and unimaginative, etc. Also, change topics, we were told that cod is disappearing from many of the fjords and does not bode well for the future of cod. There is abundant haddock tho. Lastly, I think a good many of the Icelandic women are about 5-9 or more….and like Norway, lots of blondes or raven haired, few in between.
2008 SEPTEMBER 7 Sunday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Sea Day on the way to Greenland
Trying to avoid the gale force storm
I opened our drapes and took a peek out to sea at about 630 and was greeted by 20’+ rolling waves and roiling white caps, whipped by a high wind. The clouds were ominously low and there was little distinction between the steel gray clouds and the cold gray waves. As the waves rolled the wind was so strong that it blew the crests into a white spume which rides the wind…..as far as one could see, such was the view.
It was a rough night. Last night the Captain had warned us that a gale was in our path and he would change our course to the north and try and avoid much of it, but still there was a lot of rocking and rolling and bouncing and thrashing about. I overheard many passengers complaining of not sleeping all night, etc. On the plus side, we got to set our clocks back an hour since we are headed back west now. With that additional time to sleep, we were up early. Stella went to finish some laundry and then we were off to breakfast on the Lido deck. It was fruits and cold cereal for Stella, and scrambled eggs and sausage for me.
We are now relaxing in one of the lounges, me with my latte, Stella with her book, and every so often kibitzing my blog. We can feel the constant collision of waves against the sides (toward the bow) of the ship….the awesome power of the ocean at work. One can’t help but wonder, what do we do if it turns over like the Poseidon. As I pause typing and look out, if anything, the sea’s fury is more closely matching the unsettled and thickening clouds. And, there is no easing of the rolling waves and roiling whitecaps blowing in the wind.
We thought it would be a good idea to sit down and be served lunch instead of weaving and swaying thru the buffet line, so we went to la Rigoletto dining room and were amply rewarded – Stella with Osso Bucco and cream of vegetable soup with an Austrian Linzer for dessert; I enjoyed fried shrimps, calamaris, scallops and cod, and for an appetizer I had roll mops – herring rolled in a horseradish and crème cheese with a potato salad….ono!!!!
During lunch we were told that we passed an iceberg on the starboard (our) side during the early morning, about 15 miles away. Also, the captain announced on the public address system that the Royal Princess was just ahead of us and they had already made the choice to cancel their eastern coast Greenland stop to the port of Nuuk because of the storm between us and Greenland. As for us there were three options: proceed as we are down the coast to the south point and wait for the storm to pass as we cannot “stick our nose out” while the storm is raging down there . . . it would be far too hazardous; or, we can hire a helicopter to “look ahead” for icebergs as we try and take a fjord shortcut across the south of Greenland; or, we can just slow down now and just diddle our way south and miss the port call in Greenland. The problem with the last choice is that going too slow in gale/semi-gale conditions could also be very hazardous. The choices will be updated later this afternoon pending developing weather information. As of right now the weather is slightly better, fewer white caps, smaller rolling waves, and a farther sightline to the horizon. Every cloud has a silver lining – the current one is that they have postponed the formal dinner for tonight…not having to wear a suit is always good news for me!
Stella finally had her good dinner…starting with a smoked duck appetizer and moving on to a surprisingly good won ton soup with tiny dumplings; then came an excellent Greek salad. For her entrée, she thoroughly enjoyed the poached Norwegian silver salmon filet….and finally, a Swiss meringue dessert with whipped cream inbetween. I had a crab salad with melon balls followed by the same won ton soup and Greek salad. My entrée was turf and surf…filet mignon and grilled skewered shrimp. . . . all very good. My finale was a san sucre strawberry shortcake that was actually pretty decent.
We then tried to upload pictures and the blog but the internet connection (supposedly operational now after being down for two days) was intolerably slow, so we wandered awhile and then to the cabin to read and watch some TV. As we fell asleep the weather had really calmed….what I’d call introductory rough weather.
2008 SEPTEMBER 8 Monday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Nanortalik, Greenland (anchor)
At 0630 the captain woke us with an announcement that there was a big iceberg about 1 ½ miles off the starboard quarter. I sprang out of bed and out onto our balcony…awesome! it seemed right next to our verandah! It was a stunningly brilliant white and roughly the size of the ship. Upon closer scrutiny I counted about 11 more floating ahead… most of them farther off. Stella managed to open one sleepy eye to get a peep at the first one, and then I would wake her each time we passed near one…..some very big! ... and all brilliant white! In fact, when you go to the Webshots site to view our pictures you will immediately notice how enamored I was of the icebergs and coast line. After waking Stella the fourth time as we passed one abut 2 mi away, she just stayed under the cover complaining about the cold and “if you’ve seen one you’ve see them all”. The temp was about 35f and with the 30-40mph wind, standing on the verandah was totally freezing and it was freaking Stella out with the cold sweeping in through the open balcony door. There were no clouds above and other than a haze along the shoreline, visibility was clear.
The shoreline here is dominated by tall pointed peaks with glaciers here and there. The overall impression is a similarity to the Alps or the Canadian Rockies…in some cases, even the Tetons in Wyoming. As we rounded the south tip the swells got huge and the ship started doing massive rolls and even more than ever before, pitching…..and wind got been stronger. There are icebergs to the port and starboard….hopefully there are none dead ahead. Most of the bergs are majestic, big, some with spires, others rounded and some jagged….and some are so small they ‘poke’ up only about 15-20 feet. But all of them are the unbelievably brilliant white.
We will anchor out today and it is supposedly a 20 min “tender” trip to the pier – Stella is already in denial about ever being interested in going ashore – hahahahaha. She finally came up at about 9:30 to join me for breakfast on the Lido deck. I have been enjoying breakfast here but Stella’s been saying that it’s boring. This morning tho, she said it was pretty good. She had poached eggs with stewed tomatoes and ranch potatoes. Either the food IS getting better or her standards are slipping!
Nanortalik has about 1500 people and there is one souvenir shop, two taxis, and no restaurants, per se. The literature said few people like the local food, mostly some form of whale or seal. There are small carts that some natives use to sell odds and ends and there is talk that perhaps the kids will be released from school early today in celebration of our noon-5pm visit. The geology of the town area is tall rounded mountains, no nearby craggy mountains . . . in fact, it is very reminiscent of the Makaha area . . . . with higher mountains and of course no sandy beaches.
While waiting for the tenders ‘open’ call, we were told it was about 44f which is warm for Nanortalik. The Captain informed us that when we turned from the open sea to enter the port we were ‘hit’ with harbor swells of 40’ and 50mph wind…..we did not know these numbers but those of us on the Lido deck certainly felt the ‘thwacking’ of the waves’ and howling winds were evident as they swept across the crests of the swells spewing white water for many yards in horizontal lines.
The little town of Nanortalik has many brightly colored houses and buildings, most of which are one or two stories – every color of the rainbow is represented, at least 3 times!
While on the Lido deck watching the scenery and the entrance to the harbor, a very slow, twisting and turning route, we talked with another couple, who nearly always sail on Princess, who also felt that the “Sea Princess is indeed a screwed up ship with poor organization and lackluster food for the most part.” They have been on the Grand Princess three times and said it was a total delight. So maybe we might try Princess again, tho never this ship.
We got our tender ticket at 1p and they said it would be about a 1 ½ hr wait til we would be called. Another nail in the Sea Princess coffin – it wasn’t until 3:30 p we were called for the 20m tender ride ashore . . . and it was a total mess getting down to the tender. Once ashore there was already a 400 person line waiting to return to the ship . . . the tenders hold about 100 and run about every 10 min and it is now about 345p and the last tender is at 5p.
Stella went into the local supermarket for a quick look around – one could describe it as a small Don Quiote. I left to take pictures of the houses, a museum and other local sites. The people are very friendly and although there are no other roads (other than within the tiny town), there are a surprising number of cars, one of which is a Rav 4, which Opal has observed, seems to be in every town around the world. Did I mention that it was about 40f and the wind was whipping about at more than 30mph? I don’t recall the quick and dirty way to calculate wind chill but lets say it was at least another 10-15f lower than the notes 40f (in the sun).
We then went across the street to the one souvenir store and it seems EVERYone from the ship was also there – it was warm and elbow to elbow in that tiny store, which was selling the usual t-shirts, postcards, magnets, books, and some local products made of reindeer horns, seal skins, etc. One couldn’t tell if one was in the line to see the few tshirts, etc, or in line to pay. It was chaos! I left Opal in line to pay for the postcards we managed to grab, and went back outside to get in the line for the return tenders. After standing in the cold for nearly 45 minutes we were aboard the tender at 515p. Our time on Greenland came and went in a flash!
Stella jumped in the shower to bring herself out of hypothermia the minute we got in the cabin. I followed shortly after. Then it was off to dinner after a short warm up nap. There was a promise of a great sunset as we headed south for Canada and St John.
We were warned, again, about the rough weather we will face leaving harbor. By now we are veterans and 10-15m (30’-45’) waves and 30-40kn winds …. Pfffft! It turns out he was NOT kidding and in fact might have been a bit low…..and it didn’t lessen, and at times got worse, during the night.
Dinner was ok: for me, spinach turnover appetizer, chilled blueberry soup, salad, sliced veal with ham and pate; for Stella, split pea soup, Yankee pot roast, followed by an apple cheesecake.
Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Scotland UK (anchor)
When we awoke and peeked across the waters at the town of Lerwick (the small capitol town of the islands) from our balcony, we saw mostly gray stone buildings with steep roof lines and a few with turret-like structures like those seen on castles. The land next to the town was lush and green. Our ship was too big and the water too shallow for us to dock here, so we had to drop anchor and tender ashore. Although the weather forecast called for rain, it was beautiful and sunny albeit a bit windy and chilly this morning. By the time we finished breakfast at the Horizon Court, the line for the tenders had cleared and our ride over the calm waters was smooth and quick. Lerwick is a cute little town in the Shetland Islands, home of the Shetland pony and puffins, in the northern most territory of the United Kingdom. It took no more than 3 hours of leisurely ambling to see all the shops in the downtown area. The prices here were fairly reasonable and we had pounds leftover to spend, but as you would expect in a small town, the inventory was limited so we just ended up with a couple of small souvenirs. Near our tender station, we stopped in a small café and had tea and scone before getting back on board. They were out of their fruit scones so we shared a plain one that tasted like a soda biscuit. The hot tea was good tho!
Back on board, we went up to the Lido deck for lunch. Cheeseburger and fries for me; green salad and half of a knockwurst with sauerkraut for Stella. The buffet has kept us fed but there has been nothing memorable or worthy of mention thus far. We were back in our room for an afternoon of reading and napping….one that extended into the night. We were too tired/lazy to even get out for dinner, so it was lights out for us and early to bed.
But not so for the seas, they were on the verge of wild all night with much pitching and rolling in the fabled North Sea! From time to time we could see isolated lights from the drilling stations.
2008 SEPTEMBER 3 Wednesday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Thorshavn, Faroe Islands, Denmark
We like to try the different dining options on every cruise we go on. This morning we decided to have breakfast in the dining room. Usually that option would require us to set our alarm because of the limited hours, but given our early bedtime last night and the fact that we gained an hour overnight, it wasn’t too much of a strain to be ready by 8:30 a.m. It turned out to be an experience that we would not care to repeat. First of all, the menu offerings weren’t any better than those at the buffet, and secondly, it took a long time to get our order. It was only a ham and egg omelet with pancakes and half a papaya for me, and two soft boiled eggs with hash browns (small pasty lump of potatoes) and a ham “steak” (literally as thin as an average slice of Canadian bacon) and wheat toast for Stella. Our waiter was totally apologetic for the inordinately long wait and was particularly embarrassed by Stella’s overdone eggs which were more hard boiled than soft.
By the time we finished eating and had gone back to our room to gather our jackets and bags, it was 10:00 a.m. Our lucky streak with the weather ran out today….it was drizzly and overcast and to Stella, it was “freezing”…she bundled up in her down jacket, scarf and gloves. The terminal is a working terminal with trucks zigzagging about every which way, so we had to use shuttle buses that took us from the ship to edge of the terminal. The town was right next door. We wandered around town towards their SMS shopping mall, which turned out to be a 3 story center which in its entirety was probably smaller than Macy’s at Ala Moana. There was an interesting array of shops, including a supermarket on the ground floor, a little electronic store (digital cameras that sell for about $200 in the US were $600 here, DVDs were $40), clothing stores, stationery, and cafes. The most popular place appeared to be Burger King which was on the ground floor.
Lots of Toyotas and VWs here, in fact, besides the ever present Honda’s, another car we’ve seen in every port that we’ve visited this year (including Japan and China) is the RAV4. Amazing how far Toyota has marketed it and how popular it is worldwide.
After getting back to the ship about 2:30, we had a late lunch on the Lido deck. For dinner we again faced the horrendous task of near martyrdom by having to eat, for me, an uncharacteristic choice of cannelloni, which turned out to be pretty good; and for Stella, sautéed grouper – normally a favorite, but not done very good tonight. She has not been faring
well with her dining choices on this ship. Even her dessert – a dark chocolate peanut butter silk pie was a disappointment compared to my sugar free blueberry lemon cake. After dinner, we then wandered around the shops. Stella found a new nightie. As we were leaving port, we’d been warned that the harbor swells will be quite rough and, further, there was a chance of stormy weather when we fully enter the North Sea again. And the captain informed us that tomorrow late we will enter the arctic!
2008 SEPTEMBER 4 Thursday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Sea Day on the way to Iceland
Sea days always start with a sleep-in and today was no different. It was 10:00 before we stirred and peeked out at the day. Today Stella and I celebrated our anniversary…it’s been 14 years of adventure and discovery together! We decided to skip breakfast and check out our lunch options. We wandered over to the dining room and looked at the menu…nothing exciting there…perhaps the Lido deck would be more promising. They were putting on a special seafood and sushi buffet today, and it turned out to be surprisingly good. In fact, Stella thought it was the best meal we’ve had there since we boarded. I had about 2 dozen shrimps, sautéed sea bass and perch. Stella also had the sea bass and some bbq ribs that were tender and tasty.
After lunch, we indulged in another favorite sea day activity – reading and napping! Stella is engrossed in “Shogun” and is hell bent on finishing it before the cruise ends…so far she is only a third of the way thru. I’m nearing the end of my Clancy novel.
Dinner was also a surprise in more ways than one. We both had cream of artichoke soup and salad with sun dried tomato vinaigrette, then I had lobster tail and monk fish while Stella had beef tenderloin tournedos. All were good. For dessert, it was sans sucre key lime pie for me and nougat glace (two slices of vanilla ice cream with hazelnut brittle mixed in) for her. Somehow, Stella managed to let the ship know that we were celebrating our anniversary when she made our reservations and our waiters marked the occasion with a chocolate cake in the shape of a ship topped with a single lighted candy and embarrassed us by singing “Happy Anniversary” when they brought it to us! I guess it was a fitting end to a good day together.
2008 SEPTEMBER 5 Friday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Akureyri, Iceland
We arrived at the island known as the “Land of Fire and Ice” early this morning. Unlike the name implies, Iceland is not white with ice and snow….it is surprisingly green and while chilly in the mid 40s, not as cold as we had imagined. Apparently the ocean currents are responsible for the warm weather. The fire part is attributed to the volcanoes and thermal springs (there are lava fields and boiling mud) and of course the cold to the glaciers, snow topped mountains and icy rivers. We’ve been looking forward to these ports in the Arctic, the first of which is Akureyri (rhymes with “tipperary”) on the north side of the island and bought tickets for shore excursions. As we sat at the Lido deck having our breakfast, our first impression was that the terrain looked like Waianae out there! Our shore excursion met at 8:15 so it was an early rise for us. Thank goodness we gained back an hour overnight!
On the way to the Laufas museum, we stopped for a photo op on a hill over the city. In the background were mountains, and below them, hills and flat pastures, dotted with sheep, cattle and horses. The land was crossed with flowing rivers. There were a few high rises in town, but mostly houses with either steep roofs or boxy lines. At Laufas, we toured an old Icelandic turf house…it was actually a farmhouse made of wood and stone, and covered in a layer of spongy sod turf with grass growing all over it. Stella was fascinated as we went from room to room, checking out the kitchen, the weaving room with its old looms and antique sewing machine, the preparation room with its churns and jars and scale, the bedrooms upstairs accessible by a narrow winding staircase (more like a ladder with wedge steps) and their low, narrow beds.
Next to the house was a small church which featured a star studded ceiling….above us each tile was centered with a metal star.
The next stop was Godafoss waterfall, which was pretty, but not especially wide and only 50ft high but there was a tremendous volume of water. And finally, back into town to tour their botanical garden which took all of 10 minutes. After that, we did a walkabout of the town, stopping at their main souvenir shop…it was crowded with passengers and crew from the ship. Then a few doors down, we found a bakery for a taste of their Icelandic special…a pastry that looked like a big pretzel covered with slices of almonds. We ordered a piece and sat down to try it….delicious! It looked heavy but was light and delicately flavored. The walk back to the ship only took about 10 minutes….very pleasant end to a short day ashore……and now lunch was served!
Lunch was, in Stella’s terms, “mediocre”….she has been less than impressed with the quality and selections at the buffet. Yesterday was an exception. I was fine with a bratwurst w/ sauerkraut and fries.
Dinner was better. I had escargot, duck pate, French onion soup – all were excellent. I probably could have skipped the rest: salad, grilled sirloin steak, chocolate soufflé. Stella had corn and sweet potato chowder, crispy duck l’orange, raspberry crème brulee.
2008 SEPTEMBER 6 Saturday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Reykjavik, Iceland
We were scheduled to dock at the capital of Iceland at 10:00 this morning. Broken clouds, brisk with a bit of sun. After a light breakfast we went on the dock to wander thru a small souvenir shop and to get a card and stamp. Then it was back on the ship to join our excursion. The process was totally screwed up and we were 30 to 45 min late getting on our bus and away.
We took an interesting drive thru some of the newer Reykjavik suburbs. There was lots of new construction going on…even the roads look like they were newly laid. We finally arrived at a small town where a genuine Viking ship was on exhibit. The Vikings could sail from Iceland to Norway in 3 days with average speeds up to 20 mph in such a ship. The person who built the ship (almost single-handed) is a descendant of generations of Vikings and is the last one with such knowledge. He sailed it from Iceland to NY in 2003, where about 300,000 persons viewed it, and even around the world at least once. An old Icelandic house was also nearby – smaller than the one we saw yesterday, but also older. This one had dirt floors in some of the rooms. The construction was more “primitive”, external walls of stone and sod, interior walls all sod and a roof of sturdy branches and even large twigs holding up a sod roof with growing grass on top. The rooms were also smaller and the doorways narrower. There was an open hearth for cooking in one room, and the others were furnished with the implements and simple furniture of many 100s of years ago. I found similarities to the very old Irish houses that I visited in Ireland.
We then drove to a place called the Blue Lagoon. Several years ago the government drilled for thermal wells and, bottom line, they not only found their thermal steam (5000 deg) that they pump to the towns to converters that heat water and then distribute thru the houses, etc, (this is the norm for all of Iceland with no fossil fuels used for heat or electric) that are springing up, but also enough of it that they could built a hydroelectric plant AND a strange mix of water and silicates came out and filled up several large indentations in the lava that spreads out in all directions, creating lagoons of the milky blue water. One of which now has a fine restaurant, bathing facilities and a hotel. Of course, we all know the health of the Icelanders is legendary, and part of the reason is their access and use of these “magical” springs. The water really is blue!
We then went on a sort of ‘drive around’ thru some nearly fully unoccupied areas on the route back to Reykjavik. Imagine driving from Kailua Kona to the Waimea area on the Big Island, and then imagine all of that lava covered with lichen and moss…that will give you an idea of the landscape we saw. Stella was amazed that Iceland looked so much like Hawaii. People here even stack the lava rocks in piles like they do back home. But given that Iceland, like Hawaii, is volcanic in origin and still fairly “young” in geological age, it made sense. The tour guide told us that Iceland experiences 300 earthquakes a year! We know that the Big Island also has a lot of little ones, too, but not that many. The bus stopped at a tiny old one room church that was in the middle of nowhere, and the final stop was some boiling mud pots. Altho seemingly a big deal to the Icelanders, these types of pots would be ignored in Yellowstone, where there are many more and bigger ones. Stella had read about the hot spots in Iceland....supposedly featuring colorful mud from the minerals…but they were just brown and murky. The last part of the excursion was a bit of a drive thru of some parts of Reykjavik and although we didn’t stop we saw many new buildings, some very affluent senior housing, and the house where Reagan and Gorbachev had their pow-wow and decided the wall should go down, etc. We were back on the ship about 20 minutes AFTER the time to sail. A few other excursion groups were also late.
We showered and Stella treated my head where I had bumped it on the low sod roof, sort of like “a sod to sod” encounter...it was still bleeding and she was all hypers. Then it was off to dinner where she had a mixed fruit medley and roasted leg of lamb, followed by a piece of fudge chocolate cake, but it was hard and dry (she said it must have been 5 days old!) and only edible smothered with ice cream! I had a skewer of salmon, cod, scallop and shrimp….the scallop was ono but the others were bland. I then had chilled papaya soup with a kiwi float (excellent), followed by a garden salad garnished with apple shards and honey mustard dressing – again excellent. My entrée was the Icelandic cod but unlike the skewer, it was excellent. For dessert I had some emmental cheese and water crackers and grapes – again all very ono!
Back to the cabin where we intended to read and maybe watch Iron Man on the telly but after an afternoon on shore, we were soon fact asleep.
Some tidbits: we have decided never again on Princess – at least not on Sea Princess. We have a list longer then our arms of things gone wrong. At the laundry Stella met a Platinum member, who only sails Princess, and she said this ship is clearly terrible, it must be for training or the misfits and the food is totally bland and unimaginative, etc. Also, change topics, we were told that cod is disappearing from many of the fjords and does not bode well for the future of cod. There is abundant haddock tho. Lastly, I think a good many of the Icelandic women are about 5-9 or more….and like Norway, lots of blondes or raven haired, few in between.
2008 SEPTEMBER 7 Sunday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Sea Day on the way to Greenland
Trying to avoid the gale force storm
I opened our drapes and took a peek out to sea at about 630 and was greeted by 20’+ rolling waves and roiling white caps, whipped by a high wind. The clouds were ominously low and there was little distinction between the steel gray clouds and the cold gray waves. As the waves rolled the wind was so strong that it blew the crests into a white spume which rides the wind…..as far as one could see, such was the view.
It was a rough night. Last night the Captain had warned us that a gale was in our path and he would change our course to the north and try and avoid much of it, but still there was a lot of rocking and rolling and bouncing and thrashing about. I overheard many passengers complaining of not sleeping all night, etc. On the plus side, we got to set our clocks back an hour since we are headed back west now. With that additional time to sleep, we were up early. Stella went to finish some laundry and then we were off to breakfast on the Lido deck. It was fruits and cold cereal for Stella, and scrambled eggs and sausage for me.
We are now relaxing in one of the lounges, me with my latte, Stella with her book, and every so often kibitzing my blog. We can feel the constant collision of waves against the sides (toward the bow) of the ship….the awesome power of the ocean at work. One can’t help but wonder, what do we do if it turns over like the Poseidon. As I pause typing and look out, if anything, the sea’s fury is more closely matching the unsettled and thickening clouds. And, there is no easing of the rolling waves and roiling whitecaps blowing in the wind.
We thought it would be a good idea to sit down and be served lunch instead of weaving and swaying thru the buffet line, so we went to la Rigoletto dining room and were amply rewarded – Stella with Osso Bucco and cream of vegetable soup with an Austrian Linzer for dessert; I enjoyed fried shrimps, calamaris, scallops and cod, and for an appetizer I had roll mops – herring rolled in a horseradish and crème cheese with a potato salad….ono!!!!
During lunch we were told that we passed an iceberg on the starboard (our) side during the early morning, about 15 miles away. Also, the captain announced on the public address system that the Royal Princess was just ahead of us and they had already made the choice to cancel their eastern coast Greenland stop to the port of Nuuk because of the storm between us and Greenland. As for us there were three options: proceed as we are down the coast to the south point and wait for the storm to pass as we cannot “stick our nose out” while the storm is raging down there . . . it would be far too hazardous; or, we can hire a helicopter to “look ahead” for icebergs as we try and take a fjord shortcut across the south of Greenland; or, we can just slow down now and just diddle our way south and miss the port call in Greenland. The problem with the last choice is that going too slow in gale/semi-gale conditions could also be very hazardous. The choices will be updated later this afternoon pending developing weather information. As of right now the weather is slightly better, fewer white caps, smaller rolling waves, and a farther sightline to the horizon. Every cloud has a silver lining – the current one is that they have postponed the formal dinner for tonight…not having to wear a suit is always good news for me!
Stella finally had her good dinner…starting with a smoked duck appetizer and moving on to a surprisingly good won ton soup with tiny dumplings; then came an excellent Greek salad. For her entrée, she thoroughly enjoyed the poached Norwegian silver salmon filet….and finally, a Swiss meringue dessert with whipped cream inbetween. I had a crab salad with melon balls followed by the same won ton soup and Greek salad. My entrée was turf and surf…filet mignon and grilled skewered shrimp. . . . all very good. My finale was a san sucre strawberry shortcake that was actually pretty decent.
We then tried to upload pictures and the blog but the internet connection (supposedly operational now after being down for two days) was intolerably slow, so we wandered awhile and then to the cabin to read and watch some TV. As we fell asleep the weather had really calmed….what I’d call introductory rough weather.
2008 SEPTEMBER 8 Monday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Nanortalik, Greenland (anchor)
At 0630 the captain woke us with an announcement that there was a big iceberg about 1 ½ miles off the starboard quarter. I sprang out of bed and out onto our balcony…awesome! it seemed right next to our verandah! It was a stunningly brilliant white and roughly the size of the ship. Upon closer scrutiny I counted about 11 more floating ahead… most of them farther off. Stella managed to open one sleepy eye to get a peep at the first one, and then I would wake her each time we passed near one…..some very big! ... and all brilliant white! In fact, when you go to the Webshots site to view our pictures you will immediately notice how enamored I was of the icebergs and coast line. After waking Stella the fourth time as we passed one abut 2 mi away, she just stayed under the cover complaining about the cold and “if you’ve seen one you’ve see them all”. The temp was about 35f and with the 30-40mph wind, standing on the verandah was totally freezing and it was freaking Stella out with the cold sweeping in through the open balcony door. There were no clouds above and other than a haze along the shoreline, visibility was clear.
The shoreline here is dominated by tall pointed peaks with glaciers here and there. The overall impression is a similarity to the Alps or the Canadian Rockies…in some cases, even the Tetons in Wyoming. As we rounded the south tip the swells got huge and the ship started doing massive rolls and even more than ever before, pitching…..and wind got been stronger. There are icebergs to the port and starboard….hopefully there are none dead ahead. Most of the bergs are majestic, big, some with spires, others rounded and some jagged….and some are so small they ‘poke’ up only about 15-20 feet. But all of them are the unbelievably brilliant white.
We will anchor out today and it is supposedly a 20 min “tender” trip to the pier – Stella is already in denial about ever being interested in going ashore – hahahahaha. She finally came up at about 9:30 to join me for breakfast on the Lido deck. I have been enjoying breakfast here but Stella’s been saying that it’s boring. This morning tho, she said it was pretty good. She had poached eggs with stewed tomatoes and ranch potatoes. Either the food IS getting better or her standards are slipping!
Nanortalik has about 1500 people and there is one souvenir shop, two taxis, and no restaurants, per se. The literature said few people like the local food, mostly some form of whale or seal. There are small carts that some natives use to sell odds and ends and there is talk that perhaps the kids will be released from school early today in celebration of our noon-5pm visit. The geology of the town area is tall rounded mountains, no nearby craggy mountains . . . in fact, it is very reminiscent of the Makaha area . . . . with higher mountains and of course no sandy beaches.
While waiting for the tenders ‘open’ call, we were told it was about 44f which is warm for Nanortalik. The Captain informed us that when we turned from the open sea to enter the port we were ‘hit’ with harbor swells of 40’ and 50mph wind…..we did not know these numbers but those of us on the Lido deck certainly felt the ‘thwacking’ of the waves’ and howling winds were evident as they swept across the crests of the swells spewing white water for many yards in horizontal lines.
The little town of Nanortalik has many brightly colored houses and buildings, most of which are one or two stories – every color of the rainbow is represented, at least 3 times!
While on the Lido deck watching the scenery and the entrance to the harbor, a very slow, twisting and turning route, we talked with another couple, who nearly always sail on Princess, who also felt that the “Sea Princess is indeed a screwed up ship with poor organization and lackluster food for the most part.” They have been on the Grand Princess three times and said it was a total delight. So maybe we might try Princess again, tho never this ship.
We got our tender ticket at 1p and they said it would be about a 1 ½ hr wait til we would be called. Another nail in the Sea Princess coffin – it wasn’t until 3:30 p we were called for the 20m tender ride ashore . . . and it was a total mess getting down to the tender. Once ashore there was already a 400 person line waiting to return to the ship . . . the tenders hold about 100 and run about every 10 min and it is now about 345p and the last tender is at 5p.
Stella went into the local supermarket for a quick look around – one could describe it as a small Don Quiote. I left to take pictures of the houses, a museum and other local sites. The people are very friendly and although there are no other roads (other than within the tiny town), there are a surprising number of cars, one of which is a Rav 4, which Opal has observed, seems to be in every town around the world. Did I mention that it was about 40f and the wind was whipping about at more than 30mph? I don’t recall the quick and dirty way to calculate wind chill but lets say it was at least another 10-15f lower than the notes 40f (in the sun).
We then went across the street to the one souvenir store and it seems EVERYone from the ship was also there – it was warm and elbow to elbow in that tiny store, which was selling the usual t-shirts, postcards, magnets, books, and some local products made of reindeer horns, seal skins, etc. One couldn’t tell if one was in the line to see the few tshirts, etc, or in line to pay. It was chaos! I left Opal in line to pay for the postcards we managed to grab, and went back outside to get in the line for the return tenders. After standing in the cold for nearly 45 minutes we were aboard the tender at 515p. Our time on Greenland came and went in a flash!
Stella jumped in the shower to bring herself out of hypothermia the minute we got in the cabin. I followed shortly after. Then it was off to dinner after a short warm up nap. There was a promise of a great sunset as we headed south for Canada and St John.
We were warned, again, about the rough weather we will face leaving harbor. By now we are veterans and 10-15m (30’-45’) waves and 30-40kn winds …. Pfffft! It turns out he was NOT kidding and in fact might have been a bit low…..and it didn’t lessen, and at times got worse, during the night.
Dinner was ok: for me, spinach turnover appetizer, chilled blueberry soup, salad, sliced veal with ham and pate; for Stella, split pea soup, Yankee pot roast, followed by an apple cheesecake.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
2008 AUGUST SEA PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
2008 AUGUST 30 Saturday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Southampton and Embarkation
We had a quick breakfast of cereal and juice at the hotel before getting a cab back to the Queen Elizabeth II Terminal to check in for our Princess cruise. There was a football match scheduled that day at the nearby St. Mary stadium so traffic was a bit heavy. We arrived about 11:45 and the line was at the door. I stayed on the side with our carry-on bags while Stella got into the queue. An hour and half later, she reached home stretch and we were on board a little before 1:30 pm. The Sea Princess is big, tho not as big as the Grand Princess which was also in dock for a Mediterranean cruise ending in Rome. We have an outside cabin with a balcony on the starboard side of this ship. Being able to see out is a big bonus, but the bathroom is tiny…the smallest we have encountered in 15 years of cruising!
Amazingly tho, our bags had already been delivered to our room. Most of the time, we have to wait awhile. We met our room steward Roger, then Stella went downstairs to check on our dinner table assignment. Our preference is the second (late) sitting at a table for 2. Some cruisers like sitting on large tables with strangers and meeting new people, but Opal and I are basically introverts and sometimes making small talk with strangers (some with accents that make it a strain to understand) can be exhausting. Besides, it’s more fun to bicker with each other! Our assigned table turned out to be a table for 4 and there were no more small tables available, but the maitre’d offered another alternative: how about a table for 6 for just the two of you? Sounded good to Stella…she took it! So every night, we’ll have a big round table to ourselves.
We walked around and acquainted ourselves with the ship. It is big and beautiful with a four-level atrium in the middle. The Lido deck at the top houses the Horizon Court that operates a buffet 24 hours a day on both sides of the ship, rotating from breakfast to lunch, to afternoon tea, to dinner, to late night snack round the clock. There’s no way anyone will go hungry at any time! We picked at a few things there and on the way out, stopped at the grill outside for a bratwurst with sauerkraut. Then we went back to our cabin so Stella could set up house, i.e., unpack our bags for the two-week stay onboard.
Besides the Grand and Sea Princess, the Oceana of P & O (sister line of Princess) was also in port. In fact, the Oceana used to be named the Ocean Princess and was a twin of the Sea. The Captain announced that the Oceana would leave first, followed by the Grand, and us last. We watched from our balcony as the procession began, the ships blaring their horns in greeting and passengers waving as they passed each other. That was fun!
While I laid back and relaxed, Stella went down the hall to check out the laundry facilities. She came back and announced that there were all of two washers and dryers for the entire deck! Then hurried off to get our loads in. Three hours and 10 trips up and down the hall later, she managed to get all of our laundry done.
Dinner was at 8:00. Remembering the excellent Caesar salads we enjoyed on our last Princess cruise, we both ordered some but alas, they were not of the same quality. Stella had spring rolls (she said they were rubbery), pasta shells with roasted chicken pieces and olives in a tomato sauce, while I had a chilled pina cola soup laced with rum that was served in a cocktail glass (really good), seafood turnover (also good). For dessert, I tried the sugar-free pistachio and chocolate mousse while Stella had the apple strudel with vanilla ice cream. Given our most recent experiences on the QM2 and the Maasdam, we were not overly impressed with this dinner. Hopefully, things will improve.
2008 AUGUST 31 Sunday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Sea Day on the way to Bergen Norway
I was up on the Lido deck watching Madagascar 2 on the big outside screen when Stella ambled up to join me for breakfast. We went inside to the buffet line. Oatmeal, watermelon and eggs Benedict for Stella; scrambled eggs, grits, bacon, sausage and potatoes for me. Sounds like a lot but we had small portions….in fact, the only thing Stella ate of her Benedict were the egg whites…the slice of Canadian bacon was dry and discolored, the muffin underneath wet…on her plate it was an unappetizing soggy mess. After we ate, we watched the rest of the movie, then ambled downstairs to check out the new merchandise in the shops. The shops onboard are small, so they rotate their inventory, periodically bringing out new stuff as the cruise progresses. Before long, it was time for lunch! So back into the buffet line we went – pasta, sautéed fish, eggplant gratin and mushrooms for Stella; pasta, fish, pork scallopini, and potatoes for me. Again, we opt for several option, each about a spoonful. It wasn’t a spectacular meal but adequate. We spent the rest of the afternoon reading and napping – activities that we love to indulge in on sea days.
Before long, it was time to get ready for our first formal dinner. The offerings on formal nights are usually a cut above average, and we weren’t disappointed. I had the crab quiche appetizer, lobster bisque, Caesar salad, beef tenderloin tournedos, and sugar-free banana shortcake and vanilla ice cream. Stella didn’t want to bulge out of her form–fitting gown…she had a green salad and halibut with mashed potatoes, followed by a hazelnut soufflé. All of my choices were very good, while Stella’s were OK.
2008 SEPTEMBER 1 Monday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Bergen, Norway
We went up to deck 14 for the breakfast buffet in Horizon Court. It’s a beautiful sunny day…one of only 65 rainless days as it’s said to rain about 300 days out of the year. Norway has hundreds of islands from large to small…..however only about 12 are inhabited. We were tied up at the dock by 1200 noon and got ready to go ashore. It was a short 15 minute walk to town. From the waterfront, the town slopes up a hill, and the scenery is dominated by rows of narrow colorful buildings with steep roofs abutting each other. We walked into some of the shops and like most of the American passengers, got a good dose of sticker shock-high prices and a lousy exchange rate of 5 to 1. A bottle of water or soda was local25 or $5! Most of the stores cater to tourists and accept credit cards as well as a variety of currency including American dollars, Euros, English pounds and even Japanese yen, so it wasn’t a matter of not having the appropriate money…it was a matter of how badly you were willing to be burnt! We found a couple of souvenirs, including a pen for me and as we ambled thru the waterfront open market, found a nice looking hat.
We were intending to return to our ship when we ran into a cute red and green shuttle bus that offered a city tour of Bergen. Stella got tickets for the last two seats and we climbed onboard
for a 50 minute ride that took us to the top of the harbor hill for a bird’s eye view of the city and the harbor below. Besides our ship, there was a MSC cruise ship docked in town as well. It was a fun way to finish our day on shore.
When we got back to the ship, we were just in time for afternoon tea, so off we went to the dining room. Ironically, it was head and shoulders above our experience on the QM2! Like the QM2, they served small raisin scones and a variety of finger sandwiches, little pastries, and cookies, only theirs was good and the service (which was non-existent on the Queen) was excellent. It was a delightful experience that we hope to repeat another day before this cruise is over.
What could be better than a nap after tea? So off to our cabin we went. But while I stretched out, Stella suddenly decided it was an opportune time to get some laundry done so off she went.
For dinner tonight, I picked some winners but Stella was not so lucky. I had fresh fruit cocktail, garbanzo soup, and veal marsala. All were very good. She had potato and leek turnover for appetizer, fish chowder, and lamb chops. She says they were all bland and without character. Oh well….can’t win them all.
After dinner we wandered the shops for new things and/or special sales items. Stella bought a couple of items but for the life of me I can’t remember what they were. Eventually we wandered back to the cabin to read, look out at the stormy North Atlantic and the many oil drilling platforms and watch some news on the telly.
Southampton and Embarkation
We had a quick breakfast of cereal and juice at the hotel before getting a cab back to the Queen Elizabeth II Terminal to check in for our Princess cruise. There was a football match scheduled that day at the nearby St. Mary stadium so traffic was a bit heavy. We arrived about 11:45 and the line was at the door. I stayed on the side with our carry-on bags while Stella got into the queue. An hour and half later, she reached home stretch and we were on board a little before 1:30 pm. The Sea Princess is big, tho not as big as the Grand Princess which was also in dock for a Mediterranean cruise ending in Rome. We have an outside cabin with a balcony on the starboard side of this ship. Being able to see out is a big bonus, but the bathroom is tiny…the smallest we have encountered in 15 years of cruising!
Amazingly tho, our bags had already been delivered to our room. Most of the time, we have to wait awhile. We met our room steward Roger, then Stella went downstairs to check on our dinner table assignment. Our preference is the second (late) sitting at a table for 2. Some cruisers like sitting on large tables with strangers and meeting new people, but Opal and I are basically introverts and sometimes making small talk with strangers (some with accents that make it a strain to understand) can be exhausting. Besides, it’s more fun to bicker with each other! Our assigned table turned out to be a table for 4 and there were no more small tables available, but the maitre’d offered another alternative: how about a table for 6 for just the two of you? Sounded good to Stella…she took it! So every night, we’ll have a big round table to ourselves.
We walked around and acquainted ourselves with the ship. It is big and beautiful with a four-level atrium in the middle. The Lido deck at the top houses the Horizon Court that operates a buffet 24 hours a day on both sides of the ship, rotating from breakfast to lunch, to afternoon tea, to dinner, to late night snack round the clock. There’s no way anyone will go hungry at any time! We picked at a few things there and on the way out, stopped at the grill outside for a bratwurst with sauerkraut. Then we went back to our cabin so Stella could set up house, i.e., unpack our bags for the two-week stay onboard.
Besides the Grand and Sea Princess, the Oceana of P & O (sister line of Princess) was also in port. In fact, the Oceana used to be named the Ocean Princess and was a twin of the Sea. The Captain announced that the Oceana would leave first, followed by the Grand, and us last. We watched from our balcony as the procession began, the ships blaring their horns in greeting and passengers waving as they passed each other. That was fun!
While I laid back and relaxed, Stella went down the hall to check out the laundry facilities. She came back and announced that there were all of two washers and dryers for the entire deck! Then hurried off to get our loads in. Three hours and 10 trips up and down the hall later, she managed to get all of our laundry done.
Dinner was at 8:00. Remembering the excellent Caesar salads we enjoyed on our last Princess cruise, we both ordered some but alas, they were not of the same quality. Stella had spring rolls (she said they were rubbery), pasta shells with roasted chicken pieces and olives in a tomato sauce, while I had a chilled pina cola soup laced with rum that was served in a cocktail glass (really good), seafood turnover (also good). For dessert, I tried the sugar-free pistachio and chocolate mousse while Stella had the apple strudel with vanilla ice cream. Given our most recent experiences on the QM2 and the Maasdam, we were not overly impressed with this dinner. Hopefully, things will improve.
2008 AUGUST 31 Sunday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Sea Day on the way to Bergen Norway
I was up on the Lido deck watching Madagascar 2 on the big outside screen when Stella ambled up to join me for breakfast. We went inside to the buffet line. Oatmeal, watermelon and eggs Benedict for Stella; scrambled eggs, grits, bacon, sausage and potatoes for me. Sounds like a lot but we had small portions….in fact, the only thing Stella ate of her Benedict were the egg whites…the slice of Canadian bacon was dry and discolored, the muffin underneath wet…on her plate it was an unappetizing soggy mess. After we ate, we watched the rest of the movie, then ambled downstairs to check out the new merchandise in the shops. The shops onboard are small, so they rotate their inventory, periodically bringing out new stuff as the cruise progresses. Before long, it was time for lunch! So back into the buffet line we went – pasta, sautéed fish, eggplant gratin and mushrooms for Stella; pasta, fish, pork scallopini, and potatoes for me. Again, we opt for several option, each about a spoonful. It wasn’t a spectacular meal but adequate. We spent the rest of the afternoon reading and napping – activities that we love to indulge in on sea days.
Before long, it was time to get ready for our first formal dinner. The offerings on formal nights are usually a cut above average, and we weren’t disappointed. I had the crab quiche appetizer, lobster bisque, Caesar salad, beef tenderloin tournedos, and sugar-free banana shortcake and vanilla ice cream. Stella didn’t want to bulge out of her form–fitting gown…she had a green salad and halibut with mashed potatoes, followed by a hazelnut soufflé. All of my choices were very good, while Stella’s were OK.
2008 SEPTEMBER 1 Monday PRINCESS TRANS ATLANTIC
Bergen, Norway
We went up to deck 14 for the breakfast buffet in Horizon Court. It’s a beautiful sunny day…one of only 65 rainless days as it’s said to rain about 300 days out of the year. Norway has hundreds of islands from large to small…..however only about 12 are inhabited. We were tied up at the dock by 1200 noon and got ready to go ashore. It was a short 15 minute walk to town. From the waterfront, the town slopes up a hill, and the scenery is dominated by rows of narrow colorful buildings with steep roofs abutting each other. We walked into some of the shops and like most of the American passengers, got a good dose of sticker shock-high prices and a lousy exchange rate of 5 to 1. A bottle of water or soda was local25 or $5! Most of the stores cater to tourists and accept credit cards as well as a variety of currency including American dollars, Euros, English pounds and even Japanese yen, so it wasn’t a matter of not having the appropriate money…it was a matter of how badly you were willing to be burnt! We found a couple of souvenirs, including a pen for me and as we ambled thru the waterfront open market, found a nice looking hat.
We were intending to return to our ship when we ran into a cute red and green shuttle bus that offered a city tour of Bergen. Stella got tickets for the last two seats and we climbed onboard
for a 50 minute ride that took us to the top of the harbor hill for a bird’s eye view of the city and the harbor below. Besides our ship, there was a MSC cruise ship docked in town as well. It was a fun way to finish our day on shore.
When we got back to the ship, we were just in time for afternoon tea, so off we went to the dining room. Ironically, it was head and shoulders above our experience on the QM2! Like the QM2, they served small raisin scones and a variety of finger sandwiches, little pastries, and cookies, only theirs was good and the service (which was non-existent on the Queen) was excellent. It was a delightful experience that we hope to repeat another day before this cruise is over.
What could be better than a nap after tea? So off to our cabin we went. But while I stretched out, Stella suddenly decided it was an opportune time to get some laundry done so off she went.
For dinner tonight, I picked some winners but Stella was not so lucky. I had fresh fruit cocktail, garbanzo soup, and veal marsala. All were very good. She had potato and leek turnover for appetizer, fish chowder, and lamb chops. She says they were all bland and without character. Oh well….can’t win them all.
After dinner we wandered the shops for new things and/or special sales items. Stella bought a couple of items but for the life of me I can’t remember what they were. Eventually we wandered back to the cabin to read, look out at the stormy North Atlantic and the many oil drilling platforms and watch some news on the telly.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
2008 PARIS
2008 AUGUST 26 TUESDAY
Paris
We flew from Southampton to Paris in one hour; a small turbo prop; it then took us 3 hours to get baggage and the RER train to Montparnasse and then a Metro to Gaite. . .right next to our hotel on Rue du Maine; it’s a renovated old hotel into a sort of minimalist boutique style and now a Holiday Inn. Stella got a deluxe king room on the top floor for free using points from previous hotel stays. Our first task was showering and napping.
Then it was out for a walk on the town. The French are known to be late diners, so lots of places were open. We were both surprised by the number of Japanese restaurants. One place advertised itself as Korean BBQ but the items were all Japanese. By the time we found a place we liked, it was 11pm; we ate at a little café between two legendary giants of the Paris dining scene – Le Dome and La Coupole – called chez Clement. I had been looking forward to the onion soup at La Coupole but alas, Stella took a liking to the offerings at chez Clement….and it turned out to be an excellent choice. Stella had duck sausages and I know this sounds funny, but very wondrous mashed potatoes and gravy, and an orangina drink. I had swordfish, prawns and salmon with the same wondrous mashed potatoes….and a single glass of Alsatian white wine. The desserts were totally appealing but we had eaten our fill and had to pass them up. We then ambled back to the hotel in shirtsleeve weather, very pleasant. The street scenes, as always in Paris, were gay and busy with lots of sidewalk dining/drinking/snacking.
2008 AUGUST 27 WEDNESDAY
Paris
This morning I took a first good look from our hotel window and was surprised that we can see the Pantheon, Sacre Coeur and within a block, the Montparnasse Cemetery. There are many other large buildings and churches, etc, that I don’t know the names …. quite a view.
We had read that there were new laws in Paris about no smoking and cleaning up after dogs but knowing the arrogance of the Parisian’s love to smoke, and the love of their dogs we both doubted there would be much of a change. However, compared to the last time we were here, we’re happy to note how relatively pristine the streets are now. It was one of the things that my fastidious wife disliked about Paris…having to keep a constant eye out for poop and navigating around it. Now I think she loves Paris almost as much as I do! And yes, the no smoking seems to be working just fine also.
By the time Stella got up and we were ready to head out, it was 9:00. The morning was a bit foggy and cool. We ambled about the blocks nearby, looking at restaurants along the way for a breakfast that caught our eye, but didn’t spot anything tempting. So we jumped on the Metro and went to a neighborhood known for cute shops, markets, and cafes along rue Cler. We had read about a creperie that was recommended in one of our travel books on that street…it sounded like a good idea…what could be more French than crepes? The Ulysses turned out to be a small Greek eatery with about 6 tables outside and a few more inside. Stella had a vegetarian crepe that was filled with mushroom, onions, tomato, bell peppers and cheese. I had their special…it had 3 kinds of cheese, onions, tomato and bell peppers, topped with two fried eggs. Both of our meals also came with a side of green salad. The crepes were delicious!
We spent the rest of the afternoon at a war museum that houses the tomb of Napoleon II, Field Marshall Foch and other military dignitaries, and stuff like cannons, rifles, uniforms and other related paraphernalia. The travel guides said about 3 hours for men and ‘maybe’ about 2 for women – Stella took the mans time tour with me. They had an awesome selection of rifles from the first to WW2 use, and miniature soldiers, cavalry, etc, from the caveman to WW2. There was a great selection of real footage, sometimes no sound and sometimes hard to see. Also, a lot of info and paraphernalia relating to the chemical warfare of WW2. After wards, we took the metro back to our hotel with the intent of catching a nap and then heading back out, but that plan fell through…after zzzz-ing, we were too lazy and tired to get dressed and go out again.
2008 AUGUST 28 THURSDAY
Paris
We decided we should make the most of our last day in Paris and set out “early” – 8:45 for Stella – and we were on the Metro back to Rue Cler where we had spotted a cute breakfast place a few doors down from yesterday’s creperie. Breakfast in France is termed “petit dejeuner” – Stella had the French version (orange juice, hot tea, croissant and jam) while I had the American version which was the same as the French but with an additional plate of sliced ham, egg over easy, and a slice of tomato. There are none anywhere as good as the croissants in France….so light and buttery. They may be bad for your health but make your mouth so happy!
From there, we hopped back on the Metro to see the Statue of Liberty. Ever since we saw the movie “National Treasure” featuring Nicholas Cage, and Stella learned that there was one in Paris, she’s wanted to see it. We spotted it as soon as we stepped out onto the street from the train station. It was on a small isle near a bridge on the Seine river about two city blocks away….looked like about half or two-thirds the size of ours. We managed to get a few good shots and then left for the Eiffel Tower.
As always, there were gaggles of people and long lines for tickets there. We were tempted to join them, but alas, there was still much that we wanted to do and see. Besides, we have been up the tower and seen the awesome view of Paris both day and night on previous trips, so we skipped that and headed for the bus stop nearby. According to one of our travel books, the #69 route is particularly interesting and scenic. We jumped on and sat in the back so we could have a view of both sides of the street. Besides the sights, it was interesting to watch the bus driver maneuver thru the narrow streets that were sometimes parked with cars on both sides and taxi’s cutting in and out and the delivery vehicles blocking, but they all seem to get out of the way when the bus horn blares, and it is a blare! Sometimes he was literally just inches away! We wondered how many wrecks they average over a month.
We left the bus at blvd St Germaine and window shopped and people gooped … this area is known for its furniture stores, both antiques and ultra chic modern, both home and office. There were many interior design consultants available by appointment only. Such was also the case for several watch and jewelry stores. At Les Deux Magots (well known French café) we stopped for the obligatory drinks at an outside table to watch all the people….and again, we were not disappointed!
Did you see or read THE DA VINCI CODE? Well, our next stop was St Sulpice cathedral ….and we found the Rose Line and the dark corner where the monk/assassin did a rubbing for clues, etc. There are also schematics and narratives detailing the lens in the window and the line it casts as the sun moves at the summer equinox (I think) delineating the time/rose line, a true north south line, across the nave of the chapel. Of course the Rose Line is a curiosity only – as the GMT is now the official delineation. The Louvre was typically, and impossibly, crowded place so we did not go there, maybe next time when we plan to stay a week, at least!!
I do not remember the extent of the graffiti that exists in the suburbs of Paris….along the Metro and RR tracks, and to some extent, even within Paris. But, all in all, the Paris metro is great for getting around fast and to nearly all locations. They are also at the once, lively and gross and entertaining – as Stella says, “tell them about the ugly guys who got on with the obnoxious boom box and tried to rap dance, gross”. I agree with her. On one segment there was someone playing a sax and another time, a violin. The latter two weren’t bad. After they “perform”, they go thru the cars with a plastic cup in hand for donations and then they jump off at the next stop and change cars.
Well, anyway, after St Sulpice we entered Le Jardin du Luxembourg – this is clearly a place we have to go back and plan several hours. Think huge with tennis courts, artsy sculptures, marble statues, swings and pony rides for the kiddies, whole forests of trees, huge lawns, a fountain/pool with kids doing the sailboats, flowers flowers everywhere, spice and herb gardens, a museum and an art building that displays rotating collections. By the time we got there, it was late afternoon and the weather had turned cloudy (not conducive for good pictures) and chilly (not conducive for a happy Opal). However, the gardens were still so beautiful that we wandered them for about an hour until Opal sort of ‘froze up’ and then we made a high speed run for the border (our hotel so Opal could get her jacket and be fed).
We found a very charming and elegant “Japonaise” restaurant with a French-ized menu – basically Japanese, but modified a bit for the French tastes. Many sushi dishes were made atop a delicate French cracker/pastry in lieu of rice. Instead of Hinode or similar, they served Jasmine rice – probably easier and cheaper to get than the Japanese varieties. And all featured a lot of different brochettes. Besides the familiar yakitori, they had salmon, cheese wrapped in beef, and chicken meatballs…all on skewers. Also, the shoyu was sweet, not salty.
Then it as back to the room for some packing rearrangements and off to bed
2008 AUGUST 29 FRIDAY
Paris & Return to Southampton
We decided to have petit dejeuner near the hotel before departing for the long trek to the airport on the Metro and train. Stella tried valiantly to communicate her choices for the French version and the American version to more directly fit her needs, as the waiter appeared to understand English, but all she accomplished was to get two French versions, mine with ham and cheese omelet and hers a ham omelet….everything else the same, except she got NO TEA! Was hilarious to see her face when he set the food down in front of us! This one tho was a bit better than yesterday’s meal, in addition to the wondrous croissants we got about a 6” piece of totally fresh baguette! And the strawberry jam was superb!
Then off to the airport and the short flight back to Southampton. The ride on the 60-seater prop was surprisingly smooth.
For dinner, neither of us could face the prospect of eating at our hotel so we decided to take a walk about and eat at a local country pub, the Southampton Arms. We shared an appetizer of a small avocado and Cajun chicken salad. It was good and we thought an indication of better things to come. I had the mixed grill -- blood sausage, venison sausage, rump steak, gammon (thick English bacon) and a pork chop with peas and chips. Stella had a broccoli and cream cheese bake with garlic bread. But we were wrong. If not for the appetizer, the meal was forgettable. Oh well…
We took a pleasant stroll back to our hotel. Time to pack and get ready for our next adventure…our cruise tomorrow on the Sea Princess!
Paris
We flew from Southampton to Paris in one hour; a small turbo prop; it then took us 3 hours to get baggage and the RER train to Montparnasse and then a Metro to Gaite. . .right next to our hotel on Rue du Maine; it’s a renovated old hotel into a sort of minimalist boutique style and now a Holiday Inn. Stella got a deluxe king room on the top floor for free using points from previous hotel stays. Our first task was showering and napping.
Then it was out for a walk on the town. The French are known to be late diners, so lots of places were open. We were both surprised by the number of Japanese restaurants. One place advertised itself as Korean BBQ but the items were all Japanese. By the time we found a place we liked, it was 11pm; we ate at a little café between two legendary giants of the Paris dining scene – Le Dome and La Coupole – called chez Clement. I had been looking forward to the onion soup at La Coupole but alas, Stella took a liking to the offerings at chez Clement….and it turned out to be an excellent choice. Stella had duck sausages and I know this sounds funny, but very wondrous mashed potatoes and gravy, and an orangina drink. I had swordfish, prawns and salmon with the same wondrous mashed potatoes….and a single glass of Alsatian white wine. The desserts were totally appealing but we had eaten our fill and had to pass them up. We then ambled back to the hotel in shirtsleeve weather, very pleasant. The street scenes, as always in Paris, were gay and busy with lots of sidewalk dining/drinking/snacking.
2008 AUGUST 27 WEDNESDAY
Paris
This morning I took a first good look from our hotel window and was surprised that we can see the Pantheon, Sacre Coeur and within a block, the Montparnasse Cemetery. There are many other large buildings and churches, etc, that I don’t know the names …. quite a view.
We had read that there were new laws in Paris about no smoking and cleaning up after dogs but knowing the arrogance of the Parisian’s love to smoke, and the love of their dogs we both doubted there would be much of a change. However, compared to the last time we were here, we’re happy to note how relatively pristine the streets are now. It was one of the things that my fastidious wife disliked about Paris…having to keep a constant eye out for poop and navigating around it. Now I think she loves Paris almost as much as I do! And yes, the no smoking seems to be working just fine also.
By the time Stella got up and we were ready to head out, it was 9:00. The morning was a bit foggy and cool. We ambled about the blocks nearby, looking at restaurants along the way for a breakfast that caught our eye, but didn’t spot anything tempting. So we jumped on the Metro and went to a neighborhood known for cute shops, markets, and cafes along rue Cler. We had read about a creperie that was recommended in one of our travel books on that street…it sounded like a good idea…what could be more French than crepes? The Ulysses turned out to be a small Greek eatery with about 6 tables outside and a few more inside. Stella had a vegetarian crepe that was filled with mushroom, onions, tomato, bell peppers and cheese. I had their special…it had 3 kinds of cheese, onions, tomato and bell peppers, topped with two fried eggs. Both of our meals also came with a side of green salad. The crepes were delicious!
We spent the rest of the afternoon at a war museum that houses the tomb of Napoleon II, Field Marshall Foch and other military dignitaries, and stuff like cannons, rifles, uniforms and other related paraphernalia. The travel guides said about 3 hours for men and ‘maybe’ about 2 for women – Stella took the mans time tour with me. They had an awesome selection of rifles from the first to WW2 use, and miniature soldiers, cavalry, etc, from the caveman to WW2. There was a great selection of real footage, sometimes no sound and sometimes hard to see. Also, a lot of info and paraphernalia relating to the chemical warfare of WW2. After wards, we took the metro back to our hotel with the intent of catching a nap and then heading back out, but that plan fell through…after zzzz-ing, we were too lazy and tired to get dressed and go out again.
2008 AUGUST 28 THURSDAY
Paris
We decided we should make the most of our last day in Paris and set out “early” – 8:45 for Stella – and we were on the Metro back to Rue Cler where we had spotted a cute breakfast place a few doors down from yesterday’s creperie. Breakfast in France is termed “petit dejeuner” – Stella had the French version (orange juice, hot tea, croissant and jam) while I had the American version which was the same as the French but with an additional plate of sliced ham, egg over easy, and a slice of tomato. There are none anywhere as good as the croissants in France….so light and buttery. They may be bad for your health but make your mouth so happy!
From there, we hopped back on the Metro to see the Statue of Liberty. Ever since we saw the movie “National Treasure” featuring Nicholas Cage, and Stella learned that there was one in Paris, she’s wanted to see it. We spotted it as soon as we stepped out onto the street from the train station. It was on a small isle near a bridge on the Seine river about two city blocks away….looked like about half or two-thirds the size of ours. We managed to get a few good shots and then left for the Eiffel Tower.
As always, there were gaggles of people and long lines for tickets there. We were tempted to join them, but alas, there was still much that we wanted to do and see. Besides, we have been up the tower and seen the awesome view of Paris both day and night on previous trips, so we skipped that and headed for the bus stop nearby. According to one of our travel books, the #69 route is particularly interesting and scenic. We jumped on and sat in the back so we could have a view of both sides of the street. Besides the sights, it was interesting to watch the bus driver maneuver thru the narrow streets that were sometimes parked with cars on both sides and taxi’s cutting in and out and the delivery vehicles blocking, but they all seem to get out of the way when the bus horn blares, and it is a blare! Sometimes he was literally just inches away! We wondered how many wrecks they average over a month.
We left the bus at blvd St Germaine and window shopped and people gooped … this area is known for its furniture stores, both antiques and ultra chic modern, both home and office. There were many interior design consultants available by appointment only. Such was also the case for several watch and jewelry stores. At Les Deux Magots (well known French café) we stopped for the obligatory drinks at an outside table to watch all the people….and again, we were not disappointed!
Did you see or read THE DA VINCI CODE? Well, our next stop was St Sulpice cathedral ….and we found the Rose Line and the dark corner where the monk/assassin did a rubbing for clues, etc. There are also schematics and narratives detailing the lens in the window and the line it casts as the sun moves at the summer equinox (I think) delineating the time/rose line, a true north south line, across the nave of the chapel. Of course the Rose Line is a curiosity only – as the GMT is now the official delineation. The Louvre was typically, and impossibly, crowded place so we did not go there, maybe next time when we plan to stay a week, at least!!
I do not remember the extent of the graffiti that exists in the suburbs of Paris….along the Metro and RR tracks, and to some extent, even within Paris. But, all in all, the Paris metro is great for getting around fast and to nearly all locations. They are also at the once, lively and gross and entertaining – as Stella says, “tell them about the ugly guys who got on with the obnoxious boom box and tried to rap dance, gross”. I agree with her. On one segment there was someone playing a sax and another time, a violin. The latter two weren’t bad. After they “perform”, they go thru the cars with a plastic cup in hand for donations and then they jump off at the next stop and change cars.
Well, anyway, after St Sulpice we entered Le Jardin du Luxembourg – this is clearly a place we have to go back and plan several hours. Think huge with tennis courts, artsy sculptures, marble statues, swings and pony rides for the kiddies, whole forests of trees, huge lawns, a fountain/pool with kids doing the sailboats, flowers flowers everywhere, spice and herb gardens, a museum and an art building that displays rotating collections. By the time we got there, it was late afternoon and the weather had turned cloudy (not conducive for good pictures) and chilly (not conducive for a happy Opal). However, the gardens were still so beautiful that we wandered them for about an hour until Opal sort of ‘froze up’ and then we made a high speed run for the border (our hotel so Opal could get her jacket and be fed).
We found a very charming and elegant “Japonaise” restaurant with a French-ized menu – basically Japanese, but modified a bit for the French tastes. Many sushi dishes were made atop a delicate French cracker/pastry in lieu of rice. Instead of Hinode or similar, they served Jasmine rice – probably easier and cheaper to get than the Japanese varieties. And all featured a lot of different brochettes. Besides the familiar yakitori, they had salmon, cheese wrapped in beef, and chicken meatballs…all on skewers. Also, the shoyu was sweet, not salty.
Then it as back to the room for some packing rearrangements and off to bed
2008 AUGUST 29 FRIDAY
Paris & Return to Southampton
We decided to have petit dejeuner near the hotel before departing for the long trek to the airport on the Metro and train. Stella tried valiantly to communicate her choices for the French version and the American version to more directly fit her needs, as the waiter appeared to understand English, but all she accomplished was to get two French versions, mine with ham and cheese omelet and hers a ham omelet….everything else the same, except she got NO TEA! Was hilarious to see her face when he set the food down in front of us! This one tho was a bit better than yesterday’s meal, in addition to the wondrous croissants we got about a 6” piece of totally fresh baguette! And the strawberry jam was superb!
Then off to the airport and the short flight back to Southampton. The ride on the 60-seater prop was surprisingly smooth.
For dinner, neither of us could face the prospect of eating at our hotel so we decided to take a walk about and eat at a local country pub, the Southampton Arms. We shared an appetizer of a small avocado and Cajun chicken salad. It was good and we thought an indication of better things to come. I had the mixed grill -- blood sausage, venison sausage, rump steak, gammon (thick English bacon) and a pork chop with peas and chips. Stella had a broccoli and cream cheese bake with garlic bread. But we were wrong. If not for the appetizer, the meal was forgettable. Oh well…
We took a pleasant stroll back to our hotel. Time to pack and get ready for our next adventure…our cruise tomorrow on the Sea Princess!
Monday, August 25, 2008
2008 AUGUST NYC & QM2
NEW YORK CITY and TRANSATLANTIC CROSSING
17 & 18 AUGUST Sunday and Monday
New York City
Note: pictures can be found here: http://travel.webshots.com/album/565601780UMdAie
Or2008 NYC and QM@ at http://community.webshots.com/user/rdrue
After a fun Saturday in SF with Lavina and Kim/Russ and Desi, we flew off at 9pm on a “new to us” Virgin America A320 – great leg room, entertainment system (including Google routing of the plane), arriving NYC about 8am. Still, it is hard to sleep on the plane….we only managed to catch a few winks. After waiting for our luggage (and as luck would have it, ours was about the last piece to come down the chute) and then being stuffed into a SuperShuttle van, it is 10 before we finally arrive at the Warwick from JFK. The historic Warwick is in a great location on W 54th and 6th Ave. We lucked out and were able to check in despite the early hour into a large corner room with windows on both sides and a beautiful marble lined bathroom.
Next to the lobby, the “Murals on 54th” restaurant was still serving breakfast. I had the buffet while Stella ordered eggs and Canadian bacon off the menu. With tax and tip, that meal set us back $60 but what the heck!...we WERE in NYC, and that’s what we can expect if we eat in the hotel. Back upstairs, the comfy king-sized bed beckoned our sleep deprived bodies so we decided to take a “short” nap…hahaha…by the time our peepers opened and we ‘hit the streets, it was 730 pm! However, the evening was super -- warm and comfy—and the walking was pleasant. It was Sunday night so all the “normal” stores were closed but a few blocks away was a 24 hour Duane Reade drugstore (think Longs or Walgreens) where we picked up some water and soda, some blue potato chips. On the way back, we stopped into one of the many neighborhood delis that NY is famous for and got a Black Forest ham and cheese wrap to share back at the room.
Monday we were up at the crack of dawn…8:00 am for us! It’s our one full day in NYC before we board the QM2, so we’ve got to make the most of it. First we went diagonal from our hotel to a “small” camera store to see if they have a battery charger for my camera (left in Santa Rosa) and voila, they have one….complete with an auto adapter and a plug for Europe! AND at a price slightly less than a plain Canon charger! It was meant for me!
Per advice from the salesman we go around the corner on W54th to a small deli named Stage Star…obviously a Stage Deli wannabe…that surprised us with their great breakfast selections. I picked a breakfast panini…ham, egg and cheese…while Stella had the turkey with egg white sandwich with hot sauce…it was just down her alley! Everything was good and it was filling! Best part…it only cost 20% of yesterday’s breakfast!
After breakfast, we wandered in some of the shops along 5th Avenue, including a 3-level Disney store. I spotted a t-shirt and pen that I wouldn’t mind having, but as we will be back in NYC next month for a couple of days on the return trip home, it would make better sense to get it then, instead of lugging them with us over the Atlantic and back.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is said to be a “must see” among the travel books, and given that it’s only a block away from our hotel, it didn’t seem like there would be any reason not to go, especially since Stella wanted to see Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” She was disappointed tho, as the Van Gogh collection was not scheduled to be there until next month.
After the MoMA we took the subway to Greenwich Village to try and find “The Pink Tea Cup” …. a restaurant supposedly good for soul food. After some general wandering around Washington Square Park and the Arch and a look at some of the NYU buildings we set out to find our restaurant for an early dinner. If we weren’t looking for it we would have walked right by it, as the front was quite assuming and it was located in the middle of a residential area. I ordered a pork chop with black eyed peas and rice. Stella had the BBQ chicken, squash, and okra with tomatoes and corn. The best part of my meal was the gravy and for Stella, it was the okra. Whoever wrote that rave review must have had okra with gravy…it was a forgettable experience to say the least.
Afterwards, we jumped on the subway to South Ferry where we rode the Staten Island ferry and had a wonderful views of NYC and the Statue of Liberty from the water. That turned out to be the highlight of our day. It was 8:30 by the time we got back to our hotel, watched the Olympics, and packed for our embarkation onto the QM2!
19 AUGUST Tuesday
New York City and QM2 Embarkation
While Stella was washing her hair, I took off to get a haircut to make her happy…she claimed my hair was threatening to overtake my ears and I was looking “frowsy.” Then it was back over to the Stage Star Deli (a new favorite of Stella’s) for quick lunch. We shared an eggplant parmesan panini and a buffalo cheeseburger. Both were good!
After checking out, we jumped into a cab and headed off to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. We were certain we were being filmed for a future scene of two slob tourists unwittingly getting caught up in a diamond heist (we were only 7 or 8 blocks from the famous NY diamond street) and chase . . . we were speeding and weaving and honking and cutting all the way to the Brooklyn Bridge before we lost those chasing us and went on to the terminal at a more leisurely pace. The queue for check-in was long but it moved along and we were onboard before 3:00 pm.
The QM2 was every bit as grand as it’s been advertised to be. Even our cabin – a lowly inside on the 4th deck – looked elegant and decorated to appear larger than it really was, so it did not feel “closed in” as we thought it might. As we walked down the hall towards our cabin, the front of the ship looked like it was a million miles away. We turned around and looked behind us….same perspective! Goodness, this ship is HUGE!! The QM2 is as long as the Eiffel Tower is tall.
After our mandatory life jacket drill, we stayed on deck to watch the ship set sail. It was a perfectly beautiful day but not overly humid. The views of the Statue of Liberty, the NY skyline, the East River bridges and almost all the way up the Hudson to the NJ palisades and of course Brooklyn were great. The ship is so big that we could scarcely tell that we were moving.
We chose the second seating for dinner like we normally do, but we were starved by 6:00 and decided to go for the buffet instead of waiting until 8:30 to eat in the dining room. We looked at the Kings Court venues (there are 4 choices: Asian (Lotus), English (Carvery), Italian (La Piazza) and a burger grill (Chef’s Galley). All are open for lunch buffet-style but for dinner, one is open as a buffet and the other two are sit-down dinner by reservation (on a rotational basis). We looked at all the offerings and settled for the Carvery. On previous visits to Great Britain, we were not impressed with the British cuisine, and were not anticipating uch mbetter on the ship….but we were pleasantly surprised. The prime beef was succulent and tender, the mushroom soup was tasty, and even the pea mashed potatoes, despite its strange green color, was good. For dessert, the banana flambé was one of the best we’ve had. We will definitely be eating well onboard!
Stella spent the rest of the evening unpacking/setting up “house” and doing several loads of laundry. This is one of the nice amenities of Cunard… complimentary laundry facilities. It sure beats having to haul quarters around. Our cabin happened to be conveniently located only 4 doors down from the launderette, and knowing my wife, I’m sure this was not a coincidence. She hates toting dirty laundry around and those washing machines will get plenty of use with Stella just a few doors away.
20 AUGUST Wednesday
At Sea
Stella got up just in time for lunch…..while I was up a bit earlier for my coffee and explorations of the ship. Of course, we had lost an hour last night, and think we will continue to lose an hour each night as we cross the Atlantic. This is probably better than losing 6 hours in one crack!
We checked out the lunch buffet venues and settled on Italian. The butternut squash soup was really good. Stella had salad, roast chicken and pizza while I had a pork chop and tuna pasta. The hot dessert over in the Carvery caught Stella’s eye….and it turned out to be a winner….it was lemon tart meringue….like a lemon meringue pie, only baked in a large rectangular pan and served warm….m-m-m-m-m-m delicious! To balance the hot, we cooled down with tapioca pudding with fresh mango sauce…that was also good!
We then took a leisurely wander around the shops. I found a neat T-shirt and watch, and Stella bought herself a silver evening bag for tonight’s formal dinner. We checked out the library (awesome collection), the bookstore, camera shop and photo gallery. We found a small glass elevator tucked away in one corner that offered a view of the ocean. BTW, this ship moves along so fast that you could get dizzy watching the waves go by, but so far (knock on wood), no rocking and rolling.
We retired to our cabin for an afternoon of reading and napping, getting up in time to get ready for our first formal dinner (there will be 3 formals plus one semi-formal). For tonight’s dinner, I had cheddar soup, followed by filet and lobster medallions. Stella had a duck and pear salad, then rack of lamb. For dessert, I chose the sugar-free lemon cheesecake and Stella had the strawberry flambé. It was our first experience with a strawberry flambé…warm strawberries served in a meringue cup with two scoops of vanilla ice cream on the side….ONO! Everything was good, but this dessert stole the show.
21 AUGUST Thursday
At Sea, 30 approximate miles north of the Titanic sinking
We treated ourselves to breakfast in bed this morning….it arrived at 9:30…two plates of baked beans, grilled tomato wedge, slice of English bacon, a fat link sausage, a triangle of hash browns and scrambled eggs. On the side, a plate of fresh fruit, toast, apple Danish, orange juice, coffee and hot tea. Stella loves room service. She says there is something very decadent about having food brought to you, and eating in bed. We were out of our cabin by 11:00 and up to deck 7 to do some reading while our stewardess cleaned up after us. We couldn’t help but walk thru the buffet areas, and tho we had just eaten breakfast, several items caught our eye…if only we had room in our tummies! Maybe later!
Preceding our formal dinner, we had an afternoon of tranquil reading, roaming around the various public rooms, shops, etc.
We again sat by the captain, sort of, as our table for two is adjacent to his table of 10 with 8 different guests every night. The butternut squash and apple salad sounded good to both of us, so we had it for our appetizer. It was a first for us and turned out very good. I had a crab and shrimp bellini (crab and bay shrimp mix over a small cracker-sized pancake) – also very good – followed by a dinner salad of lettuce and tomato. For dinner, we both had the roasted sea bass – it was perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious! Stella chose the crème brulee cheesecake – it was ok. My dessert was a tiramisu parfait (a slice of vanilla ice cream with bits of tiramisu and edged in chocolate).
After dinner, we went to the show featuring former Broadway singer Jeri Sager, whose vocals we had enjoyed just a few months ago on our North Atlantic cruise on the Maasdam. It was the same show but Stella enjoyed it just as much as she did the first time….
favorites like “Memory” from Cats, Fantine’s song from Les Miserable, and other hits.
Then it was a couple hours of reading in bed before the lights went out.
22 AUGUST Friday
At Sea, Blustery and a slight roll to the ship
I had trouble sleeping last night, or so I thought – I was up early even tho we lost another hour last night -- I was ready and out on deck at 9am. Guess I didn’t have trouble sleeping! However, I am one of a very few passengers up ‘wandering’ the decks -- many more are inside the various dining venues. I’m now in Sir Samuel’s (elegant coffee café) working on these notes and also downloading pictures. The music they play is clearly superior to what Starbucks offers these days – quite enjoyable!! Of course, the Queen sleeps on in our cabin.
She was up to join me by 11:00 and we headed for the Carvery for breakfast. There wasn’t a choice…at that late hour, the dinner room and other buffet venues had closed and were getting ready to change over to lunch. Breakfast was fine – two eggs over easy with sausage, oatmeal, and fruits for Stella, scrambled eggs and cheese with baked beans and sausage for me, toasted English muffin on the side. Oh, there was also blood sausage. They look like black disks. I had Stella try some…she had a bite and made a face. I guess she didn’t like it.
After breakfast, we went to the planetarium on deck 3…the only one at sea. It was neat…a theatre with a dome in the middle and red-colored seats that recline underneath. It was only a half-hour show about the galaxy and planets.
About an hour later, there was showing of Romeo and Juliet in the Royal Court Theatre. Of course, Stella dragged us to that….lucky for me it was only an hour long. Actually, it wasn’t half bad. We came out just in time for afternoon tea. We had great expectations for that, after all, the English are known for having tea. There was an assortment of finger sandwiches – tomato, cucumber, ham, turkey, tuna. And of course, scones…little raisin ones, served with clotted cream and strawberry jam, as well as trays of pastries. They all looked wonderful but when it came to taste, they were all pretty dry. Luckily, Stella found some jasmine green tea to wash them down, otherwise, they might still be stuck in our throats! After that disappointment, we went back to our cabin and curled up with our books. Stella is reading “Shogun” and I’ve got Tom Clancy’s “ Cardinal of the Kremlin” (sequel to “Hunt for Red October”).
Tonight’s dress code was semi-formal – tie and jacket still required, but I got to wear my “dressy” khakis and tan nubbies, and Stella wore a comfy pants outfit. It was another great dinner, starting out with Thai fishcakes with sweet chili sauce for appetizers. They were lightly fried and only two each, but sure were filling. Mine was followed by a beet and mushroom salad, while Stella had a slice of chicken and mushroom terrine (it was finely ground chicken with the texture of fishcake, shaped into a roll and wrapped with bacon, then sliced). For our entree, I had smoked salmon fettuccini and Stella had pan roasted halibut. Our waitress recommended the banana foster for dessert and good thing we took her up on it…..it was not your typical one. First there was a slice of banana cake, topped with a half a finger of banana that had been flambé in a rich caramel sauce which also was drizzled over the cake. There were two scoops of rum raisin ice cream on the side…yum!
I was tempted, by the way to try “cock a leekie”,
A traditional Scottish Cock a Leekie soup recipe includes prunes though some cooks will leave the prunes out of their recipe because they are not to everyone's taste. Other chefs will include the prunes in the cooking of Cock a Leekie soup but will remove them before serving the soup…
but I was happy I had the Thai fishcakes!
23 AUGUST Saturday
A Glorious Day at Sea
We lost another hour last night. We are now 10 hours ahead of Hawaii and the acceleration is catching up with us. We had set our alarm to arise by 8:15 so we could try breakfast in the dining room but the hour came too soon and in our bleary state, decided to bag those ambitious plans. Pffft…who needs to eat, anyway? It was 11:15 am (still only 1:15 am HST!) before my eyes managed to prop themselves open and 12:30 before Stella and I stumbled onto the 7th deck to check out lunch options. As soon as the elevator door opened and the delicate aroma of cooked garlic and other spices filled our nostrils, we knew we had arrived on the right floor. Instead of sticking to one venue, we have learned to pick and choose….corn soup and noodles from Lotus, a slice of strip loin and baked macaroni with eggplant and zucchini from the Carvery, chicken Caesar salad from Piazza.
After lunch, I read and intermittently studied the back of my eyelids while Stella did laundry and started to do some preliminary re-organization for the most dreaded day of any cruise….disembarkation! We will be getting off in Southampton early Monday morning, which means bags have to be packed and out in the hall by tomorrow night.
Tonight is formal….our last dress up night and typically, a great meal including escargot, lobster and baked Alaska is served. I was right! Only bad thing was, they also offered chateaubriand….another favorite! Now what? Our sweet waitress solved the problem by arranging for a trio of entrees….shrimp, lobster tail, AND chateaubriand….sorta of a high class mixed plate….and boy, was it ONO! Stella opted for the roast duck and was not as lucky…it was on the dry side. For dessert, Stella stuck with tradition and had the baked Alaska with cherries jubilee while I had the amaretto crème brulee. It was good, tho not the best that I’ve ever tasted. Overall, it was a four star dinner!
The after dinner show featured dances from around the world, like the Argentine tango and those Russian numbers where the men kick up their legs and feet while crouched low to the ground. The women were beautiful and wore fabulous costumes. It was a very enjoyable way to end the day.
24 AUGUST Sunday
Preparing for Embarkation
We decided that we wanted to experience having breakfast served to us in the dining room, so we set the alarm and forced ourselves to get up early, even tho we lost another hour last night. I didn’t have anything special….eggs, fried potatoes, sausage, Wiltshire sausage, beans, tomato sauté, English muffin. Stella had a waffle and eggs Benedict with fruit. By the time we rolled out of there, we were stuffed!
At 1:00 pm., we went to see another short show in the planetarium, called Cosmic Collisions. It was narrated by Robert Redford.
Stella spent the afternoon packing our four bags and doing last minute laundry. We had an early dinner at the Piazza so she could finish up and get the bags out in the hall in plenty of time. They were outside by 9:30. Now time for bed!
25 AUGUST MONDAY
Disembarkation at Southampton
It turned out to be a long night….Stella got a total of about 3 hours of sleep and I got a little more. The rest of the time was spent tossing and turning. We had to be up by 7:00 a.m. and out of our cabin by 8:30….who can sleep under that kind of pressure?
We were in the dining room for breakfast by 8:00 and off the ship before 10:00 a.m. Our hotel is by the ROSE BOWL, a cricket stadium with a capacity of 100,000….more importantly, a close 10 min cab ride to the airport for our flight tomorrow to Paris, where we will be spending the next 3 days exploring. Earlier, we were thinking of wandering about the town of Southampton, but turns out today is a holiday commemorating Princess Diana and many shops were closed. Anyway, the sky is gray and overcast….threatening rain, so we decided to just relax at the hotel, work on the blog and read. Tomorrow we’ll start another adventure in Paris!
…good nite and good luck
17 & 18 AUGUST Sunday and Monday
New York City
Note: pictures can be found here: http://travel.webshots.com/album/565601780UMdAie
Or2008 NYC and QM@ at http://community.webshots.com/user/rdrue
After a fun Saturday in SF with Lavina and Kim/Russ and Desi, we flew off at 9pm on a “new to us” Virgin America A320 – great leg room, entertainment system (including Google routing of the plane), arriving NYC about 8am. Still, it is hard to sleep on the plane….we only managed to catch a few winks. After waiting for our luggage (and as luck would have it, ours was about the last piece to come down the chute) and then being stuffed into a SuperShuttle van, it is 10 before we finally arrive at the Warwick from JFK. The historic Warwick is in a great location on W 54th and 6th Ave. We lucked out and were able to check in despite the early hour into a large corner room with windows on both sides and a beautiful marble lined bathroom.
Next to the lobby, the “Murals on 54th” restaurant was still serving breakfast. I had the buffet while Stella ordered eggs and Canadian bacon off the menu. With tax and tip, that meal set us back $60 but what the heck!...we WERE in NYC, and that’s what we can expect if we eat in the hotel. Back upstairs, the comfy king-sized bed beckoned our sleep deprived bodies so we decided to take a “short” nap…hahaha…by the time our peepers opened and we ‘hit the streets, it was 730 pm! However, the evening was super -- warm and comfy—and the walking was pleasant. It was Sunday night so all the “normal” stores were closed but a few blocks away was a 24 hour Duane Reade drugstore (think Longs or Walgreens) where we picked up some water and soda, some blue potato chips. On the way back, we stopped into one of the many neighborhood delis that NY is famous for and got a Black Forest ham and cheese wrap to share back at the room.
Monday we were up at the crack of dawn…8:00 am for us! It’s our one full day in NYC before we board the QM2, so we’ve got to make the most of it. First we went diagonal from our hotel to a “small” camera store to see if they have a battery charger for my camera (left in Santa Rosa) and voila, they have one….complete with an auto adapter and a plug for Europe! AND at a price slightly less than a plain Canon charger! It was meant for me!
Per advice from the salesman we go around the corner on W54th to a small deli named Stage Star…obviously a Stage Deli wannabe…that surprised us with their great breakfast selections. I picked a breakfast panini…ham, egg and cheese…while Stella had the turkey with egg white sandwich with hot sauce…it was just down her alley! Everything was good and it was filling! Best part…it only cost 20% of yesterday’s breakfast!
After breakfast, we wandered in some of the shops along 5th Avenue, including a 3-level Disney store. I spotted a t-shirt and pen that I wouldn’t mind having, but as we will be back in NYC next month for a couple of days on the return trip home, it would make better sense to get it then, instead of lugging them with us over the Atlantic and back.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is said to be a “must see” among the travel books, and given that it’s only a block away from our hotel, it didn’t seem like there would be any reason not to go, especially since Stella wanted to see Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.” She was disappointed tho, as the Van Gogh collection was not scheduled to be there until next month.
After the MoMA we took the subway to Greenwich Village to try and find “The Pink Tea Cup” …. a restaurant supposedly good for soul food. After some general wandering around Washington Square Park and the Arch and a look at some of the NYU buildings we set out to find our restaurant for an early dinner. If we weren’t looking for it we would have walked right by it, as the front was quite assuming and it was located in the middle of a residential area. I ordered a pork chop with black eyed peas and rice. Stella had the BBQ chicken, squash, and okra with tomatoes and corn. The best part of my meal was the gravy and for Stella, it was the okra. Whoever wrote that rave review must have had okra with gravy…it was a forgettable experience to say the least.
Afterwards, we jumped on the subway to South Ferry where we rode the Staten Island ferry and had a wonderful views of NYC and the Statue of Liberty from the water. That turned out to be the highlight of our day. It was 8:30 by the time we got back to our hotel, watched the Olympics, and packed for our embarkation onto the QM2!
19 AUGUST Tuesday
New York City and QM2 Embarkation
While Stella was washing her hair, I took off to get a haircut to make her happy…she claimed my hair was threatening to overtake my ears and I was looking “frowsy.” Then it was back over to the Stage Star Deli (a new favorite of Stella’s) for quick lunch. We shared an eggplant parmesan panini and a buffalo cheeseburger. Both were good!
After checking out, we jumped into a cab and headed off to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. We were certain we were being filmed for a future scene of two slob tourists unwittingly getting caught up in a diamond heist (we were only 7 or 8 blocks from the famous NY diamond street) and chase . . . we were speeding and weaving and honking and cutting all the way to the Brooklyn Bridge before we lost those chasing us and went on to the terminal at a more leisurely pace. The queue for check-in was long but it moved along and we were onboard before 3:00 pm.
The QM2 was every bit as grand as it’s been advertised to be. Even our cabin – a lowly inside on the 4th deck – looked elegant and decorated to appear larger than it really was, so it did not feel “closed in” as we thought it might. As we walked down the hall towards our cabin, the front of the ship looked like it was a million miles away. We turned around and looked behind us….same perspective! Goodness, this ship is HUGE!! The QM2 is as long as the Eiffel Tower is tall.
After our mandatory life jacket drill, we stayed on deck to watch the ship set sail. It was a perfectly beautiful day but not overly humid. The views of the Statue of Liberty, the NY skyline, the East River bridges and almost all the way up the Hudson to the NJ palisades and of course Brooklyn were great. The ship is so big that we could scarcely tell that we were moving.
We chose the second seating for dinner like we normally do, but we were starved by 6:00 and decided to go for the buffet instead of waiting until 8:30 to eat in the dining room. We looked at the Kings Court venues (there are 4 choices: Asian (Lotus), English (Carvery), Italian (La Piazza) and a burger grill (Chef’s Galley). All are open for lunch buffet-style but for dinner, one is open as a buffet and the other two are sit-down dinner by reservation (on a rotational basis). We looked at all the offerings and settled for the Carvery. On previous visits to Great Britain, we were not impressed with the British cuisine, and were not anticipating uch mbetter on the ship….but we were pleasantly surprised. The prime beef was succulent and tender, the mushroom soup was tasty, and even the pea mashed potatoes, despite its strange green color, was good. For dessert, the banana flambé was one of the best we’ve had. We will definitely be eating well onboard!
Stella spent the rest of the evening unpacking/setting up “house” and doing several loads of laundry. This is one of the nice amenities of Cunard… complimentary laundry facilities. It sure beats having to haul quarters around. Our cabin happened to be conveniently located only 4 doors down from the launderette, and knowing my wife, I’m sure this was not a coincidence. She hates toting dirty laundry around and those washing machines will get plenty of use with Stella just a few doors away.
20 AUGUST Wednesday
At Sea
Stella got up just in time for lunch…..while I was up a bit earlier for my coffee and explorations of the ship. Of course, we had lost an hour last night, and think we will continue to lose an hour each night as we cross the Atlantic. This is probably better than losing 6 hours in one crack!
We checked out the lunch buffet venues and settled on Italian. The butternut squash soup was really good. Stella had salad, roast chicken and pizza while I had a pork chop and tuna pasta. The hot dessert over in the Carvery caught Stella’s eye….and it turned out to be a winner….it was lemon tart meringue….like a lemon meringue pie, only baked in a large rectangular pan and served warm….m-m-m-m-m-m delicious! To balance the hot, we cooled down with tapioca pudding with fresh mango sauce…that was also good!
We then took a leisurely wander around the shops. I found a neat T-shirt and watch, and Stella bought herself a silver evening bag for tonight’s formal dinner. We checked out the library (awesome collection), the bookstore, camera shop and photo gallery. We found a small glass elevator tucked away in one corner that offered a view of the ocean. BTW, this ship moves along so fast that you could get dizzy watching the waves go by, but so far (knock on wood), no rocking and rolling.
We retired to our cabin for an afternoon of reading and napping, getting up in time to get ready for our first formal dinner (there will be 3 formals plus one semi-formal). For tonight’s dinner, I had cheddar soup, followed by filet and lobster medallions. Stella had a duck and pear salad, then rack of lamb. For dessert, I chose the sugar-free lemon cheesecake and Stella had the strawberry flambé. It was our first experience with a strawberry flambé…warm strawberries served in a meringue cup with two scoops of vanilla ice cream on the side….ONO! Everything was good, but this dessert stole the show.
21 AUGUST Thursday
At Sea, 30 approximate miles north of the Titanic sinking
We treated ourselves to breakfast in bed this morning….it arrived at 9:30…two plates of baked beans, grilled tomato wedge, slice of English bacon, a fat link sausage, a triangle of hash browns and scrambled eggs. On the side, a plate of fresh fruit, toast, apple Danish, orange juice, coffee and hot tea. Stella loves room service. She says there is something very decadent about having food brought to you, and eating in bed. We were out of our cabin by 11:00 and up to deck 7 to do some reading while our stewardess cleaned up after us. We couldn’t help but walk thru the buffet areas, and tho we had just eaten breakfast, several items caught our eye…if only we had room in our tummies! Maybe later!
Preceding our formal dinner, we had an afternoon of tranquil reading, roaming around the various public rooms, shops, etc.
We again sat by the captain, sort of, as our table for two is adjacent to his table of 10 with 8 different guests every night. The butternut squash and apple salad sounded good to both of us, so we had it for our appetizer. It was a first for us and turned out very good. I had a crab and shrimp bellini (crab and bay shrimp mix over a small cracker-sized pancake) – also very good – followed by a dinner salad of lettuce and tomato. For dinner, we both had the roasted sea bass – it was perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious! Stella chose the crème brulee cheesecake – it was ok. My dessert was a tiramisu parfait (a slice of vanilla ice cream with bits of tiramisu and edged in chocolate).
After dinner, we went to the show featuring former Broadway singer Jeri Sager, whose vocals we had enjoyed just a few months ago on our North Atlantic cruise on the Maasdam. It was the same show but Stella enjoyed it just as much as she did the first time….
favorites like “Memory” from Cats, Fantine’s song from Les Miserable, and other hits.
Then it was a couple hours of reading in bed before the lights went out.
22 AUGUST Friday
At Sea, Blustery and a slight roll to the ship
I had trouble sleeping last night, or so I thought – I was up early even tho we lost another hour last night -- I was ready and out on deck at 9am. Guess I didn’t have trouble sleeping! However, I am one of a very few passengers up ‘wandering’ the decks -- many more are inside the various dining venues. I’m now in Sir Samuel’s (elegant coffee café) working on these notes and also downloading pictures. The music they play is clearly superior to what Starbucks offers these days – quite enjoyable!! Of course, the Queen sleeps on in our cabin.
She was up to join me by 11:00 and we headed for the Carvery for breakfast. There wasn’t a choice…at that late hour, the dinner room and other buffet venues had closed and were getting ready to change over to lunch. Breakfast was fine – two eggs over easy with sausage, oatmeal, and fruits for Stella, scrambled eggs and cheese with baked beans and sausage for me, toasted English muffin on the side. Oh, there was also blood sausage. They look like black disks. I had Stella try some…she had a bite and made a face. I guess she didn’t like it.
After breakfast, we went to the planetarium on deck 3…the only one at sea. It was neat…a theatre with a dome in the middle and red-colored seats that recline underneath. It was only a half-hour show about the galaxy and planets.
About an hour later, there was showing of Romeo and Juliet in the Royal Court Theatre. Of course, Stella dragged us to that….lucky for me it was only an hour long. Actually, it wasn’t half bad. We came out just in time for afternoon tea. We had great expectations for that, after all, the English are known for having tea. There was an assortment of finger sandwiches – tomato, cucumber, ham, turkey, tuna. And of course, scones…little raisin ones, served with clotted cream and strawberry jam, as well as trays of pastries. They all looked wonderful but when it came to taste, they were all pretty dry. Luckily, Stella found some jasmine green tea to wash them down, otherwise, they might still be stuck in our throats! After that disappointment, we went back to our cabin and curled up with our books. Stella is reading “Shogun” and I’ve got Tom Clancy’s “ Cardinal of the Kremlin” (sequel to “Hunt for Red October”).
Tonight’s dress code was semi-formal – tie and jacket still required, but I got to wear my “dressy” khakis and tan nubbies, and Stella wore a comfy pants outfit. It was another great dinner, starting out with Thai fishcakes with sweet chili sauce for appetizers. They were lightly fried and only two each, but sure were filling. Mine was followed by a beet and mushroom salad, while Stella had a slice of chicken and mushroom terrine (it was finely ground chicken with the texture of fishcake, shaped into a roll and wrapped with bacon, then sliced). For our entree, I had smoked salmon fettuccini and Stella had pan roasted halibut. Our waitress recommended the banana foster for dessert and good thing we took her up on it…..it was not your typical one. First there was a slice of banana cake, topped with a half a finger of banana that had been flambé in a rich caramel sauce which also was drizzled over the cake. There were two scoops of rum raisin ice cream on the side…yum!
I was tempted, by the way to try “cock a leekie”,
A traditional Scottish Cock a Leekie soup recipe includes prunes though some cooks will leave the prunes out of their recipe because they are not to everyone's taste. Other chefs will include the prunes in the cooking of Cock a Leekie soup but will remove them before serving the soup…
but I was happy I had the Thai fishcakes!
23 AUGUST Saturday
A Glorious Day at Sea
We lost another hour last night. We are now 10 hours ahead of Hawaii and the acceleration is catching up with us. We had set our alarm to arise by 8:15 so we could try breakfast in the dining room but the hour came too soon and in our bleary state, decided to bag those ambitious plans. Pffft…who needs to eat, anyway? It was 11:15 am (still only 1:15 am HST!) before my eyes managed to prop themselves open and 12:30 before Stella and I stumbled onto the 7th deck to check out lunch options. As soon as the elevator door opened and the delicate aroma of cooked garlic and other spices filled our nostrils, we knew we had arrived on the right floor. Instead of sticking to one venue, we have learned to pick and choose….corn soup and noodles from Lotus, a slice of strip loin and baked macaroni with eggplant and zucchini from the Carvery, chicken Caesar salad from Piazza.
After lunch, I read and intermittently studied the back of my eyelids while Stella did laundry and started to do some preliminary re-organization for the most dreaded day of any cruise….disembarkation! We will be getting off in Southampton early Monday morning, which means bags have to be packed and out in the hall by tomorrow night.
Tonight is formal….our last dress up night and typically, a great meal including escargot, lobster and baked Alaska is served. I was right! Only bad thing was, they also offered chateaubriand….another favorite! Now what? Our sweet waitress solved the problem by arranging for a trio of entrees….shrimp, lobster tail, AND chateaubriand….sorta of a high class mixed plate….and boy, was it ONO! Stella opted for the roast duck and was not as lucky…it was on the dry side. For dessert, Stella stuck with tradition and had the baked Alaska with cherries jubilee while I had the amaretto crème brulee. It was good, tho not the best that I’ve ever tasted. Overall, it was a four star dinner!
The after dinner show featured dances from around the world, like the Argentine tango and those Russian numbers where the men kick up their legs and feet while crouched low to the ground. The women were beautiful and wore fabulous costumes. It was a very enjoyable way to end the day.
24 AUGUST Sunday
Preparing for Embarkation
We decided that we wanted to experience having breakfast served to us in the dining room, so we set the alarm and forced ourselves to get up early, even tho we lost another hour last night. I didn’t have anything special….eggs, fried potatoes, sausage, Wiltshire sausage, beans, tomato sauté, English muffin. Stella had a waffle and eggs Benedict with fruit. By the time we rolled out of there, we were stuffed!
At 1:00 pm., we went to see another short show in the planetarium, called Cosmic Collisions. It was narrated by Robert Redford.
Stella spent the afternoon packing our four bags and doing last minute laundry. We had an early dinner at the Piazza so she could finish up and get the bags out in the hall in plenty of time. They were outside by 9:30. Now time for bed!
25 AUGUST MONDAY
Disembarkation at Southampton
It turned out to be a long night….Stella got a total of about 3 hours of sleep and I got a little more. The rest of the time was spent tossing and turning. We had to be up by 7:00 a.m. and out of our cabin by 8:30….who can sleep under that kind of pressure?
We were in the dining room for breakfast by 8:00 and off the ship before 10:00 a.m. Our hotel is by the ROSE BOWL, a cricket stadium with a capacity of 100,000….more importantly, a close 10 min cab ride to the airport for our flight tomorrow to Paris, where we will be spending the next 3 days exploring. Earlier, we were thinking of wandering about the town of Southampton, but turns out today is a holiday commemorating Princess Diana and many shops were closed. Anyway, the sky is gray and overcast….threatening rain, so we decided to just relax at the hotel, work on the blog and read. Tomorrow we’ll start another adventure in Paris!
…good nite and good luck
Saturday, May 17, 2008
2008 Montreal Disembarkation & Schwartz's
2008 17 May Saturday 18 May Sunday
To view Montreal pictures from the past you can click here
To view Montreal pictures from the past you can click here
2008 MAY 17
We enjoyed our final meal at the
9:30, we were off the ship to find our luggage and thru customs and into a cab on our way to the Holiday Inn Select next to
Stella unpacked and diddled about for awhile, and then we headed out for a walkabout in Quartier Chinois. Everything seemed pretty much the same from last year except now it was much warmer….a beautiful day with clear blue skies and a few tufts of innocuous looking white clouds. We went to the Metro station (just across the street from the hotel) to take the subway (rubber wheels but the same or more noise than the steel on steel of
At Sherbrook we waddled over to
We wasted time, walking languorously in the warm sun and enjoying the beautiful day, wandering in and out of shops ranging from kitchen/hardware to a small grocery store. The whole time our mission was to arrive at Schwartz’s around 4. Last year it was about that time we first tried this Alan-Sasai-recommended- establishment and it was not that crowded in the off hour between lunch and dinner. In my blog last year you might recall that Opal fell in love with Schwartz’s and their great smoked meat. In fact, ever since we booked the cruise 9 months ago and she knew that we would be back in
However, to her credit she restrained herself and kept a modest waddling pace as we walked along Boulevard Saint-Laurent towards her sandwich. I attempted to tempt her with other choices as we walked along, Thai places (normally her favorite), with Italian places (her second favorite)….but she stayed the course. Perhaps it was the combination of the almost end of the long wait and the distraction of other eateries, but when she saw the sign, it was as tho she went external and floated over the crowded sidewalk, the last half block flashed by as we got to Schwartz’s. Even tho the plan was to wait until 3 or 4, and it wasn’t even 2 yet, there was just no stopping her at this point. I swear she was blind to the length of the line, she just got in it and stood, stoically and determined, as we inched forward, with the warm sun blazing down on us and feeling hotter by the minute. People kept coming and queued up behind us. As I am not as heroic as she…I mean, the sandwiches are awesome, but not like a double brat at the Charcoal Grill in
My last joking around was to tell her I was not that hungry after standing out in the sun and could we go somewhere else – or I can’t eat a whole sandwich, so let’s share one. She’s normally happy to share, in fact that’s what we did the last time we came, but today, in a no-nonsense tone, no more happy as a lark and laughing, with the same steel gleam of an executioner, she said “I’m eating my OWN sandwich and you eat what you want!”
Turns out we were inside at a table in less than 30 minutes. We ordered a medium fat for me, a lean for Opal, a side of coleslaw and fries, and orange juice and a diet Coke. Believe it or not, we got the same guy who waited on us a year ago—the one who was so helpful bringing us extra bread and not rude as some of the books said to expect here….and again he was as nice and helpful as could be. If you make it to Montreal one day, this play is truly worth a visit – you will be amazed – it’s a small room with several picnic type tables (about 8) that seat 8 and they are all constantly full. In the front is a counter for take out orders --- there is another line for that (tho not as long as eat-in line) and constant activity from customers there! It is a bustling place--the definitive definition of a totally successful mom and pop operation – for about 70 years I think!
Stella and I were seated side by side, with another couple sitting across from us, and then another couple at the end, facing each other. With some people, you feel comfortable striking up a conversation right away. After all, you are in close quarters, looking at each other. But I didn’t like the looks of the lady who sat across from me…I pegged as being the snooty type...and sure enough, after I dutifully took a picture of our lunch for the dedicated readers of my blog and put my camera away, she leaned over to her husband and whispered, “He took a picture!.....it’s ONLY a sandwich!” Fortunately for her, I was momentarily distracted and did not pay attention to her as i was already aware of her rudeness..... as you all know, I have a charming way with cranky old ladies and would have told her i was observing the native eating habits as she was good at knocking their fries off the plate and dropping around the table and when eating other things she disdained the use of the fork - and he had catsup all over his polo shirt, but I restrained as there was a nice French couple to my right (and probably lots more).
Some advice: 1) If you can, go shishi BEFORE you go in – there is only a single seat BR!! 2) We like cole slaw that’s creamy with mayo and if shredded carrots or raisins or pineapple bits have been added, all the better. The kind they serve here is straight cabbage, kinda vinegary..in fact, looks like it’s been pickled and flavored with herbs. So if you like creamy cole slaw, do NOT order it here. 3) Order the medium fat. It is juicier and tastier than lean, even tho it may not be as healthy. After all …how often are you going to have it? 4) The French fries here rival the smoked meat….it great! So be sure to order some. 5) No matter how tempting it is to jump over into the shorter take out line, stay the course and eat in. There is nothing like having the freshly sliced beef, still warm, placed in front of you. Last time, we shared a sandwich and consumed it right away. But this time, since Stella decided she wanted the WHOLE thing, she learned that the quality of the meat diminishes once it gets cold….just like a malasada. You gotta eat it hot, or it’s not very good. By the time she managed to munch away on the first half of her sandwich (well, she’s kind of a slow muncher), the meat on the other half had gotten cold. The fat had congealed…and it didn’t look or taste as appetizing. 6) If there’s 3 of you (or 2 big eaters), consider ordering a plate of the meat and a side of bread. Then you can make your own sandwiches, and it will cost less than ordering 3 sandwiches. Now if you ever go to Schwartz’s, you’ve got all the information you need!
After Schwartz’s we caught a bus back to our hotel and readied for a short afternoon siesta. Opal was going to read the paper and her book first – but before long, I heard soft purring noises drifting over from her side of the bed that meant she was already in Z land.
When we woke up the sun was gone and replaced with clouds and rain. Boooooo! But by the time we stepped out for dinner, it had stopped raining tho the ground was wet and it was a bit chillier. We found the Cantonese restaurant a block away that we had enjoyed a lot during our last visit. The place was full of locals, and like any good Chinese restaurant, the din was deafening! We had beef with chow fun, and eggplant with chicken. Both were very good! Now we’re back in our room, getting ready for bed.
2008 May 18 Sunday
I went looking for coffee around 10 and we were ready to go around 11 after Opal was pau with her hair washing, etc. It was another beautiful day…great for a casual walkabout. We first took the bus up to the Italie Petit area to find a place called Wilensky’s that is supposed to have “to die for” fried bologna sandwiches on a bagel. Drats! It was closed. A couple of young girls were parked in front of the doorway, taking advantage of the location to hold their version of a garage sale. So we wandered the neighborhood and found a delightful little neighborhood café with about 4 tables on the sidewalk and one was empty = our rule = we were meant to eat there. They had excellent café au lait and a simple breakfast menu of omelets, bagels, and crepes. We both settled on crepes with cheese, ham and eggs (the two eggs were laid on top of the crepes with the ham and cheese folded inside – sunny side up, like two eyes smiling at us). On the side were some tossed greens and herb spiced home fries. We both agreed that it was excellent breakfast…in fact, we were so hungry that we dived right in and were halfway done before we remembered the camera! So sorry, no picture…oh well…..
When we left I asked about Wilensky’s and the cook agreed, “to die for” fried bologna sandwiches and but not open on Sunday.
We then waddled a bit more thru what used to be (50-60 years ago) one of THE neighborhoods of French money, not the rich rich, but upper middle class. Very beautiful, tree-lined, fully leaved huge old trees and large grand houses, maybe a bit frayed from age but still grand in terms of design and architecture. I was able to snap one of them (it was actually hard to get a clear picture thru all the leafy trees) and one of a neighborhood church that spoke of a once monied neighborhood, in the shadows of
We ended up on
At Sainte Catherine we got off and got ready to see what was described in Fodor’s as another fine shopping street . . . .alas, it too had fallen on hard times. A very few nice stores but mostly seedy places in between now. We hastened into the Hyatt and the mall that was housed within. We found a few delightful stores, including a large food court area. At one kiosk, I found my Beavertail! What a pleasant surprise, after the disappointment in
Back in the room I shut my eyes for a bit while Opal was kept busy with the last minute packing.
Then it was up and out the door to a Chinese buffet that we found last time. It was full of local, Chinese families eating Sunday dinner. So it had to be good, right?!! We would give it an “A” for their a huge selection of dishes, but as for quality and taste, only a “C.” By the time we finished eating and headed out the door, it had started to rain. Good thing our hotel was just on the next block. Back to the room and off to bed. Tomorrow’s an early up for our flight to
The blog is now pau…..latest pictures posted. Thank you for keeping up with our adventures!
Opal and Earl
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