Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Two

The schnitzel was so fresh and tasty...Still thinking about the two pieces that we saved for tomorrow's lunch! Hope it still tastes as good after a little time in the fridge.

Sounds like quite a feast for you yesterday. That would last us a week!

Off to Lake Placid this weekend. Hoping for better weather than last time, so we can do a little hiking. There's also a chairlift we can ride if the weather cooperates. Might be the last hurrah for summer, as I'm working Labor Day weekend. We shall see.

tic

sound of pin dropping….

Yes, I heard it too!

Maybe sound of one hand clapping...

Or a tree falling in the forest if no ones there...

Or a tree falling in the forest if no ones there...

From ESPN Friday, they had this headline: "college football season is kicking off in Australia" with these highlights: "California and Hawaii will kick off the 2016 season in Australia, 17 hours ahead of America's West Coast -- and 20 hours ahead of Hawaiian time. The Sydney College Football Cup will be the first college football game played in Australia since 1987. The country's goal is to attract an NFL game to Sydney in the future. Cal and Hawaii -- two of the geographically closest teams to Australia -- found ways to fit the game into their schedule a week ahead of college football's official Kickoff Week."

Per ESPN Saturday morning, California won 51-31 over Hawaii on Saturday in Sydney's Olympic Stadium. This morning's ESPN story noted: "The teams provided plenty of early entertainment for unfamiliar fans, part of a crowd of 61,247 in the 83,500-seat stadium, scoring two touchdowns each by midway through the opening quarter."

From the Sydney Morning Herald, their story noted: "The resounding success of the first Sydney Cup college football game has raised hopes that an NFL fixture will be next to hit Sydney's shores. A bumper crowd of 61,247 flocked to ANZ Stadium. But the big question was if this was a prelude to bigger American sporting events in Australia. University of Hawaii's athletic director David Matlin said the NFL was watching the event closely and believes a competitive fixture is on the cards for Sydney. He said: 'I think it's a possibility. I think you have the facilities and the sports enthusiasts, so it's a real good place for sporting events.' Matlin was effusive over the way the Sydney crowd embraced the foreign sport. Describing the event as 'an incredible cultural experience for our student athletes and a lot of fun,' he would like to see the game become an annual fixture, especially due to Hawaii's relatively close proximity to Sydney."

Here is more game/food/beer details from another ESPN story yesterday morning with this headline: "Puppets, no beer and a (very loud) cannon" with these highlights: "Like so many college football game days, the sights and sounds around this contest were just as memorable. Licensing laws in Sydney limit a true authentic tailgate experience in the ANZ Stadium complex, however the promoters of the event made up for it with a free tailgate party at a nearby venue called 'The Brewery.' The Australian spectators dusted off and pulled out their favorite football jerseys. The Sydney crowd absolutely loved the cannon, which was fired after every Cal touchdown. The most popular thing during the game was these two-foot long hot dogs. The abnormally large hot dog was in such high demand people queued close to an hour to get their hands on one. Aussies love their food. All in all it was a fantastic experience for the people of Australia with many fans leaving the stadium with smiles on their faces and praying to the football gods that football will be back on their shores, sooner rather than later."

Do they have those two-foot long hot dogs in the UK? Have never seen them here in the USA. And, at this game, they ran out of beer for a period of time, causing added "challenges" for the fans!!

Is Candy and others ready for the kick-off of college football this coming weekend? This includes this same Hawaii team visiting the Big House Saturday and playing seventh-ranked UM in Ann Arbor at noon?

Full stories at:

http://www.espn.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/102698/kickoff-week-comes-early-australian-rules-college-football

http://www.espn.com/ncf/recap?gameId=400869090

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/us-sports/nfl-game-next-on-the-horizon-after-huge-crowd-at-college-football-sydney-cup-20160827-gr2kli.html

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/17400233/scene-california-golden-bears-hawaii-rainbow-warriors-game-sydney-australia

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

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

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

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 153,955 views for this posting.

For the start of the ESPN video summary of the Cal-Hawaii game, they had this super nice air visual angle of downtown Sydney. Look good? Then, here are fans walking to the stadium. Third is one of those popular two-foot-long hot dogs. WOW!! Those are BIG! Finally, a visual of the football action with the opening kick-off and showing how the field was marked for this game. Fun!!:

Those hot dogs are ridic :-)!

Tim Tebow???Gators??? Relics.

Hmmmmm.

Go Canes!

Go Blue!

Those hot dogs are ridic :-) Tim Tebow???Gators??? Relics. Go Canes! Go Blue!

Glad to get Candy's attention and interest!! What's wrong with Tim Tebow and Gators?? They won their last National Championship in 2008 (with Tebow and Coach Urban Meyer). Plus, the 2006 National Championship under Meyer, too! Michigan's last National Championship was 1997. Way back in the old 20th Century!! Ohio State's most recent National Championships have been in 2002 (beating the University of Miami) and in Jan. 2015. Your Miami is the "relic" last winning its title in 2001. Well??!!

For Miami of Florida, they open 6 pm Saturday against power-puff Florida A&M with the Canes' new head coach Mark Richt. He should be a very good coach. And, now both the Dolphins and the University of Miami will be playing in the re-done and re-named Hard Rock Stadium. Will you be attending that game Saturday? Understand the old Joe Robbie, Pro Player, Dolphins, Land Shark and Sun Life Stadium now has a new canopy roof, color scheme, video boards, seating areas, etc. Some shade there will help.

At noon Saturday will you be watching Michigan host Hawaii? Then, there are four more home games in a row with Central Florida, Colorado, Penn State and Wisconsin on Oct. 1. BUT, the two biggest Michigan college football games this season are on the road for Sat., Oct. 29 at Michigan State and Sat., Nov. 26 at Ohio State. Will you be in Ann Arbor to attend any of these games, or just watching on TV?? Or, coming to Columbus after Thanksgiving for the UM-OSU game?

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 216,109 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

Gosh ....... leave you alone for a day or three and everyone goes dumb!

Have you all lost the power of coolery? :rolleyes::D

Tonight was yet again a curry night here on The balcony at Seaside.

Jeff

:)

Here is a question for all you Brits, and others expert on traveling scenic and interesting crannies of the UK (probably the SE UK):

DH and I will be doing a cruise that ends in Dover again next spring (cruise ends Monday 5/1). He will be dashing home back to work and other things, but I am considering spending a few days, up to a week, solo (NOT driving) to check out a few more British things I have never seen but am keen to see or do, before I do my own return to work dash. I would love to see some real British gardens, or cool nature parks, or things having to do with British history, or historic mansions, (NOT in London) or cute British villages, etc. I can do light walking for a couple miles with some stairs but cannot do major hiking projects with rucks.

Suggestions? I have browsed the internet and the choices are overwhelming. Likely Dover castle and the cliffs would be a place to start. A luxury or at least comfortable and civilized guided tour of some kind where I do not have to worry about driving on the "wrong" side of the road myself would be best. This area is not my TA's expertise, I believe she knows no more than I know, i.e., from the internet.

I prefer NOT to have to go into downtown London, which we enjoyed when we were there in the past, (last was sadly around the time of the 7/7 attacks) but we have already done the key touristy things there and I prefer something more rural. Thanks in advance for any tips!

Hi CL,

To save time and in an effort to be helpful, I'd say that the area between Dover and London is one of the least nugget holding and more barren areas compared to areas surrounding say Southampton. There are a few places, ... but I'd say your opportunity for much worthwhile is somewhat limited if you wish to remain inKent.

Google Rochester, Tunbridge Wells, Cranbrook, and Fordwich.

This may sound like a lateral suggestion, but a thought for you would be to consider taking a ferry across the water to one of the French ports from Dover for some seafood and armagnac and calvados. If it were a choice of Kent or Brittany, I'd take the latter. It may mean car hire or the use of local transport if you are adventurous. Or bite the bullet and up to London. That is what I'd do.

Enjoy your visit.

Jeff

Hever castle,Leeds Castle,Chartwell the home of Winston Churchill,Sissinghurst,Emmetts Garden,Ightham, Whitstable,I could go on as Kent has many attractions to visit.

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Hever castle, Leeds Castle, Chartwell the home of Winston Churchill, Sissinghurst, Emmetts Garden, Ightham, Whitstable, I could go on as Kent has many attractions to visit.

UKCruiseJeff: Tunbridge Wells

Catlover54: Non-London things to do for a few spring days' date=' starting in Dover. Here is a question for all you Brits, and [b']others expert on traveling scenic and interesting crannies[/b] of the UK (probably the SE UK). I am considering spending a few days, up to a week, solo (NOT driving) to check out a few more British things I have never seen. I would love to see some real British gardens, or cool nature parks, or things having to do with British history, or historic mansions, or cute British villages, etc.

Great to see some of the mentions by Jeff and Mr Luxury for Tunbridge Wells, Chartwell, Sissinghurst, etc. While our experiences have only been a small fraction of those more skilled UK veterans, we did have in July 2008 five days between boarding in Dover for our Baltics-Russia cruise. We stayed and were based in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Below are only a few of my visuals from certain of these areas previously mentioned and some locations/sights that we super loved. Lots of great areas and options in these charming parts of England. Plus, Brittany/Normandy could be wonderful options, too!!

Having a National Trust pass was helpful for us in touring and visiting many different locations in this region with lots of history.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting and dramatic pictures can be seen from my latest live/blog at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 18,884 views for this reporting and visual sharing that includes Cape Town, all along the South Africa coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

Here is Southern England’s Bodiam Castle that we enjoyed before departing from Dover on our 2008 Baltics cruise. This is one of my favorite visuals from our visit to this part of the UK. It is a 14th-century moated castle near Robertsbridge in East Sussex. Built in 1385, it was designed to defend against potential French invasion during the Hundred Years' War.:

Sissinghurst Gardens & Castle was created in the 1930s by Vita Sackville-West, a poet and gardening writer. Not much of the castle is left here, but the gardens are very nice and highly interesting. This view was taken from what is left from one of the castle towers.:

Here is part of the study for Ruyard Kipling, the Nobel Prize winner for literature. The house is called "Bateman's" and is in Burwash, East Sussex. He lived here from 1902 until 1936. The house was given to the National Trust and is now a public museum with many items, including that Nobel Prize, related to the author and his writing history be displayed.:

This is an exterior view of Sir Winston Churchill’s country home of Chartwell. It is located two miles south of Westerham, Kent. They purchased the country home in 1922. Much is preserved as it would have looked when the Churchills owned it. The rooms are decorated with memorabilia, clothing, original furniture and books, as well as some of the honors and medals that Churchill received. Plus, his art painting building, walls, etc., are here. Lots of history here!:

Here is a historic car and its occupants driving past Hever Castle. No, that's not me and my wife! We were there when older vehicles were being "rallied" here. Hever Castle has a sitting room that was re-done by the famed and wealthy Astors who owned the home and lived here in the early 1900's. Hever is where Anne Boylen grew up and was courted by Henry the VIII.:

At the Great Dixter House & Garden in the southern Kent area, this view is looking out the leaded-glass window to part of the gardens. Located at Northiam, East Sussex, it was built in 1910–12 to combine with an existing mid-15th century house on the site. The gardens were very good and had a wide variety of plants. Some of the more recent designs in the gardens were done by Christopher Lloyd, a popular garden writer and TV personality, plus earlier work was done by his father and others. This property even has a oast house or hop kiln on its grounds.:

Thanks to all for posting ideas on S.E. England places to visit after disembarking in Dover, and to Terry for the beautiful photos!

Terry, also thank you for reminding me of Kipling, as I had not thought about Rudyard Kipling’s works for years. My mother used to recite his famous poem below, “IF”, to me when I was young, e.g., when I would get disproportionately upset about various things in my life and the world, as young teens do. She was not a native English speaker, so her recitations were always heavily accented, but very passionate. She told me she had learned the poem and basic English, illegally, on the "black market”, during her youth in the bloodlands of eastern Europe (where freedom of speech and expression, not to mention millions of lives, were destroyed or otherwise devastated, by tyrants from both east and west). She had found the words inspiring. She usually choked up on the last few lines of the third stanza.

IF

by Rudyard Kipling

"If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too:

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;

If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim,

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same:.

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings,

And never breathe a word about your loss:

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much:

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son! "

Catlover - I find myself agreeing with Mr. L here, rather than Jeff. Sissinghurst gardens are especially lovely, and all the others he mentioned well worth visiting. Public transport to them could be a problem, maybe; a car and driver easier.

Lola

Hi Lola,

For the removal of any doubt ..... it seems to me there are two questions. If the question is "is there sufficient in Kent to keep us occupied for a few days, then I agree the answer is "yes". There are enough tourist attractions to keep CL occupied if that is what they seek.

If the question is "are there any other better ways of soending a few days" then that is an entirely different question.

I wasn't suggesting there was insufficient to keep CL occupied, but was suggesting there might be better options having come all that way. That was all. No right or wrong answesm just different opinions to choose from.

Jeff

Kent is known as the Garden of Englnd and as advised above there are a great many lovely gardens to visit, especially at the time you will be there.

I would advise looking to base yourself at Gravetye Manor, at East Grinstead, which albeit in the adjoining county of East Sussex is an ideal, and civilised hostelry from which to set forth each day on garden tours.

Gravetye's gardens were laid out by William Robinson and are superb and particularly recently as such attention has been given to the re-establishment of the kitchen garden there to accommodate the very good restaurants requirements.

Sissinghurst White Garden, should be at its best then, ( given a fair Spring) and Leeds Castle oft referred to as ' the most beautiful castle in Englnd' should not be missed.

Kent is known as the Garden of Englnd and as advised above there are a great many lovely gardens to visit, especially at the time you will be there.

 

I would advise looking to base yourself at Gravetye Manor, at East Grinstead, which albeit in the adjoining county of East Sussex is an ideal, and civilised hostelry from which to set forth each day on garden tours.

 

Gravetye's gardens were laid out by William Robinson and are superb and particularly recently as such attention has been given to the re-establishment of the kitchen garden there to accommodate the very good restaurants requirements.

 

Sissinghurst White Garden, should be at its best then, ( given a fair Spring) and Leeds Castle oft referred to as ' the most beautiful castle in Englnd' should not be missed.

P,

It is true that Kent is known as "The Garden of England", a phrase coined by the the people of Kent no less, but this was not as you say anything to do with "gardens" or any of the formal gardens you mentioned. It is to do with hop and fruit growing and orchards which Kent is particularly well known for. Even that doesn't place them in first place. A study a few years ago placed them in fifth place behind four other counties.

Jeff

https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/jun/01/ruralaffairs.travelnews

Excellent article. But, please, don't spread the news too widely. We don't want all those Kentish chavs visiting!;)

Kent is known as the Garden of Englnd and as advised above there are a great many lovely gardens to visit, especially at the time you will be there.

 

 

 

I would advise looking to base yourself at Gravetye Manor, at East Grinstead, which albeit in the adjoining county of East Sussex is an ideal, and civilised hostelry from which to set forth each day on garden tours.

 

 

 

Gravetye's gardens were laid out by William Robinson and are superb and particularly recently as such attention has been given to the re-establishment of the kitchen garden there to accommodate the very good restaurants requirements.

 

 

 

Sissinghurst White Garden, should be at its best then, ( given a fair Spring) and Leeds Castle oft referred to as ' the most beautiful castle in Englnd' should not be missed.

An excellent suggestion with GRAVETYE Manor

The head gardener now is Tom and he has a lovely dog called Vera that follows him around the gardens.

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Thanks to all for posting ideas on S.E. England places to visit after disembarking in Dover, and to Terry for the beautiful photos! Terry, also thank you for reminding me of Kipling, as I had not thought about Rudyard Kipling’s works for years. My mother used to recite his famous poem below, “IF”, to me when I was young, e.g., when I would get disproportionately upset about various things in my life and the world, as young teens do.

IF by Rudyard Kipling

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much:

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

lincslady: Cataloger - I find myself agreeing with Mr. L here' date=' rather than Jeff. [b']Sissinghurst gardens are especially lovely[/b], and all the others he mentioned well worth visiting. Public transport to them could be a problem, maybe; a car and driver easier. Lola

Perfectionistcruiser: Sissinghurst White Garden' date='[/b'] should be at its best then

So happy that Catlover54 made a nice follow-up and did so much to detail her excellent/loving family connections with Rudyard Kipling and his writings. YES, the words of "IF" are very special and important. The final stanza is probably the most moving/memorable for me. Great, meaningful writing!!

Also appreciate the mentions regarding Sissinghurst, especially their famed White Garden. Below are a few more of my visuals from Sisinghurst, plus more at Churchill's country home.

I will not wade into the "debate" for the best gardens, historic homes, scenic areas, etc., in England. That's way, way above my pay-grade, skill and experience level!! I can just share, however, that we loved what we saw and enjoyed at so many of these varied locations that we visited in five days prior to our Baltics/Russia cruise. Our base in Royal Tunbridge Wells also worked very well. Cute town. Plus, these many wonderful options mention by Jeff, etc., are another reason to go back to the UK and do more tour exploring there!!

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 202,460 views.

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

From Kipling's home, here is its exterior view with my wife shown on the left side. Second is what the award, at that time, looked that the author received from the Nobel Committee. Not as fancy as I had expected. But, this is the "real thing" and well deserved for his skill and fame.:

Here are two views from Sissinghurst's White Garden. From the second picture, fortunately, my wife was wearing white for this visual to make the picture more fitting and complete given its great location.:

From Churchill's Chartwell, here is a better exterior view than what I had posted earlier. This is the angle from the lower, garden areas. Second is a view for the interior of Churchill's study. At the left is a large wall display related to the D-Day landing. In this study, the guides told us that Churchill did most of his writing while standing and dictating to secretaries for his books and newspaper articles. Churchill also "worked" at different hours, usually late in the evenings and with "help" from beverages.:

I booked six nights at Gravetye for me alone after our SB cruise, to lock it in and buy me time time to research all the wonderful touring suggestions, as there is more than enough to inspire me in that area, even if it rains. DH is not keen on castles and gardens beyond an hour or two ( he says they all look alike) so this will be a good way for me to start to see some in the UK without torturing him. We just got done seeing a few in Denmark and Norway and that will be enough for him for a while.

But I will need to figure out the details of the transportation to get around while there, from first castle and garden to the next castle and garden, given my fears of car rentals where driving on the left is required. I have driven well over a million miles on the right, and am faster and more competent than at least 95 per cent of drivers in America, with no accidents, but the idea of driving on the left is oddly intimidating. I will probably hire a car to get me to Gravetye, settle in, and then go rent a car locally for the quiet rural roads, which I see are available nearby in at least two nearby places, and would not be as scary as renting and driving out of busy Dover post the cruise.

Many things other than gardens and castles are listed as activities near Gravetye, shown on the link below. I will not likely be

participating in the "quad biking" or the "axe throwing" advertised for this area, or in the "ultimate laser games" or "Delta Force Paint Ball", as I have access to even better opportunities for machoness ( or fachoness?) with close to the real thing at home thanks to America's Constitution, and my acquaintance with American hardcore very serious military veterans. But perhaps Jeff and Mr. Luxury would like to gather at Gravetye and slug it out with some Paint Ball? Or they could at least compete for the two-foot long hot dog up-thread? :)

Again, thanks to all for very helpful suggestions. I did not mean to create controversy, all your listings sound wonderful to me regardless of which region is considered to have the "best" gardens in the UK. DH and I will need to do a dedicated long UK driving tour at some point. We have been to Scotland on a big hiking trip in the Highlands a few years ago ( fantastic) before health barriers suddenly intervened with me precluding more, and London, but that is it, and there is so much more in your great country to see! As DH is a gearhead with a couple cars and motorbikes he regularly takes on race tracks at challenging speeds, he would not likely have a problem with a little thing like driving on the left to get me to some more rural castles and gardens, while I am still mobile. He would be happy to drive from Kent and Sussex to the Cotswalds and Yorkshire and back on a future trip , though a stop at Silverstone would likely be needed enroute for some spiritual sustenance.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionsNear-g1770372-d192557-Gravetye_Manor_Hotel_and_Restaurant-West_Hoathly_West_Sussex_England.html

CL,

I certainly do not think you did anything to create controversy.

Enjoy you six nights.

:)

Jeff

I stayed at Gravetye last year, in January. A beautiful place.

Gravetye Manor by UltraPanavision, on Flickr

Catlover........you plans sound wonderful......maybe Mr Luxury would be able to help you with transportation...if l recall correctly he once mentioned he taxis folk around.....apologies of course if I'm mistaken......

Quiet bank holiday has been enjoyed here in Wales....the offspring have returned joyous with their first cruise in the bag and itching to go again......it was so lovely to hear about their experience as novices!

I shall now start the ten week countdown to the Spirit crossing in November......[emoji483]

Furry baby and l have just been for a beautiful walk along the River Dee, so peaceful and refreshing......healthy luncheon today with a tuna filled baked potato and side salad.......need to get in shape!!!

S[emoji4]

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