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jpalbny

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About Me

  • Location
    Albany, NY
  • Interests
    Adventure travel, wine, food
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Silversea, Ponant, Uniworld
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Wherever I am going next!
  • If you have a personal or hobby CRUISE or TRAVEL BLOG, include the url here:
    http://jpalbny.smugmug.com, https://www.blogger.com/profile/01909358205846920309

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  1. Having a great time so far. Our 8:20 arrival worked well. We already covered the western part of the island today before checking in to our Ponta Delgada hotel.
  2. Greetings from Lisbon Airport! Our flight to Ponta Delgada leaves in an hour. Saturday morning we awoke to a winter wonderland. The drive to Boston was unpleasant but we got there and were safely in Lisbon by Sunday morning. Not much sleep though as it was a short flight. We rented a car and drove to Cabo da Roca for the views. Then we went to Cascais for even better views! A delicious outdoor lunch. The snow and ice were soon a distant memory. Great beach weather. Back to the airport to check in at the Melia Hotel. We took the Metro to Vasco da Gama Mall for dinner. Then in bed by 8PM for our 4AM wake-up call.
  3. Loving your posts! Wish we were cruising together so we could share in the fun.
  4. Can't wait to cruise on Le Commandant Charcot this winter - twice! Ocean Voyage Reykjavik to Tromsø in October, then Helsinki RT for Christmas Markets. It won't be Antarctica but we're excited just the same.
  5. Apropos to this development, here is an excerpt from a message I received today. A friend is on Nova and this is his take on the dress code so far: DRESS: Our first formal “optional” night, we arrived at Atlantide @ 8:15p and were given a table whereby we could see the coming and going of all guests. The venue was packed and only two couples arrived later than us. Out of 52 men, 25 were in tuxedos or suits, 24 in sports jackets with tie, and 3 in jackets with no ties. Jackets were worn through the entire meal, none were draped over a seat as has been reported elsewhere. We have one more formal “optional” night remaining. All other nights are classified as “elegant casual”. This means for men, open collar shirts are acceptable, jackets are optional. Slacks are required as jeans and shorts are not allowed after 6:00p in indoor venues. Outdoor venues are always casual. We dined at the grill one evening and it was practically like being at a neighborhood barbecue party, with the vast majority of men in shirts without collars and at least half in t-shirts. I’d say at least one-third were wearing shorts as well, including a couple who apparently were allowed to dine in their swimwear. Another evening we dined in SALT. Again, the venue was packed to the gills when we arrived @ 8:00p. I was taken aback by how poorly the men were dressed. Of the 63 I could count, 10 were literally allowed to wear t-shirts! Another 12 were in what I would categorize as golf shirts, and another 17 in short sleeve collared shirts. 14 wore dress shirts and no jacket while 8 wore a jacket. 2 wore a jacket and tie; me and a gentleman from Italy. It was like eating in a cheap Hilton or Ramada Inn dining room and I felt so out of place. Last night we dined in Silver Note. Much smaller venue and only one table was open after we were seated @ 8:30p. 2 men in t-shirts, 4 in collared short sleeves, 11 in dress shirts without jacket, 1 in a Helly Hansen work out shirt, and 4 in a jacket without tie; me, an old chap days away from the grave, and a couple from the Netherlands. All-in-all, and just as I feared, this dumbing down of the dress code on Silver Nova is heading toward the lowest common denominator in dress, and is taking SS away from the elegance and sartorial classiness that made it special.
  6. Glad you're back on board! I've heard all sorts of unflattering comments about Qantas lately. Glad it was only a 2h flight. Looking forward to following along with your journey. Have a great time!
  7. Lirio, that's not much warmer than my wine refrigerator!
  8. Here's the halibut dish I cooked up.for tonight. 2 red potatoes, halved and sliced, then sautéed in olive oil with salt and pepper. Add some shallots and chopped garlic. I also added a few sliced mushrooms for good measure. Put the halibut on top and drizzle with more olive oil. Sprinkle so.e herbs. Then transfer to the oven to bake until the fish is done. It came out nicely, and stood up to a California Grenache. My inspiration for this was a dish that I had for lunch at a winery along the Douro. They served a healthy slab of baked cod over spinach and potatoes with lots of olive oil. Maybe next time I'll add some greenery...
  9. For the first bottle, sure... Today we had a craving for some halibut, so we took two small fillets out to thaw while we went out for a walk. Unfortunately the treadmill is on the fritz so we had to bundle up in the 40-some degree chill and brave the wind in order to get our steps. This chilly expedition put me in the mood for a red wine. But with halibut? I thought back to a delicious lunch that I had along the Douro, where they paired a cod fillet with a light red... So, I cooked some potato slices in olive oil with shallots and garlic, then threw in a few sliced mushrooms. Finally I put the halibut fillets on top and baked it in the oven until the fish was just cooked through. A drizzle of olive oil and some herbs finished the dish. And it went well with a Grenache!
  10. So we had three nights there. On the first evening, which was the day our arrival, we went to Eataly and had a light dinner on their outdoor patio. The second night, we had dinner with Chris's friend at their house. The last night we had dinner at a place by Naviglio Grande. The restaurant was called Osteria della Darsena and we enjoyed the food very much. Fried squash blossoms, veal chop Milanese, osso bucco, Panna cotta, and Pinot Nero. It was so warm that we put the wine in an ice bucket! Delicious food but obviously very heavy. Luckily we had a decent walk back to the Metro station!
  11. I looked, and neither of the places that we had dinner are near that area. Sorry!
  12. I'm glad that you got to meet up! Maybe next time it will be somewhere close enough for us to join you.
  13. Sorry to hear this. May those good memories bring you comfort. Dora has been very cuddly all weekend so she has had lots of extra attention. Will give her an extra hug for you and Marino.
  14. Safe travels home and thank you for bringing us along on your journey! We enjoyed traveling with you.
  15. Thanks - I had to look them up to remember the difference. And the fact that they both are in Antarctica for the Austral Summer. Here is my lucky shot, taken from the shoreline at Deception Island almost 15 years ago.
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