Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome!

[UKCruiseJeff]

......meant to say .... that brekkies looks good (and calorific ...) JP. I do hope uou give Salzburger Nöckerl a go ...:D

 

Jeff

[mysty]

Sounds like a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning Jeff. Myster just left for his weekly golf game. Lots of fog this morning so tee off may be delayed.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Morning M,

 

I hope you bought him some flourescent snopake to throw over himself so you can find him and bring him home .....

 

Jeff

[mysty]

Good Morning M,

 

I hope you bought him some flourescent snopake to throw over himself so you can find him and bring him home .....

 

Jeff

Sad to say, I did not! The only spray he left with was insect repellent. I am toying with the idea of getting an id tag/tracer surgically implanted before our cruise. :)

[UKCruiseJeff]

Make sure you put a label on him ... osme one will bring him back.

 

 

[mysty]

Well I certainly hope Myster looks a little more excited to be returned than that poor wee lad. On the other hand, his last disappearance may have been a failed attempt at escape! I had not considered that! Oh My!

[TLCOhio]

Here are a couple more pictures from our Castles on the Rhine Cruise in 2009. For some reason, I tend to focus on pictures with no people in them. My "people" pictures never turn out as well. Maybe that says something about me.

 

YES, for the fun and excitement along the scenic Rhine River in Germany. Below are a few from my photo files for the Rhine and some other nearby options/potentials. Love the castles and historic/romantic potentials in these areas of Germany. Good luck to Chris and JP with their upcoming "adventure"!!

 

Great question for pictures and the "best" style/look. My priority and preference is that having people as a part of the picture gives it context, great viewer interest, etc. Lots of "just the place" or postcard-type pictures are nice, but I have found that the ones with some human involvement and/or connection tend to look and work better. I shoot for both with many varied angles, looks, styles, etc. Then, on the laptop computer, after downloading, I see what works/looks best. Making things "interesting" and "filling the frame" are two of the key factor, in my view, with what makes the most "involving" visuals!! From doing four different National Geographic Traveler photo programs, that "human context" makes an important positive difference. BUT, getting those "winners" takes some time and luck.

 

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 115,940 views for this posting.

 

 

Along German’s Rhine River, here are three examples of castles used for defensive purposes along this famed transportation link. Many of these castles go back hundreds of years and were used to collect tolls along the river, stop enemies, protect people from attacks, etc. We stayed overnight in the second castle that has been converted to a hotel and dining place. That was a fun, interesting night!!:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This southern Germany castle might be the most famous as it inspired Walt Disney in his style/look at his famous parks in Florida and California, etc. BUT, this one was built for a somewhat crazy Ludwig II in the 1869-92 period. It’s called Neuschwanstein Castle, a Romanesque Revival palace on a dramatic/rugged hill site above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria. Is it popular? More than 1.3 million people visit annually, with up to 6,000 per day in the summer. Its interior are very interesting and lavish. Since it was built relatively late in history, it was not used or designed for defensive or war purposes.:

 

 

 

Along the the Mosel River that feds into the Rhine, this waterway is famed for as a wine-growing area, plus several unique castles and other unique architecture examples. Here are two views of the Reichsburg Cochem that was built around the year 1000 by a Palatinate count. In 1688, the castle was overrun by French King Louis XIV's troops. It was later destroyed, but then reconstructed in the Gothic Revival style. The castle has interiors now that are equipped with Renaissance and Baroque furniture.:

 

 

 

[mysty]

Nice photos Terry! :)

[UKCruiseJeff]

All good, Jeff. You'll have to try harder if you want to irritate me. Mysty was right; I "slept in" which for us is anything after 6AM.

 

Have to catch up with all of the details in the past posts but suffice it to say that posting your personal opinion about topics should never be offensive. Offering advice from one's personal perspective is great. That's what CC is all about! Posting nasty personal comments about someone because they have a different opinion (like what tends to happen on some of the other threads) is offensive. I never saw anything in the comments that said, "Wow, that JP... What an idiot for wanting to go to Barcelona..."

 

Back to the topic of Barcelona after I go cook a Kaiserschmarrn for breakfast... And a few more espressos!

 

 

Hiya JP,

 

Now that you've decided to stick with it and "do" Barcelona and love to offer a couple of possible tracks ie insider tracks for you and Chris to ponder to make your trip as honed in as possible. Disjointed thoughts and ponderations for you to googlertise and home in on and ignore or pursue. :)

 

Firstly ...

 

#1 A thinking and utterly daft off line ponderable on my mind for Chris and you is rather than book an over priced non-descript and easily forgetable 5* hotel why not consider something like Citadines on Ramblas. It is an apparthotel chain that is less glossy than other stufff ... but here is the thing. If you make your days so that you are up early and do the sightseeing stuff when it opens .. Citadines is on Ramblas and opposite the market, in my view the only thing for you and Chris worthwhile. Citadines gives you a lounge, kitchen, fridge, oven and hob if you need it, plus coffee and kettle and bedroom. Plush it isn't but you can do plush at home. It gives you a place to prepare stuff from the market. The whole thing about Barcelona is in my view is the market. And a bottle of late night fino before bed and after tapas. So off to the sightseeing stuff really early and then back to Citadines .... and then just across the road to the market to get some custacians for you to put on a plate with a really good bottle of wine that you wouldn't choose in an expensive touristy dive ... and a leisurely lunch at your table overlookingRamplas. I don't know whether you have the drift to my cunning plan ... but there it is. This will seem to most like a really odd suggestion, but expensive hotels in Barcelona, might dissapoint, so I am suggesting that with your interest in food a day shoppin at the market and putting it on a table might turn out to be an unexpected highlight and memory. No money back guarantee ...vjust a suggestion :)

 

#2 I mentioned early starts for tourist stuff. You'll want to do Sagrada Familai.As you know Gaudi’s is still under construction. It will never be finished. One day a group of Japanese tourists doing V signs to their selfies will be flattened by the whole thing. However, unlike most Spanish attractions, it isn’t shut on Mondays. All Spanis assume it is so this means that Mondays is the best day to see it. So if you are there on a Monday prebook for 9am and take your printout to the prebooked-ticket desk on Carrer de la Marina before 9am. This will give you a quieter visit and will give you moe crustacean time.

 

#3 Tapas. Don't go within three or more streets back from Ramblas. My cunning plan for you bnoth is to register Chris with Tripadvisor and ask for some tips that distance away from Ramblas. Then reduce your instinct down to say three or max four tapas places per night and talk to people around you. Frozen fino not wine.

 

Anyway .... I hope I sowed some thoughts for your trip.

 

:)

 

Jeff

Edited August 16, 2015 by UKCruiseJeff

[TLCOhio]

So Barcelona... What interests us? We never got to see much of the Gaudi architecture other than the Sagrada Familia, which will be different now some 7+ years later. We want to see the park. And we want to wander around looking for nice tapas. We would not have a huge agenda; just to take it day by day and enjoy nice food and drink. I don't think we'd need more than 2 or 3 days. As far as the distance, inconvenience for just a long weekend - no biggie for us. It's an overnight flight there and it can be direct from JFK. Coming home would be one stopover. Jetlag doesn't bother us too much these days.

 

Appreciate these added details, interests, approaches from JP as you consider your options/needs for a potential Barcelona visit. Excellent ideas and thoughts provided by Jeff.

 

Here are some more on the options/visuals to consider on Gaudi architecture. Yes, much more there than just with the Sagrada Familia. Keep planning and research. Lots of great potentials there in Barcelona.

 

Before our cruise near our first hotel we did the Barcelona Tapas place named Neyras that we enjoyed so much. They are in the neighborhood of Sant Pere Santa Caterina i la Ribera with an address of Laietana, 41, 08003 Barcelona, Spain and their phone is +34 933024647. You can see more detailed reviews at:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187497-d751585-Reviews-Neyras-Barcelona_Catalonia.html

 

After our cruise in Barcelona on a Sunday night we did dining out at Les Quinze Nity in the La Place Reial just off of the La Rambla. Great meal and value at this place. This location is a popular square that is a social focal point especially at night. It was filled, even on a Sunday night, with Barcelonian's and tourists soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying some food or drinks at one of the many restaurants or bars that surround this interesting square.

 

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 183,605 views.

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

 

 

At Antoni Gaudí’s Palau Guell, this shot provides more details on the iron work for one of the two "gates" at the front of this mansion. It was designed for the Catalan industrial tycoon Eusebi Guell.:

 

 

 

This is the Palau Guell main dining room for the family.:

 

 

 

This is overall sampling for the central “open space” of Palau Guell. This area was used for concerts, receptions, had a chapel, etc. You can see how it rose up to the higher, decorative levels within this unique room. :

 

 

 

This is a tighter shot for some of the upper design details for this main, central area of the residence.:

 

 

 

Here is one of my pictures from the roof of Palau Guell with the twenty different chimneys, plus the central, middle tower that provides light to the main area of the house below. Many chimneys are decorated, Gaudi-style, with broken tile shards in special, creative designs. :

 

 

 

This is a closer look at the top of one of Gaudi’s most famous buildings along one of Barcelona’s major boulevards.:

 

[mysty]

Your suggestions sound like great fun Jeff! What was on the menu at Taverna Jeff today?

[UKCruiseJeff]

Your suggestions sound like great fun Jeff! What was on the menu at Taverna Jeff today?

 

Hi M!

 

She said that the cote beouf was too big each so I was told to split one between us!

 

What about you!

 

Jeff

 

[mysty]

Looks great Jeff! Portions are a wee bit large but they do look yummy. We had corn on the cob tonight. Something light with a California chardonnay. Myster was a little spent after golf in 30 C temps. He did manage a 93 on a par 72. He was pleased! :)

[jpalbny]

Tonight was pizza night at the Weinstube. We made dough yesterday before we found out that our friends were in town, so it went into the fridge and got to sit for 24 hours and get extra tasty. Dinner last night was fun, but I liked putting some fresh ingredients on the dough and cooking it over the extra hot pizza stone, on the grill.

 

We had one pizza with arugula, fresh cherry tomatoes, prosciutto, and mozzarella. Pre cooking:

 

 

Ready to eat!

 

 

 

The other one had tomato sauce, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and a little Feta on my side for a Mediterranean touch. Chris doesn't like Feta so more for me! Here's before...

 

 

And after. The torn basil leaves didn't like the heat too much so in retrospect I should have added them after cooking. Tasted great, though!

 

 

And some accompaniments! The balsamic and the olive oil both came from Eataly last month. I love a spray of balsamic on my pizza with arugula and fresh tomatoes - it turns it into a cross between pizza and salad. Tonight's rosé was from Langue d'oc.

 

 

Speaking of which, it's clearly defective because it's empty! Time to go raid the wine fridge and find something else. Good night all.

[mysty]

Those pizzas look awesome JP! I'm drooling on my keyboard! :)

[TLCOhio]

Hi M! She said that the cote beouf was too big each so I was told to split one between us! What about you! Jeff

 

Dinner for Jeff and his wife looks super. Nothing fancy for us. Just getting some subs from our local favorite. I will have half of a meat ball sub with cheese. Then, another half of their special Italian sub. Both excellent!!

 

Dropped by our neighborhood park, Whetstone Park, that has our community's Park of Roses. It's one of the largest such rose parks in the nation. We are past the peak of the season for roses, but I have a few pictures below to share. More eye-candy??!!

 

Winning the PGA Championship right now is Jason Day. He's from Australia, but lives now in Central Ohio with wife and son. His wife grew up near here in Ohio.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Super loved Dubrovnik!!! See more details and lots of great visual samples/examples at this link. Have had over 29,745 views on this posting and appreciate those who have tuned-in and dropped by.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439227

 

 

From our Park of Roses in Columbus near our home, here are a few photo examples from walking through there this afternoon. We are past the "peak" of the rose season, but I found a few interesting flower examples. Plus, folks doing a bridial picture with her maid of honor, etc. Really up close insect action, too!! Like those eyes?:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TLCOhio]

YES, JP's pizza looks super excellent. He did his posting as I was preparing mine and I missed commenting earlier on that wonderful eye candy. Jeff is getting some serious competition for the title of King of "food porn" in these posting battles.

 

Here are a few more from our nearby park with its Park of Roses. Plus, one added neighborhood picture. It's not wonderful California, but it looks good and is close to home.

 

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 115,940 views for this posting

 

 

From Columbus' Whetstone Park, here are some more roses and other floral treats. Good "eye candy"?:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is nice plaque from our nearby park that sums up things nicely for why we like garden so much.:

 

 

 

In our nearby neighborhood, here's a nice looking residential home, plus some good flowers, a nice banner, etc.:

 

[jpalbny]

Jeff - nice steaks but the sautéed mushrooms with parsley really caught my eye. That's a great accompaniment. to a juicy piece of steak. Or the right mushrooms can make a meal all by themselves!

 

Thanks for your Barcelona hints. Will share with Chris and see what she has in mind. I asked her yesterday if she was sure that there was enough to do for 2-3 days and she laughed at me. I bet she still has an index card or two from our last visit, tucked away somewhere, waiting to be pulled out and revisited. That girl is organized!

 

Terry - great flower shots! Our orchids are blooming like crazy this year which is a pleasant surprise. Will have to get some shots and post in a few days when they peak.

 

Mysty - careful, you'll get a short in the keyboard and then who knows what you'll be typing! ;)

[mysty]

JP, ohiejeheguelke keike sihid siseis it! :) OOOOOPS! Too late JP! :)

[jpalbny]

JP, ohiejeheguelke keike sihid siseis it! :) OOOOOPS! Too late JP! :)

 

Now you've done it... Spilled your wine all over the keyboard!

[mysty]

My bad! :) Have a great night JP!

[UKCruiseJeff]

M. Yes that was one steak split in half ....

 

Hi JP ... those pizza look wonderful. And really impressed that you are allowing the dough to mature. If you have space keeping a few sleeping in the fridge is a great way oif having a really good pizza at virtually no notice. Roughly what hydration are you going to?

 

The mushrooms were fresh green whole large garlic cloves braised in butter and olive oil with some coarse sea salt then the thich-cut flat mushrooms added with some Greek basil from the window farm... and just topped with some flat leaf parlsey on serving. To be completely honest the mushrooms were the highlight of the meal .... glad you noticed. :)

 

I hope the suggestions are helpful. The market and you are a marriage made in heaven.

 

Jeff

[mysty]

I'm so excited! Our son is making a visit this week. He hasn't been home since 2013. Now I must prepare his old room in the castle and try to figure out what to feed him. He is also a better cook than I am. He's much more like Myster than like me. Can't wait to see him!

[UKCruiseJeff]

I'm so excited! Our son is making a visit this week. He hasn't been home since 2013. Now I must prepare his old room in the castle and try to figure out what to feed him. He is also a better cook than I am. He's much more like Myster than like me. Can't wait to see him!

 

M,

 

I think the main thing you need to do is sobre up before sonny returns back! You need to set a decent example and I saw your typings last night and I hope you've drunk some esspressos. And scrape all that snopake off of dad!

 

From what you have said .... Terry is a better cook than you ...... :D

 

Jeff

 

 

[mysty]

Sober up????? Way too late for that! And good example? Pffffft! Even later! :) Myster managed to tidy up after his golf game and will be quite presentable by the time Sonny arrives. And Terry is probably better than me at almost everything. It's OK though. My self esteem is tied to other less obvious skills. ;). Your lunch looks wonderful. Maybe I should ship Sonny over to you for a great meal. :D