Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Two

[mysty]

We took a ship excursion last night for our 1st of 2 days in Lima. It was called "A Night Out in Lima". Traffic in Lima at that time of evening is horrendous! We got to the Fountain Park about an hour after we left the ship. Here is a picture of one of the many fountains in the park.

 

 

 

We then drove (or attempted to drive) around a few of the squares in downtown Lima. No real photo ops because it was dark by then and traffic was an issue.

 

We dined at Casa Aliago. Beautiful extremely ornate old home.

 

 

 

We were served a Pisco Sour on arrival along with some canapes.

 

 

First course was asparagus souffle.

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

Mysty, stunning piccies ....... and what an adventure.

 

Food piccies in return .... although we're getting a better deal with your piccies than mine! The fountain looks wonderful and so does that food! A real set of memories.

 

My ipad piccies are toooooooo dark! The food was lighter and nicer than it looked I promise! Chicken in thyme and wine and mushrooms with loads of fresh veggies for wifey yesterday and some nice fresh Neapolitan pizza today ... she doesn't like cheese ...... I hope Myster is missing his pizza ..... ;)

 

 

Jeff

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 16, 2016 by UKCruiseJeff

[jpalbny]

Yummy food everyone! I made pizza last week... chopped garlic, arugula, fresh cherry tomatoes, prosciutto, and topped with shaved young Pecorino Romano. I got the cheese at the counter, in a fantastic store in Manhattan called Eataly. Love that place...

 

Here's the partly-finished project along with some nice Sicilian olive oil that we used for dipping the crust.

 

 

And on another random note, a rainbow that appeared out our front door last weekend.

 

 

Snowing today. Looks beautiful, but at some point we have to go out and drive in it. Hope traffic isn't too bad!

Edited January 16, 2016 by jpalbny

[mysty]

Morning All!

 

J... Thanks for your kind comments! The meal was a wonderful experience. And Myster actually had pizza for breakfast two days ago. :) So he is getting his "fix". But all the pizzas on display this morning here on the cooler look amazing!

 

Love the rainbow JP!

[Catlover54]

Nothing to do with pizza, but while surfing their juicy visuals here, JPALBANY, I noticed on your signature that you are headed for the Danube in April. Presumably that will include a stop in Budapest?

 

If so, while there, you may wish to check out the fascinating "Hospital in the Rock". They give very interesting tours describing what went on in the mountain (from the care of the wounded fighting the Germans in WW2, to care of Hungarian freedom fighters fighting the Communists before they were crushed in 1956, to nuclear bunker).

BTW, there are discounts for health care professionals if you can show an ID (though in the grand scheme of spending thousands of dollars on a cruise, it is a trivial benny)

 

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g274887-d2169533-Reviews-Hospital_in_the_Rock_Nuclear_Bunker_Museum-Budapest_Central_Hungary.html

[Nigella]

Good Morning Coolers!

 

Sophia, thoughts are with you.

 

Mysty, thanks for your pics. We very nearly took the same itinerary on Silver Spirit about 3 years ago. We weren't able to go ahead with the cruise so it's good to see your photos.

 

Jeff, does the air thingy cook bacon? I'm incapable of cooking it properly for some reason. Sticking it under the grill seems to be the best option but it's so messy and I'm so lazy that I can never be bothered.

 

Snow here too (England) this morning. Not much of it but it's chilly. I'm in semi-hibernation mode here in my little cottage but I'll need to venture out to stock up my fridge soon. Or an order for Ocado to deliver ;)

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Morning Coolers!

 

 

Jeff, does the air thingy cook bacon? I'm incapable of cooking it properly for some reason. Sticking it under the grill seems to be the best option but it's so messy and I'm so lazy that I can never be bothered.

 

Snow here too (England) this morning. Not much of it but it's chilly. I'm in semi-hibernation mode here in my little cottage but I'll need to venture out to stock up my fridge soon. Or an order for Ocado to deliver ;)

 

Hi Nigella, we're waiting for our snow but I am sorry to say we will not get any.

 

Your bacon challenge. It may be as much about the bacon you chose as it is about how you cook it. After a lot of research my favourite bacon happens to be the cheapest you can buy. It is Ocado smoked streaky. I wipe a dry cold pan with a smear of oil and then lay the bacon in it and then cook until it just starts to carmelise. On a similar topic my favourite sausages after extensive research is Waitrose cheapest. They make sublime breakfast sausages and divine sausage sandwiches. The bacon is £1.50 and the sausages £1.40. In pursuit of course ground high pork cointent sozzies I overlooked how wonderful the tradtional banger was and is and how it was what I had been searching for. I prefer fine ground rather than course sozzies and I airfry these on around 150 for around 25 minutes or so, slice them lengthwise and eat them in sandwiches. They are in a way a bit like a frankfurter in taste but mated with a banger, if you get my drift. Some where between an Alsace and a banger. Wifey yearns for these sozzies more than she yearns for the cook.

 

Hope this helps you find your porky dreams.

 

Jeff

 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2016 by UKCruiseJeff

[jpalbny]

Nothing to do with pizza, but while surfing their juicy visuals here, JPALBANY, I noticed on your signature that you are headed for the Danube in April. Presumably that will include a stop in Budapest?

 

If so, while there, you may wish to check out the fascinating "Hospital in the Rock". They give very interesting tours describing what went on in the mountain (from the care of the wounded fighting the Germans in WW2, to care of Hungarian freedom fighters fighting the Communists before they were crushed in 1956, to nuclear bunker).

BTW, there are discounts for health care professionals if you can show an ID (though in the grand scheme of spending thousands of dollars on a cruise, it is a trivial benny)

 

Yes, and if all goes according to plan, we will have a few days in Budapest pre-cruise. This looks very interesting. Thanks very much for sharing!

[Nigella]

Thanks Jeff.

 

You have a point about the bacon. I use Helen Browning's back bacon which is bloody expensive so I'll be glad of a less pricey alternative.

 

I haven't tried those sausages from Waitrose. Your description of them sells them very well so I'll add them to my next order.

There's a fabulous butcher in the town near where my brother lives, so I stock up the UK freezer whenever I go to visit him. If I'm out of stock I do like the Waitrose Duchy Organics ones.

 

Snow here is almost all gone. Now it's just grey and chilly and horrible....

[Fletcher]

I would agree with Jeff abut bacon. Back bacon, which the English seem to prefer, never cooks properly and usually ends up flabby and horrible. I never, ever, eat it. Streaky bacon is the only bacon that cooks properly. I have just returned from Rome and our hotel served bacon as streaky pigs' cheek and that was stunning.

 

On the subject of sausages, I personally would never buy any supermarket sausage and that includes Waitrose where standards have sunk in recent years. Waitrose sausages leech out loads of water. I occasionally buy a free range chicken from Waitrose and maybe a joint of lamb but never beef or pork because the quality is low and the butchery skills even lower. You can't beat a proper butchers' sausage in my view and I tend to roast them with a teaspoon of lard for the best results. They get nice and sticky that way.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Fletcher

[les37b]

I use the airfryer for almost everything. Where do I start.

 

This mornings croissants, pies, sausage rolls, last nights sausage sandwich, small roasts, char siu, scampi, fish fingers, chicken pieces, roast pots, baked pots, etc etc.

 

Jeff

 

Haha..... you ate croissants, pies, sausage rolls, last nights sausage sandwich, small roasts, char siu, scampi, fish fingers, chicken pieces, roast pots, baked pots, etc etc. this morning!!!

 

Gonna try Cajun spiced sweet potato bake today. (Frozen Iceland). Normally I think thats quite greasy, so hopefully it wont be cooked this way..... We shall see!!

 

On the subject of buying meat, I think you cant get much better that the Costco butcher department which always seems to be high quality.

Edited January 17, 2016 by les37b

[UKCruiseJeff]

I would agree with Jeff abut bacon. Back bacon, which the English seem to prefer, never cooks properly and usually ends up flabby and horrible. I never, ever, eat it. Streaky bacon is the only bacon that cooks properly. I have just returned from Rome and our hotel served bacon as streaky pigs' cheek and that was stunning.

 

On the subject of sausages, I personally would never buy any supermarket sausage and that includes Waitrose where standards have sunk in recent years. Waitrose sausages leech out loads of water. I occasionally buy a free range chicken from Waitrose and maybe a joint of lamb but never beef or pork because the quality is low and the butchery skills even lower. You can't beat a proper butchers' sausage in my view and I tend to roast them with a teaspoon of lard for the best results. They get nice and sticky that way.

 

You may have found a suasage you particularly like, but as someone who use to make sausages from scratch I would have agreed with you twenty years ago, but now Ocado offer a choice of 120 different varieties of fresh sausages and most discerning sausage officionados would find something for them to enjoy. I havent had any sausages that ever leak water and I have had a quick look and none of the sausages I have just looked at contain added water. I have no idea what you have been eating that leeches water. I have never ever cooked a sausage that leaks water. Ocado and Waitrose also offer amazing Hampshire raised pork which we buy regularly partciularly fillet and belly. I'm puzzled by the water and the pork generally you have been experiencing but we agree on the bacon.

 

We have two local award sausage winning butchers and neither offer anything as good as we find in our Ocado basket!

 

:)

 

Jeff

Edited January 17, 2016 by UKCruiseJeff

[les37b]

Oops. Dont cook Cajun spiced potatos in the air frier! it has a sauce on it!

 

Back in the oven with that! haha

[TLCOhio]

Yes, and if all goes according to plan, we will have a few days in Budapest pre-cruise. This looks very interesting. Thanks very much for sharing!

 

Great that J.P. and Chris are planning to visit Budapest. From our visit there in 1997, we discovered that this town has so much character, wonderful dining and significant history to offer. Budapest is not as nice and fully position compared to nearby Prague and Vienna, but it is well worth the visit and exploring.

 

Budapest is Hungary's capital/largest city with about 1.74 million people in a metro area of 3.3 million. It became a single city on both sides of the Danube with the unification of Buda, Óbuda and Pest in 1873. It was the second capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a great power that dissolved in 1918, following World War I. Budapest has the second-oldest subway line in the world, plus many dozens of geothermal springs, the second largest synagogue and the third largest Parliament building. Budapest has many architecturally interesting buildings in a wide range of styles as some of my pictures below illustrate. It had Turkish occupation, 1541-1686, providing Byzantine architecture and Islamic traditions, plus, functioning original Turkish bathhouses, etc.

 

Loved the food in Budapest!! Hungarian cuisine is a mix of Asiatic aspects with French, Germanic, Italian and Slavic elements. Their food is truly a "melting pot" of the continent We attended a performance at their Hungarian State Opera House, a richly-decorated neo-Renaissance structure on Andrássy that was opened by Emperor Franz Joseph in 1884. Their Dohány Street Synagogue is the largest synagogue in Europe and the second largest active synagogue in the world.

 

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 208,091 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

 

 

Lots to see and do in Budapest. First from my 1997 visuals is their Hungarian Parliament, completed in 1904. We were able to tour inside and see its lavish chambers. Second is their Chain Bridge, a key symbol of their 19th century development. This bridge was built in 1849 and was one of the modern world's engineering wonders at the time of its construction. Its decorations are made of cast iron and it was partly destroyed during World War II. Third was a local musician at the Fisherman's Bastion. Fourth is the Matthias Roman Catholic Church shown next to the Fisherman's Bastion at the heart of Buda's Castle District. Fifth is the Fisherman's Bastion, a neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque style structure built between 1895 and 1902 on the the foundations of the 13th century Dominican Church.:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[les37b]

Brings back good memories Terry. I was there last October.

 

Edited January 17, 2016 by les37b

[UKCruiseJeff]

Les, I admire the fine patina you have developed on your surface there, but who on earth is that chap in front of you?

 

:D

 

Jeff

[TLCOhio]

Les, I admire the fine patina you have developed on your surface there, but who on earth is that chap in front of you? Jeff

 

Appreciate the super comment from Jeff. Actually, Les looks very good in that picture and has a very impressive shadow!! I would bet big money that the much-faster Les could out-run that statute. Fun sharing!!

 

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 133,814 views for this posting.

[les37b]

Les, I admire the fine patina you have developed on your surface there, but who on earth is that chap in front of you?

 

:D

 

Jeff

 

Some wally..... I get several doing it every day! lol

 

Best advice for JP is to do the hop on hop off. Think its about £20 for 2 days. Goes everywhere you need.

 

I'd recommend this little restaurant (which was recommended to us)

 

http://hungarikumbisztro.hu/

 

From this menu, I had the tenderloin which was less than £10 and delicious.

Edited January 17, 2016 by les37b

[spinnaker2]

Les coulda seen medusa or a gorgon.

 

Jeff

Had a ten pound bag of carrots which had been reduced by a few, and in the no waste philosophy, I made a ginger carrot soup with roasted cumin and Greek yogurt for DR spins to take for lunches during the week.

He will probably get a lovely orange caste to his skin! But will be able to see in the dark.

A good trade off.

 

Trying to figure out what to do with kahlua liqueur, any ideas?

 

Terry,

Aren't you watching the blow out football game with Carolina and Seattle?

 

Hope all coolers are enjoying this Sunday.

[TLCOhio]

Terry, Aren't you watching the blow out football game with Carolina and Seattle?

 

Yes, that NFL game is on TV as I am doing South Africa research on the Boer Wars, reading items from today's newspapers, doing CC Board postings, eating lunch, etc. Seattle just scored, but Carolina is still ahead 31-7 and will win. The Panthers have four of their 22 starters coming from Ohio State, including Ted Ginn, Jr. Glad to see Carolina doing super well this season.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Wonderful Kotor and nearby Montenegro? Check these postings. Have had over 26,436 views on this posting and appreciate those who have tuned-in and commented.:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439193

[UKCruiseJeff]

Spins,

 

Part of my apprenticeship at the Playboy and Sandy Lane bars gave me a "Brave Bull". 50/50 Kahlua and Tequilla over lot's of ice, And with a dribble of water if you must, Makes a great after dinner cocktail or pre-sleep drink.

 

Try it and let me know.

 

 

Jeff

[spinnaker2]

Gracias jefe.

[TLCOhio]

Spins, Part of my apprenticeship at the Playboy and Sandy Lane bars gave me a "Brave Bull". 50/50 Kahlua and Tequilla over lot's of ice, And with a dribble of water if you must, Makes a great after dinner cocktail or pre-sleep drink. Try it and let me know. Jeff

 

Jeff's drink idea sounds very good. But, must stay sober this evening in order to enjoy and watch another segment of Downton Abbey's final season being aired tonight in the USA. Carolina just beat Seattle 31-24. Coming up will be another NFL football battle with Pittsburgh at Denver.

 

Last night, we had an excellent UK singer in town performing with our Columbus Symphony doing a Pops program. The theme was "The Spy Who Loved Me". The artist performing was Scotland's Sheena Easton. She still have a very good voice. Yes, she is of James Bond "For Your Eyes Only" fame, plus "Morning Train/9-5", etc. Remember her?

 

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 133,814 views for this posting.

 

 

First is a recent picture of Sheena Easton from Bing. Yes, she's change some from her younger days. Plus, second is one of my iPhone pictures that I snapped last night from our seats in the front loge of the Ohio Theater. Fun, interesting evening! Lots of good Bond and spy-related, direct and indirect, music, including Pink Panther, Phil Collins' "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)":

 

 

 

[Fletcher]

Just back from five days in Rome. I must say it was a real pleasure to be away from a cruise ship, to settle down in a hotel (Hotel Forty-Seven) and to eat out in restaurants. The weather was often warm and sunny, a little bit of rain, and we walked maybe five miles a day. Even in January there were lots of tourists, lots of Chinese, and parts of the city looked very rundown. There were also lots of migrants, people sleeping rough, beggars, dubious characters, graffiti everywhere and heavily armed police and soldiers at every corner . . . the usual European cityscape these days. It looked like a city under siege. Had a great time, though. Next stop: Havana.

 

We limited our sightseeing to the main Ancient Roman stuff, like this:

 

Rome, Italy by UltraPanavision, on Flickr

Edited January 18, 2016 by Fletcher

[UKCruiseJeff]

Just back from five days in Rome. I must say it was a real pleasure to be away from a cruise ship, to settle down in a hotel (Hotel Forty-Seven) and to eat out in restaurants. The weather was often warm and sunny, a little bit of rain, and we walked maybe five miles a day. Even in January there were lots of tourists, lots of Chinese, and parts of the city looked very rundown. There were also lots of migrants, people sleeping rough, beggars, dubious characters, graffiti everywhere and heavily armed police and soldiers at every corner . . . the usual European cityscape these days. It looked like a city under siege. Had a great time, though. Next stop: Havana.

 

We limited our sightseeing to the main Ancient Roman stuff, like this:

 

Rome, Italy by UltraPanavision, on Flickr

 

 

F,

 

Next time - if there is one .... see Ostia Antica if you can. The experience of a lifetime. Just outside Rome.

 

http://www.ostia-antica.org/

 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ostia+antica&biw=1280&bih=617&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjIxprn-rLKAhVIKg4KHdbDCcsQ_AUIBygC&dpr=1.5

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=47505784&postcount=55

 

 

 

Jeff

Edited January 18, 2016 by UKCruiseJeff