Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Two

[les37b]

Today my youngest has set off on the first leg of a trip to Bruges for a week camping. The 50 minute journey to the port of Dover is accompanied by 8 hour queues to clear French security checks in case the UK is exporting potential terrorists in these times of heightened security.

 

Just a slight deviation from Shenghen and open boarders and whilst the French suffer, it really should hit home to the French and the EU even more why boarder controls are not only preferred, they are essential.

 

The world has become smaller and more dangerous by the minute. Meanwhile the leader of the opposition in the UK wants to disarm us of our nuclear capabilities and trident, the US endorses Donald Trump as the best candidate for the Republicans. We don't seem to be learning a thing!

 

Big question now..... Is embarkation onto cruise ships be subject to higher levels of security?

[TLCOhio]

Today my youngest has set off on the first leg of a trip to Bruges for a week camping. The 50 minute journey to the port of Dover is accompanied by 8 hour queues to clear French security checks in case the UK is exporting potential terrorists in these times of heightened security. The world has become smaller and more dangerous by the minute. Meanwhile the leader of the opposition in the UK wants to disarm us of our nuclear capabilities and trident. We don't seem to be learning a thing! Big question now..... Is embarkation onto cruise ships be subject to higher levels of security?

 

Appreciate these details on your youngest's travel experiences. YES, I would expect higher levels of ship security. That is not all bad. Might be very good. Such ships in some ports could be "attractive targets" for people with bad intentions seeking attention and desiring to damage the western nations.

 

My view is that, long-term, Putin/Russia and China are still the ultimate danger point players in the world. Compared to the old "Cold War" days, those two countries have gotten a little more sophisticated for how they "play the world power game" and use their "pawns" to manipulate. It's still a world that is not always safe, trusted and without serious risks.

 

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 214,823 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

[specialcruisegirl]

So strange about very different perspectives here......politics are of no interest as the intelligent amongst us know better.

As far as ship security is concerned l have no concerns about the smaller luxury lines.....for many years sailing on Cunard, security was always a big issue and maybe still is .....depending on what 'higher' levels we expect in the current climate on all voyages and every ship that sails........should we go down that road and just say bugger it all or just get on with it.....choices.....

 

The latest Munich happenings have been a worry for my immediate family as we have a niece currently there on a school trip........

 

Sophia

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[les37b]

So strange about very different perspectives here......politics are of no interest as the intelligent amongst us know better.

As far as ship security is concerned l have no concerns about the smaller luxury lines.....for many years sailing on Cunard, security was always a big issue and maybe still is .....depending on what 'higher' levels we expect in the current climate on all voyages and every ship that sails........should we go down that road and just say bugger it all or just get on with it.....choices.....

 

The latest Munich happenings have been a worry for my immediate family as we have a niece currently there on a school trip........

 

Sophia

 

 

 

I definitely agree with you that the smaller ships are not going to potential targets, but the bigger ones? Airport security in the west is pretty tight.... I'm not so sure you can say the same about getting on and off, especially once the ship has started from its first port. Freightening!

 

In the meantime, my youngest is still queuing to get to Dover. Its now 11 hours on the M20 car park. Apparently the French had one desk manned on passport control. There may well me heightened security, but I am absolutely sure now this is all about the French doing what they do best. I'm happy to stand corrected if there are over 11 hours delay coming into France from Belgium, though maybe because we have more terrorists living here than Belgium does! :eek: :rolleyes: Just as well really, as that's where he set out for at 6.30 this morning..... 12 hours ago.... If it were me, I'd just turn back. Not because of security concerns, but down to resenting being "punished" for exercising democracy. If this was security, they would man the embarkation points properly so passports and security is treated correctly. It's not something I'm shocked about though. They did intimate they were going to have fun and games with channel crossings.

[les37b]

They have now been queuing for 14 hours and still not reached Dover - then once there, they have 90 minutes to clear security and passport control.

 

 

P&O Ferries said there were estimated waiting times of up to 12 hours via the A20/M20, and up to three hours on the A2/A256, in addition to two hours at the port. (Which is an underestimation as our kids can prove.)

 

Motorists have been waiting in hot weather, with temperatures of up to 25 degrees.

 

Ian, who was among those stuck in the traffic, warned there could be fatalities if people did not get food and water.

 

Kent County Council said only three out of a potential seven booths had been available overnight at French border control.

 

At one stage only one French officer was available to check passengers on hundreds of coaches, resulting in each coach taking 40 minutes to process, said the council.

 

Totally unacceptable.

 

And to top it all, its his 16th Birthday today. We sent him off with a birthday cake to eat once they got to camp in Belgium. Luckily its become a source of food and was eaten on the roadside. A birthday to remember!!!

 

And then if they do manage to get on a ship tonight (theyve been queing since 7am), they have a drive on the other side..... and getting through another French boarder control, before arriving in the dark and putting up their tents.

 

 

.

Edited July 23, 2016 by les37b

[mysty]

So sorry to hear about your son's difficulties! Especially on his birthday! It will be one to remember but maybe not fondly. Tighter security is probably in place. Understandably so! Hopefully he will get to enjoy some of his planned camp out! Best wishes to him!

[les37b]

So sorry to hear about your son's difficulties! Especially on his birthday! It will be one to remember but maybe not fondly. Tighter security is probably in place. Understandably so! Hopefully he will get to enjoy some of his planned camp out! Best wishes to him!

 

I don't think anyone is against heightened security.

 

But that usually means they have people there checking passports, vehicles, people and possessions. Did you read the article? The French had 1 person checking passports at one point. Does that sound like a nation treating security seriously or one taking the P.

 

In the meantime, they are still not at the port. So 16 hours queuing, more queuing to go....and then 90 minutes to go through customs..... And no doubt no crossings until the morning.

 

Apparently in Nice, the mayor warned they were hopelessly understaffed. Maybe someone can call President Hollande and inform him he's understaffed in Calais too and should put some vacancies on at the job centre.

[mysty]

I'm sorry Les! I meant only to wish your son the best!

[les37b]

Let's hope Chis Froome makes it three.

 

Chris Froome is set to become the first Briton to win three Tour de France titles after safely negotiating a rain-soaked penultimate stage in the Alps.

Edited July 24, 2016 by les37b

[lincslady]

Hear, hear les. Sorry to hear about your son- this is the sort of thing the Cooler is for; amusing stories and pictures; comments about the world at large, and even personal problems and worries.

 

Just at present I feel like 'doing a Jeff', and staying away as this has become so unpleasant.

[les37b]

Hear, hear les. Sorry to hear about your son- this is the sort of thing the Cooler is for; amusing stories and pictures; comments about the world at large, and even personal problems and worries.

 

Just at present I feel like 'doing a Jeff', and staying away as this has become so unpleasant.

 

Thanks (and to Mysty). I've finally heard back in the last ten minutes. They got on the boat at 4.30am and have now finally arrived in France. Only a 21 hour wait! Hopefully they arrive in Bruges soon and boarders are manned properly between France and Belgium. I think that's a given.

 

And on that note, some lighter things to enjoy.... And a couple of uploads I did yesterday..... I don't have any food piccies to post or any spare to feed the troll. :D

 

 

.

 

Got so many to catch up with!

Edited July 24, 2016 by les37b

[specialcruisegirl]

Fourth Lady Cooler requesting some decorum here.....[emoji6] Mysty..no need for you to apologise, your post was well meant.

 

Enjoy Sunday....a lot cooler here in Wales after a week of humidity and heat which has seen both myself and furry baby wilting.....

 

Sophia [emoji4]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[TLCOhio]

The French had 1 person checking passports at one point. Does that sound like a nation treating security seriously or one taking the P. In the meantime, they are still not at the port. So 16 hours queuing, more queuing to go....and then 90 minutes to go through customs..... And no doubt no crossings until the morning. Apparently in Nice, the mayor warned they were hopelessly understaffed. Maybe someone can call President Hollande and inform him he's understaffed in Calais too and should put some vacancies on at the job centre.

 

Agree 100% that having only one person there at this major port to check passports represents TOTAL MISMANAGEMENT. Sorry to be so blunt, but some of the socialist-style government in Europe are big on posturing as to how much they "care", but certain of these countries do not do a good job running the "details" in serving their "customers". That's bad!! The current French President gets poor ratings from the French people and faces a tough re-election battle early next year. While I have visited France many times and enjoyed the country, food, people, history, etc., so much, their various aspects for managing their government is not always the best.

 

Unfortunately, I do NOT have the direct cell number for President Hollande to call him and let him know of the need to shape up his government operations and efficiencies. Many of his union supporters run the country's operations and set the "rules", making it harder to have things running smoothly and efficiently. Your son became a victim!!

 

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 150,242 views for this posting.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good afternoon Coolers,

 

I guess many Coolers and others who hang out here or simply lurk, are secretly thinking how lucky we all are to have experienced some of our wonderful world in our own wonderfully diverse and different ways and via our own different routes, before where we are landed today. And I guess those of us that think, really do "get" and understand that what we have today may look horrible to us today, but in our hearts, whilst optimism is lovely and fluffy thing, realism mandates we anticipate things are undoubtedly getting much much worst rather than better. That is sadly the legacy we are leaving for future generations and for which I guess we cannot blame anyone else, so sadly we must all jointly be responsible for the state we leave things in. It really seems now that whereas before it would take warfare to stop us in our tracks that now the actions of a few dozen people in any country can subjugate whole nations. It will be interesting to see how our current predicament is enhanced if the free world is led later this year with a Trump with a finger hovering over the red button. I guess it is better not to think and bve fluffy and optimisitic.

 

Today - as yesterday - we made our way down to the river Test a mile or two from us - for a lunchtime pint or three hors d'oeuvres at The Mayfly before returning for lunch at La Cucina.

 

Over the last week I felt it would be nice (if I could do nothing else) to eat in solidarity with our Turkish cousins and I made some lahmacan which was nice and raised a glass of raki.

 

I have also been making some fresh ice creams the latest is vanilla with a mix of butterscotch and chocolate sauces with kahlua and Cointreau and blended Maltesers. And today I made some chopped veal escalopes burger Milanese. I also had a new very simple but delicious cocktail I have been inventing vigorously over the last few days and nights which is Absolut Vanilla (85%) and Kahlua (15%) over ice. Well the kahlua was open ........ and it seemed rude not to ......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Onwards and upwards. Hopefully.

 

Jeff

[ShotsnCruises]

I guess I am one of those "lurkers" as I don't have much time to post very often! However, I am glad I was "lurking" this morning. Work has been very difficult for me lately, and I needed something to lift my spirits. We fly out for our cruise in 209 days, and that just seems like an eternity from now!

Thanks for the pictures, and the reminder that I have gone this WHOLE Tour de France without checking the results or watching a single stage! What's wrong with me???

[spinnaker2]

Jeff..

Lovely to have you back with food and drink.

I have three bottles of kahlua. Wish I could share them with you.

 

I also ordered an air fryer, hope I can pick your brain for some insight. I know JP also purchased one, hope he checks in to tell us how it works for him.

 

Watching Bill C speak his love letter to his wife last evening was difficult in that he seems to almost believe his words or, maybe he thinks we will. Whatever ones political leanings, she has cracked the glass ceiling in our country as a historic nominee.

 

Could it possibly be true that Assange and Putin conspired to engineer the hacking of the DNC emails? And if so, it begs the question, why would one ever put anything of substance in an email, because we all know emails can and are hacked all the time.

 

August is nearly here...what does the next month hold?

Edited July 27, 2016 by spinnaker2

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks ShotsnCruises and Spins ....

 

Spins, I guess we are really lucky here in that we are now on our second female PM and I think she'll do fine. In fact better than that. She has knuckled down and got on with the job and doesn't spend all her time on TV. I guess like many Brits, I am perplexed at how .... what is it ....1bn can be spent on elections that produce a choice of two people that it seems few Americans are content with. So far as the glass ceiling is concerned, I have always preferred to have a female boss and have females report too me. I have always found females more direct and in contradiction to what many other men find, it is male egos and feelings that seem to generally need handling with kid gloves and not females.

 

You need to buy some Absolut Vanilla to go with the kahlua spins. I was thinking of you as I drink one now. :)

 

So far as August is concerned, my dream which will never be fullfilled, is that our Muslim brothers on this planet, stop all their inter-faith squabling and find a way of agreeing on who their leaders are. For example 150 milion Twelver Shia Muslims have had no leader since 12th Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi, disappeared in 941 AD. There has been no leaders for the 1.2bn Sunni since the 1920's. The same is true for smaller sects. Without a caliph who is to cascade down the "truth" through all small communities into every family unit, about the genuine teachings intended by the prophet Muhhamad? There has simply been a lack of a loud clear voice from the community as a whole in the way that other religions would mount. Catholics are clear about their teaching for example because they have a Pope who provides focus and leadership and his messages spoken on behalf of his "god" gets cascaded down.

 

Without leaders there cannot be leadership, and it is my theory that we are in this mess to a great degree because they are a leader-less faith with ambiguous views on things - ambiguous because they have no guidance from any cross-Islam agreed leadership - that they should be very clear about. It is simply an inability as a community to polarise right from wrong with a single voice. To make it even more complex they choose to be at each others throats as much as many are at ours.

 

That ambiguity without any charismatic leadership showing them the way will make our world worst in August.

 

Jeff

Edited July 27, 2016 by UKCruiseJeff

[jpalbny]

Hi all coolers. Jeff, welcome back. We've missed you and your food. Will try to pitch in a little too.

 

Have been running around a bit, as is typical for us during the summer. We usually stay at work and let all of our colleagues with school-aged kids take vacation. So we work more and as a result, we get to go on vacation after school starts up and it's less crowded. Works well but it does make for a busy summer.

 

We have had a few weekends off though and enjoyed a nice event at the Culinary Institute (a cooking school in Hyde Park NY) two weekends ago. They had a pig roast complete with other delicacies such as ceviche, many nice side dishes, and a special IPA brewed with peaches and habanero peppers that accompanied the slow-cooked pork very well. The pork was cooked whole, in a metal box that functioned as an oven, and was heated from above with charcoal. They roasted for several hours until the meat fell off the bones. Here's one of the pigs coming out of the oven...

 

 

We also got to see my brother from Denmark last weekend. Hadn't seen him in over a year, and hadn't seen his wife in almost 2 years. Their youngest daughter is almost one and we'd never seen her. So it was a treat to meet up for a little while. They love Denmark but may move back in another year just because of the distance.

 

On the home front, it's been beastly hot with most days above 90 degrees (32C or so). Lots of sun, and plenty of humidity. It's been a challenge to exercise but at least we can fall into the pool afterwards to cool off a little bit.

 

It's been challenging to cook lighter meals that we can eat in this heat. The grill is getting lots of use and vegetables are playing a major role these days. Here is one I made up with a few grilled shrimp, and a fruit salsa with mango, avocado, tomatoes, onions, and a few peppers. Plain couscous and a Finger Lakes Riesling completed the meal.

 

 

Last night I grilled some eggplant slices and topped half with mozzarella cheese and fresh tomato slices (from the garden), and the other half with breadcrumbs, grated Pecorino Romano, and a few fresh herbs (again, from the garden). Served with some faro wheat on the side.

 

 

***

 

I have to say that the news is getting depressing. Can't wait to travel somewhere to take my mind off of what's happening, but our next trip isn't until October. We're off to Madagascar for two weeks then South Africa for another week. Luckily, we'll miss a good deal of the last month of campaigning here in the US. :D

[TLCOhio]

Hi all coolers. Jeff, welcome back. We've missed you and your food. Will try to pitch in a little too. our next trip isn't until October. We're off to Madagascar for two weeks then South Africa for another week. Luckily, we'll miss a good deal of the last month of campaigning here in the US. :D

 

UKCruiseJeff: I guess we are really lucky here in that we are now on our second female PM and I think she'll do fine. In fact better than that. She has knuckled down and got on with the job and doesn't spend all her time on TV.

 

spinnaker2: Could it possibly be true that Assange and Putin conspired to engineer the hacking of the DNC emails? And if so' date=' it begs the question, why would one ever[b'] put anything of substance in an email[/b], because we all know emails can and are hacked all the time. August is nearly here...what does the next month hold?

 

Great to see the nice pictures and activities back from JP and Jeff' date='[/b'] etc.

 

Yes, for Spins, August is almost here. It's been hot, HOT for many parts of the USA during the past week or so. Here in Ohio, we have got two different locations in our state with Trump visits, while soon Hillary will be crossing our state doing a bus tour after the Philadelphia convention finishes tomorrow. Ohio will get lots and lots and LOTS of visits by both candidates, week after week, whether needed or not. Plus, TV commercial consistently, hour-after-hour, on Ohio television stations.

 

Trump, in a joking fashion, suggested in an hour-long news conference that Putin find the 30,000 e-mails that had earlier been destroyed by Hillary. Lots of silliness in the political season by both sides.

 

For JP, I am very interested in the up-coming visits to those interesting parts of Africa that you listed. What's your plan and where for your week in South Africa?? Love to hear more details.

 

For ShotsnCruises, glad you posted and we encourage you to keep contribute, commenting, etc. Don't be shy!!

 

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 150,964 views for this posting.

[TLCOhio]

As we monitor activities in Turkey to gauge future impacts on cruising port stops there, here is a "development" just posted today. From the respected Reuters news wire, they have today this breaking-news headline: "Turkish authorities dismiss military personnel, shut media outlets" with these key story highlights: " Turkey has dismissed nearly 1,700 military personnel and closed more than 130 media outlets, amid a deepening crackdown that has stirred alarm among Ankara's NATO allies. The government said in its official gazette that three news agencies, 16 television channels, 45 newspapers, 15 magazines and 29 publishers have been ordered shut down. The United States said on Wednesday it understood Turkey's need to hold perpetrators of the attempted coup to account but said the detention of more journalists was part of a 'worrisome trend'. Earlier on Wednesday, Turkey ordered another 47 journalists detained as part of the crackdown."

 

Below are also links with similar details from CBS News and the Washington Post. This includes reporting that the rights group Amnesty International called this move by Turkey as a “brazen attack on press freedom.”

 

As a fan of Turkey, their special history and its people, these development are all a concern. We will hope for the best, but this latest step will raise questions for the longer-range impacts on its connections to the West and Europe.

 

Full stories at:

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/turkish-authorities-dismiss-military-personnel-shut-media-outlets-191554213.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/turkey-government-shutters-dozens-of-media-organizations/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/turkish-authorities-to-shut-down-dozens-of-media-outlets/2016/07/27/d1c8454c-542e-11e6-b652-315ae5d4d4dd_story.html

 

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 214,891 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

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers! The landscape here in the cooler had been a little dark and barren of late. It has lightened up recently and with all due respect to fellow coolers I am hoping to bring some additional measure of light heartedness back with this post. As many of you know, Myster and I were blessed with the opportunity to sail on the 2016 Silversea World Cruise. In preparation for and throughout our grand adventure I wrote in a blog entitled (not very creatively) “Around the World in 115 Days”. I started the blog on February 3, 2015 with a post titled “To Dream…”– almost a year before the sail date. The blog was intended to be a record of the research and planning that went into the trip as well as a day-by-day account of the actual cruise. There are pictures (even some food shots). I am going to provide a link here to the January 4, 2016 post – “Pre-Cruise Miami”. The previous posts all relate to the planning and research.

 

I want to say a special thank you to all the generous people here in the cooler who offered many words of wisdom as we prepared for this grand adventure! Your advice and suggestions helped to make the trip worry-free and memorable! Your support and best wishes were very much appreciated! I hope you all enjoy the read! I will be posting this link to the general Silversea forum tomorrow. I wanted to give my fellow coolers the first kick at the can! :)

 

The staff and crew aboard the Silver Whisper for this cruise were excellent! They deserve thanks and praise for a job very well done. I would be remiss if I did not say a special thank you to some of the crew. Thanks to Pauline (our butler from Fort Lauderdale to Hong Kong), Kreshun (our butler from Hong Kong to Venice), Lucian (our amazing suite attendant), Oliver (the best bartender ever), Rouvier, Phillipe, Darryl, Ray (all of them were wonderful pool grill/bar staff), Rey (who always made room for us at The Grill) and Abay and Iwayan (who greeted us with smiles at breakfast in The Restaurant)!

 

http://mpworldcruise.blogspot.ca/2016/01/pre-cruise-miami.html

 

Notes:

1. Opinions expressed in this blog are mine and Myster’s.

2. We typically fell into bed after dinner thus there is no mention of nightly entertainment.

3. The blog was written live. The posts titled “Day 3 – Sea Day” and “Day 3- Sea Day cont’d” actually include some mention of days 1, 2 and 3.

 

PS. Welcome back J!

Edited July 28, 2016 by mysty

[duct tape]

I enjoyed your WC with a huge smile on my face! [emoji4][emoji256][emoji568][emoji172][emoji253]

[specialcruisegirl]

Mysty.......this is indeed a very welcome uplifting post and l shall enjoy reading your blog very much at a moment when l can relax and enjoy your experience.

 

S [emoji5]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[mysty]

Thank you DT and Sophia! :)

[UKCruiseJeff]

Nice blog M,

 

Jeff