Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Two

[Fletcher]

The real drawback to the idea of having a permanent site for the Games is that you would be denying people right across the world of attending the events. You would just get a few Greeks and goats showing up every year.

[UKCruiseJeff]

The real drawback to the idea of having a permanent site for the Games is that you would be denying people right across the world of attending the events. You would just get a few Greeks and goats showing up every year.

 

 

Good Morning Fletch. I'm suprised at your conclusion.

 

I thought the main audience was the international audience watching the games on TV and that they can't sell seats wherever it is .... except say London. I thought more audiences and revenue comes from TV than local seat sales and it was TV and TV advertising that was important.

 

Also. do you genuinely believe that this year more non-Brazilians have attended this years games, and before London more non-Chinese attended the Chinese games than would non-Greeks going to Greece?

 

Why would that be? Doesn't seem very likely to me. :confused:

 

Jeff

[mw8811]

Unlurking for a moment.

Long back from our cruise to North Cape on the Whisper - Norway is still a magical country for me and would love to go back there again and again. The ship was gorgeous and just about the right size for us - accordingly we have booked a T/A next year Southampton to Montreal but may just have to do another cruise before then :rolleyes:

No thanks to BA we made it to the cruise - they had to hold the ship until 9pm for us - our 10am flight was cancelled - what a dreadful stressful day.

Since we got back I've had contractors working on the flat roofs and a painter working inside the house what with that and trying to beat the garden into submission there has been little time for anything else.

Shrewsbury Flower Show today and tomorrow and so far the weather is gorgeous and sunny but sadly there is a chill wind. We went to the pre-show last night and felt it was not as impressive as previous years.

On that note back to lurking.

Mary

[Joc123]

Jeff, I can understand your emotional point of view about holding the games in Greece. What about the "home ground advantage" and the poor teams (Australia, not so worried about New Zealand😄) who have to travel out of their time zone. It is much better to share it between the hemispheres. We (Oz) are doing much better than our games in London but still not as well as we hoped in the pool. I love the fact that every 4 years I'm an authority on all sports! (Some I've never heard of 😄)

[Joc123]

Not sure what the end of my post is - my be the extra glass of wine I had with dinner 🍷🍸🍹😉

[jpalbny]

Not sure what the end of my post is - my be the extra glass of wine I had with dinner

 

 

Joc123, the end of your post looks perfect on the CC phone app but looks funny on a desktop in Internet Explorer, with some extra alphanumeric characters thrown in there. Must be that the particular emoticon you used doesn't translate to both platforms. Or something happened when it crossed the equator! :D

Edited August 12, 2016 by jpalbny

[UKCruiseJeff]

Jeff, I can understand your emotional point of view about holding the games in Greece. What about the "home ground advantage" and the poor teams (Australia, not so worried about New Zealand😄) who have to travel out of their time zone. It is much better to share it between the hemispheres. We (Oz) are doing much better than our games in London but still not as well as we hoped in the pool. I love the fact that every 4 years I'm an authority on all sports! (Some I've never heard of 😄)

 

Hi Joc, good points - thanks.

 

The facilities would be available all year around for them to practise in and obviously they would have longer to practise - perhaps even the whole month before the games blocked out for all participants. In fact I like that. It would be great being able to watch practise for four weeks or so and identify who you might punt on. I believe that staying there as an all-year facility would also be cheaper accomodation rates than the sort of rates that are being charged in the four yearly bubble. Might it not be better for non-Greeks than what they have in Brazil ..... and of course they could practise every year ....

 

I'm not certain Brazil has gained much competitive advantage on having it on home ground ......;)

 

How does that sound?

 

Jeff

[UKCruiseJeff]

....... by the way your comment about being "an expert" struck a nerve. For some reason or other .... the same here! :eek:

 

I have never really watched synchronised diving before, but there is no subtle nuance on which I am unable to arbitrate on .....

 

:D

 

Jeff

[jpalbny]

Ha! I am an "expert" at yelling at the TV this past week...

[UKCruiseJeff]

I'm fed up with shouting at the TV. They seem to take no notice.

 

May as well shout at the wife. :D

 

Made a nice chicken tikka pillaf today with basmati, roasted peppers and onions and some suktanas and pan roasted cashew.

 

Nice meal out in the मुंबई कैफे with wifey and wine.

 

I thought I'd try a churro maker this afternoon to see if I can avoid the oil ... but although they looked OK they weren't - they were ghastly to a churro nerd - so it is going back.

 

Back to the unhealthy oil. :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff

[BayouDoc]

Yes, I too have new found expertise in rugby, after watching the final game where the mighty Fijians brought down the U.K. I think Ruggers should be introduced here to Louisiana and then perhaps the LSU tigers could beat Alabama in some sort of football.

[UKCruiseJeff]

I hope this isn'#t taken the wrong way ..... but I have never watched rugby but the girls rugby was genuinely a really good sport and you could work out what was going on, although the matches are too short.

 

That canoe slalom pool is an enormous investment which I doubt will be used much after the Games ....... shame it wasn't in Athens and used all year ........;)

 

I also reckoned the cycling route was a disaster.

 

Jeff

[UKCruiseJeff]

Unlurking for a moment.

Long back from our cruise to North Cape on the Whisper - Norway is still a magical country for me and would love to go back there again and again. The ship was gorgeous and just about the right size for us - accordingly we have booked a T/A next year Southampton to Montreal but may just have to do another cruise before then :rolleyes:

No thanks to BA we made it to the cruise - they had to hold the ship until 9pm for us - our 10am flight was cancelled - what a dreadful stressful day.

Since we got back I've had contractors working on the flat roofs and a painter working inside the house what with that and trying to beat the garden into submission there has been little time for anything else.

Shrewsbury Flower Show today and tomorrow and so far the weather is gorgeous and sunny but sadly there is a chill wind. We went to the pre-show last night and felt it was not as impressive as previous years.

On that note back to lurking.

Mary

 

Hi Mary, retreating into lurking not allowed. :D Come back! :)

 

And what pre-show?

 

Jeff

[UKCruiseJeff]

Is it just me?

 

I know that I have an unhealthy or perhaps healthy interest in food but ...

 

I can see almost any food on TV, and it rarely makes me want it immediately. But there is one thing that whenever I see it on TV, I have to add it to my next shopping and eating plan. Pasta and sauce. Fettuccine and ragu (Bolognese sauce) being the worst.

 

I recall every episode of The Sopranos had a big bowl of pasta and tomato sauce. And what followed was a meal of pasta and sauce for me and wifey.

 

Is there any meals that have this effect on others, or do I need to make an appointment to see JP or Chris?

 

Jeff

[MrsWaldo]

I'm going to pipe in with some different feedback.

 

I know quite a lot of the cycling team (have done since they were little) and a few of the others via having an elite athlete in the house for a number of years.

 

The facilities in Sydney are all fully used for whatever purpose, even the velodrome that is out In the boondocks.

 

An interesting point Miss W made is that these Olympics are the athletes from Aus are the generation that probably went to the games in 2000 to watch. They started and fuelled dreams. Our facilities for training became top class.

[jpalbny]

Hm. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything that reliably does that. But for some reason, I am craving pasta and my homemade tomato sauce! Or maybe homemade duck ragu - but that's more a winter dish. Jeff, you could come see us, but I assure you that we would be no help whatever.

 

Tonight we were way too tired for anything complicated. Was going to make angel hair pasta tossed with prosciutto and fresh sage...until I realized partway in that we were out of prosciutto! :eek:

 

Bacon to the rescue. A few slices, diced and rendered slowly, fat drained, lots of olive oil, sage leaves, chopped garlic, and plenty of pepper (black and red). Pecorino Romano to finish. No pictures... Didn't last long enough!

 

Back to fast forward through more Olympics. At least it's Friday, so the wine can flow freely and we can sleep past 5AM tomorrow! Not working this weekend! :D :D

 

Edited to add: MrsWaldo - glad to hear that perspective.

Edited August 13, 2016 by jpalbny

[mw8811]

Jeff - sorry not as good a writer as you LOL I KNOW what I mean LOL. Pre-show to the flower show - Members can go the evening before to see the flower exhibits and thus avoid the crowds. Having said that there were many few people yesterday in the flower tents than the previous evening.

More food stalls than last year - a sort of very mini food festival with various artisan cheeses, breads etc.

It was a little chilly though and promises to be the same today.

 

Mary

[specialcruisegirl]

Morning All.....Lovely pics again and good debate about the Olympics....I'm afraid l am not a fan apart from the equestrian events.

 

Mary. I haven't been to the Shrewsbury Show in years...probably back to when Percy Thrower was still judging!! It is however a spectacular event in a beautiful setting by the river. .......hope Salop is treating you well.....[emoji4]

 

Jeffers....there are times when l see the food programmes and feel hungry but having had many failures trying to copy some dishes I've given up trying.....I'm totally hopeless following recipes....yesterday James Martin produced a very easy banana and custard soufflé......well he made it look easy.....so maybe I'll have a go as it looked mouth watering......cooking from scratch for one these days though isn't on my agenda!

 

An invite to join friends in London for New Year perked me up this week.....I've managed to secure an excellent deal at The Dorchester and am even considering going to a Panto at The Palladium........if only to reminisce about the very first Panto my mother took me to there in 1959......it was Norman Wisdom in Dick Whittington......this year it's Cinderella with quite an interesting cast......am l too old....or should l just go for it....[emoji12]

 

A quiet day here in Wales...lunch out tomorrow at our favourite Cheshire haunt.....

 

Happy Weekend

 

S [emoji4]

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

S.....you are never too old for a Panto! Go for it! Myster's mother used to take us all to see them here. Everyone enjoyed them. The Canadian versions may not be the same but they were a wonderful holdiay treat!

 

Have a great day all!

[Fletcher]

I've just booked up a quickie trip for September - leaving home for Farlam Hall in Cumbria, then Tiroran House on the Isle of Mull, then Glenapp Castle near Ballantrae, then the Causeway Hotel near the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, lastly Slieve Donnard Hotel in Newcastle, Northern Ireland. Looking for good food, incredible scenery, eagles and, most importantly, decent weather!

Edited August 13, 2016 by Fletcher

[Mark_K]

Yes, I too have new found expertise in rugby, after watching the final game where the mighty Fijians brought down the U.K. I think Ruggers should be introduced here to Louisiana and then perhaps the LSU tigers could beat Alabama in some sort of football.

 

 

[lincslady]

My Olympic interests are pretty obvious for most Brits - hoping one of the Brit girls will win the heptathlon, having a huge admiration for all of them to be so good as so many sports and to manage 4 one day and 3 the next. I have to admit I would like Jess to win again, the new girl has more years left in her, but she was wonderful in the high jump. Also Mo, and lovely to see Jo Pavey at 42 still good and keen enough to reach the standard required for the 10,000, and come 15th.

 

Sophia's mention of Norman Wisdom reminds me of years ago - wasn't he completely unfunny?? I had to go on successive evenings to the local cinema to see one of his films with my kids, who were at an age when they would not have a joint birthday party but had to have a girls one and a boys one. Seldom more bored. (They are twins).

 

I am afraid I am too old to stay up until 2 a.m. or whatever tonight, will find out the results with morning tea tomorrow.

 

Your churros actually look lovely, Jeff. One of my guilty favourites, especially eaten from a street vendor in Spain.

 

Have a good day, everyone.

 

Lola

[TLCOhio]

The facilities in Sydney are all fully used for whatever purpose, even the velodrome that is out In the boondocks. An interesting point Miss W made is that these Olympics are the athletes from Aus are the generation that probably went to the games in 2000 to watch. They started and fuelled dreams. Our facilities for training became top class.

 

Lots of "catching up" to be done on this Cooler board. We just got back from this past week being in Charlottesville, Va. (the land of Presidents Jefferson, Monroe and Madison) and doing grandparent "duties" and fun. More on that later.

 

Very good posting by Mrs Waldo above about the post-Olympics success in Sydney in using well their facilities from staging the games there. Clearly some countries and cities are better able from a financial and smart management stand-point to pull off such a major effort in building facilities, handling the thousands of visitors and media, etc. AND, avoiding being dumb about making improper decisions during this process when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) pushes cities to spend too much on a very short-term "event".

 

For those interested and/or experienced from visiting Puerto Rico, I have been following with interest the various questions and impacts on the health issues there.

 

From the New York Times this morning, they have this headline: "U.S. Declares Zika an Emergency in Puerto Rico" with these highlights: "The Obama administration declared a public health emergency in Puerto Rico on Friday because of the Zika virus, sending a message to the island that the virus, which has infected more than 10,000 residents, should be taken seriously. Puerto Rico has been grappling with the problem for months, but infections are still spreading; many residents are not protecting themselves against mosquito bites because they believe the threat is exaggerated. The reason for the delay was unclear. In times of health emergencies, local officials are often reluctant to sound an alarm, for fear of harming tourism. There have been 10,690 cases of Zika confirmed in Puerto Rico, including infections in 1,035 pregnant women. Cases of Zika infection are expected to keep rising through October, and by year’s end, a quarter of the island’s population of 3.5 million will have been exposed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

 

Having a quarter their large population there infected would be a major and bad situation. Lots of cruise ships not only visit San Juan, but also start or end their cruises at that popular location.

 

Full story at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/13/us/us-declares-zika-an-emergency-in-puerto-rico.html

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Super loved Dubrovnik!!! See more details and lots of great visual samples/examples at this link. Have had over 32,655 views on this posting and appreciate those who have tuned-in and dropped by.

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

[TLCOhio]

Yes, I too have new found expertise in rugby, after watching the final game where the mighty Fijians brought down the U.K. I think Ruggers should be introduced here to Louisiana and then perhaps the LSU tigers could beat Alabama in some sort of football.

 

Interesting and good mention on rugby and the picture posting by Mark_K. Brings back nice memories from our East London visit in South Africa to a high school where the students gave us a little "educational seminar" on both rugby and cricket. Below are two photo samples for what we enjoyed there to learn more about these games. that are enjoyed so much around the world. But not as much here in the USA.

 

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 18,513 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 in East London, we watched some of the students doing practice for both cricket and rugby, two of the most popular sports in South Africa. This gave us more background on both of these sports that are not as familiar for those from the USA. For rugby, there are no "break" period. It is all continuous play . . . AND without the pads used with American football!!:

 

 

 

[TLCOhio]

Unlurking for a moment. Long back from our cruise to North Cape on the Whisper - Norway is still a magical country for me and would love to go back there again and again. The ship was gorgeous and just about the right size for us. No thanks to BA we made it to the cruise - they had to hold the ship until 9pm for us - our 10am flight was cancelled - what a dreadful stressful day. Mary

 

Appreciate Mary's above posting on the Norway coast cruise up to the North Cape and back. Tell us more for the ports you visited, what you liked most, etc. As I have mentioned and is posted below on my live/blog, we super loved doing the sailing in these scenic areas and the many options we did as a part of our "adventure" to the top of Europe. Tell us more!!

 

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 201,878 views.

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