Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Two

[UKCruiseJeff]

M,

 

PB back up .....:)

 

Jeff

 

 

 

[TLCOhio]

Nice piccies Terry ..... looks like you're off to a wonderful start. Jeff

ps. That dish looks really good, particularly that bisque looking sauce. I can imagine scooping up that sauce with one of those shells.

 

Appreciate the kind comments on the pictures. Lots of nice visual/scenic things here to share. Makes the photographer look good!! Yes, on that sauce with the seafood, it was super wonderful. In fact, the bread was perfect to gather/soak up every little drop of that great sauce. Not one drop of the super sauce was wasted. I loved it ALL!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

If Venice is one of your future desires or past favorites, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples this city that is so great for "walking around", personally seeing its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 57,144 views.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

[UKCruiseJeff]

Appreciate the kind comments on the pictures. Lots of nice visual/scenic things here to share. Makes the photographer look good!! Yes, on that sauce with the seafood, it was super wonderful. In fact, the bread was perfect to gather/soak up every little drop of that great sauce. Not one drop of the super sauce was wasted. I loved it ALL!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

If Venice is one of your future desires or past favorites, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples this city that is so great for "walking around", personally seeing its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 57,144 views.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

 

Terry,

 

Cloud is on it's way to you.

 

Jeff

 

 

[lincslady]

Terry - where do you find the time to do your sightseeing, eating and drinking, and take all these great photos and type up the info about them? Takes me all my time to enjoy myself on holiday, without all the work. Anyway, many thanks, it is helping January to go by here.

 

Saying that, it is a lovely sunny day here in Lincs.

 

Jeff, my DH loves looking up where the ships are, usually a few days before we are boarding one.

 

Regards to all Coolers

 

Lola

[Fletcher]

Wouldn't it be nice if Silversea ships were equipped with bridge cams. Also, Seabourn and the small ships I usually sail on. I remember once going on the (then) Australian ship Orion which remains the best ship I've ever been on. That had a bridge cam and I remember just about seeing myself on my hotel balcony in Wellington NZ a few days before we embarked. We also followed a neighbours' progress on one of those godawful Cunarders as they toured the container ports of the Far East.

Edited January 30, 2016 by Fletcher

[UKCruiseJeff]

Wouldn't it be nice if Silversea ships were equipped with bridge cams. Also, Seabourn and the small ships I usually sail on. I remember once going on the (then) Australian ship Orion which remains the best ship I've ever been on. That had a bridge cam and I remember just about seeing myself on my hotel balcony in Wellington NZ a few days before we embarked. We also followed a neighbours' progress on one of those godawful Cunarders as they toured the container ports of the Far East.

 

Fletch, quite right.

 

They don't get it.

 

Those webcams are one of the most productive marketing tools you can get. A landing page for each ship showing it's satellite Marine Traffic location and a few webcams plus links to "the next cruise" with offers and prices .... would not just be lovely but generate business imho.

 

Thery need our help! :eek:

 

Jeff:)

[UKCruiseJeff]

Felt like something spicey and Asian today ... so Kung Po Pork with stir fry and Thai fragrant rice. Looks messy but tasted good.

 

:)

 

Jeff

 

 

[TLCOhio]

Terry, Cloud is on its way to you. Jeff

 

lincslady: Terry - where do you find the time to do your sightseeing' date=' eating and drinking, and take [b']all these great photos and type up the info about them?[/b] Takes me all my time to enjoy myself on holiday, without all the work. Anyway, many thanks, it is helping January to go by here. Lola

 

Appreciate the kind comments and Jeff's great help on the current position of the Silver Cloud. That means that "our" ship will arrive and dock Monday morning. BUT, those on this current cruise from Mombassa will stay on the ship overnight and get off on Tuesday am. Then, we get on-board Tuesday afternoon!!!

 

For our classy UK lincslady, here is part of my secret. After a busy day out and about as we did today at the V&A Waterfront, we came back, needed to rest a little before dinner. I could put my feet up, relaxed the tired feet, download the 200+ pictures from today, etc. Below are just six of the pictures that I liked best. Did I cheat a little on these pictures by flying high above this area and its scenic mountains? Was it worth it? First time in a long time doing a helicopter, plus trying to take the pictures through the glass of the copter.

 

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 134,677 views for this posting.

 

 

Here are a couple of quick views from in and around the V&A Waterfront with Table Mountain being the "central star" for overlooking these scenic and active areas. And seeing the clouds dramatically rolling over Table Mountain?:

 

 

 

 

 

Now here are for four pictures where I needed a little "help" to be "soaring like an eagle"! My secret? It's riding in a helicopter to travel around Cape Town, the nearby mountains, being south of the town, going along the beaches, over the Winelands, etc. Like the views? Table Mountain is clearly so dominate in the way it towers over Cape Town and the nearby areas. Recognize the Cape Town Stadium? Our pilot said it has a nickname down here and they call it the "Giant Toilet Bowl"!! Does kind of have that look!!:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[spinnaker2]

Good day coolers!

 

Thanks for sharing all the news, travel stuff, food and photography.

 

I think that the photos of cape town are dramatic.

 

Here is south Florida it's gorgeous, inching up to 60 F.

Expecting houseguests in two weeks so time to clean up a bit, like refrigerator and cabinets and other non routine stuff. Dread it but must.

 

Hope all have a great day.

[tgh]

Super pics Terry..keep it up.

Perhaps a bit lost here as not everyone reads this thread.

Suggest you start another thread where most folks will find it…. :)

[jpalbny]

Great shots of Cape Town. Making me feel like it's going to be difficult to wait another 9 months until we're there... :(

 

Terry, keep on enjoying yourself!

[MrsWaldo]

Cape Town is stunning, even more so when Table Mountain has the cloth on...

 

Terry you've been very lucky to have a few really good days in a row. Friends who grew up in CT said it is a fickle lady when it comes to seeing the mountain so you do it ASAP when you arrive.

 

I'll be interested to hear the feedback on the ports because we've booked the CT holiday cruise for this year. Miss W and I are tacking on the Migration in Tanzania and Gorilla Trekking. Mr W Jnr is doing Sabi Sands pre cruise.

 

I'm finally back reading posts etc after "post cruise shock" and settling back into routine.

 

Miss W and I are about to do fish tacos and prawn ceviche for dinner. We scored some nice avocados to make the guacamole. They've been $6 each here since we go home and finally the price has dropped.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Morning Coolers from a cold grey England!

 

Looking forward to seeing more food piccies Terry!

 

Mrs W, that prawn dish sounds interesting ..... we're having piri piri chicken today perhaps with some slaw and some fries. Heathens we are!

 

:)

 

Jeff

[Fletcher]

For dinner tonight I am roasting a shoulder of lamb and serving it with roast potatoes and a classic regional French vegetable dish - dried haricot beans which have been brought to the boil for 10 minutes, then left for two hours, then cooked again in lamb stock with celery, onions and carrots and finished off with tomatoes and passata. To drink a 2008 Chateau Musar from Lebanon, one of our favourite wines. For pudding, a homemade Tiramisu. That should set us up nicely for the Battle of Borodino.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Fletch,

 

That meal sounds wonderful. It is almost French rustic isn't it? I really admire that effort and beg you to post a piccy when it's done! It would be disrespectful to all that effort not to record it for cooler posterity!:D

 

How are you making the lamb stock?

 

Jeff

[Fletcher]

Lamb stock made with what we used to call scrag end, just two pieces, briefly caramelised then simmered with celery, carrot and onion.

[jpalbny]

Catching up this morning before going in to work. Everyone's meals sound so delicious! I made a white pizza last night, very loosely based on (my own interpretation of) an Alsatian tarte flambée, but with Italian ingredients. Thin crust, diced pancetta slowly caramelized, thinly sliced onions, and mozzarella instead of crème fraiche. Shaved Pecorino Romano on top. It was really tasty!

 

MrsWaldo, we did the gorilla trek in Rwanda last May and it is truly an amazing life experience. I'll share a few pictures, maybe today after work. Loved it!

[UKCruiseJeff]

JP ... that pizza sounds gorgeous. I'm having real issues with my pizza conscience at the moment. Every fibre always says proper buffalo mozzarella but it always adds to much liquid and you end up with soggy bases. So I use processed mozarella. Terrible disclosure I know. :eek:

 

Fletch, you are cooking to a really high quality and deserve lot's of cooler kudos points. I'm also by instinct a 100% scratch cooker but have recently either regressed or progressed depending on your point of view to basically saying if I can get 90% by being pragmatic that will do.

 

I guess it is the converging trends of eating less, only generally cooking for two etc. Also food long haul travels widens. So for a few years I've been really interested in "cheating" ie what can I do that gives me pareto principle in cooking. I only seek to add cooking value effort where there is genuinely real added quality rather than "in the mind" and no viable alternative.

 

However all your lamb talk has added lamb to tommorows Ocado delivery and taken off something less worthy!

 

Hope you post piccies of what you do, many others will be genuinley interested and motivated by what you are doing.

 

:)

 

Jeff

 

ps ... if anyone is bored and seeking additional Sunday reading then you might be interested in reading the orbituary of Michael Naylor-Leyland a true british eccentric.

 

 

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/obituaries/article4678184.ece?shareToken=1ca837e9e516bc89892f9a37d424ce74

Edited January 31, 2016 by UKCruiseJeff

[Mr Luxury]

Thanks for,posting that Jeff,

Fabulous character,will be sadly missed.

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

The food pics and descriptions are awesome!

 

Terry...your pictures are beautiful!

 

I wanted to add a few shots from our adventure. Not to compete with anyone! Just to touch base. :)

 

First up is a shot of Opunohu Bay taken from Belvedere Lookout on Moorea.

 

 

Next up is a picture of a waterfall in the interior of Tahiti taken on our 4X4 trip inland.

 

 

And lastly is a picture of a barracuda and other fish taken on our Glass Bottom Boat tour on Bora Bora.

 

 

Have a great day/evening everyone!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Gorgeous piccies M!

 

Looks like you are both having a wonderful time!

 

:)

 

 

Jeff

[jpalbny]

Mysty, is that sunshine on Moorea? I don't recognize it without the torrential downpour that we had during our visit!

 

Great to hear from you. We hit 50F today (10C) and enjoyed a nice afternoon walk.

[mysty]

Thanks J! We are having the time of our lives! I have to keep pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. :)

 

Thanks JP!.....we had sun on Moorea! Rain on Fakarava and Tahiti though. Bora Bora was overcast, hot and humid. It rained after we were back on the ship. Enjoy the unseasonable weather there!

[Fletcher]

Last night's roast lamb with haricot beans -

 

 

and for pudding, homemade tiramisu -

 

Edited February 1, 2016 by Fletcher

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Morning Coolers!

 

M, I think your friends on the cooler have shared your anticipation of this "once in a lifetime" trip and really are extremely happy to see how much it is fulfilling your dreams and expectations. Looking forward to seeing your fish and chips in Manly!

 

Fletch, that looks like a lovely meal you prepared yesterday ...... and certainly nothing you can buy will come close to that tiramisu! Thanks for posting a piccy.

 

All that lamby talk yesterday caused a change of plan for one of this weeks meals but ours will be with brussels and yorkshires and lot's of traditional Rosso gravy ...

 

Another grey morning here .... we share your temperature here JP and hope for a morning walk.

 

Jeff