Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Five

[mauimary]

We too absolutely love the solitude of cruising and the pampering. We especially love long cruises with sea days.  
 

We also love taking our time and taking the train in Europe. We always try to spend at least three days in a place and side trip out from there. I think we are about ready to plan another train trip.  
 

Yes YNP and Grand Teton require a lot of driving and at times just sitting.  . Definitely beautiful scenery. Lois It was fun to see your photos. The one Of Yellowstone Falls looks just like the postcard. The river trip looked very relaxing and the water is beautifully clear.  Lois glad you a saw an elk. He’s a big guy. Did you see any bear?  Definitely can’t miss seeing all the buffs. They are plentiful.  We have always wanted to ride the Yellowstone Bus. It is dorky but looks fun. 
 

I’m pretty much a lurker  but I love hearing about everyone’s local life and seeing all these great food photos. 
 

We tend to stay pretty close to Portland Oregon in the summer. We are about an hour from the wonderful beach town of Cannon Beach so we pick a mid week day when the weather is good and make it a day trip. The beaches here are best for weather in Sept and Oct. When it’s hot inland it’s foggy at the beach. 

Edited Thursday at 08:32 PM by mauimary

[UKCruiseJeff]

2 minutes ago, mauimary said:

We also love taking our time and taking the train in Europe. We always try to spend at least three days in a place and side trip out from there. I think we are about ready to plan another train trip. 

 

I’m pretty much a lurker  but I love hearing about everyone’s local life and seeing all these great food photos. 

 

🙂

 

Where in Europe are you thinking of visiting?

 

Jeff

[mauimary]

1 minute ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

 

🙂

 

Where in Europe are you thinking of visiting?

 

Jeff

We would like to do a more extensive stay and trip in Switzerland and Northern Italy.  On our last visit we started in Amsterdam and spent three weeks staying in various cities and towns in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Austria. It was a lot of on and off the train with luggage but we did it with a rollaboard.   

[UKCruiseJeff]

1 minute ago, mauimary said:

We would like to do a more extensive stay and trip in Switzerland and Northern Italy.  On our last visit we started in Amsterdam and spent three weeks staying in various cities and towns in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Austria. It was a lot of on and off the train with luggage but we did it with a rollaboard.   

 

Good choices!

 

We have a Swiss expert on The Cooler.

 

There is a remarkable set of contrasts for you to experience in Europe.  Hopefully one trip you might also consider taking France as well …. and also Northern Italy is lovely but there is a lot of interesting variety in Southern Italy in places like Puglia and where there is extraordinary food that might be different from what you know of Italian food.

 

When you firm up a bit you’re always welcome to bounce questions and idea  here.

 

Do keep posting!  🙂

 

 

Jeff

[UKCruiseJeff]

Voting has now closed in the UK and exit polls indicate that we have interesting  times ahead of us.

 

Jeff

[Tothesunset]

3 minutes ago, UKCruiseJeff said:

Voting has now closed in the UK and exit polls indicate that we have interesting  times ahead of us.

 

Jeff

The past decade hasn't been interesting? 

[jpalbny]

5 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi,the above picture was taken by one of the other gals......quite an Elk!

 

Oh, I thought that you were just posting a photo of your dinner!

Edited Thursday at 11:57 PM by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Hi from CDMX!

 

Made it here early (good job DL) even though ATL was hopping. Mexico's automated immigration process was quick and we were on the road 20 minutes after landing. 

 

We're staring at the Ritz-Carlton by Chapultepec Park, and the view from our 43rd floor balcony is awesome. The whole park is right in front of us.

 

 

So we went for a walk.

 

 

 

 

Every visitor needs this shot.

 

 

We debated visiting Chapultepec Castle vs the Anthropology Museum. The latter won out. They even have an oculus fountain, like Changi!

 

 

The museum was great but it was overwhelming. So many exhibits! Very well done and I took way more pictures than I can sort through now.

 

But on the way back we got some rain! Luckily we had our raincoats in the backpack with us. Made it home, not too soaked, and with time to watch the rest of the storm! Beautiful and fierce.

 

 

Dinner is at our hotel tonight. Time for a shower and some great food!

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

 

Oh, I thought that you were just posting a photo of your dinner!

Cooked the way you like it, I know...  🤣

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

 

[zqtchas]

[UKCruiseJeff]

Today’s lunch was pink with white drinkies. 🍹

 

Jeff

 

[highplanesdrifters]

18 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi,the above picture was taken by one of the other gals......quite an Elk!

Look at all that velvet, nice!

[highplanesdrifters]

@jpalbny. Hope the eruption of Popocatelpetl doesn't cause you any travel stress.

[mysty]

Food for Thought.....

 

 

 

[QueSeraSera]

"Some of it's magic, some of it's tragic, But I had a good life all the way....."

 

From a beautiful Jimmy Buffet song recently discovered by Not-Parrot heads like me.

 

 

 

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

 

[MissSophia]

G’Day Coolers,

 

So lovely to feel some normality after the last few weeks of political mayhem!

Also lovely to see our little Wimbledon star Emma Raducanu doing so well.

It’s a ladies who lunch day tomorrow with my DD for a champagne Sunday lunch at the Chester Grosvenor….my very favourite place!

I’m sure some of our cooler ladies lunch out, always good to catch up with friends and family…😊

 

 

[DavyWavey70]

35 minutes ago, MissSophia said:

G’Day Coolers,

 

So lovely to feel some normality after the last few weeks of political mayhem!

Also lovely to see our little Wimbledon star Emma Raducanu doing so well.

It’s a ladies who lunch day tomorrow with my DD for a champagne Sunday lunch at the Chester Grosvenor….my very favourite place!

I’m sure some of our cooler ladies lunch out, always good to catch up with friends and family…😊

 

 

Have a fabulous time MissSophia. Lovely Hotel. I Did my work experience from college at the Grosvenor. Is Sunday lunch in the Arkle these days?

[zqtchas]

[MissSophia]

58 minutes ago, DavyWavey70 said:

Have a fabulous time MissSophia. Lovely Hotel. I Did my work experience from college at the Grosvenor. Is Sunday lunch in the Arkle these days?

Thanks DW….lunch is now in The Brasserie, Arkle seem to concentrate on afternoon tea along with some set menu dinner evenings at the weekend.

I have a long history with the hotel….since the late 60’s…so many changes but it still offers that special unique luxury and the food is always excellent 😊

[lincslady]

I remember having dinners in the Brasserie with my first boyfriend, in the dim and distant days of the past.   I think our favourite meal was grilled ham, egg and chips, if you can believe it.

 

He didn't smoke, but we thought it it was glamorous, so he bought me a Dunhill cigarette holder, and I used to smoke something called Marcovich black and white.  Talk about sophisticated.  I think the couple of packets I had then were the only ciggies I have had in my whole life.  Innocent times.  But it is a lovely hotel, then and now.

[MissSophia]

23 minutes ago, lincslady said:

I remember having dinners in the Brasserie with my first boyfriend, in the dim and distant days of the past.   I think our favourite meal was grilled ham, egg and chips, if you can believe it.

 

He didn't smoke, but we thought it it was glamorous, so he bought me a Dunhill cigarette holder, and I used to smoke something called Marcovich black and white.  Talk about sophisticated.  I think the couple of packets I had then were the only ciggies I have had in my whole life.  Innocent times.  But it is a lovely hotel, then and now.

Great story Lola….l remember the Sobrani cigarettes, promoted as cocktail cigs…all different colours with a gold tip….sophisticated and glamorous….those were the days! 😊

[DavyWavey70]

I Used to smoke Sobrani Cocktails when I went to the Summer Balls in London, lovely memories. I’m not sure ham, chips and egg is still on the menu Lola. I Remember when I was there there in 89 we had a dish on the brasserie menu, Choucroute Alsacienne and ladies were warned off ordering it due to the rather startling appearance of the wurst in the garnish. I’m not sure they’d bother these days.

[UKCruiseJeff]

26 minutes ago, lincslady said:

I remember having dinners in the Brasserie with my first boyfriend, in the dim and distant days of the past.   I think our favourite meal was grilled ham, egg and chips, if you can believe it.

 

He didn't smoke, but we thought it it was glamorous, so he bought me a Dunhill cigarette holder, and I used to smoke something called Marcovich black and white.  Talk about sophisticated.  I think the couple of packets I had then were the only ciggies I have had in my whole life.  Innocent times.  But it is a lovely hotel, then and now.

 

Lovely recollections Lola, which bring back so much 60’s.

 

It’s interesting how cigarettes in the ‘60’s or so were  a connotation of sophistication and the personality we chose to be known by.

 

In Soho in the 60’s it was certainly French cigarettes which were Gitanes and Disque Bleu and every club and coffee bar smelled of them.  However Sloanes smoked Sobranie.  Sometimes with a holder.  And Dunhill was so iconic of self-identified individualistic sophistication.  Those small rectangular gold Dunhill lighters were worshipped and copied. 

 

You might remember some of my ancient posts a long time ago about my French girlfriend in the 60’s when I was playing records in La Poubelle and Student Prince in Soho and she started to become a regular on my nights for a  few weeks and it turned out that she was as she said and I didn’t believe a famous pop star  in France - Nicole Croisille,  

 

We became a pair, closely gaurded for a week or so by some of her band who went with her everywhere and treated  me with suspicious  sustained distain.  As a true French language singer  she was unknown out of France - her London time was trying to widen her career as it turned out unsuccessfully - but was growing her reputation in France.  She became better known worldwide as the  theme of that  iconic film “An Homme Et Une Femme”.  She told me that she was 19 when I was 15 and I think as it turned out subsequently she was actually more like 29.  She did however look extremely good.  

 

She roundly announced one day that we were now engaged and took me off to Paris to see her perform and sign autographs and got me a Saturday night in Locomotiv playing records and she would appear and be swamped and helped my very short Paris career.   It was bewildering to a young chap like me.  She was a power of nature and is I’m pleased to say still alive and I still sometimes listen to her wonderful stuff.  Hence my love of French songs. 

 

All of this was largely forgotten by me until a few years back my wife found a silver bracelet in a cigar box with Nicole on it and I had completely forgotten about.  She told my daughter about it at one of our daughter lunches and my daughter looked shocked and  bought out her phone and by coincidence she had the film theme on it as one of her favourite listens.  My daughter still thinks my teenager years  were unusual.  Nicole was the person who converted me from Disque Bleu to Gitanes.  Her lasting influence on me.

 

Nostalgia.

 

Some cigarettes and some Nicole lately …. and if you really want to make her angry just spell her name with two “L”s.  I have seen her explode on that one more than once. 

 

🙂

 

Jeff