River Cruising Water Cooler

[jpalbny]

Definitely some odd Spring weather. It was warm enough here for some outdoor running as early as February! And here the trees are in full bud, ready to burst open soon. I am almost ready to put the citrus trees outside for the year - probably next weekend if the forecast doesn't change too much.

 

Yet last Saturday when we left town, there was an ice and snow storm! We were worried that it might kill the new buds on the trees but it looks like all is well.

 

We just came back from a week in the Azores and Sao Miguel was beautiful. The grass was green and the azaleas were in full bloom. No hydrangeas yet - they had green leaves but no significant blossoms.

 

Palm Sunday in Lisbon was well over 70 degrees and sunny. We ate lunch outdoors in Cascais with a beautiful ocean view.

 

I hope everyone had a nice Easter!

[notamermaid]

6 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Palm Sunday in Lisbon was well over 70 degrees and sunny. We ate lunch outdoors in Cascais with a beautiful ocean view.

 

Good to read you have been exploring Europe again.

 

We have two holidays here so today has been a quiet one as the weather has been rather mixed. With a bit more effort on my behalf I could have made it to an organized Walk to Emmaus but instead I contemplated life and religion at home.

 

Had a lovely meal of lamb, Yorkshire puddings (a nod to very dear people and a staple of my cooking for many years now), potatoes, beans and carrots. Pairing was a Spanish red wine with a staggering 14 percent alcohol. Dessert was individual raspberry pavlovas. I organized a small Easter egg hunt with just a few chocolate eggs and sweets indoors. Short but enormous fun.

 

Still hoping to get away for a long weekend soon.

 

notamermaid

 

[ural guy]

7 hours ago, jpalbny said:

 

 

We just came back from a week in the Azores and Sao Miguel was beautiful. The grass was green and the azaleas were in full bloom. No hydrangeas yet - they had green leaves but no significant blossoms.

 

Palm Sunday in Lisbon was well over 70 degrees and sunny. We ate lunch outdoors in Cascais with a beautiful ocean view.

 

I hope everyone had a nice Easter!

Azores are a place I've been looking at.  You enjoyed yourself?  I've read that the terrain is a bit Hawaii like.  Did you fly TAP?  Lastly, did you just visit the one island?  Thanks.

 

Flowers and trees blooming after even a mild NorthEast winter are a huge morale boost, glad you got a fix in!

[jpalbny]

1 hour ago, ural guy said:

Azores are a place I've been looking at.  You enjoyed yourself?  I've read that the terrain is a bit Hawaii like.  Did you fly TAP?  Lastly, did you just visit the one island?  Thanks.

 

Flowers and trees blooming after even a mild NorthEast winter are a huge morale boost, glad you got a fix in!

 

We had a great time. Didn't hike as much as we wanted because Chris scraped up her leg on the second day, but next time! 

 

Definitely like Hawaii, but a much less crowded and more rustic feel. The volcanic landscapes are beautiful, and the greenery! And the cheap but delicious Portuguese cuisine, wine, etc. 

 

We only went to São Miguel this time, from Monday to Friday. Next time we'll finish up there and visit some other islands too. This was a quick taster to make sure we liked it, though we were sure that we would. 

 

We flew DL between Boston and Lisbon,  then TAP between Lisbon and São Miguel. TAP was nice enough. Though boarding their flight is quite a cluster! 

 

Next time I suppose we'll look at SATA, who fly directly from BOS and JFK to Ponta Delgada. Though that flight is so short, no time to sleep! We didn't mind going through Lisbon because we like that area too.

 

Some day I'll post pictures.

[ural guy]

JP-  Thanks.  That's what initially caught my eye, the 4 hr flight from Boston.   If not that, then the TAP flights with the optional to build in several days layovers.  I have flown TAP out of Lisbon, and I wondered why the flight was listed for 3 hours.  About an hour was the bus ride from gate, boarding, and then waiting it turns out.

 

We were stationed on Oahu for three years, so less crowded and rustic are both good!  Glad to hear you had a good time...at least Chris had qualified medical care, on call 24/7....

[jpalbny]

The TAP flight from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada was about 2h in the air. Boarding was a total scrum. They pre-board "families with children" through the premium line, at the same time as premium boarding!

 

So that means that about 2/3 of the plane crowds the premium line, starting 15-20 minutes before boarding starts. And then they start calling the next groups before the line moves much. So more chaos!

 

The food and wine onboard were nice and I'd fly them again, especially since we now have some status with Star Alliance. Just have to remember that you can't stay in the lounge as long as you'd usually do...must get to the gate and join the scrum early!

 

Love those bus rides... We disembarked on a jet way upon arrival in Lisbon both times but flying out to PDL and to BOS it was a bus ride, and at PDL you walk between the terminal and the plane.

 

Oahu! Yeah, quite a different vibe there. We did find a few places to escape the crowds in Oahu but it's much easier on São Miguel. At least in March! We did get shut out of the "cave" (lava tube) tour though so some things must be booked ahead. 

 

Chris's wound is healing up ok so far. It totally could have used stitches, but when I grabbed the hotel sewing kit, it was a hard "no" even though I offered her sparkling wine as an anesthetic! So the steristrips had to do.

[Canal archive]

So learn to play Rugby and your fine! 😆

[pontac]

On 4/1/2024 at 5:40 PM, notamermaid said:

Pairing was a Spanish red wine with a staggering 14 percent alcohol.

 

I must tell you that 14% abv is not at all unusual, and 14.5% abv is common also. I can tell you the reasons why if you're interested.

 

PS: Yorkshire pudding with lamb?? 

Edited April 5 by pontac

[pontac]

On 3/26/2024 at 10:03 PM, sharkster77 said:

PS--I read that the tulips, etc., are blooming a little early this year, so even though Keukenhof just opened March 21

 

A Keukenhof guide told me that they plant several bulbs under each other each with a different blooming time so they can guarantee a show all through the short time they are open.

 

Also was told that they have undersoil heating.

 

But we didn't go to Keukenhof - it was raining so heavily Mrs P decided she didn't want to wander around in pouring rain and the cold, so we stayed on boat*. In afternoon the rain had stopped, the sun came out and it was very pleasant so we walked to The Tulip Museum in Amsterdam.

 

*This is the Mrs P who decided on this cruise in order to visit the Keukenhof Gardens.

[Second seating]

Yesterday in New England!!!

 

Second seating

[notamermaid]

3 hours ago, pontac said:

 

I must tell you that 14% abv is not at all unusual, and 14.5% abv is common also. I can tell you the reasons why if you're interested.

 

PS: Yorkshire pudding with lamb?? 

I used to buy and drink lower alcohol wines. In the last ten years I have seen more and more of the 14% reds around here. Why do they make them that strong?

 

Yorkshire puddings, yes, work well. I know it should be beef but I really like them with lamb. No mint sauce for me, I pour the gravy over the puds.

 

notamermaid

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

On 4/1/2024 at 12:40 PM, notamermaid said:

Pairing was a Spanish red wine with a staggering 14 percent alcohol.

 

 

12 hours ago, pontac said:

I must tell you that 14% abv is not at all unusual, and 14.5% abv is common also. I can tell you the reasons why if you're interested.

I remembered this discussion, so I looked at my wine bottle at dinner tonight.  A California (Lodi) Zinfandel with 15.1% abv.  That is staggering!  [the wine, not me... 😉]  But it was very well balanced – at a high level across abv, tannin and fruit.  Very nice.

[Canal archive]

I don’t think it matters how high or low the abv is as long as it suites your palette. I’m amazed at how the world’s winemakers have in their various ways educated us and changed their product so that these days it’s not necessarily that difficult to choose an acceptable wine. I’m no expert but I know what I like as in I’m glad the French are again producing some really acceptable Malbacs. Think back to the 60’s and 70’s and Blue Nun! I’m pretty sure it was nearly 100% water, believe it or not we were served it last year at a function in and it wasn’t a bad drop and no I was not wearing a mini skirt and kinky boots.

[pontac]

15 hours ago, notamermaid said:

I used to buy and drink lower alcohol wines. In the last ten years I have seen more and more of the 14% reds around here. Why do they make them that strong?

 

There are multiple factors in why wine has higher abv (alcohol by volume) than before, without going into   technical details here are the main reasons, but first:

 

Alcohol is produced by the fermentation by yeast of sugar. The more sugar in the grape, the higher the potential alcohol. If fermentation is stopped before all the sugar is converted then the wine is sweet. A totally dry wine is made by converting all the sugar into alcohol. Without sugar to feed on, the yeast dies.

The riper the grape, the more sugar it contains.

 

So, today’s wines are more alcoholic because the grapes are picked riper and because the yeast used produces more alcohol from the same sugar than before.

 

In the old days – say up to 50 years ago – grape farmers tested a sample of grapes to measure sugar levels, and then it was an easy calculation to determine what alcohol level their wine would have. As soon as they reached the minimum level they picked the grapes and made wine as to leave them longer was risky (mildew etc). But the grapes were not ripe and wines made from unripe grapes were tannic. Customers had to age them in the hope the tannins would fade faster than the fruit flavours. (To encourage using riper grapes Bordeaux gave ‘Bordeaux Superior’ appellation to wines which had a half-percent abv higher then the minimum 12% which was needed for basic ‘Bordeaux’ appellation.

Today’s wines are higher because of what happens in the vineyard and winery.
In the vineyard grapes are not picked until they are physiologically rape – their stalks and pips are brown. Techniques including removing leaves to let the sun shine on grapes are used.

In the winery they use commercial dried yeasts. In the old days wines were fermented by natural yeasts found on grapes and in the air. These were less efficient at converting sugar to alcohol. Modern commercial yeasts produce more alcohol – this was a demand from wineries in northern climates which struggled in the old days at reaching acceptable abv levels.

 

Lastly, climate change: higher temperatures make for riper grapes but climate change is not the main reason, without the other changes it would just mean harvest happened sooner.

 

6 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

remembered this discussion, so I looked at my wine bottle at dinner tonight.  A California (Lodi) Zinfandel with 15.1% abv.  That is staggering!  [the wine, not me... 😉]

 

Not uncommon for California Zinfandel. Ridge 2021 Benito Dusi Zinfandel has 15.3% ABV*

 

Yeast dies when there is no sugar left for it to feed on OR when the alcohol level gets too high for it. Natural yeasts died at lower alcohol levels, modern commercial yeasts can survive at higher levels.

 

Ridge, my favourite Zinfandel producer, says on its labels when it has added water to lower abv levels. Adding water is illegal in the old world but it's not unknown for winery  'accidents' with water hoses when cleaning.

 

* EU wine law forbids abv to be expressed as anything other than ending in decimal point zero or decimal point five, so @Host Jazzbeau   wine would probably be sold in the EU as 15.0% abv

[Daisi]

23 hours ago, pontac said:

 

A Keukenhof guide told me that they plant several bulbs under each other each with a different blooming time so they can guarantee a show all through the short time they are open.

 

Also was told that they have undersoil heating.

 

But we didn't go to Keukenhof - it was raining so heavily Mrs P decided she didn't want to wander around in pouring rain and the cold, so we stayed on boat*. In afternoon the rain had stopped, the sun came out and it was very pleasant so we walked to The Tulip Museum in Amsterdam.

 

*This is the Mrs P who decided on this cruise in order to visit the Keukenhof Gardens.

 

I guess you'll be going on another cruise then so you get to see them. 🙂

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

On 4/5/2024 at 12:08 PM, pontac said:

A Keukenhof guide told me that they plant several bulbs under each other each with a different blooming time so they can guarantee a show all through the short time they are open.

I can verify this.  We went to Keukenhof twice in 2022, about a week apart.  We saw different tulips blooming in the same beds on the second visit.  [I did this at home, planting Iris on the surface of my tulip beds.  The tulips come up early, then after they're finished we have the iris display.  Of course that makes it impossible to replant more tulips as they die off.  But I believe that Keukenhof completely replants all their beds every year.

[Daisi]

Gotta love Canadian weather! Woke up Friday morning with 20cm of heavy wet snow on the ground. Had to drive up into the city today, 18C, and everyone is out wearing shorts, and the convertibles are all out with the tops down. I hate to say it because we thought so last weekend, but just maybe, spring has arrived!

[Canal archive]

Pity there is no 🤞

[pontac]

A thread enquiring about Viking menus had me thinking.....

 

On our Tulips & Windmill cruise this month we had a Singaporean Chef on a Swiss flagged Norwegian owned boat cruising in Netherlands and Belgium cooking meals for a mostly American clientele and served by waiters from Romania, Serbia, Slovenia etc

 

Truly international 🙂

[CPT Trips]

On 4/5/2024 at 12:33 PM, Second seating said:

Yesterday in New England!!!

 

Second seating

And a few days later also NE, Sugarloaf during the eclipse. Not mine, found on Reddit. 
 

[Canal archive]

 

Bluebells and Whitebells spring is here.

[Canal archive]

Help, but not usually being a user of TAs apart from our family USA California excursion a few years ago could anyone enlighten me about TA supplied OBC.

Does the OBC come from the company they are booking you up with or from the TA.  Am I wrong in presuming that part of the river cruise in this case is paid for to the TA. In other words how does it work? Please.

[Host Jazzbeau]

9 hours ago, Canal archive said:

Help, but not usually being a user of TAs apart from our family USA California excursion a few years ago could anyone enlighten me about TA supplied OBC.

Does the OBC come from the company they are booking you up with or from the TA.  Am I wrong in presuming that part of the river cruise in this case is paid for to the TA. In other words how does it work? Please.

The answer is 'both.'  Sometimes there is a promotion by the cruise line that includes subsidizing the OBC.  But most often the high-volume TAs use part of their commission to pay for the OBC – in those cases you can ask them to give you a rebate check instead (same cost to them, easier to spend for you).

 

And of course the usual caveat that under Cruise Critic rules we can neither name nor hint at Travel Agents or Agencies...

[Canal archive]

Thanks Jazz I wonder if it’s the same in the U.K.?

[RDVIK2016]

On 1/10/2024 at 5:55 AM, notamermaid said:

.

 

That is indeed the more common use of Mariä, i.e. the one we hear most. We have already talked about the male version, like in Martini and Michaeli, the latter being Michaelmas in English (29 September).

 

notamermaid

 

 

Notamermaid, 

Referring back to our "language nerd" discussion in January: Here is another use of the Latin genitive for naming German Roman Catholic religious observances. This one is "Leonhardi". St Leonhard's remembrance day is November 6, but he is honored at other times of the year also. As he is the patron saint of farm animals, especially horses, mounted processions, called a Leonhardiritt, are held. This is a link to the Leonhardiritt just held two weeks ago on Easter Monday, as every year, in the Upper Palatinate town of Furth im Wald. Some of the horses are just magnificent looking animals.

https://www.tvaktuell.com/mediathek/video/tradition-leonhardiritt-in-furth-im-wald-2/