The Daily for Monday December 13, 2021

[rafinmd]

6 minutes ago, jslev9 said:

Can I suggest something to add to the celebration list? The Amsterdam will be in Grand Turk today, meaning she is the first ship to dock in Grand Turk since the port closed last year due to COVID!

The Amsterdam?

 

Roy

[Seasick Sailor]

Someone asked about sugars. Packets are everywhere on the ship.

 

I'd better behave.. 2 cappuccinos and a chocolate crescent.. I should have brought my size 8's..

[grapau27]

17 minutes ago, cunnorl said:

Good Morning All from a warm and sunny day at the beach

      Love ice cream, it is my downfall. Salute to children of all ages .  Have not been to todays port.

     My company has kept me busy and we are all enjoying the visit. I hosted my previously scheduled " Yankee Swap" last nite and it was great fun.  So I am dragging a little today.

    My sister was readmitted to the hospital yesterday. She has a blood clot in her leg and her counts are down again. She is in good spirits and she is getting good care. Because of her low counts she is in isolation . Her DH dropped off her knitting so she will be making caps for everyone!

   Extra prayers for Jacqui and Jose.

 

Stay safe and enjoy today.

    Charlene

Sending prayers 🙏 for your sister Charlene that her clot in her leg is dissolved and her blood count returns to normal.

Graham.

 

[richwmn]

Marine traffic shows that Nieuw Amsterdam has docked at Grand Turk Island, Cockburn Town!

 

17 minutes ago, jslev9 said:

Can I suggest something to add to the celebration list? The Amsterdam will be in Grand Turk today, meaning she is the first ship to dock in Grand Turk since the port closed last year due to COVID!

 

10 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

The Amsterdam?

 

Roy

 

Edited December 13, 2021 by richwmn

[aliaschief]

Good morning. If we stay healthy and can go we will visit Halong Bay, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City on our WC in 2024. That will be a closure type visit.

 

It’s a cool 48 degrees this morning so that is quite a change from the last few days.

 

Thanks Rich for your faithful posting of the Fleet Report and to all our guest contributors. Continued prayers for all in need.

 

Have a great week.

[Seasick Sailor]

The Statendam is in port with us at HMC today.. Captain did say yesterday the Amsterdam was joining us today, but he was mistaken.

[StLouisCruisers]

Good morning friends!  It's a cold and sunny morning in North Central Georgia and we are happy to be back home in our own bed for the next 5 days.  DD keeps her house warmer at night than we do so I had a hard time sleeping comfortably there.  Still we are extremely grateful for any time we get to spend with our kids and grandkids.  They're the best!  😇

 

A lovely grouping of days today with ice cream, children and violins.  @ger_77 Gerry, every day seems to be children's day, doesn't it?  The creamy shrimp linguine looks delicious so thanks for all the recipes and photos of it, @dfish Debbie.  I haven't been to Halong Bay, Vietnam but I remember seeing photos in the past and always thought the bay with all the little islands looked so scenic.  I would love to go there someday.  Today's quote is very amusing!  I totally agree with her.

 

Thanks for the Daily today @richwmnRich and clarifying the Nieuw Amsterdam report.  And to @rafinmd Roy, more praise for the updated Care and Celebration lists.  I hope you continue to do well with your radiation treatments.  I am thinking of @kazuJacqui and Jose many times a day and praying for an improvement on that front.  Prayers also for all on our Care list and cheers/congrats to those celebrating.

 

@Seasick Sailor Joy thanks for the photos of your cruise so far.  I know you two will have a fabulous time!  Congrats @grapau27Graham on your 5th anniversary on CC.  Hoping Pauline feels better very quickly.  @cunnorlCharlene prayers for your DS and hope she shows improvement soon.  It's a very good thing she has her knitting to keep her occupied.

 

We plan on picking up a few groceries today to tide us over until Friday, then that evening we head to the airport again to fly to St. Louis for the Saturday funeral of DMIL.  It's hard to believe after all our months of rarely going anywhere we have out-of-town plans for all four weekends of December!  Soccer, graduation, funeral and Christmas.  Also on the agenda today is to pay our taxes on the house before the deadline.  We wouldn't want to let that slip by us!  To every one of you I wish you a wonderful Monday!

[jslev9]

27 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

The Amsterdam?

 

Roy

My brain worked faster than my fingers. I meant the Nieuw Amsterdam. Sorry!

[travelingbums]

Thank you everyone for sharing and caring😀.

 

Our hearts and prayers go out for all.

[StLouisCruisers]

5 minutes ago, jslev9 said:

My brain worked faster than my fingers. I meant the Nieuw Amsterdam. Sorry!

 

Not a problem!  Welcome to the Daily.🙂

[summer slope]

Thank you Joy for the information on sweeteners. I’m still bringing some for the cabin. 

[Mtn2Sea]

Glad to see I’m not in CC jail today!  Very foggy along Florida’s panhandle coastline today.  They are doing some beach restoration and for several nights I’ve been going to sleep while hearing a fog horn every 30 seconds.  Hopefully, the dredging ship will quickly move down the beach.  Learned this morning that I’ll be seeing the specialist for my squamous cell carcinoma in early January.  Will be glad when that’s done and I get get serious with booking a cruise.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

Good morning from sunny Quartzsite.  Usually, we can ease into the cooler weather, but not this year.  December is normally our coldest month, and it was 37F when I got up this morning.  It should warm up nicesy by this afternoon.

 

Like so many Dailyites, it is ice cream day most days.  I'll always celebrate children.  While the violin is not my favorite string instrument, in the hands of a great violinist, it can be very good.  We were fortunate to see Itzhak Perman perform once.  What a wonderful evening.

 

I like the Tallulah Bankhead quote.  She was one of a kind.

 

The meal and wine sound good, but the wine is a little pricey.  I'll pass on the drink.

 

@kazu  Jacqui, sending positive thoughts for strength for you and for Jose and his medical team to find the answer and for complete healing.

@Seasick Sailor  Glad you are enjoying your cruise.  Have a wonderful time.

@grapau27   Graham, I hope Pauline is over her reaction to the booster soon.

@smitty34877  Terry, I am sorry that Tana is feeling to well today, but glad she is going ahead with the doctor appointment.  Good, positive thoughts coming your way that they have some answers and a treatment plan for Tana.

@cunnorl  Sorry your DS is back in the hospital with a blood clot and low counts.  Hope she is better soon.

 

In 2018, the Coral Princess called at Halong Bay.  Just a couple of weeks before the cruise began, they were able to add a tour to Hanoi, as a new toll road had just opened.  The new road cut the travel time from 4-6 hours down to two hours.  The pictures are just a few of the almost 200 I took that day.

 

The first two are of Halong Bay as we sailed into port.  Next time, we'll do a tour of Halong Bay.

 

 

A couple of street scenes taken from the bus.

 

 

We did a walking tour that included narrow streets with small shops.  Whenever our guide wanted us to stay together crossing busy streets, he would call out "Sticky rice".

 

 

 

An example of modern wiring  🤣 in the narrow market streets.  

 

After a wonderful lunch at a local restaurant, we toured an old palace and temple.  Then we went to see the grounds of the Presidental Palace and other government buildings.  The first is  Ho Chi Minh's tomb, which we were not allowed to enter.

 

Gardeners trimming bushes on the grounds

 

The Presidential Palace

 

Ho Chi Minh did not spend much time in the palace, but preferred to live in this open air house on the grounds.  It is quite a simple building.

 

 

 

The next two pictures are the Hanoi Hilton where John McCain and other US prisoners were held.  All that remains for the prison are the outside walls.  The rest has been completely redone.

 

 

The Vietnamese hold John McCain in great estime and built this monument to him on the site where his plane crashed.

 

Lenda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sharon in AZ]

Good morning everyone and Happy Monday!  Thank you for the Daily Rich and for the lists Roy. Extra prayers for Jose and Jacqui @kazu  I think about Jose frequently and each time I do I say a little prayer. 
 

I wasn’t able to read the entire Daily yesterday so will catch up on that later. But I did see your Christmas meal question Debbie @dfish. Back in the day, before I started hosting and cooking Christmas dinner, my DM always made Turkey. Once she stopped I’ve mixed it up, we’ve had ham, beef tenderloin, pork loin, steak, tritip, things like that but the favorite is the beef tenderloin. I use Ina Garten’s recipe and absolutely love the sauce that goes with it and usually add extra horseradish:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/filet-of-beef-with-mustard-mayo-horseradish-sauce-5458029

 

Just adding the above recipe put me in CC jail, I had to close up everything and start over but somehow it saved what I had started writing. Go figure. 
 

Merry Christmas from the Westerdam:
 

Have a great day everyone!

[grapau27]

8 minutes ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

Good morning from sunny Quartzsite.  Usually, we can ease into the cooler weather, but not this year.  December is normally our coldest month, and it was 37F when I got up this morning.  It should warm up nicesy by this afternoon.

 

Like so many Dailyites, it is ice cream day most days.  I'll always celebrate children.  While the violin is not my favorite string instrument, in the hands of a great violinist, it can be very good.  We were fortunate to see Itzhak Perman perform once.  What a wonderful evening.

 

I like the Tallulah Bankhead quote.  She was one of a kind.

 

The meal and wine sound good, but the wine is a little pricey.  I'll pass on the drink.

 

@kazu  Jacqui, sending positive thoughts for strength for you and for Jose and his medical team to find the answer and for complete healing.

@Seasick Sailor  Glad you are enjoying your cruise.  Have a wonderful time.

@grapau27   Graham, I hope Pauline is over her reaction to the booster soon.

@smitty34877  Terry, I am sorry that Tana is feeling to well today, but glad she is going ahead with the doctor appointment.  Good, positive thoughts coming your way that they have some answers and a treatment plan for Tana.

@cunnorl  Sorry your DS is back in the hospital with a blood clot and low counts.  Hope she is better soon.

 

In 2018, the Coral Princess called at Halong Bay.  Just a couple of weeks before the cruise began, they were able to add a tour to Hanoi, as a new toll road had just opened.  The new road cut the travel time from 4-6 hours down to two hours.  The pictures are just a few of the almost 200 I took that day.

 

The first two are of Halong Bay as we sailed into port.  Next time, we'll do a tour of Halong Bay.

 

 

A couple of street scenes taken from the bus.

 

 

We did a walking tour that included narrow streets with small shops.  Whenever our guide wanted us to stay together crossing busy streets, he would call out "Sticky rice".

 

 

 

An example of modern wiring  🤣 in the narrow market streets.  

 

After a wonderful lunch at a local restaurant, we toured an old palace and temple.  Then we went to see the grounds of the Presidental Palace and other government buildings.  The first is  Ho Chi Minh's tomb, which we were not allowed to enter.

 

Gardeners trimming bushes on the grounds

 

The Presidential Palace

 

Ho Chi Minh did not spend much time in the palace, but preferred to live in this open air house on the grounds.  It is quite a simple building.

 

 

 

The next two pictures are the Hanoi Hilton where John McCain and other US prisoners were held.  All that remains for the prison are the outside walls.  The rest has been completely redone.

 

 

The Vietnamese hold John McCain in great estime and built this monument to him on the site where his plane crashed.

 

Lenda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you Lenda.

Great collection of photos.

Graham.

[puppycanducruise]

@grapau27Happy Anniversary on Cruise Critic.

Hope Pauline feels better soon.❤️

[KirkNC]

Happy Monday!

[Horizon chaser 1957]

Good morning, all! I have escaped from CC jail,with much effort, and will,post quickly before I’m caught and dragged back.😉

First, and most important, sending continued strength and prayers @kazuto Jacqui and Jose. Hopefully his medical,team will catch a break and be able to work their magic.

Today’s port of Halong Bay was our first stop on our first HAL cruise on the Volendam. We did the Halong Bay boat tour. The rock formations rising out of the sea remind me of the Floating Islands in the movie Avatar. I’m sure whoever imagined the Floating Islands has visited Halong Bay.It was the first time I’d ever seen flying fish. I sat on the edge of the boat completely enchanted with these sparrow like forms shooting out of the water and back in again several yards farther on. The cave was very interesting with stalactites and stalagmites glistening with coloured light. All in all, it was a magical experience that I have far too few surviving pictures of. @rafinmdyes Roy, you picked the wrong tour.

The floating islands of Halong Bay

 

 

More islands in the distance, looking like the towers of a coastal city.

 

Happy Monday, everyone, and may one of our BHB’s sail into Halong Bay again soon!

 

[Vict0riann]

Good morning, Dailyites,  I seem to be allowed to post today.  Praying hard for those who are ill today, as I was yesterday, too.  @grapau27,  I had a full dose of Moderna after 2 Pfizers, and I felt pretty bad the next day, too.  Then my arm was red and sore for about a week.  Tell Pauline I am commiserating with her. The nurse said we would have the best protection from the mixed doses, though, and she said to move the arm around as much as I could.  And congratulation on your 5th anniversary on CC!

 

We were in Vietnam in 2014 on Volendm, 28 days, and I organized 9 or 10 tours.  Never again!   But we made some nice friends.  In Halong Bay I had booked a boat tour for about 20 people, and then I wasn't feeling well on the day, so DD and DH had to be the leaders while I stayed on board.  They had a great day and saw lots.  

 

And as Linda said, the wiring in Vietnam was horrendous!  They even sold t-shirts with pictures called "Vietnam Telecoms"  I thought I had a picture but I can't find it. 

 

 

 

The "Kissing Rocks"

 

 

 

Floating village

 

 

And they went in a cave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dobiemom]

4 hours ago, cunnorl said:

    My sister was readmitted to the hospital yesterday. She has a blood clot in her leg and her counts are down again. She is in good spirits and she is getting good care. Because of her low counts she is in isolation . Her DH dropped off her knitting so she will be making caps for everyone!

   Extra prayers for Jacqui and Jose.

Hope your sister gets better soon. 🙏

Yes on the extra prayers for @kazu Jacqui and Jose. And @Himself Father. And all on the Care list. 🙏🙏
 

4 hours ago, rafinmd said:

I doubt I'll have time to do a post with photos today so here's a link to my blog post for Halong Bay:

 

https://zaandamasia.wordpress.com/2012/02/18/day-12-fri-feb-17-halong-bay-vietnam/

 

Roy

Thanks, Roy. 🙂

[sailingdutchy]

 

 

We had the pleasure to be on the much written about " Last Cruise of the Westerdam " in Asia when the Covid-19 broke out in Asia in early 2020 , the one where we were roaming around at sea for about 2 weeks looking for a Port that would accept us to dock , and in the end we finally received permission from the President of Cambodia to dock in Sihanoukville .

But first before all of that happened , and the world pulled on the emergency brakes we were able to have a wonderful visit in Halong Bay on Jan 29, 2020 . I will have to make a choice out of a lot of beautiful pictures from our tour that day , you will notice that it was very cool but because of the beauty around us we  soon forgot all about that and had a fantastic day.

 

These  are the 2 Junk boats , from the company I had chosen for our group for the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Captain ,  Cook and rest of the crew for the day .

 

 

Hope to go back one day and just float around when it is a little warmer and the sun is shining ............it's just gorgeous 

 

Please take care everybody get vaccinated and stay safe that's the only way things can get back to "normal " ! 

 

Tony 😊

[grapau27]

44 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

Good morning, Dailyites,  I seem to be allowed to post today.  Praying hard for those who are ill today, as I was yesterday, too.  @grapau27,  I had a full dose of Moderna after 2 Pfizers, and I felt pretty bad the next day, too.  Then my arm was red and sore for about a week.  Tell Pauline I am commiserating with her. The nurse said we would have the best protection from the mixed doses, though, and she said to move the arm around as much as I could.  And congratulation on your 5th anniversary on CC!

 

We were in Vietnam in 2014 on Volendm, 28 days, and I organized 9 or 10 tours.  Never again!   But we made some nice friends.  In Halong Bay I had booked a boat tour for about 20 people, and then I wasn't feeling well on the day, so DD and DH had to be the leaders while I stayed on board.  They had a great day and saw lots.  

 

And as Linda said, the wiring in Vietnam was horrendous!  They even sold t-shirts with pictures called "Vietnam Telecoms"  I thought I had a picture but I can't find it. 

 

 

 

The "Kissing Rocks"

 

 

 

Floating village

 

 

And they went in a cave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your kind words towards Pauline.

Thank you for your lovely photos too.

Graham.

[StLouisCruisers]

Thanks to all for the great photos today.  I'm enjoying seeing Halong Bay through your eyes.😎

[XBGuy]

5 hours ago, cat shepard said:

 

********

Château Coutet Barsac 2014

This wine might be at the top of my budget, but I would love a taste. And just in case you don’t know what “boytrytis” is, I know I didn’t- it is a fungus.  Not that many online distributors for the 2014 vintage. Later vintages might be easier to find and less expensive. The 2014’s price started at $49.94.

Winemaker Notes
#3 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2017 

Still aging in oak, the wine is a pale color. The nose is full of lovely aromatic notes of grapefruit, lychee, mango, and pineapple. In addition, flavors of lime, toasted almond, and acacia flower can be detected. The palate is fresh and mineral but an incredible density to the wine imparts a long finish. The vintage is already unusual for its power and freshness.
Blend: 75% Semillon, 23% Sauvignon Blanc, and 2% Muscadelle 

WE97 Wine Enthusiast

Powered by intense botrytis, this wine is opulent and ripe, with spice, yellow fruit and honey flavors. It has just the right balance of acidity to maintain its shape and proportions. It's likely to age well over many years. Drink from 2024. Cellar Selection

WW97 Wilfred Wong of Wine.com

In my career of tasting, evaluating, and drinking wine, I have always found great pleasures in savoring top-level Sauternes. Over the years, Coutet has often found my sweet spot. The 2014 vintage is simply splendid. Showing excellent richness of fruit and enticing botrytis, this vintage appears to be one of the wines best efforts. 

WS96 Wine Spectator

This shows the vivid, racy side of Barsac, with streaming flavors of pineapple, yellow apple, green plum and white ginger, displaying lovely energy from start to finish. Ends with enough honeysuckle and orange blossom notes to balance the richness. Best from 2020 through 2035.

RP95 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

This Coutet '14 has a complex bouquet with razor-sharp, minerally, citrus fruit mixed with wild honey and a touch of Riesling-like petrol. The palate is totally convincing. There is a great thrust of rich botrytized fruit sliced through with Coutet’s trademark acidity, despite the spoonfuls of sugar, that lends this such vibrancy and tension. It possesses and almost clinical precision with long persistence on the finish. This is a divine Coutet that may warrant a higher score subject to how it evolves in barrel. Range:93-95+

D94 Decanter

Ripe tropical fruit, vanilla and herbs intermingle with smoky botrytis. Dense, rich flavors of custard and toffee apples, saffron and a hint of noble rot bitterness on the long finish.

JS93 James Suckling

This shows a lively density, intensity of fruit and spiciness. Pineapples as well. Full body, medium sweetness and a long finish.Range: 92-93

 

I am going to a bit to @cat shepard's usual excellent report.

 

The $49 price that she cites is for a 750ml bottle.  Dessert wines are pretty rich.  A little goes a long way.  So, it is not uncommon, at all. to find dessert wines in 375ml bottles--commonly referred to as half-bottles.  It is not hard to find half-bottles of the Coutet from $25-$27.  Also,  dessert wines age magnificently.  A lot of wine geeks will hyperventilate about wines having to be stored in cellar conditions, but I have found that wines with high sugar content--like all botrytis-affected wines--are not as fussy.  I have had 40 year old dessert wine that my brother-in-law has found in the kitchen cabinets of estates, and, while they might not have been perfect, I've found them to be quite enjoyable.  So, if you see an older vintage on a store shelf, go ahead and try it.

[kazu]

Just a quick post to thank you all for your kindness and prayers. ♥️ 

 

I haven’t posted updates as I have no good news and don’t like to be depressing, but Jose is getting worse every day 💔 

 

They did his lumbar puncture /spinal tap today and some idiot didn’t read the memo to sedate him.  So, they didn’t and of course, he couldn’t hold still and they had to stop.  They fear they didn’t get enough for a good sample but sent it off to the lab in hopes maybe it is and now have ordered another spinal tap 😞 

 

His MRI is tomorrow.  

 

I hope we can get an answer soon but at the rate he’s deteriorating…..

 

This is truly heartbreaking 💔