The Daily for Wednesday 01/12/2022

[aliaschief]

20 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

Good morning all!

First I want to thank everyone for the kind comments and prayers on the loss of my two friends.  And thank you @rafinmdfor adding me to the care list. 🙂  

 

I'm not quite sure what to think about the Feast of Wild Men, haha.  I'm not real fond of hot tea, but love iced tea.  My favorite pharmacist is my next-door neighbor and very good friend.  She is a whiz.  She moved here from Germany about 30 years ago and became a pharmacist very quickly.  She knows what meds I'm taking better than I do, and is always happy to give advice. 😉  

 

I love that quote, except for the word "inferior".  I believe all men (and women) are created equally.

 

My go-to Sauvignon Blanc is any from Marlborough NZ, but I'd try this one.  The meal sounds delicious, and I think I have some pesto -- I like the second recipe the best.  

 

@Navybikermomwelcome!!

 

We've been to Rome several times, I'll post some photos from our first time there in 2011.  My profile pic is also from that trip.

 

The Civitavecchia shoreline, taken on a walk near our hotel. There were 4 ships in port that day.

 

Of course I found a kitty, this one lived at the hotel.  When we were there again in 2019 I learned he had died, but there were several others there.

 

An olive tree on the hotel grounds

 

Flowers in October

 

Street performer in Rome

 

The Colosseum

 

Looking down into the underground at the Colosseum

 

We took a tour into the underground, one area here.

 

Panoramic view from the top of the Colosseum

 

 

 

Thanks for the pics and congratulations on spelling it correctly as I left out a V.😁

Edited January 12, 2022 by aliaschief

[Himself]

4 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Thank you for the Hump Day Daily, Rich.  A special salute to Pharmacists.    I like hot tea but usually only drink it on ships.  I'll pass on Wild Men Day.  I love the Rowling quote.  I'll pass on the roll ups.  Been to Civitavecchia a few times, most recently in 2017 boarding the Elegant Explorer for a TA.

 

Today’s care list:

Strength for Jacqui, healing for Jose and wisdom for his doctors
Saint John Hospital Covid Situation
Marshhawk with new illness and doctor issue
Welfare of furloughed crews
Walker in hospice
Cruising-along losing 2 friends and co-workers
Tana in hospital with poor prognosis
MissG’s dad with pneumonia
Numerious dailyite friends and family with covid
From the rotation:
HAL Sailor DH health issues
NextOne  DDIL with mystery illness
summer slope BCC surgery in February
positive biopsy for Mtn2Sea appointment January 19
rafinmd recovering from radiation side effects

 

Celebrations and Shoutouts:

3 BHB in Everglades
5 BHB with passengers
Front Line Health Care Workers        
4 days for Dobiemom (Breakaway to 1/23)
4 days for Heartgrove  (Rotterdam 1/16 to 1/23)
Carnival Group  hospital ships Noordam, Crown Princess, and Queen Victoria
summer slope (1/29)sassy~one , ( 1/29), and  Seasick Sailor (Rotterdam to1/16),  GTVCRUISER Koningsdam to 1/16) and boytje (Millennium to 1/17) at sea
New photo of baby Camila
New aide for Sam still working well
Koningsdan Staff Captain Sabine - officially onboard & introduced. - Our first female Staff Captain and HAL’s likely first female Captain(I know this is a repeat but she’s worth it)

Roy

 

   

Thanks for the lists Roy.  I hope you are recovering well from the side effects of your treatment.

[richwmn]

1 hour ago, Navybikermom said:

 

@richwmn - your rating badge looks like a CT one. I used to be a CTI in my previous life…

You are correct CTM '73 - '70, welcome!

send an email if you like screen name here at gmail

Edited January 12, 2022 by richwmn

[Himself]

4 hours ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Good morning Rich and fellow Daily-ites.

 

I got carried away with my book this morning trying to finish it. The Judge's List, by Grisham. It was good, then not, picked up a bit, then haulted. It's going back to the library this morning. 

 

We had a great dinner at Tamarind last night. I asked for the lobster to be flash fried with none of the sauces, only butter. Very good!

 

No 4 pm Trivia yesterday. Instead we had our cruise director Nick and our ships floral designer do a demo on the art of floral arrangement. It was so funny. The floral guy was supposed to answer Nick's questions but you couldn't understand him. So Nick would ask a question, wait a beat, then help answer. 

 

We are just docking in Falmouth. Going out for awhile later, do some shopping. No excursion today. Dinner in Pinnacle Grill tonight.

 

Sending prayers to our care list. Cheers to our celebration list.

Good Pictures.  How is Falmouth?  Never been there.

[rafinmd]

1 hour ago, Navybikermom said:

The chicken sounds delicious! Not so much the drink of the day - I’ve never been a fan of “mules”. I would definitely try the wine. I was never much for white wine until I moved from the frozen north (MI) to hot TN. Just can’t drink a dry red when it’s 95 degrees with 95% humidity! One thing to be said of the South - they are the best at making iced tea! Unsweetened of course, since I’m still a Yank. 
My last trip to Civitavecchia was on the Prinsendam. I took the train to Rome and got off at the San Pietro stop, thinking I was going to walk to my hotel by cutting through the Vatican. Nope - it was Sunday and the Pope was doing his speech. I came around the corner and was shocked at the throngs of people. I’m thinking “what the heck is going on?” As I walked around the colonnade I heard him speaking. I was so excited! Whipped out my iPad and took pictures and a short video. I just stood there with my luggage (being a sailor, I travel light), transfixed, until he was done. Then… I had to take about a mile detour to get to my hotel because they had the whole area blocked off. Ugh… it was a very warm day so by the time I got to the hotel, I was pooped. They offered me a lovely adult cocktail while I waited for my room, which made it worth the hassle 🥰. It was so good I had another…

 

@richwmn - your rating badge looks like a CT one. I used to be a CTI in my previous life…

yes, this is my first Daily post. I have enjoyed reading them!

Welcome aboard!

 

Roy

[summer slope]

Wow, I'm late today. We just had lunch at the Grand Dutch Cafe.  The split pea soup was fabulous.  Brought the Beeham sandwich back to the cabin for later.  Have loved being on a BHB, don't even mind the mask. 

Major prayers for our lists.  Toasts to the others (I've had 3 Bahama Mama's to toast them.  LOL)

Please continue to stay safe, social distance, and wear your mask.

Kentucky Mule:

ngredients
2 ounces bourbon
1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
Ginger beer, to top
Garnish: mint sprig

Steps
Add the bourbon and lime juice to a Moscow Mule mug or a highball glass.
Fill the mug or glass with ice and top with ginger beer.
Garnish with a mint sprig.

 

[Seasick Sailor]

10 minutes ago, Himself said:

Good Pictures.  How is Falmouth?  Never been there.

 

Hi Father! The area we were in had a very nice walking area, open shops with lots of people chopping into coconuts, working on wooden bowls, paintings etc. There is a little park to sit. I enjoyed it.

[Overhead Fred]

We stopped in Civitavecchia twice in 2018. First as a turnaround day after the transatlantic segment and then to disembark after the Mediterranean portion. For turnaround, we took a tour to the necropolis and museum in Tarquinia. Upon disembarking, we did a couple of days in Rome at the Savoy. It was a great cruise on the Koningsdam! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1ANGELCAT]

Nieuw A is confirmed for 1:15 departure 

[dobiemom]

14 hours ago, marshhawk said:

@dobiemom Have a great cruise from NOLA, my favorite town to munch my way through. I have done precruise visit, and I have done post cruise visit.  Both had a down side.  The pre cruise visit, we had taken a Megabus, on I think the coldest day of the year,  and none of us could sleep. (there were 6 of us)  So we get to NOLA early in  the morning, and check into the Staybridge, and DH and I walked off to the WWII museum.  One couple decided to take the trolley through the Garden District.  And the third couple of ladies, said the heck with it, and went to bed so they could go out in the evening.

 

DH and I were so tired, that we sat down for one of the performances about D Day and we both fell asleep in the dark, until the bombing began, and since this is realistic, the water was splashing on us and woke us up in a hurry.  The couple on the trolley?  Fell asleep, and were woken by the trolley conductor at the end of the line.  Our lady friends slept all day, and then had a wild time that night.

 

Post cruise, we decided mid afternoon on a winters day, to do a bus tour of the city.  The driver spent so much time going over Katrina and his grandmothers neighborhood, that by the time we got to the cemetary, it was closing and we got thrown out, and the rest of the tour was spend in the dark  And we saw nothing.  When I realized we were in walking distance from our hotel, we asked the bus driver to stop, and we walked back to the hotel.

 

Have a great time, in a great city before and after your cruise!

Thanks. I was supposed to be with 3 friends but they cancelled so now I need to figure how to do things on my own (where I’ll feel safe being solo). 
 

My back is doing better, thanks for everyone’s concerns. Lots of rest/breaks, no lifting, heat helps. I work a partial day today then I’m off. I’m cooking a lasagna for my DD and her DH tonight (his b-day is Fri but I’ll be in NOLA). Covid test is tomorrow. 🤞

 

[dfish]

1 hour ago, Cruising-along said:

 I'm not real fond of hot tea, but love iced tea.  

 The meal sounds delicious, and I think I have some pesto -- I like the second recipe the best.  

 

I'm with you on the hot tea and I like the second recipe the best as well.  I'd add some sauteed mushrooms to it.

 

@Navybikermom  Welcome to the Daily.   I stood in St. Peter's Square for a couple of hours on a 93 degree day to get something blessed for my niece one year.   At the end of his talk the Pope gives a blessing and the shopkeepers told me that is how they get items blessed.

Edited January 12, 2022 by dfish

[grapau27]

2 hours ago, Navybikermom said:

The chicken sounds delicious! Not so much the drink of the day - I’ve never been a fan of “mules”. I would definitely try the wine. I was never much for white wine until I moved from the frozen north (MI) to hot TN. Just can’t drink a dry red when it’s 95 degrees with 95% humidity! One thing to be said of the South - they are the best at making iced tea! Unsweetened of course, since I’m still a Yank. 
My last trip to Civitavecchia was on the Prinsendam. I took the train to Rome and got off at the San Pietro stop, thinking I was going to walk to my hotel by cutting through the Vatican. Nope - it was Sunday and the Pope was doing his speech. I came around the corner and was shocked at the throngs of people. I’m thinking “what the heck is going on?” As I walked around the colonnade I heard him speaking. I was so excited! Whipped out my iPad and took pictures and a short video. I just stood there with my luggage (being a sailor, I travel light), transfixed, until he was done. Then… I had to take about a mile detour to get to my hotel because they had the whole area blocked off. Ugh… it was a very warm day so by the time I got to the hotel, I was pooped. They offered me a lovely adult cocktail while I waited for my room, which made it worth the hassle 🥰. It was so good I had another…

 

@richwmn - your rating badge looks like a CT one. I used to be a CTI in my previous life…

yes, this is my first Daily post. I have enjoyed reading them!

Welcome Navybikermom to a wonderfully friendly thread.

Graham.

[Cruising-along]

33 minutes ago, dfish said:

I'd add some sauteed mushrooms to it.

I'm laughing because the mushrooms are why I don't like the first recipe.  DH would like it though!

[ottahand7]

I like cold tea - I make my own with 1/2 Lipton 1/2 Twining's Irish Breakfast.  It would be great to make it with all Twining's but finding it on a regular basis at the grocery is a problem.     @dfishthe chicken recipes and pictures made me hungry - especially the second one with the cherry tomatoes.  I live with a wild man - he keeps badgering me to ask members on CC to find out what the "hot" slot machines are on the NS.   If he keeps it up I may just post it on the HA for Dummies.  🤑 The wine sounds lovely.   I spend too much time at the pharmacy it seems.  I go to a small independent pharmacy so I know everyone there.    

 

We had a beautiful sunrise this morning.   I will try to post some photos from the end of our Iberian Adventure on the Kdam in 2018.   They will be of Rome not the port city.  Hopped right onto a bus to Rome.   Borghese Gardens and the remainder were from the Vatican Museum.   

 

Prayers for those who are sick and those supporting them and to keep us all safe from Covid.   🙏

 

 

 

[sailingdutchy]

Civitavecchia is always a nice destination to start , finish or be half way on a cruise and like many of you we have also been there quite a few times . Because I am expecting a lot of pictures of Rome today I will show some pictures from after disembarking our 2015 cruise on the Zuiderdam which finished in Civi and we than stayed a couple more days in the town of Fiumicino near the airport before crossing the Atlantic . While we were in Fiumicino we took an adventurous trip on a local bus to Ostia Antica the archeological site of the well preserved early Roman Harbour City near the mouth ( Os , latin ) of the River Tiber  which is now a few km’s land inwards .

 

Most of the buildings , remains , are from the 3rd up to 4th century BC . It is a very nice and fairly easy place to visit , even because of its large size and it is very nice to stay there for about 5 hours to take it all in . 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The mosaics on the floors are amazing 

 

 

 

 

 

This was a self guiding tour ………where are we ………... and was was this …...

 

 

Ah the forum and market place 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonder who collected all these heads that were chopped off  ……….. she must have been very pretty  

 

 

 

 

As you can see on the pictures the place is not overrun with elbow to elbow people , there is a lot of space so it is wonderful to really enjoy this .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time the next day to go home after a wonderful cruise 

 

Have a great day everybody , Take Care and Stay Safe .

Best thing …..just keep on dreaming being on a cruise soon ! 

 

Tony 😁😘

[bennybear]

Good morning and thanks all!  Yay, I can react so I though I better post quickly! 
I love hot tea,  just had my first cup of honey mango green tea, followed by Cinnamon sunset Harney and sons,  next up will be earl grey London fog, followed tonight by ginger lemon twinnings.  I too am a tea granny with countless, seriously plus 100 types.  I find them easy to purchase on my trips, and they are a lightweight souvenir.  France has some excellent ones, as does of course the UK for a reasonable cost.   Unless you happen to be in Uji, Japan where the really good green matcha is from;  a nice one, not the most expensive may set you  back 70$ for a very small tin.  

2 hours ago, luvteaching said:

I'm a "tea granny" from the word go. Can't handle coffee at all. I have quite a collection of Murchies Teas and rotate throught them. Some favorites include Mint, Library Blend, Editors Blend and Earl Grey Cream. My walking partner and I have tea and cookies when we get back 

Karen

Plus one,  yum on the Murchies!  
 

We’ve visited Civitavecchia numerous times so I thought I’d share some photos from our last cruise when we visited The Bracciano  Castle where Tom Cruise was married, Cerveteri with its excellent Etruscan tombs and a great lunch.  Also caught a photo  from the air.  

[Cruising-along]

5 minutes ago, sailingdutchy said:

While we were in Fiumicino we took an adventurous trip on a local bus to Ostia Antica

I loved the day we went to Ostia Antica on one of our trips too! Not nearly as busy as better-known sites it seems.

[bennybear]

Ok, I can’t resist a few more from the eternal city 

 

[sailingdutchy]

Nieuw Amsterdam leaving Port Everglades right now 

[Vict0riann]

Good morning, Daily family, best wishes to all!  I am having problems with the CC gremlins too.  I'm fine on my laptop, but later in the day, when I switch to a smaller device, I keep finding CC is telling me to log in, but then won't let me, and then I can't like or respond.  

 

Welcome, @Navybikermom!  We did the same as you, once, wandering in Rome, we ran into a Mass being said by the Pope (Benedict, then) outdoors at St. Peter's.  Huge crowds!

 

 

We've been to Civitavecchia many times, but never stayed there.  It is a nice city to walk around though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Vict0riann]

BTW, Rich, @richwmn, NavArch has just posted on another thread (the Zuiderdam Quarantine thread) -

"I just learned that Nieuw Amsterdam is the new hospital/quarantine ship at PEV ... Noordam is on her way to drydock after all transfers to NAdam are completed."

[Navybikermom]

1 hour ago, dobiemom said:

Thanks. I was supposed to be with 3 friends but they cancelled so now I need to figure how to do things on my own (where I’ll feel safe being solo). 
 

My back is doing better, thanks for everyone’s concerns. Lots of rest/breaks, no lifting, heat helps. I work a partial day today then I’m off. I’m cooking a lasagna for my DD and her DH tonight (his b-day is Fri but I’ll be in NOLA). Covid test is tomorrow. 🤞

 

I travel solo most of the time. I don’t go many places by myself at night (pre and post cruise), and on shore excursions I’m either on a HAL trip or if I’m just walking around a port city I try to stick to well-traveled areas. Sometimes I end up walking around with others I’ve met on the ship (tablemates, usually). Haven’t had any issues yet 😁

[richwmn]

20 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

BTW, Rich, @richwmn, NavArch has just posted on another thread (the Zuiderdam Quarantine thread) -

"I just learned that Nieuw Amsterdam is the new hospital/quarantine ship at PEV ... Noordam is on her way to drydock after all transfers to NAdam are completed."

Interesting, HAL's site is still selling cruises starting Feb 19th. Other sites are showing varying availability for Nieuw Amsterdam. We'll have to see how things shake out over the next few days.

[Mtn2Sea]

Last week I received a call asking if I could change my procedure for removing the squamous cell carcinoma to today instead of the 19th.  I was thrilled to move it up by a week.  The procedure will be this afternoon.

 

We’ve embarked and disembarked in Civitavecchia several times.  We’ve also had Civitavecchia as a port day a couple of times.  On those occasions we take tours that don’t involve Rome.  In 2008 we visited some Estruscan tombs near the city of Tarquinius.  We later went to a nearby museum and then had lunch in another city overlooking a large lake.  After several attempts, I was finally able to upload a few photos.  The CC gremlins apparently have been after me today!

 

 

 

 

[StLouisCruisers]

Hope it all goes well today @Mtn2Sea.  I still have a long wait until Feb. 21 to get my basal cell removed.  

 

My DD is having carpal tunnel and "tennis elbow" tendonitis surgery this afternoon and I'm waiting to hear from her or her DH to see how she's feeling.  She will get several weeks off work then back to teaching Jan. 31.

 

I have a unique story of one of our Civitavecchia visits.  We disembarked the Prinsendam on Nov. 4, 2014 after a fantastic Black Sea and Holy Land cruise. It was our first HAL cruise!  The day before we had docked in Naples (Nov. 3) and enjoyed the Amalfi Coast.  When we got off the Prinsendam on Nov. 4 it was quite a windy day.  We checked in the Hotel Miramare (no longer open) which overlooked the sea.  The winds were extremely high that day but we went out and did a little wine shopping, etc.

 

The view south from our tiny balcony

 

and to the north...

 

 

Hours after these photos were taken, the seas looked a lot rougher.  There was a group of guests at the hotel getting on the the Celebrity Constellation the following morning, including us!  We started hearing discussions going on about an email they had received saying the Celebrity ship was not going to be able to get into the Civitavecchia port, so it would stay in Naples and we would board the ship there the following day instead of Civi.  What?  How are we getting there?  The cruise line was sending busses to Civitavecchia and Rome's airport to pick up people and get them to the ship.  We had apparently been receiving emails every 30 minutes for a couple of hours, which were in my spam folder.  This was shortly after we'd gotten our first IPhone and I didn't know much about it, therefore I hadn't looked in my spam emails.  Celebrity was asking us to please reply back that we had gotten this message.  Goodness, there were a lot of nervous guests wondering how this would all turn out, but somehow it did.  Next morning, the hotel shuttle dropped guests at the dock where the ship was supposed to be.  Names were checked off, luggage loaded onto busses and guests were driven 3 hours south to Naples and we boarded the ship.  We had just been there on Prinsendam on Nov. 3 and here we were back boarding the Constellation on Nov. 5!

 

The previous week's guests had to start disembarking around 3 or 4 am so busses could drive them to the Rome airport or central Rome.  Then the busses were picking up people just arriving at the airport and those of us waiting for the ship in Civi.  It somehow all got accomplished and the ship only left Naples about 3 hours late that day.  We had to give them props for this crazy last minute change in plans and getting it done. 

 

Too bad we didn't enjoy the TA cruise back to Ft. Lauderdale very much.  We were disappointed because we thought we'd love Celebrity.  But I still am in awe of their ability to round up so many busses in a few hours to get this job done.