Jim_Iain – Silhouette Live Post April 8, 21, 30 - B3B - TransAtlantic, Portugal Spain, France and the Norwegian Fjords

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, cachouonacruise said:

Once more Jim, your review and work are spectacular! No wonder your reviews are so popular! 
 

I just looked at the story and pictures provided in your blog! Wow!

 

Thank-you so much for taking all this time and trouble to share these beautiful moments with us! 
 

 

The upload to the blog was still process whe I left for dinner. 

[Redking]

6 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

 

 

Brilliant t-shirt. 

 

 

 

[bobby3334]

10 hours ago, the penguins said:

It's also where X and Royal keep "big items" for example fridges, windows etc which is why Vigo is the one port that is very rarely dropped.

Vigo is also famous as one of the largest and best Escargot (snail) farms in the world and an hour away by bus is the famous pilgrimage shrine of Santiago de Compostela which draws people from all over the world. I have had occasion to be there in Vigo four times.   Mike

[Benthayer Gonbak]

12 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

They do have a large data base but unfortunately most of their trees are user created and are not verified for accuracy.  I find so much inaccuracies I only use it for references.    I guess I learned while joining Son of American Revolution that the tree is only accurate if you can prove each ancestor with documentation.    On many of my lines I have proven that the LDS tree is inaccurate with documentation and it remains live.

 

I've not heard of Ancestry responding to police.  The DNA tests are totally private unless you choose to share.    The police mostly use GED Match as those that are published without restriction they can download the DNA details while on ancestry you can only see who you match with and not the DNA itself.   Of course may trees on Ancestry are what I would call Vanity Trees that people just grab and add to their tree with no verification.  

 

 

Agree that the electronic lds trees are flawed and that I learned from a member.  Their original software was local to you!  My Dad found software bugs because he got about 25 deep and that hadn’t been tested. His brother was helping with some of the tree and contacted Salt Lake who sent him abou an inch of paper charging him only for copying, and apologized for that!  
 

I find Genie a mess too.  They arbitrarily added a branch that was flat wrong!  I complained and they sort of fixed it.  I don’t update it but do get messages that a possible link has been found.  
 

thanks

[kwokpot]

25 minutes ago, bobby3334 said:

Vigo is also famous as one of the largest and best Escargot (snail) farms in the world and an hour away by bus is the famous pilgrimage shrine of Santiago de Compostela which draws people from all over the world. I have had occasion to be there in Vigo four times.   Mike

The cathedral is quite amazing!

[Benthayer Gonbak]

10 hours ago, the penguins said:

Thanks. Enjoyed your pics of today's walk. The boss (Anita) also likes photographing the quirky, textures and people. Regrettably her having to use a 4 wheel walker makes it a little more difficult these days just to leave the ship and walk (cobbles are a disaster) which is why we use ToursbyLocals. Geoff

Bigger wheels!  I’ve done a lot of cobblestone with them!  However Pompeii was a mess!  Herculaneum wasn’t nearly as bad.  Ephesus wasn’t too bad but my balance was better then as you have to lift the walker at some places.

The main problem I had was it was noisy so a walking tour was hard to hear.

[Jim_Iain]

19 hours ago, h20cruzer said:

The Solstice was cancelled for the TP Sept 16, that makes 3 times in a row my TP was cancelled. They wanted to move us to the Millie for the 2023 TP, we finally gave up and just cancelled. Granted they only had our deposit money, but thats been tied up since 2019. UGH Currently no reservations on Celebrity, it's a crying shame.

Norma

 

Norma -  so sorry to hear your TP has been cruise.   That was one of our favorite cruises.   Are you going to try for a 4th . . .    I thought third time was the charm.  

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

Arriving Bilbao at 8:30 

 

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

Today is going to be a special day for Iain.   When Iain was 10 his family vacationed in Bilbao Spain Region in a beach town called Castro de Urdiales and was his first visit to the Continent.    It is our first stop (I think) on our tour today.   

 

I arranged a tour via Tours by Locals for the day.   A little expensive at $700 but he's worth it.  Will be interesting what we do as the only other thing I mentioned that we wanted to do is a quick trip to the Guggenheim, No Churches and places that tourists don't do.  

 

 

[ladylemondrop]

10 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Today is going to be a special day for Iain.   When Iain was 10 his family vacationed in Bilbao Spain Region in a beach town called Castro de Urdiales and was his first visit to the Continent.    It is our first stop (I think) on our tour today.   

 

I arranged a tour via Tours by Locals for the day.   A little expensive at $700 but he's worth it.  Will be interesting what we do as the only other thing I mentioned that we wanted to do is a quick trip to the Guggenheim, No Churches and places that tourists don't do.  

 

 

Have a lovely day! I am so enjoying your review the photos are just wonderful. 

[Jim_Iain]

@abbydancer  You will be please to know that they started serving the pallet cleanser each night starting about 3 days before we reached Southampton on the last cruise.   They have since delivered them every night but we asked our waiter to skip starting last night .... just too much to eat.   The are not always sorbet but a refreshing something each night.

 

They have also upped their came on the Amuse Bouche.    They got rid of many of the old boring ones and introduced a new selection for each evening.

 

Also, possibly unique to the Silhouette the have a Special British Choice each evening under Anytime menu.   They have had fish and chips and last night, beef liver yuck but Iain had it.

 

 

[mrsgoggins]

39 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

No Churches and places that tourists don't do.  

 

This made me smile as this is the criteria we use when touring on our own on non-cruise holidays. I hope you have a ball today and that Iain especially enjoys his special trip and the memories evoked.

[upwarduk]

19 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

beef liver

——And onions. I was brought up on that during the war.😱

Never eaten it since I have been married(57 years in August). 

Enjoy Bilbao, we went once on Infinity TA from Harwich.

I remember going on a tour and we ended up in a pretty town square, but it’s not written in my notes, so I will be interested (as always) in your photos.

[jary8]

38 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

@abbydancer  You will be please to know that they started serving the pallet cleanser each night starting about 3 days before we reached Southampton on the last cruise.   They have since delivered them every night but we asked our waiter to skip starting last night .... just too much to eat.   The are not always sorbet but a refreshing something each night.

 

They have also upped their came on the Amuse Bouche.    They got rid of many of the old boring ones and introduced a new selection for each evening.

 

Also, possibly unique to the Silhouette the have a Special British Choice each evening under Anytime menu.   They have had fish and chips and last night, beef liver yuck but Iain had it.

 

 

 I cannot stand liver also, I was made to eat it as a child and it always made me sick. Fish and chips are good however as an occasional treat.  Have you ever eaten at The Porch?

 

[Jim_Iain]

😟 uh oh.   Just noticed 

 

 

 

 

 

[the penguins]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Today is going to be a special day for Iain.   When Iain was 10 his family vacationed in Bilbao Spain Region in a beach town called Castro de Urdiales and was his first visit to the Continent.    It is our first stop (I think) on our tour today.   

 

I arranged a tour via Tours by Locals for the day.   A little expensive at $700 but he's worth it.  Will be interesting what we do as the only other thing I mentioned that we wanted to do is a quick trip to the Guggenheim, No Churches and places that tourists don't do.  

 

 

The transporter bridge is different with potentially some interesting people pics. Ride one way at water level and cross back on the high level walkway. 

[Jim_Iain]

😟 uh oh.   Just noticed 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Redking]

37 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

@abbydancer  You will be please to know that they started serving the pallet cleanser each night starting about 3 days before we reached Southampton on the last cruise.   They have since delivered them every night but we asked our waiter to skip starting last night .... just too much to eat.   The are not always sorbet but a refreshing something each night.

 

They have also upped their came on the Amuse Bouche.    They got rid of many of the old boring ones and introduced a new selection for each evening.

 

Also, possibly unique to the Silhouette the have a Special British Choice each evening under Anytime menu.   They have had fish and chips and last night, beef liver yuck but Iain had it.

 

 

We met the most entertaining Cockney whilst on honeymoon in Scotland 30+ years ago. When I explained what a pallet cleanser was, he replied "what, clean your gob out, why don't they just say that". He also said he had chips and champagne with everything. Me thinks he might have been playing with his prey🤣 the things memories are made of. Actually, I wonder what the Cockney translation of amuse bouche would be? Weird ***** for your gob?

[Redking]

3 minutes ago, Redking said:

We met the most entertaining Cockney whilst on honeymoon in Scotland 30+ years ago. When I explained what a pallet cleanser was, he replied "what, clean your gob out, why don't they just say that". He also said he had chips and champagne with everything. Me thinks he might have been playing with his prey🤣 the things memories are made of. Actually, I wonder what the Cockney translation of amuse bouche would be? Weird ***** for your gob?

Who knew. Sh 1 t is a bad word on CC. I'm such a rebel 🤪 

[Jim_Iain]

17 minutes ago, the penguins said:

The transporter bridge is different with potentially some interesting people pics. Ride one way at water level and cross back on the high level walkway. 

Read your post as we pulled up to the bridge. 
 

[Tigrou]

On 4/25/2022 at 8:30 AM, Jim_Iain said:

First of all they just work, exercise if they wish, and sleep.    The crew bar is closed with the exception of a place to smoke  with a limit of the number of staff at the same time.   They are not allowed to socialize and must stay masked up.     The staff guy is open but they have to sign up for a 15 minute slot and can only have 4 in the gym at the same time.

 

 

This doesn't quite tally with my cabin attendant on the EBTA telling me that because of losing an hour several nights in a row she'd been too tired to go to bingo the night before. 🤔 

 

[the penguins]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Read your post as we pulled up to the bridge. 
 

To late to tell you there is a great coffee shop just behind you to your right as you look at the bridge on your left as you turn round. I have assumed you are the same side as the ship.

[vickykay]

We were in Bilbao a few years ago with Celebrity overnight.  We really loved it.  The Guggenheim is an absolutely amazing building!  We did feel the inside collections were lacking so would love to hear if they have expanded them.  I Hope get to walk around the old town.  Very charming.  Enjoy the day.

[PSU]

Loved Bilbao. We went to San Sebastián with a local guide and saw pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. The whole area is beautiful.

[Jim_Iain]

9 hours ago, the penguins said:

The transporter bridge is different with potentially some interesting people pics. Ride one way at water level and cross back on the high level walkway. 

I would have done the walkway but Iain would never get near it. 

 

We had a ball today.