jpalbny

They could always give you an extra "hot rock" to sit on, if you get too chilly...

Since Chris and I will be on board with them, I suspect there will be a lot of wild life to be seen. Or did you mean something else? Can't wait to see you again, and introduce you to the joys of expedition cruising.

I refuse to "Like" your post so instead I will settle for (1) thanking you for the ongoing trip report and (2) wishing you and myster a stress-free and wonderful journey home.

That's really good to hear! I have not ordered it in years - so thanks for the report. Maybe I'll try it again. Was the duck meat ground, or was it braised for hours so that it fell apart and was naturally tender?

Easy to do - cheveux vs chevaux. My French teacher in High School made sure that we knew the difference!

Not at all! You are correct with your spelling of Noilly, and your statement that it's difficult to pronounce. I can pronounce most French words without much stumbling over the sounds but that one does not roll off the tongue. I also have difficulty saying "Auxerre" because the "x" in the middle of the word behaves differently than when it's at the end of a word.

Vous avez raison, Madame ! Thanks for setting us prats straight.

Thanks for sticking with this and getting it sorted, Les! Now back to (hopefully) our scheduled itinerary!

Me too. 🤞

Second that option. They picked us up at the port at disembarkation. When we returned the car later that day, they drove us to the train station. It was seamless, and we were able to do a lot that day on our own.

We'll see if they have any left on Silver Cloud in a few weeks. If so we'll try to put a dent in it.

I believe that it usually does have a tiny bit of fizz. It's a very nice summer sipper!

I assume it's something to do with the opening schedule? Lisbon is indeed a great place to wander. We didn't go there much at all the last time we were there two months ago though - just drove to Cascais and enjoyed the change of scenery. Glad that you are having a fun time and enjoy that tasting menu!

Thanks for the reminder. I've not seen many of them lately! Maybe that's a sign?

Smooth seas and beautiful scenery! Mystical!

🤬🤬🤬 Australia, Austrailia... That was the only word I got wrong on my weekly spelling tests for the whole of fourth grade! It really sounds like it needs an extra "i" there. I was so annoyed to get that word wrong that I've remembered it to this day. Now that I've grown up and learned more, I know that the root word is Austral, so of course it must be Australia.

Jealous! Of course we're off to Silver Cloud for our Kimberley expedition in 3 weeks so I can't really be too envious... Hope you have as much fun as we did on our Wind cruise together last year. Wish we were there with you to meet TTS - say hello from us! I agree, it is fantastic! Enjoy it.

That sounds great, though! We'll follow you a few days later but we'll get to Broome two days ahead of you. Thanks! I will do a live-from thread, though I will probably fall behind and have to finish once I get home.

Not this trip but I've been to pretty much every site on your voyage except for the Peruvian Amazon. I looked at your itinerary. It's ambitious! You're going to see a lot, and you'll hit most of the highlights. But WOW you are going to be exhausted. Any specific question? It's a ways out of town, no matter where you're staying. Looks like you're based in the Miraflores district of Lima which will be at least 30, more like 45, minutes from the airport depending on traffic. Miraflores is beautiful; it's perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific, and it's a lovely area to explore on foot. Lots of places to grab a ceviche or other cuisine with a view. Parks, views, etc. It's a fairly high-end part of the city. However it's a ways from there to the Historical Center. That is also worth the trip. If you have time and the means, Huaca Pucllana is a Pre-Incan ruin in the middle of Lima which is worth a visit. It's walkable (but far) from Miraflores; we have done that once. That's painful. The "new" Quito airport is much further out of town than the old one. That will be a painfully early hotel departure. Sorry! Which "Rainbow Mountain" hike are you doing? There is an easy hike (maybe an hour or less) and a longer one. Both are at high altitude, over 15,000 feet. We did the short one (called Palcoyo Mountain) from Cusco, because we'd only had one day to acclimate to the altitude prior to taking that hike. It wasn't bad at all but we are not very susceptible to altitude sickness. The rock formations and the views were absolutely spectacular and I am very glad that we did this. Good call! They are amazing. Take motion sickness tablets if you're prone, because you're in a small plane (8-10 pax) and they make some tight twists and turns, less than 1000 feet above the ground, to make sure you see the lines. And you do! *** Your tour looks great. It's put together smartly, especially the high-altitude portions. You fly to Cusco but immediately go to Sacred Valley (the lowest elevation in the area), then Machu Picchu (intermediate) and finish in Cusco (highest elevation) which is the best way to do it. I think we're waiting for yours! Enjoy.

Moved on from that in the '80s.

There have been hairdryers in our staterooms, on both Le Bellot and Le Laperouse, so I would assume they'd be in Le Jacques Cartier. Those small explorer ships are beautiful so enjoy! When are you doing the Broome-Darwin trip? We are on Silver Cloud (Darwin-Broome) June 9-19 so maybe we'll pass by you at some point!

Jeff, you thought correctly! I've already marked it in my Google Maps and we may try to get there in December either on the way to (or home from) Helsinki. Looks great!

Don't kick her off the boat yet, Lois - she still has 12 days to go.

NOOOO! 😱 We don't either! Can we take up a collection to keep you on board? 💰

@turtlemichael, THIS is the map for you! Oz is front and center! North/South is completely arbitrary, so this map is just as valid as the ones we're used to. But it makes me dizzy just looking at it! And I don't recommend that @mysty puts it in her stateroom. That could make her seasick.