drron29

When we have been through Athens it has always been a change over day so transit passengers usually given an excursion. On our last cruise on the Moon only 18 transit passengers and only 2 didn't take the excursion so there was no shuttle.

@mysty I do believe you have forgotten something. On January 24th you should be in the Hawaiian Islands I believe. Sorry but it looks like JP wins this one.

So just for myster here are some of the older pubs in Newcastle that I remember from years past. First one that we went to last October for dinner. Nice food and a fine exterior but patrons from the 70s wouldn't recognise it once inside. https://thecricketers.com.au/#aboutus-section Probably the best looking old pub in Newcastle. https://customshouse.net.au/ One that as a Uni student in the 60s used to stop for a bite on our way to the Myall Lakes north of Newcastle. We campaigned for the sand mining there to be stopped and the lakes to become a National Park. And we won that battle. https://www.theprinceofmerewether.com.au/eat/ Quite a few craft breweries now. Here is one. https://foghornbrewery.com.au/ And if you would like a bar/restaurant with a view of the Tasman sea. https://www.surfhouse.com.au/ And a couple of sites with day trips from Newcastle. $US150 = $A 232 at present. https://www.getyourguide.com/-l91223/?cmp=ga&cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=15508330465&cq_con=127764730221&cq_term=things to do newcastle australia&cq_med=&cq_plac=&cq_net=g&cq_pos=&cq_plt=gp&campaign_id=15508330465&adgroup_id=127764730221&target_id=aud-476515432771:kwd-315304997656&loc_physical_ms=9068907&match_type=b&ad_id=569326963382&keyword=things to do newcastle australia&ad_position=&feed_item_id=&placement=&device=c&partner_id=CD951&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqdazgvrzgAMVSZhmAh1KUANnEAAYAyAAEgJNmPD_BwE https://www.hunterhunter.com.au/newcastle/travel/30-day-trips-to-take-this-summer/ https://www.visitnewcastle.com.au/insider-guides/newcastle-is-a-must-do-day-trip-from-sydney https://www.escape.com.au/destinations/australia/nsw/the-new-newcastle/news-story/9703529bd692cb80487e4f9689474c18?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqdazgvrzgAMVSZhmAh1KUANnEAMYAiAAEgJR9vD_BwE https://www.escape.com.au/destinations/australia/nsw/the-new-newcastle/news-story/9703529bd692cb80487e4f9689474c18?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqdazgvrzgAMVSZhmAh1KUANnEAMYAiAAEgJR9vD_BwE Now we are biased and consider Maitland and the nearby village of Morpeth as great places to visit. Rojaan was prominent in helping building the Maitland Regional Art gallery from a small gallery to a definite Regional Gallery. For 4 years she headed the Maitland council's committee for Social Services which included the Art Gallery. She was an Alderman on the Council. Morpeth has quite a few historic buildings and was once a major port where many migrants from the UK first landed in Australia. Fortunately for me that included Rojaan's forebears. So newcastle despite my previous comments is a great place to visit and you are spoilt with choices.

We arrived in Maitland in 1974 just a year after a local Newcastle lad recorded the Newcastle Song which was a hit in the Hunter Valley because unfortunately it did describe some of Newcastle's going ons accurately. I picked this version as the song is interspersed with talk of Newcastle and is a video showing what Newcastle was like -warts and all. The next bit is about Molly Morgan. She is a Maitland Legend. She was sent to the Newcastle Penal colony but was released early and given a 20 acre parcel of land at Wallis Plains - now Maitland. She farmed built a house and then a wine bar. So she was never a barmaid in Newcastle but a publican in Maitland. When we first moved to Maitland the finest restaurant in town was the dining room of the Molly Morgan Motel. Now if people are into Australian slang and a down under version of the Cinderella tale Bob Hudson used to do a fuller version of his song in his show. It featured Ron who set up a fantastic business called Ultimate Urinals. So here it is but be warned probably only understood and liked by people who spent time in Newcastle and the Lower hunter area.

Mysty that is one thing we have in common. On our cruise Barbados to Barbados via Manaus on the Cloud in 2012 duct tape took us under her wing and told us everything we needed to know about cruising with Silversea. Also had meals with her and her husband and again later on 2 cruises on the Whisper. Of course when the crew knew you were a friend of duct tape it was another bonus. A delightful couple indeed.

A truck loaded with thousands of copies of Roget's Thesaurus crashed yesterday losing its entire load. Witnesses were stunned, startled, aghast, taken aback, stupefied, confused, shocked, rattled, paralyzed, dazed, bewildered, mixed up, surprised, awed, dumbfounded, nonplussed, flabbergasted, astounded, amazed, confounded, astonished, overwhelmed, horrified, numbed, speechless and perplexed…

And what I was told on the Moon back in April.

There isn't ever a printed wine list of the included wine lists. The reason is that even the sommelier doesn't know what will be delivered at a port in 2-3 weeks time. It depends on what is in the nearest SS warehouse and what deals they have done. However I have found the included wines are good. no one will like every included wine on the cruise because we all have different tastes. Now I really like South American wines which are basically unknow to most from the USA, Europe and Australia. They have been winning many awards and are generally great value for the price paid. On our recent 54 days on the Moon around the Med I knew the sommelier having cruised with her a few times. One night they had an Argentinian malbec which was quite good and I made the comment that I really liked South American reds. An hour later she bought back a bottle of wine as a test. Now obviously it was going to be a South American wine but for me their most distinctive grape. A Chilean Carminere. So she said would I like to try a different South American wine each night as there were a few left over bottles from the Moon's Grand South American Voyage. So I tried wines from Argentina,Chile, Uruguay and Peru. The Peruvian wine was a petit Verdot and it was excellent. From the Tacama winery. So just talk to one of the wine attendants and see what they have. You certainly don't have to have the night's wine selections.

An older couple were lying in bed one night. The husband was falling asleep but the wife felt romantic and wanted to talk. She said, "You use to hold my hand when we were courting." Wearily he reached across, held her hand for a second and tried to get back to sleep. A few moments later she said, "Then you used to kiss me." Mildly irritated, he reached across, gave her a peck on the cheek and settled down to sleep. Thirty seconds later she said, "Then you use to bite my neck." Angrily, he threw back the bed clothes and got out of bed. "Where are you going ?" she asked. "To get my teeth!"

And that you are not a stowaway.😉😉🤣

We have actually been to the Getty centre and eaten there for lunch. loved it. But 405 most times we have traveled it from LAX north and then back resembled a car park. So if flying out of LAX we stay nearby.

Be careful when replacing car tyres.

Maybe no one in trendy suburbs in the capital cities calls the Rock Ayers Rock but out in the regions and rural areas you quite commonly hear that name. As well in the Uluru area there is this accommodation - https://www.ayersrockresort.com.au/ A really good itinerary @Daveywavey70. You are seeing a great slice of Australia. Good to see Broken Hill included. You must try one of the Social clubs when there. there used to be a lot but seems a few have closed. Still going strong are the Musicians club ( Musos ) and the Barrier social democratic club ( the Demo ). Will give you a good taste of an older Australian Way of life.The Palace restaurant is good as well. Sadly the best restaurant from my times working there has closed. obviously was a bit too innovative for the locals, It was Broken earth on the top of The Line of Lode and at night great views of the lights of the Hill. You must visit the Miners Memorial up there. An interesting sight in Sturt Park is a memorial to the band of the Titanic. A visit to Silverton is also recommended. And eat an old fashioned lunch at the Silverton pub. I loved their mutton stew. The Bakery there is also quite good. Have a great time

Certainly worth a try. The chefs are already able to cook different meals not on the menu with a day or 2 notice. An interesting idea. Might try it out on our upcoming cruise. Maybe try for okonomiyaki when visitin Osaka.

OMG. This thread has turned into the wine equivalent of the Silversea dress code on formal nights. And to really upset the wine purists when I first met Rojaan in 1970 I already had a wine cellar. She did not drink wine only drank cocktails. That habit was too expensive for me so I introduced her to wine. However she would only drink sweet wines at first. And she insisted our dinner wine was Chateau d'Yquem. Now I don't remember the price only that it was cheaper than my preferred port which was Seppelts Para Port 1927 which cost $A2 a bottle. In those days we got ~ $US1.30 for our dollar.

As I have been told by more than one winemaker the best wine is the one you like.

We had a great stay in Ecuador before and after our Galapagos cruise. We also had a great stay in Ecuador and also cruised on a 16 passenger catamaran, I would do that again rather than on Silversea. We went to the Napo Wildlife centre in the Amazon and it was fabulous.

We stayed in Quebec 4 years ago. We were meant to be on a cruise on the Scenic Explorer but instead of that cruise being a year after that ship began cruising it was it's maiden voyage so we cancelled. talking to a couple of the passengers it was the right call as it was a building site on that cruise. However because we were meant to arrive at Quebec port we also stayed at the L'Auberge Saint-Antoine. We agree with JP. A great view. We were there for 3 nights and dined here in the old city for 2 of those nights. For starters Rojaan had the beef tartare and I the white asparagus.Both excellent. For mains Rojaan had the lobster gnocchi and I had the saddle of rabbit.Again both excellent.The rabbit was tender great taste and the best lapin I have ever had-and I grew up eating rabbit. Definitely on the recommend list. The other restaurant in the Lower City was this one. A quaint restaurant that needed some TLC but the food was good. But preferred the first restaurant. Rojaan started with Foie Gras torchon and I the duck poutine.Both were really good. Rojaan the had the moules et frites-were about 5 dozen so I helped out.They were good.I went for the pork Osso Buco.The pork was excellent and I enjoyed the switch. A walk around the Lower Town is a must, Plus Parliament house and walking down the Grande Allee is also worthwhile.