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Posts posted by sailingdutchy
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6 hours ago, 0106 said:
Happy Halloween!
I like the Bronte quote. I think it is important to value our own happiness and not to conform to what society expects of us.
Thank you @dfish for our daily recipes. I love tofu; it is good for you and good for the planet. It takes on the flavor of whatever sauce you are using. I encourage everyone to give it another try. An easy way would be to ask for a stir-fry dish at the Distant Lands station the next time you are on a BHB.
Thank you for everyone who post port pictures, my favorite part of the Daily. I second @StLouisCruisers suggestion to read The Guernsey Literary Society and Potato Peel Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer. It is based a true events about what happened in Guernsey when the Germans occupied it during WWII.
A special shout out to @sailingdutchy @Vict0riann @kochleffel who are getting ready to sail from Barcelona on the Oosterdam. I'm interested in the condition of the ship and any ongoing upgrades because I will be sailing on her around South America in February.
Positive thoughts to those who need them. Cheers to those celebrating and cruising.
@0106 we have already done a dozen days on the Oosterdam , she is in fine shape for an older ship , captain RENs van Eerten is very funny and the crew is excellent . The brand new library is due to get opened up tomorrow , the room itself is a little smaller than the library on the Rotterdam but there are lots of brand new books being placed on the shelves . They also changed the captains corner of the crows nest , with lots of tables and chairs , I believe to be able to have the painting classes . Hope they do not disturb us with the loud video commentary for that class while we are relaxing or doing our puzzles in the crows nest .BTW , Holland seems to have banned all jigsaw puzzles other than the one brand I do not really like to work on .
I also noticed that tonight’s entertainment on the main stage has Lincoln Center Presents “seasons” but will have to go there first before I can comment on that .
We are missing of coarse the Grand Dutch Cafe and the Tamarind . So far there have not been any special dinners other than a nice Seafood Boil in the LidoTony
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Wow , thank you Rich for putting me on the Front page , we are just relaxing on board the Oosterdam in Livorno and taking it easy after a wonderful day yesterday in Civitavecchia .
We had a lovely tour in the morning with one other couple and our guide Rudolf and at 12:30 went to his nice medieval town of Vitrella where we met up with his wife Susanna who had another tour group , we have toured with Susanna previously for about five times and it was a nice surprise to meet up with her again .
After a welcoming glass of sparkling wine our two hosts had arranged a private concert in an old Palacio with a wonderful soprano accompanied by maestro Luigi on piano , she moved us to tears with a few wonderful Puccini arias and some Neapolitan popular songs .A wonderful concert we will not easily forget and it was well received by a standing ovation .
We than were seated in the next room on a large decorated table where we had a delicious four coarse lunch prepared by a couple of ladies from the village with our hosts and the opera company members.
For the last few years we have always looked forward to land in Civitavecchia and visit our good friends and wonderful guides to go out into the country and experience life with the locals in some amazing places .
Will show some pictures next time when Destination of the Day is Civitavecchia again .
have a wonderful weekend everybody .
Tony 😍
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5 hours ago, Overhead Fred said:
A day late but Martha and I wish you for the coming year another wonderful ride around the sun . Our very best wishes !
We missed out today visiting Kotor , Montenegro due to heavy wind blasts and rain so the captain is taking it easy now getting to Naples and promised us to circle Stromboli tomorrow but doubt very much there will be anything to see this time .
We will be trying the Special Seafood Boil dinner in the Lido tonight ………
Take care everybody
greetings from the Oosterdam
Tony
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Finally been able to read the Daily News again after purchasing the wifi , did not know how much the price had increased for that even for a 5* Mariner ………$250 for about 23 days ?
Thank you everybody for the good wishes for us traveling to Europe . Our flight was great direct from Toronto to Athens and DW and I had each 4 seats available because the plane only had 68 people on board less than 25 % occupancy .
Weather is great and we are steaming right now towards Kotor , Montenegro after a couple of nice days in Greece and Turkey .Found a few CC active readers and lurkers to fill Tony’s Tours !
Greetings and Best Wishes
Tony
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8 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:
Bon voyage, Martha and Tony! Are you going to leave your car at the airport?
Yes we always do Ann ...........what post are we on now ?
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40 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:
Numbering fixed again, but beware, I'm watching!
Seems to me you are right awake now Ann , glad somebody is keeping eye on things !
Almost ready to start driving to TO airport ..............See you in Barcelona !
Tony 😄
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A big Thank You to all the contributors of the “ Fleet Report and Daily “ , I should be doing other things but have to look up some nice pictures of Victoria , British Columbia the home of our dear friends Ann and Pat @Vict0riannFirst a few pics from 2017 when we were on the Zaandam from Santiago to Vancouver where our friends disembarked of coarse so they did not have to take the ferry back and they invited us to their home and also for a wonderful dinner at the “club “ in the yacht harbour .And now a few pictures from 2007 when we did a Alaska cruise on the Zaandam ( yes she is getting old ) and took the ferry after the cruise to visit the amazing Butchard Gardens .Wow ………..who are those young people ……...Back to rearrange my suitcase ….. Thank you all for the Bon Voyage , looking forward to be on the Oosterdam again and the Mediterranean .We'll meet you in Barcelona Ann and Pat !Have a wonderful weekend everybody !Tony 😍😍
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2 hours ago, Alphen said:
Bon Voyage cate54, Annie & Kevin @Taters and to Tony & Martha
Dank je wel Jeroen en Annie , hope to see you guys one of of these days again on one of our cruises , it has been a while ! Greetings from Canada !
Tony
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We have been about 5 times in Kerkira and explored the beautiful Island of Corfu to its fullest most of the time with our wonderful driver / guide Dimitris , I have chosen today pictures from when we were in Corfu in 2016 while we were on the Koningsdam without too much commentary today because I am also busy filling my suitcase for when we are leaving on Tuesday to Athens to meet up with the Oosterdam .It is very easy to find our driver among the huge crowd of drivers at the entrance of the port !Going through lovely small villagesStopping at a small bakery to have the most amazing fish bread , feta and olive oilEnjoying the food and the sceneryNext stopA 2000 year old olive treeThe Palace of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria , also known as Sisi ( One of the first movies I ever saw in the theatre , with a girl from my class in 1957 , “ Sisi : The Young Empress " with Romy Schneider and Karl Heinz Bohm , very romantic ….. I was 12 ...the movie was !If I remember well this is Mouse Island with a small monastery and churchBack in KerkeiraThere she is we are almost back homeNext day it was a very short ride to Saranda , Albania but that’s for another time .Have a great weekend all , I have to first plant my garlic before we can go on our next cruiseTony 😁😁
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1 hour ago, kochleffel said:
Have it your way but I refuse to pay the price of 500 grams for what is really only 454. It is too late for me to edit or delete my post but I will flag it for a moderator to remove if it bothers you that much.
There is no reason whatsoever to edit or delete your post @kochleffel nothing bad has been spoken here today I am just talking about the advantages and ease of the metric system what for instance @JazzyV very nicely showed us how much more accurate the "decimal " metric system is
I was only trying to say , and maybe in an awkward way , that the Imperial system is only used in a couple of countries anymore , the US being one . Even the English are slowly converting to the metric system , specially in industrie and commerce , with Imperial units still widespread being used among the public , it might take another generation before it is fully accepted .
BTW it still is nice to see when I drive in Maine to our daughters place on Mount Desert Island that the road signs show Miles and also Kilometres ,
( a kilometre is 1000 metres and 1 metre is 100 centimetre . Just like a Dollar is 100 cents )
Tony
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21 minutes ago, kochleffel said:
I won't say that I knew who Ada Lovelace was, because that would be bragging.
In the 1970s, Ohio had a highway director who believed that the U.S. would eventually transition to the metric system, and he started to prepare us for it by posting signs along the interstate highways that were 60 miles from destinations:
COLUMBUS
60 mi
100 km
That's not strictly accurate, but it was close enough for government work.
My father hated the metric system with a passion, and nearly had apoplexy every time he saw one of these.
There are restaurants in Europe that price fish, especially, and sometimes meat by the 100 grams. It's not that hard to remember that a pound is 454 grams, so 100 grams would be a little less than 1/4 pound.
IA pound is 500 grams in the metric system so much easier than all these strange measurements measurements that you are using , how many feet in a mile , you say ?
The temperature of freezing water and boiling water ?
There are only 2 countries in the world the USA and Liberia that have this odd system , plus a few minuscule little Islands .
Canada has almost changed completely since the 70's that our PM Mr Trudeau enacted , it is because of our dear neighbours to the South that we are still talking about 2 by 4 's
Hope I did not start a war here now .......
Tony 😁
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20 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:
Good morning all!
Interesting collection of days. I won't be facing my fear of heights any time soon, repetition does not help with me. I like the quote, will pass on the red wine. The meal sounds good but we had pasta just last night, the drink sounds very good.
We will be in Wellington on the GA. Thank you Sandi @StLouisCruisers and Tony @sailingdutchy for your photos. We also plan on taking the shuttle into town and the cable car up to the gardens. So am I correct in thinking we can get back down by going down through the gardens?
Yesterday I heard from my friend Ronda -- unfortunately she's still in the hospital. They moved her from Mt. Vernon to Virginia Mason in Seattle. They're concerned more now about the fluid in her lungs, so she's getting treatments to drain that. She's hoping to go home Friday, but we thought that a week ago too.
Annie @marshhawk Oh my, you don't need all this stress right before you leave! Those scams are getting worse all the time. I seem to get some everyday in my inbox (not from the P.O. yet, but from many others). I hope everything gets straightened out soon and that you have a wonderful holiday!
Today we'll be going down to be with the DGSs. First we'll watch the youngest at his cross-country meet, then we'll be with them tonight while DD and DSIL go to a concert. So this morning I need to bake some cookies to take to them. 😄 Oh, and we'll get our pumpkin from DGS. Now we may not be getting the 28-pounder, someone else is interested. He has others though. 😉
Yes it is a very nice and easy walk down all the way through the gardens from near the exit if I remember well it was a short walk with the help of a little map or with your phone to get to the shuttle bus .
T
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Few pictures of when we were in Wellington , New Zealand in April 2013 on the Oosterdam and toured the city on our own to the wonderful Te Papa museum where we spend a few hours to learn a lot about New Zealand and than we took the Cable Car up to one of the large hills in the city to walk back down through the beautiful Botanical GardensWe had a very nice day and would love to go there again soon !Have a great day everybody , back to slowly filling my suitcase ..........Tony 😁😁
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We had a very nice turkey yesterday that DMIL ( at 97 ) made for us and she did a wonderful job , Martha helped with the trimmings in the afternoon while we just had a much smaller group than usual this year only with 8 of us around Great Grandma's table .
A Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to all our Canadian friends and Dailyites .
Oh and by the way it was not one of these
Tony
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We have been in Split a good number of times , have toured the city and surrounding area always with our wonderful guide and good friend Ante Batarelo . Last September while cruising on the Oosterdam in the Adriatic Ante suggested a day going through the mountains South of Split through the St Jure Tunnel to the impressive Biokovo Mountains to the Nature Parkland where they just finished building a new Skywalk with a glass floor about 1260 mtr above sea level to have a good view of the Islands Hvar and Brac . It was too bad it was a little bit cloudy.Medieval chapel overlooking the Cetina CanyonA good number of people held on to the railing on the sides but I don’t know if that would have helped them IF ……..From there the tour went back towards Split along the coast seeing a number of small historical towns like Makarska and OmisIn Zrnovnica we had another very nice stop for a delicious Croatian Tasting Lunch to the sounds of rushing waters , of coarse including Croation wine and schnapps to toast our guide and the people at the Antonicin Mlin ( A Game of Thrones Filming Location ! ) before returning to Split after a great day .A wonderful day was had by all , see you next time Ante ……..Tony😁😁
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Everybody have a great start on the weekend , all of a sudden it is getting much cooler here in SW Ontario this morning we were down to 8 C from a nice 23C yesterday afternoon . Time for our woolies and getting ready to get out of here !We had a wonderful day on May 12th 2029 when we were on one of the very last cruises from the much loved Prinsendam in the Holland America Family and hit the Port of Portree on the Isle of Skye so I have to get a few nice pictures together to give you an idea of the beautiful scenery .Was this the same day you were there @StLouisCruisers ? to bad we missed you than .Everybody wants to get off , it looks like a beautiful day ………Let’s find our guide Donald with whom I had set up a tour for 13 of usWe are starting to go and see “ The Old Man old Store “ + Lealt Falls + Kilt Rock + The Quiraing …………I know that tells you a lot !Guess who were here first ……..a very long time ago ……..The “Fairy Glenn “Time for a break ……. Did you see that ……... only for “Dogs and Well Behaved Humans “……. that was us !Driver stop here please …..Going back to the Port after a lovely “Scenic Tour “That must have been because of the Scotch tasting from DW MarthaAfter this gorgeous day it was time for dinner in the Canaletto where our friend Rifki , the manager gave the young ladies a nice rose for mothers day !Have a great weekend everybodyTony 😍😍
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Happy Thursday everybody , today a different story from sailingdutchyFall time has arrived in SW Ontario so a few pics from farmingdutchy , the gardens are empty and I am well on my way to get them ready for spring once the snow has melted . This is just one on my gardens , I have used the fallen leafs to keep the pathways free of weeds next year .Today the skies are grey but yesterday it was brilliant in our woods and love to share it with you.Across the road the feed corn is ripening and dryingOh Canada ......In a few days it is Canadian Thanksgiving , yes we are earlier than you folks below the 49th Parallel because Thanksgiving is a harvest festival and we have to do that earlier than you’ll below the 49th Parallel before the snow flies . So this year it is on Monday Oct 9 , 2023 .……………and guess what we already have a turkey in the freezer that DMIL at 97 will be preparing for us on the weekend so we do not have to get one of these guys that just came to visit us today , all 9 of them ………Have a beautiful day everybody ………..got to do some last minute stuff for our next cruise coming up soon !Tony 😍
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I am very late posting this because I was fighting and struggling with my iMac after I had this all prepared earlier this morning to show you our very nice day in Villefranche .We visited Villefranche-sur-Mer a couple of times in the spring and again in the fall of 2022 , in May while on the Nieuw Statendam I had booked a small group tour with 7 of us to go from there to a few Perched Medieval Villages of the Alps because in earlier years we already had been a few times to Cannes , Nice and also a number of times to Monaco .After tendering into Port we met up with what worked out to be our wonderful guide Fouad who showed us the beauty of this areaThe first mountaintop village we visited was Tourrettes-sur-Loup , in the Province- Alps-Cote d’AzurFor our dearly departed friend Jose ............ we had just heard about what had happened back in Canada , RIP .Admiring a new Citroen 2CV …..meaning “two taxable horsepower “Getting some sweets for on the road , some delicious NougatNext we were taken to Gourdon another beautiful old mountaintop villageGourdon , one of the most beautiful medieval villages in France where the Roman ruins are to be found and its dramatic perched vantage point earned it the name “ the Eagles Nest “For a nice little lunch I had a Croque-monsieur and madame Martha had a Croque- madameIt was now time to slowly go back towards the coast while having another stop in Greolieres overlooking the Loup valley dominated by the the remains of the village “ Hautes Greolieres and the St Etienne’s chapelAn amazing day was had by all , we hope we can hook up with this great guide soon for another tour with him ....................a;ez, alez , alez Fouad ! We have to get back to the port to go on the tender , the Captain is waiting and blowing his horn ........Have a great evening everybody , sorry for the long post and being so late , see you soon on board another BHB …………Tony 😍😍
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Sorry people I tried for a while to post a video of the Japanese Kindergarden classes singing the "Ode to Joy " but just could not find a way to do it ,it is about 2 minutes long maybe that is the problem , Usually I can do quite a bit on my iMac but do not consider myself a techie.
Tony 🤔
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For the farewell in Shimizu I need space to show you this totally unexpected show…………...All of a sudden three special kindergarten school busses showed up right next to the ship , they looked as if they just came out of the factory a Red , a Yellow and a Blue oneVery enthusiastic kids in their finest “uniforms “ with not a mark on their little white shoes or freshly pressed clothes while listening very well to just half a dozen teachers ran to their spots for what they came for , for us …..It was getting to be a little cooler so the special jackets came out ….And than the musical instruments and flagsThey sang and played quite a few numbers for all of us , but it was almost time for “ All on Board “ when they started playing and singing Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy “ in Japanese which was composed by Beethoven in 1785 as it represents the triumph of Universal Brotherhood against war and desperation …….. when I think of this moment in Shimizu I am again getting emotional ………. I will never forget this day …….. 😍I have a couple of short videos I don’t know if I am able to post that on this roll call I might try later …….The kids and many of their parents stayed on shore and watched us slowly push away …. our Captain gave a few big tootsThis little guy but bigger than his classmates caught my eye as he was waving up to the people on their balconies on the shipTony 😍😍
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Good morning Rich and all the major organizers and contributors to the Daily !On Oct 14th , 2017 we landed in the Port of Shimizu on the Volendam we were only in Port for a very short time from 8 am until 2 pm so no time for a nice long tour but had a very nice welcome by the local dancers and an unforgettable rest of the day which I will show in a bit ………With our friends that were on board we make a nice walk to the local seafood market where we saw the most incredible dishes , when we came back to port I enjoyed a nice Japanese tea ceremony and saw many ladies and also men trying out Japanese costumes .A special painted sign just for us ....After this friendly welcome we walked to the local large fish marketThey will eat almost anything from the sea in Japan …..Let us taste some stuff ...Wow they eat the eyes ???? Kind of advertised as a delicacy( I realize the picture is upside down , picture from an iPad , but had to show you this , you get the picture ?? )Back in port , I am going for a tea ceremony .while the ladies and a lot of the crew are checking out Japanese costumesIn a separate post I have to show you the departure from Shimizu in a few minutes ……… it was incredible ………Tony 😄😄
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50 minutes ago, durangoscots said:
Good morning!!!! Cool here with high predicted up to 71 this afternoon then then temps are due to drop and the next 10 days highs will be in the low to mid-60's and it looks like a hard freeze is on the way. What we need is some rain. Will probably come mid-October (see below).
@sailingdutchyThanks for the pictures of Fiji. Hopefully I will get there on the Grand Australia. The big thing on my agenda in the immediate future falls mid-October when Sepp Kuss will be coming home and the town is planning to throw a really big party.
Susan
Thank you for this Susan @durangoscots If you have a chance please show us some pictures of Sepp back home celebrating , he already had his big party in The Netherlands and in Spain .
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Hello Daily Friends hope you are all having a nice fall day like we are having in SW Ontario , waking up with 13 C and temps going up to 25 C . Trees are turning and hundreds and hundreds of birds are coming through our woods on their way South to warmer climates.We are slowly getting our suitcases out for the Spanish Farewell cruise on the ms Oosterdam which is our way to look for warmer climates .I notice on the Daily that a lot of our Daily friends have similar desires and are getting on board soon , that is great to see!I found some pictures of Suva that I would like to share with you since I did not see many today . These are from our Pacific crossing in April 2013 , it was a very , very hot day so we did not stay out too longHe scared me for a minute when we left the ship , headhunters in Fiji ……!The police band gave us a nice welcome .Have a great weekend everybody , Take Care and Stay Safe !Tony 😄😁
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Biggest joke for the day ...........
Our dear daughter and grandson had to fly back home today and in Toronto airport they have US customs and security control . They took 2 nice jars of of Kraft peanut butter from her because that in their eyes is considered a liquid ?!?! Now if they would see a good and delicious tub of Dutch peanut butter they woud see a small layer of peanut oil on the top , I can see that ....... but Kraft .......
Natascha told the officers to enjoy the 2 jars one was crunchy and the other was smooth . ( the peanut butter that was )
Maybe because Kraft who does not manufacture peanut butter in the good US of A the officers would than after my daughter turned her back grab those jars to spoil their family ....... so now my dear family in the US has to wait until Christmas for their Kraft peanut butter , it would even be a larger present to them.
I know this is kind of a nonsensical story but it kind of stuck to the roof of my mouth .......... thank the lord I picked those 2 nice 1 KG jars up this week on special !
Should I call Kraft not to make it so fluidly .
Tony 😉
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The Fleet Report and Daily for Wednesday November 1st, 2023
in Holland America Line
Posted
Good morning all and thank you for the Daily , we are waiting for our dear friends to come on board …………..