Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Jeff, I don't know how you keep finding pictures of Myster! He does manage to get around doesn't he? And I will have to take that bottle of snopake away from him. He is a menace with it!

 

He looks a bit like Terry in that piccy doesn't he .....:D

 

Thought you might like today's Times cartoon ....

 

Jeff

 

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

Wonderful suggestion! We will definitely look into this area. Thank you.

Love the look of your netting!!!

 

Pleased to help ...

 

Bucklers Hard is a viable alternative to a boring night in Southampton. This is a piccy of the ship builders houses and the tables are outside the pub / hotel. In winter it is magical. You're in the forest, sometimes snow and a pub with a big open fire, dartboard and real British beer ...

 

Without the people who lived in those houses, they'd not have been a Mayflower.

 

Ask any further questions...

 

 

Jeff

 

Edited August 13, 2015 by UKCruiseJeff

[mysty]

Cute cartoon! :)

[TLCOhio]

He looks a bit like Terry in that piccy doesn't he .....:D

Thought you might like today's Times cartoon .... Jeff

 

 

YES, super interesting cartoon from The Times. Appreciate your sharing. We are still five and a half months till any "real votes" are starting to be cast in our Presidential primaries. Our election season is very, very long here in America. Lots of pro/con factors as the campaign process is so lengthy, complicated and nasty. Here in Ohio, as one of the two or three most important "pivot" states, we get so much more media attention, being flooded with TV attack ads, etc.

 

Shame on Jeff for saying that guy might look a little like me. That's a bad curse to put on such an innocent, peaceful soul.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

If Venice is one of your future desires or past favorites, look at this earlier posting for many options and visual samples this city that is so great for "walking around", personally seeing its great history and architecture. This posting is now at 53,483 views.

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

[jpalbny]

JP, this will be our once-in-a-lifetime trip! And we want to do it while we still can. So many of our friends have started to develop health issues and we are not immune to the vagaries of declining health. Carpe Diem and all that! :)

 

That's why we go everywhere we possibly can, now. No point in waiting!

[TLCOhio]

That's why we go everywhere we possibly can, now. No point in waiting!

 

YES!, agree and appreciate your wise observation on "No point in waiting!". Have had a couple friends dealing with Parkinsons that can make you a "prisoner in your own body". Or, on the wife of a friend yesterday who has M.S. As John F. Kennedy said "Life is not always fair". You need to plan and aggressively "seize the moment"!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Super loved Dubrovnik!!! See more details and lots of great visual samples/examples at this link. Have had over 29,691 views on this posting and appreciate those who have tuned-in and dropped by.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1439227

[mysty]

Maybe a silly question but here goes. I looked at the Doyles restaurant website and the menu is wonderful. However, on the right hand side of the webpage, there is a note about the Sydney ferry that says "Ferries operate between 10am and 3pm weekdays, but on Weekends & Public Holidays the Ferries operate more frequently between 9am & 6.30pm from the city." So if we wanted to have dinner at the Doyles on The Beach, would we need to take a taxi?

[UKCruiseJeff]

Maybe a silly question but here goes. I looked at the Doyles restaurant website and the menu is wonderful. However, on the right hand side of the webpage, there is a note about the Sydney ferry that says "Ferries operate between 10am and 3pm weekdays, but on Weekends & Public Holidays the Ferries operate more frequently between 9am & 6.30pm from the city." So if we wanted to have dinner at the Doyles on The Beach, would we need to take a taxi?

 

Not at all! Sorry, I forgot this wasn't lunch. Taxi makes it unviable, so I'd go for Manly ... to be honest although a bit less plush the fish will be better because they take the fish straight ff the slab in the fishnmonger and cook it and you'll have a chance to wander around Manly .... and the ferry is much more Oz than the Watson Bay ferry. There is also the pub around the corner which is a combined, pub, betting shop, hotel etc and there's a yard at the back to have a beer. We love that place ...

 

 

It is the place on the right of this piccy and is a few yards from the fish cafe.

 

You can google it but when you get off the ferry it is simple. Cross the road. Walk up the main street as afar as you can go the the southhern beach ( this was where lifeguards were first invented and not at Bondi ... ) and turn right and it is a couple of turnings up. 10 minute walk from the ferry.

 

You won't have lost out if you decide on that. Doyles at Watson's is really a great lunch time place and Manly would be a magical ferry ride back at night on a very substantial ferry!

 

Jeff

[mysty]

Thanks Jeff! Manly looks like a beautiful spot for a wander! And good fish too! :)

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thanks Jeff! Manly looks like a beautiful spot for a wander! And good fish too! :)

 

On reflection .... Manly is much better for you. And the Southern beach would be a lovely evening wander with a few bars along there as well. There are so many choices in Manly for you ...but only Doyle's at Watsons.

 

I have so many pictures of wifey at the Manly fish place and she just prefers the atmosphere there. It is a fishmonger with a takeaway and a cafe attached and you don't get much better than that. If they are really crowded and you fancy it even more, there is the alternative because there are seating areas on the Southern beach where people take their fish and chips.

 

But presuming you eat in the cafe. The fish is daily catch and on the blackboard and they have a great selection of seafood. You wait whilst they cook it. So you might have some of what you fancy for starters and fish and chips for the main course. House white is frozen and perfectly adequate. We normally have the flat head fish in batter! I think the best solution was arrived at in the end.

 

We yearn for that place and I am hungry again!

 

Jeff

[TLCOhio]

The fish is daily catch and on the blackboard and they have a great selection of seafood. You wait whilst they cook it. So you might have some of what you fancy for starters and fish and chips for the main course. House white is frozen and perfectly adequate. We normally have the flat head fish in batter! I think the best solution was arrived at in the end. We yearn for that place and I am hungry again! Jeff

 

Yes, Yes!! Sounds super wonderful. For our only two and a half days in Sydney, we did not get a chance to get to Manly and some of these other wonderful neighborhood. We did enjoy all that we did, including sailing around and seeing many of the neighborhoods via an enjoyable harbor cruise. Appreciate the pix's and details.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 115,596 views for this posting.

[mysty]

Is it called Fishmongers Manly located at 4/11-15 Wentworth St, Manly? They have a website. Not sure if this is the place you mean though.

 

http://manly.mongers.com.au/

[UKCruiseJeff]

Is it called Fishmongers Manly located at 4/11-15 Wentworth St, Manly? They have a website. Not sure if this is the place you mean though.

 

http://manly.mongers.com.au/

 

No,

 

http://manlyfishcafe.com.au/

[mysty]

No,

 

http://manlyfishcafe.com.au/

This is excellent Jeff! They have Moreton Bay Bugs!!!!!! Myster will be over the moon! Manly Fish Cafe is much better looking than the one I found! Thanks so much!!!!!! I am really getting excited about this trip. Like a kid in a candy store!

[UKCruiseJeff]

This is excellent Jeff! They have Moreton Bay Bugs!!!!!! Myster will be over the moon! Manly Fish Cafe is much better looking than the one I found! Thanks so much!!!!!! I am really getting excited about this trip. Like a kid in a candy store!

 

I'm so pleased for you. We love the place. :D

 

Thinking back ... I guess we have been there dozens of times. Just like in Singapore, we have a bit of a daily ritual. A ferry ride to a favourite walk in the morning then a ferry back to Circular and I guess it is often to Finger Wharf and on two or three times a week it was the ferry to Manly to the pub and then the Fish Cafe. It is so important to only eat fish in proper fish places so they don't faff around and mess around with it and ruin it. Fresh fish should be either grilled or fried fresh in a light beer batter and that is what they do. I see they feature flat head on the winter daily special! With fresh fish and seafood less is more and only fish people understand that and you will be in very good hands there.

 

If you do get a chance for a walk, then there is one of my top ten walks close by. If you are on the beach facing the sea (south) follow the prom to your right and just follow the coast path around. You will after twenty minutes or so find a small private beach with some free electric bbqs on them and this is a great place to look at the lights of Manly and it has a small wooden shack bar. You might even take with you a brown bag from one of the Manly stores ... hubby would love that ... a bit of class .... They made a TV series called Out of the Blue around those paths which may or may not have made it's way to Canada.

 

I'm thrilled you are going there and I know you'll have a memorable meal.

 

:)

 

Jeff

[mysty]

Yes, I think Myster will love this option! I'm so very glad you suggested this. I think Cafe Sydney would have been nice but I think this will be spectacular! And a walk along the water would be a perfect after dinner treat. And I think drinking out of a brown bag would be the icing on the cake! :) We didn't get "Out of the Blue" here unfortunately. I used google street view to wander along W Esplanade in Manly and it looks beautiful!

[UKCruiseJeff]

M,

 

Most people in the UK would have missed Out of The Blue as well ... it was a cheapo afternoon series and not on a prime channel We enjoyed it!

 

Just remember to take piccies of your meal and put them on your thread.

 

JP,

 

glad I inspired you to cook last night. A bit less sophisticated or inspirational this evening but I was thinking of what I could cook for you and Chris and your European leanings so I cooked a Frankfurter and fried red onion Welsh ..... and you cannot get more European than that can you ....

 

:)

 

Jeff

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

......oh ... and if you are serious about the brown bag ... there is a small liquor store under Circular Quay station opposite and twenty feet away from the Manly Ferry pier.

 

Jeff

[mysty]

Brilliant Jeff! That will work out perfectly! What a grand way to spend Valentine's Eve! I will do my very best to record the meal and the brown bag experience to share with my fellow coolers! :)

[V8Babe]

Nooo! Jeff, please don't encourage mysty to do the brown paper bag thing ;);):)

 

Karin

[MrsWaldo]

Lol. Chateau Cardboard would be next :eek:

 

Some one really needs to get down to south beach seafoods at Cronulla. Runs rings around the popular places in the city

 

Oh and while you are at it try Alphabet St,

 

 

Current best do IMHO for standard meal is the Dining room in park Hyatt...

 

Best places to eat are in the inner burbs...

 

Great Indian at Delhi oh Delhi (Newtown). Tomislav near the cross

 

If you want awesome gelato and are willing to wait the cow and the moon is as good as the hype (enmore)

 

Sydney dining is extremely fluid and often the stars are past shining

[mysty]

Nooo! Jeff, please don't encourage mysty to do the brown paper bag thing ;);):)

 

Karin

Oh Karin! I laughed out loud at your post! If we got picked up by the local constabulary for breaking their liquor laws, would you come to bail us out? Ha Ha! Our children would not be impressed with us and would probably leave us to rot in jail. :)

[mysty]

Lol. Chateau Cardboard would be next :eek:

 

Some one really needs to get down to south beach seafoods at Cronulla. Runs rings around the popular places in the city

 

Oh and while you are at it try Alphabet St,

 

 

Current best do IMHO for standard meal is the Dining room in park Hyatt...

 

Best places to eat are in the inner burbs...

 

Great Indian at Delhi oh Delhi (Newtown). Tomislav near the cross

 

If you want awesome gelato and are willing to wait the cow and the moon is as good as the hype (enmore)

 

Sydney dining is extremely fluid and often the stars are past shining

Hi MrsWaldo! Thanks for chiming in with your "on location" report. It's really helpful to hear from people who walk that beat! :) My idea for Cafe Sydney was hatched without the benefit of experience and I am grateful for real world input!

[jpalbny]

Lots of super great info and background from J.P. Want many pictures shared from your German trip, Audi tour, etc. Have super loved Copenhagen from our two visits there. Is you brother teaching in that city or in another part of wonderful Denmark?

 

YES, you definitely should consider doing some sort of work exchange that would get you in Australia and/or New Zealand. Both are amazing countries with very wonderful people, sights, etc. Have you and your lovely wife traveled there?

 

We have been there, but it's been a while. We did an Australia - New Zealand cruise with Oceania back in January 2008. Not nearly enough time in Australia but what can you do; we really only visited Sydney, Melbourne, and Hobart.

 

But as fate would have it, when we did our Tahiti cruise in January 2007, we had a great table for 8 (this was on the former Tahitian Princess where they still do fixed dining). A nice retired couple from California, a couple who lives in Epping NSW (A suburb of Sydney), and a couple from Auckland! At that time, we had already booked the Australia cruise...so suddenly we had tour guides in our embarkation and disembarkation ports!

 

Here we all are... We are standing above the Kiwis, and the Aussies are standing opposite us above the Californians:

 

 

We still keep in touch with both couples from Down Under, and the Aussies came to visit us 2 years later. They spent about 2 months away from home (as they are wont to do), toured most of the Northeast US, then we drove them to New York to get on the Ocean Princess (formerly the Tahitian Princess) for a North Atlantic cruise to London. 10 days later, we flew to London to meet them and we cruised back to New York with them. Great times with such nice people!

 

We haven't seen our NZ friends in a while though, and we miss them. So we will have to return.

 

I'll probably do a new blog of the Germany trip (same place as the others). Eventually!

 

My brother teaches at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense. He says it's a 1.5h train ride to Copenhagen. They are taking full advantage of their location and making weekend jaunts all over the place, though they've slowed down as his wife is expecting in the next few weeks.

 

Hi JP,

 

That is a lovely plate .... and forgive me being picky but I really like that you use plain white plates and that you don't pick around with it. You plate it simply and elegently and honestly and if the food is good as yours is then let the food speak for itself and that is what you always seem to do with your food.

...

 

On that subject I 'm sort of hoping you and Chris make your way to The Swiss House when you get to Vienna next year. You will notice the ashtray ..

 

When you wound your way down the A303, you went within a mile of our main home and you could have popped by .... I remember and it doesn't seem so long ago there was no one guarding Stonehenge and it was always open. I do fully understand the draw it has to visitors and perhaps because we pass it so often on our way down to our beach house but it seems to me to be simply a place to tick off.

 

What about your visit to Europe on the river cruise are you most looking forward to?

 

Thanks Jeff. Those plates are simple and cheap, from Ikea. I do like them! It was really hard to find plain white plates that were thin (not huge and clunky) that were cheap enough for everyday use. We looked around for years. I like also that the shape is a bit different from the ordinary.

 

So we're trying for the third time to cruise the Danube. We canceled one prior attempt and Mother Nature canceled the other, so hoping that the third time is the charm. We cruise from Budapest to Passau, with stops in Bratislava, Vienna, Dürnstein, Melk, and Linz (option for Salzburg).

 

I'm not sure if we'll have time to do much on either end, or whether we'll just make it a quick one week trip. If we stretch it one day on each end that might be enough to leave the USA Thursday, arrive in Budapest Friday afternoon, then have Saturday in Budapest on our own before boarding Sunday (with another 2 full days in Budapest while on the ship). I'm also thinking that we could disembark in Passau, head towards Berchtesgaden for a day, and then swing back to Munich for the trip home. But for that trip, I would need to rent an Audi... :D

 

You might wonder why we enjoy river cruising if we are so independent and like to travel on our own. We actually enjoy both types of trip. Independent travel takes so much planning - we work on these itineraries for months. So it can be nice to mix in some trips where we don't have to plan much at all. We also like the fact that Uniworld serves local food and wine on their ships. And whenever we want, we can bail on the included tours, wander off the ship, and explore on our own. So I see it as the best of both worlds.

 

On this trip we are excited to visit Vienna again. We were there in 2013 on our own for 2 days, so we saw many of the major sights. We will probably just wander and enjoy the ambience. Jeff, the Swiss House - do you mean the Schweizerhaus, which Google says is a Beer Hall in the park (Prater)? That's what your ashtray says! We will have to check that out.

 

The cruise offers a post-cruise extension to Prague but I think that will need to be a separate trip. I can't see going all the way there if we only have one extra day to spend.

 

**

 

Stonehenge is just a cool place to visit - but I wouldn't have been content to stand behind the ropes and just gaze at it. The early-morning Stone Circle Access program was (IMO) the way to do it. You could appreciate the heft of those stones by standing next to them. I really enjoyed tooling around the Shetlands on our own last year - all of the standing stones are completely open and you can get close and really see them.

 

**

 

I think I mentioned this already, but after having so much fun in Paris, we are thinking about spending Christmas in Barcelona this year. Just in the contemplation stage at this time... We were there in 2008 pre-cruise and only had one day. We were incredibly jet-lagged and in a fog most of the time; between the two of us we managed somehow but it was tough. What I remember of Barcelona was very pleasant, but I'd like to experience it at some point while I'm conscious!

 

Have a good day all and enjoy the weekend!

Edited August 14, 2015 by jpalbny

[mysty]

Myster and I enjoyed our one and only Uniworld cruise from Amsterdam to Basel in 2009. We got to taste Federweisser (product of fermented freshly pressed grape juice) when the ship brought some onboard for everyone to enjoy. I quite liked it! :) We plan to do another river cruise in the future.