Jump to content

Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Two


CC Help Michell
 Share

Recommended Posts

Good Day All,

 

Love the elevenses Jeffers....I have to admit to having a quick pre lunch fix today...it's been a long week!

 

Heard this morning that Costa have pulled out of the port of Istanbul and SS are looking into it also so gawd knows where l may end up in October!

 

The offspring are currently in your neck of the woods Jeff so a chill weekend for me although l am thinking about having a quick break away next weekend....if l can find something that appeals.....all this talk of tapas is getting my tastebuds going!

 

Sophia :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Sophia,

 

Sorry to hear of the port uncertainty. It's a great shame as Istanbul is wonderful and feels so safe before all this stuff. I hope you get it sorted. Any ideas of where you might have the weekend?

 

Today was a pub lunch in The Kings Head ..... a bought in but sadly meat free shepeherds pie from Waitrose with a couple of sozzies and a slug of Primitivo ... which wifey thinks is perfectly matched for me for some reason ....

 

Jeff

 

54B1F08D-FCAD-4766-9E0A-0FD5D5AB0B32.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

JP,

 

 

One thing out of the way. In the choice betwen Prague and Barcelona ... then on the basis of depth and atmospghere ..... and BEER ... well need I say more. Na Zdravi!

 

I also have a couple of fixations. Firstly I think that most of Europes gems are in second or third or lesser tier cities and towns. The rest are for torursits not travellers. So with these things in mind ......:)

 

Can I get a suggestion out of the way straight away because it has been on my mind for Chris and you for a while and I think it is a trip made in heaven. I cannot get it out of my mind. Ask me why .. I cannot say. I just think you must. It involves a flight to Brussels and then a train to town a change of platform and then into Bruges. But once there the station is right in the middle and I know you would both love it .... Bruges. BRUGES!

 

Secondly, this may be impractical but as I said I am not judging that. Ravenna in Italy. I think Chris and you would love Ravenna.

 

I also feel ... and I can say why on this one .... Amsterdam would be a decent third choice because so much of Amsterdam is really young and therefore everything is open. And you will be joining a city that is more open than shut over Christmas as a result. I would make the highlight of that trip a Risjstafel that I'd pre-book and I'd take home some Leyden cheese.

 

Although we are out-Viennered .... I think Vienna would be a city worthy of consideration for a return trip for you two because it is magical all year and much will be open and it is so walkable and full of winter food. And 365 day bratty kiosks. As you know I am a sossy safari person.

 

On the basis of the previous I also feel that Saltzburg might be an option but might mean going via VIE.

 

From a food viewpoint then Lyon is a possibly the current food capital of the whole wide world.

 

Can we start with these ... and when you say why or why not we can home in more on a nugget or two and others?

 

Jeff

 

OK - some great suggestions here. Let me add a few things regarding our thought process for the weekend, as they relate to potential locations.

 

I neglected to say that although Paris was great fun last year, the weather was iffy, so we might favor something a little warmer this go around. Mediterranean Sea vs. North Sea, all that. I think back to a January weekend back in 2002, when my little sister decided to get married, in all places, on the desolate rock known as Bornholm in the Baltic Sea! Wow, that was cold. It was a good excuse to stay indoors and sip cognac, smoke cigars, etc.

 

One other point - when there's only 2 days or so, it helps us if we visit a city where we've already been, and have a rough idea of the lay of the land. Plus, a revisit helps take the pressure off - in that we wouldn't have to rush to see everything, because we have already seen some of the sights. Knowing how we travel, a totally new city might be a bit more difficult in that we'd overplan, try to see lots of things, and maybe not relax as much.

 

Now on to your specific suggestions.

 

Prague sounds amazing and we've talked to many people who love it. I think it would need more time than a Christmas weekend. We've never been so it needs a more thorough visit.

 

We have looked at Bruges / Brussels - actually, we strongly considered making that area part of next month's trip with the new Audi. The plane tickets were less convenient so we didn't do it, but that's an area we're interested in. Beer, yes, but also moules et frites. And another place to try to practice my terrible French. But what's the weather like in December? It would be a new city and new country as well. I might like to visit when we could spend more time, see more of the Great War sites elsewhere in Belgium, etc.

 

Have not visited Ravenna, and don't know much about it. I have seen it on cruise itineraries. Tell me more. Would probably have to use Venice as a base.

 

We spent a morning in Amsterdam last year while disembarking a river cruise. Oddly enough we weren't terribly impressed and don't feel a need to return; I am sure that we are in the minority here but what can I say? We didn't have time to visit the museums but the canals were pretty and the architecture interesting. Still, we left the city feeling kind of dirty. Between the garbage in the streets, the endless smell of marijuana, and the whole red light district stuff, it wasn't very appealing to us. Might be a while before we want to revisit.

 

Vienna, Salzburg - yes, appealing. Vienna fits the category of "already visited and need a little more time there" but would it be cold over Christmas? Plus we are stopping there in April on our Danube cruise - we have a full day and an overnight. That may be our revisit for now.

 

Salzburg - haven't been yet. Only stopped there at the train station, grabbed a rental car, and headed to Bavaria. It is definitely on our list to visit some day.

 

Lyon - we were just there in March. Nice place, and would definitely enjoy more time there. Though it's different from Paris, France for Christmas two years in a row vs. something different needs to be considered. Would probably involve a flight to Paris then the TGV, so not too inconvenient.

 

Thinking of my preference for warmer vs. colder, and my ideal criteria of having already visited but left a few things incomplete, Barcelona still keeps coming up high on the list. Vienna is not bad, but we'll see Vienna again in April so it's a lower priority for this year. Lyon is nice but we have visited it recently. Prague, Brussels/Bruges, and Ravenna are appealing but new.

 

Eagerly anticipating your next installment, and much appreciate your suggestions.

Edited by jpalbny
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jeff, you were posting your meal whilst I was composing the previous post... Primitivo! Nice Italian red, a clone of the Zinfandel grape... Definitely tasty!

 

It's been much too hot the past few weeks to even consider a red. Maybe when it cools down. The heaviest we've gone is rose. We are going through Sauvignon blanc like it's water!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks JP! I'm glad that you might visit Bruges some day ... I can see you and Chris there.

 

May I introduce a further idea I had which may or may not attract.

 

I guess you've been to Rome but because your stay is short I would use it as an excuse to see one sight that wife and I consider to be possibly the best "thing" we have ever seen and I think would be the center of your break. Ostia Antica is an extraordinarily preserved city. Think of Pompeii but much better preserved and without the hordes. It is closed on Christmas day but open at8:30 on 26th.

 

There are many many reasons to go to Rome just to go to Ostia. I was shocked that in Roman times they lived in multi storey appartment blocks and in Ostia you can climb their stairs and walk around those appartments, then cross the road to a real taverna .... I posted pictures of wifey once before in the taverna.

 

I'd plan to be there as it opens at 08:30 having bought a ticket in advance. I'd walk to the far end of the city and walk back towards rather than with other visitors.

 

There was a great club on Via commercio called Alpheus but Imthink it is now called Planet Roma or something. It has several sound stages. I managed once whilst working for the Corporation to get one of our Falcons for a couple of days and took a bunch of our "partners" to see out Roman plant .... so we could spend a night at the club. I was greatly moved by a group playing music from the Andes on one of the stages. I'd spend one night there. I guess on Christmas day evening, I might want to simply experience the atmosphere of Vatican square if I could get close .... although safety might be a growing concern.

 

So let me throw in Ostia Antica with a stay in Rome as another idea. Please google Ostia Antica and give it a thought.

 

You should certainly spend more time researching Barcelona if it is a contender. It simply doesn't attract us back at all, but we are all different. There isn't simply a simgle dimension - except the market - of Barcelona that in our view isn't greatly beaten elsewhere ... that's all. And as a terrible generality .. I know ... I'd choose most Italian possibilities over most Spanish ones.

 

Jeff

Edited by UKCruiseJeff
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just the odd word about Barcelona etc. - the weather anywhere in Europe except perhaps southern Spain and maybe the Riviera is unlikely to be warm and could be quite wet.

 

Unlike Jeff, I have a distinct preference for Spain over Italy which is partly due to the personalities of the natives - I find Spanish and Catalan people in hotels, etc. etc. more warm and polite and less snooty that the Italians. This is obviously very prejudiced of me, and a complete generalisation. I do not speak either language. I still feel Barcelona as a place to see lots is quite high on the agenda - have you been to Montserrat, for instance? And there are quite a few Gaudi and Gaudiesque buildings to visit, as well as (assuming it is still there and open) the wonderful Picasso museum of his early work, and the Palace of Music, in the Gothic quarter, a lovely old building.

 

Anyhoo, J and I are obviously not going to agree on this one!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:D

 

I prefer rural Spaniards to rural Italians as well .. but in cities .....:)

 

you may recall that wifey has a Spanish name and her family always believed they were Spanish until I turned up details of her Grandfather ....and he was Argentinian! I even found a photograph of him. It was a shock for her. Now she is outraged by the invasion of the Malvinas!

 

It is healthy for JP for us to disagree on these issues! One size does not fit all.

 

I had intended on the basis of temperature to throw in Cannes as a suggestion with a meal at Colombe D'or. And another meal at Gaston et Gastonnete.

 

Jeff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm enjoying all of the varying suggestions. Unanimity would be so boring! We all have different desires and experiences, and all of the perspectives have been most helpful. This is why the cooler is so much fun!

 

Ostia Antica sounds like a cool place, and as a Roman Ruin it is right up our alley. It was the ancient port for Rome, right? I remember having a conversation with one of our wine stewards on Oceania whom we sailed with multiple times (Stefano; I think he's a head sommelier now). Anyway he was Italian and lived near Ostia. He always urged us to visit. We have spent plenty of time in Rome the past few years; still love it but not high on our list.

 

Have never been to Cannes but a winter visit might be less crowded than summer, for sure! Nice is a place we've been to briefly and would love to revisit. Again the France vs. elsewhere.. We like to mix it up.

 

LL, appreciate your comment about the variable unpredictable weather. But as we live in Upstate New York, anything on the plus side of freezing is generally warm for us in December. Don't forget that we visited Iceland in January a few years ago to warm up! Barcelona's average December temperature is probably in the 10-12C range. That is a heat wave in our book.

 

Lots to chew on as I try to finish up our POI file for the upcoming Germany trip. :D

Edited by jpalbny
Link to comment
Share on other sites

JP,

 

Re Cannes re Nice. There will be more to do in Nice but with a short time ... if you are happy just towander then obviously Cannes is more sophisticated. Nice however has really great bus connections and everything ias (was!) two euros a ride irrespective of distance. The old town is lovely at night. Our favourite bars a great as they have their plastic gazebos up and the odd bit of rain on the gas heaters add's atmosphere.

 

The ancient port is called Ostia which is close by to the city which is called Ostia Antica. You may even recall the magic line in Gladiator where he urges his co-conspiritors to "meet me at Ostia"! It was only covered in sand after a plague so is perfectly untouched. It is about that it is unknown, the degree of access and really immersing yourself. It is a MUST!

 

I cannot over emphasise how whether it is this trip or another you simply must go. Wife and I believe it is the one place we have visited which is over and above everything else we have seen. I've posted a few of my piccies ... one also of wifey "in the Taverna". The one thing is mkae an effort and get there early. Look at our pictures. Not a soul. And the idea they lived in blocks of flats ... which you can climb the stairs and explore. You cannot soak in an atmosphere when surrounded by others.

 

Jeff

 

#1

 

 

 

05210031.jpg

 

05210027.jpg

05210023.jpg

05210021.jpg

05210020.jpg

05210019.jpg

Edited by UKCruiseJeff
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Dan and M,

 

It's difficult to convey the unique atmosphere.

 

My trips to Ostia has generated interest in how Greek culture and democracy developed "alongside" Roman, and I was quite stunned to learn about how the ancient Greek philosophers influenced town planning as early as 400 BC.

 

The earliest preserved layout of these seems to be at Olynthos which we plan to visit. There's quite a lot of published material about early Greek town planning, and the focus on common spaces etc. and how this effects " happiness", well being and democracy. They were even concerned that peoples properties were similarly sized so as not to cause elitism and envy. It is worth some googling as it is fascinating how we - or more accurately I - underestimate how advanced they were.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olynthus

 

http://www.stoa.org/hopper/toc.jsp?doc=Stoa:text:2003.01.0003

 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=olynthus&biw=1024&bih=676&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIurP_qMS6xwIVTxjbCh0R1QaJ

 

https://www.google.co.uk/#q=olynthos

 

Glad to see you visit us Dan.

 

Jeff

Edited by UKCruiseJeff
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jeff - love those pix they have blue skies and sunshine - here I am shivering in my sweatshirt refusing to put the heat on but thinking it's going to have to happen soon. Loved the tandoori too but not sure about the other meal other than the sausages :) AND will try Ocado when we get back in Nov from the cruise.....

 

Mysty - see above re shivering - I'll swop you this stuff for some heat any day. Even though I was born here I was definitely not meant to live here as proved in the 32 years away!

 

Mary

Link to comment
Share on other sites

JP,

Agree about Ostia, it's on my bucket list. There are a series of videos online done by a professor worth looking at.

And now back to Florence. Look at fiesole...a wonderful walk above Florence.

There is a website Florence for free...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And I just looked at the florenceforfree website and searched for Christmas. Take a gander.

 

In the spirit of full disclosure, I should also mention that only daughter lived there two different times while studying, once as an undergrad and then again in grad school. She was very lucky, but I also enjoyed visiting her whenever I could.

When she was an undergrad she lived in a dorm, but later as grad student she had her own place, with a couch for Mom!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jeff - love those pix they have blue skies and sunshine - here I am shivering in my sweatshirt refusing to put the heat on but thinking it's going to have to happen soon. Loved the tandoori too but not sure about the other meal other than the sausages :) AND will try Ocado when we get back in Nov from the cruise.....

 

Mysty - see above re shivering - I'll swop you this stuff for some heat any day. Even though I was born here I was definitely not meant to live here as proved in the 32 years away!

 

Mary

Mary I can well understand your desire for heat! I basically hibernate during our winters. I don't stick my nose outside unless I absolutely have to. And I have to negotiate constantly with Myster to raise the temp on the furnace control as I sit wearing three layers of tops and sweaters! Unfortunately our heat in the summer almost always comes with nasty humidity. You start to sweat as soon as you walk down the driveway! I stiil prefer the summer though as I can leave the house and not turn into a human popsicle. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Enjoy your golf!

 

I only played it once and my systems engineer broke my finger. :eek:

 

Jeff

How did someone else manage to break your finger playing golf? I can understand the breaking the finger part as the little finger on my right hand is definitely complaining about the grip I was using. I did manage to hit a few as far as 100 yards. The lads were hitting 200 and a few times 250.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How did someone else manage to break your finger playing golf? I can understand the breaking the finger part as the little finger on my right hand is definitely complaining about the grip I was using. I did manage to hit a few as far as 100 yards. The lads were hitting 200 and a few times 250.

 

He told me that I was standing in the wrong place when he took his swing.

 

Jeff

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And I just looked at the florenceforfree website and searched for Christmas. Take a gander.

 

In the spirit of full disclosure, I should also mention that only daughter lived there two different times while studying, once as an undergrad and then again in grad school. She was very lucky, but I also enjoyed visiting her whenever I could.

When she was an undergrad she lived in a dorm, but later as grad student she had her own place, with a couch for Mom!

Spinnaker2, how wonderful that you got to enjoy time with your daughter in such a beautiful spot! It's great when visits to see the kids takes you to neat places. Sonny worked in both Seattle and Phoenix over the 8 years that he worked in the US. We got to enjoy both locations. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He told me that I was standing in the wrong place when he took his swing.

 

Jeff

OUCH! You are lucky he didn't hit your head! I stayed well clear of swinging clubs! It did make for a fun family trip though!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I can appreciate the graphic! Myster is a big fan and when he actually retires I think it would be something we could do together. I'm not a huge fan of the game but I can hold my nose and do it anyway if it makes him happy! :) Notice I said "when he actually retires". The plan has changed a bit (in part due to your cautions about boredom in retirement). Now the plan is that we will take the WC (he did promise me that) and when we return he will work 3 days a week for a year. We will see how that works out and it can be renegotiated at the end of that year. Very reasonable of me I think! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...