Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Five

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great safe fun day all!

[Daveywavey70]

Just catching up a bit now, busy few days and wifi is spotty, its just like being on a cruise!

 

Delhi

A few pics from my tour of Old and New Delhi, it’s a bit delayed but I’d had an issue downloading some pics, nothing a trip to the market and 200 rupees for a new card reader couldn’t sort though.

Firstly was a visit to Jana Masjid, the largest Mosque in India, where I met my excellent guide for the day, Gurwinder, from there we took a Rickshaw ride through to the spice market at Chandi Chowk, I can’t wait to use the spices when I get home. We then took a Motor-Rickshaw for the next leg of the tour past the Red Fort and onto Gandhis’ memorial. Very serene. Next was Humayuns Tomb, the practice run for the Taj Mahal. A Quick loop of the Lotus Temple next and then a drive around the Parliament district. In the evening a visit to the Grand Aksardham Temple to see the fountain and light show (no cameras allowed).

[spinnaker2]

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great safe fun day all!

[lincslady]

I dare say that is only true if you are pulling a cork, but not of screwtops?  Which many  of mine are; I probably need to open twice as many to get the required fitness. 

 

Lola

[Daveywavey70]

I'm conscious that my posts might be clogging up the cooler a bit as the pics make them quite long. Please let me now if they're being a nuisance. This was yesterday........

 

Mandawa.

So I've just finished a walking tour of the old Havelli's of Mandawa. Mandawa was on the Silk Route and a lot of very rich merchants built beautifully decorated homes here. The craftsmanship in incredible from the carved wood and stone to the frescos on the walls. Sadly most of them are abandoned and many are in quite a state but the old opulence shines through. One room that I visited had 3kg of gold leaf adorning the paintings. Because they are privately owned the Government does nothing to help save them. Hopefully Tourism will pick up here soon and help go some way to restoring them. A Walk through the town with my guide, Taj, kept all of my senses on their toes. There isn't a second that one sense or another isn't taking a battering and you do have to mind where you step. The video is of an Havelli that has been partially restored.

[mysty]

13 minutes ago, Daveywavey70 said:

I'm conscious that my posts might be clogging up the cooler a bit as the pics make them quite long. Please let me now if they're being a nuisance. This was yesterday........

 

Mandawa.

So I've just finished a walking tour of the old Havelli's of Mandawa. Mandawa was on the Silk Route and a lot of very rich merchants built beautifully decorated homes here. The craftsmanship in incredible from the carved wood and stone to the frescos on the walls. Sadly most of them are abandoned and many are in quite a state but the old opulence shines through. One room that I visited had 3kg of gold leaf adorning the paintings. Because they are privately owned the Government does nothing to help save them. Hopefully Tourism will pick up here soon and help go some way to restoring them. A Walk through the town with my guide, Taj, kept all of my senses on their toes. There isn't a second that one sense or another isn't taking a battering and you do have to mind where you step. The video is of an Havelli that has been partially restored.

 

Clog away DW!  😁  Wonderful colour commentary!  

[TLCOhio]

1 hour ago, Daveywavey70 said:

I'm conscious that my posts might be clogging up the cooler a bit as the pics make them quite long. Please let me now if they're being a nuisance.

 

YES!!  Loving these great sharings, visuals, etc.  India is on my future to-do wish list.  As background, what is your sense for being there now as to how Covid, masks, etc., are doing and playing in that highly-populated country with such massive density??  Keep it coming, much appreciated!!

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

[Lois R]

Hi DW, loving the photos😀😀🙂

[lincslady]

Keep them coming, Davey.  Some glorious stuff there.  It is many years since I did a brief India tour - Delhi, Jaipur, Agra - the usual  quick whizz round, but unforgettable - the mix of beauty and poverty, the colours of the Rajastani's (sp) womens clothes, in a tuktuk round the centre of Delhi.  Unlike anywhere else.  Then after a cruise two nights in  an old wing room at the Taj hotel in Mumbai, just lovely.

 

Lola

[mchell810]

@Daveywavey70  Beautiful photos!

[Daveywavey70]

2 hours ago, lincslady said:

Keep them coming, Davey.  Some glorious stuff there.  It is many years since I did a brief India tour - Delhi, Jaipur, Agra - the usual  quick whizz round, but unforgettable - the mix of beauty and poverty, the colours of the Rajastani's (sp) womens clothes, in a tuktuk round the centre of Delhi.  Unlike anywhere else.  Then after a cruise two nights in  an old wing room at the Taj hotel in Mumbai, just lovely.

 

Lola

I Was reflecting today Lola on how difficult it must be on a whistle stop of the area to get a true feeling for the absolute majesty of this place and it’s people. I Specifically booked this tour with a small independent agency in Delhi that uses mostly locally owned heritage hotels (with a few exceptions) that are genuinely struggling, using local drivers and guides also. Magnificent ruins that are being rebuilt that would otherwise have crumbled. Okay maybe you have to go to the reception area for Wi-Fi and hot water might not be there for a couple of hours but if I can show my gratitude for being allowed a glimpse of this truly fascinating place then I’ll be eternally grateful. Walking shoulder to shoulder with people that are grateful for the, in our eyes, very little that they have poses great challenges to us. I’ve only been here a few days but every hour reminds me of how lucky I am to have been born where I was and every hour I spend amongst the beautiful people here makes me happy to be alive. 

[Daveywavey70]

Still catching up. Last night I sat in the Bar at Castle Mandawa and was dumbstruck by the beauty. Five artists have painstakingly, so far, been restoring the Frescoes in this one room for 5 years. 

[jpalbny]

Amazing, DW. Enjoying the pictures immensely. We saw a glimpse of this in our week there. Agree that you're getting a much more immersive experience!

[jpalbny]

So yesterday afternoon we drove to Montréal for dinner and an overnight. Tuesday was Chris's birthday but I was on call this week so our celebration was low-key. 

 

The weather was fine until the border. The last part was on seemingly unplowed roads but the Audi handled it well.

 

Checked into our favorite, Hotel Nelligan, in the Old Town just a block from Notre Dame.

 

This is one of the reasons we like the hotel! They had treats for us. Just the thing after a 3h30 drive.

 

 

We went out to see the sights before dinner.

 

 

Some funky star-shaped lights in the Place d'Armes. With changing colors.

 

 

Over to Place Jacques Cartier for another pretty view.

 

 

Rue Saint-Paul was decorated in a festive way.

 

 

Back to the hotel to change for dinner. Happy Birthday, better late than never! A French 75 to start this off.

 

 

We ate dinner at Restaurant Bonaparte. Food was great. Mushroom ravioli in sage sauce. 

 

 

I had foie gras. Yum! 

 

They have a great wine list. We went for something unusual - a red Sancerre, but made from 100% Pinot Noir rather than Cab Franc. It was lighter bodied but flavorful. 

 

 

Mains were a veal chop for me, and duck breast for Chris. Fantastic and not too huge a portion. 

 

 

 

Dessert? Their apple pie looked like a tarte tatin. We shared.

 

 

We had more dessert in the room then wandered again to burn a few calories. This morning we slept in until after 7:00 before having breakfast and one last stroll around town. Place Jacques Cartier looks pretty by day as well.

 

 

We stopped by an Italian épicerie in town before we left. Much smaller than Eataly, but great prices. So we stocked up.

 

An easy drive home on clear roads. There was a long line at the border but our Global Entry cards allow us to use the Nexus lane when returning to the US. So, no wait. Now home thinking about a run on the treadmill before dinner... Not as much fun as yesterday but very much needed!

[mysty]

9 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

So yesterday afternoon we drove to Montréal for dinner and an overnight. Tuesday was Chris's birthday but I was on call this week so our celebration was low-key. 

 

The weather was fine until the border. The last part was on seemingly unplowed roads but the Audi handled it well.

 

Checked into our favorite, Hotel Nelligan, in the Old Town just a block from Notre Dame.

 

This is one of the reasons we like the hotel! They had treats for us. Just the thing after a 3h30 drive.

 

 

We went out to see the sights before dinner.

 

 

Some funky star-shaped lights in the Place d'Armes. With changing colors.

 

 

Over to Place Jacques Cartier for another pretty view.

 

 

Rue Saint-Paul was decorated in a festive way.

 

 

Back to the hotel to change for dinner. Happy Birthday, better late than never! A French 75 to start this off.

 

 

We ate dinner at Restaurant Bonaparte. Food was great. Mushroom ravioli in sage sauce. 

 

 

I had foie gras. Yum! 

 

They have a great wine list. We went for something unusual - a red Sancerre, but made from 100% Pinot Noir rather than Cab Franc. It was lighter bodied but flavorful. 

 

 

Mains were a veal chop for me, and duck breast for Chris. Fantastic and not too huge a portion. 

 

 

 

Dessert? Their apple pie looked like a tarte tatin. We shared.

 

 

We had more dessert in the room then wandered again to burn a few calories. This morning we slept in until after 7:00 before having breakfast and one last stroll around town. Place Jacques Cartier looks pretty by day as well.

 

 

We stopped by an Italian épicerie in town before we left. Much smaller than Eataly, but great prices. So we stocked up.

 

An easy drive home on clear roads. There was a long line at the border but our Global Entry cards allow us to use the Nexus lane when returning to the US. So, no wait. Now home thinking about a run on the treadmill before dinner... Not as much fun as yesterday but very much needed!

 

Sounds like a magical interlude JP!  So glad you and Chris enjoyed it!  And sorry about the roads!  We got a real snow dump yesterday!   

[crusinbanjo]

23 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

So yesterday afternoon we drove to Montréal for dinner and an overnight. Tuesday was Chris's birthday but I was on call this week so our celebration was low-key. 

 

The weather was fine until the border. The last part was on seemingly unplowed roads but the Audi handled it well.

 

Checked into our favorite, Hotel Nelligan, in the Old Town just a block from Notre Dame.

 

This is one of the reasons we like the hotel! They had treats for us. Just the thing after a 3h30 drive.

 

 

We went out to see the sights before dinner.

 

 

Some funky star-shaped lights in the Place d'Armes. With changing colors.

 

 

Over to Place Jacques Cartier for another pretty view.

 

 

Rue Saint-Paul was decorated in a festive way.

 

 

Back to the hotel to change for dinner. Happy Birthday, better late than never! A French 75 to start this off.

 

 

We ate dinner at Restaurant Bonaparte. Food was great. Mushroom ravioli in sage sauce. 

 

 

I had foie gras. Yum! 

 

They have a great wine list. We went for something unusual - a red Sancerre, but made from 100% Pinot Noir rather than Cab Franc. It was lighter bodied but flavorful. 

 

 

Mains were a veal chop for me, and duck breast for Chris. Fantastic and not too huge a portion. 

 

 

 

Dessert? Their apple pie looked like a tarte tatin. We shared.

 

 

We had more dessert in the room then wandered again to burn a few calories. This morning we slept in until after 7:00 before having breakfast and one last stroll around town. Place Jacques Cartier looks pretty by day as well.

 

 

We stopped by an Italian épicerie in town before we left. Much smaller than Eataly, but great prices. So we stocked up.

 

An easy drive home on clear roads. There was a long line at the border but our Global Entry cards allow us to use the Nexus lane when returning to the US. So, no wait. Now home thinking about a run on the treadmill before dinner... Not as much fun as yesterday but very much needed!

Great photos, happy birthday Chris, looked like a wonderful time.  Montreal is a favorite of Mrs Banjo and myself, but it is like a 7-8 hour drive each way for us.

[jpalbny]

42 minutes ago, crusinbanjo said:

Great photos, happy birthday Chris, looked like a wonderful time.  Montreal is a favorite of Mrs Banjo and myself, but it is like a 7-8 hour drive each way for us.

 

Are you closer to Québec than Montréal? We have loved QC every time, and might even prefer it over Montréal, but it's a much longer drive for us.

[drron29]

[mysty]

10 minutes ago, drron29 said:

 

Could you please make it a one day gym?  I could commit to that with the promise of 364 days of wine bar!  Especially Australian wines!  😁

[crusinbanjo]

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

 

Are you closer to Québec than Montréal? We have loved QC every time, and might even prefer it over Montréal, but it's a much longer drive for us.

Quebec. Is actually a shorter drive.  We can get there in about 6 hours, Montreal is alway 8.  Nine hours if we go to Vaudreuil where we have friends

[crusinbanjo]

50 minutes ago, drron29 said:

My kind of gym

[QueSeraSera]

Always a pleasure to stop by the cooler.  Enjoyable & relaxing.

DW, I'm finding your posts informative and enlightening, please keep them coming!  JP, thank you for as always great pictures (with a glimpse of snow), and please extend best wishes to Chris for her birthday.  Dr Ron has inspired me how to better explain our Nordic Trac upstairs & how we use it, although I will need to seriously consider Mysty's modification next year 🙂 Me too cruisinbanjo!

[Stumblefoot]

2 hours ago, QueSeraSera said:

…(with a glimpse of snow)…

C’mon out Que… plenty of snow for everybody in our hills.

[Host Jazzbeau]

We're in our snowbird retreat now, and it's going down to 31 tonight!  [We drove 1200 miles for this???]. But it will go up to 58 tomorrow, so OK!