Live from Viking Sky on Mediterannean & Adriatic Sojourn

[Sleep7]

Oh your poor Kathleen! The only thing worse than being sick at home is being sick while you are away. I'm glad to hear that she has rounded the bend and is feeling a little better.🙂

[longterm]

4 hours ago, DrKoob said:

A little more on Viking Sky and our visit to Corfu

 

A good friend commented on my post yesterday and said that maybe I shouldn't have walked away from Celebrity so fast. Which made me think that I have been letting you all think I am totally unhappy with Viking. I am not. This is what I told my friend:

No, we will never go back to X. Everything on Viking has been great except the two sit-down restaurants. Hands down the most beautiful ship I have ever sailed on; other than the Neptune Suite, we had on HAL the best stateroom ever, excellent and fast internet, incredible buffet, superb service everywhere except the sit-down dining rooms, and that's just because their restaurant systems are all screwed up. The public spaces are wonderful. Viking Ocean is head and shoulders above Celebrity. It's probably just me that has to get used to the Viking ways.

 

There is a lot to like about Viking, and we are not totally turned off, but at least one more thing has happened that is a kind of a dark mark. Let's get that out of the way. Kathleen got food poisoning. She was beyond sick last night and pretty much is feeling a little better as I write this on Tuesday in Kotor, Montenegro. The night before last (as you may remember), we went to Manfreddi's for dinner. Kathleen had the swordfish. It is the only thing she has had to eat for the last few days that someone else in our group has not eaten. It's not the flu or any other virus. Those aren't as violent and really mess you up and then just go away. We have been together before when she has gotten food poisoning, and this is what we are sure it is. Bad fish is bad fish. Could have gotten that anywhere. Not really Viking's fault.

 

Let's talk Corfu. We found it to be a pleasant little island. We were doing a Viking-included tour that took us out to one end of the island where we could take pictures of some truly beautiful sites and their airport (located in a truly crazy place) and then back to the center of the city to get out and tour and then walk on our own before returning to the ship. We totally enjoyed Corfu. Check out the pics at wwwDOTredmondtravelDOTcom.

Sorry to hear your wife got food poisoning; that is NO FUN at all. 

 

Glad you enjoyed Corfu; we had one of our best meals there at a a little cafe we happened to walk by. Had avocado tzatziki, which was amazing and which I’m yet to be able to duplicate. Stopped at a little cafe for coffee, and when I inquired about the  espresso cups, the manager, who happened to be sitting nearby, gave me one. Very nice gesture!
 

We were pleasantly surprised by all the stops down to Greece; one of these days we’ll go back. A beautiful part of the world.

 

I sincerely hope your wife feels better quickly. 
 

Bob

[DGHOC]

Dr Koob, I'm terribly sorry for the experiences you've had on board your first VO cruise but so surprised too. Did you speak with the catering manager about these events? I feel absolutely sure they they would be keen to address these issues to prevent them happening again. Certainly, if it was the sword fish that caused your wife a problem, that has to be investigated immediately. That could cause serious problems onboard.

 

As someone else has suggested, I suspect that there were new crew teething problems with the catering teams but problems that should be highlighted to them. Folk learn from their mistakes. but only if they realise that they made them!

 

We've never dined in the restaurant but have a number of times in Manfredi's. Our rib eye was always outstanding, tasty and tender, my only criticism might be that it was just too darn large. I might have misinterpreted your remark about the other steak and sauces on offer in Manfredi's as I wasn't aware that there is another steak offer or accompanying sauces. The menu is quite tight and doesn't appear to change. I wonder whether there was a hiccough happening?

 

I hope your wife is fully repaired and that you better enjoy your time onboard without further negative incident. 

[TayanaLorna]

Dr. Koob, So sorry your wife got sick on board.  Do tell and restaurant manager as well as the medical staff.  They can check who else had the swordfish and if anyone else reported getting ill.  On our 2021 TA people began having GI issues and not knowing why Viking eliminated all self serving and closed the Spa and hot tubs thinking it might be norovirus.  It turned out it was food poisoning from the lobster roll as the common consumption.

[DrKoob]

Since Tayana mentioned it I am going to go off on my RANT right now and come back with some happier thoughts about Kotor, Montenegro later. But here goes.

 

Right now I am LIVID at Viking. LIVID! PISSED! TICKED! MAD AS HELL! 

 

So my wife had food poisoning. We knew it was food poisoning because no one else in our party of six is sick. No one else on the ship is sick. Four of us have been traveling together for almost two weeks, I have been at her side for almost 25 years and not a one of us are sick. It is NOT a virus. She was feeling great this morning. We went to Mamsen's for breakfast and had one of their wonderful waffles. Then we went back to our stateroom to get ready to go into Dubrovnik. My bride decided that she would go down to medical to see if they had any Imodium. She didn't feel she needed it but thought since we would be in town, it would be a good preventative. So off she went while I got ready for the rest of our day. 

 

Half an hour later she came back from the medical office where she told me that as soon as she asked for the Imodium, a nurse started asking her questions but would not listen to her answers. The nurse barely spoke English that my wife could understand but she did not want to hear a thing when my wife tried to blame her illness on swordfish served in Manfreddis. Instead she sent her back to our stateroom with two things—2 Immodium tablets and a quarantine notice to stay in our stateroom for at least 24 hours after her last symptoms. Not for COVID but just for gastrointestinal problems. As I said, she felt great. She only wanted the Imodium as insurance. They would NOT LISTEN TO HER because (I guess) she was blaming it on the ship's food. 

 

When she told me this I have to say that I BLEW UP! I went to guest relations and talked to a woman whose badge said she was the head of Customer Relations. She took down everything I said. I asked her why a nurse could make this kind of diagnosis without listening to my wife, without hearing that she and I have eaten just about everything exactly the same except the swordfish. As I mentioned, if this was a virus, I and the rest of our party would surely have contract it by now. My wife has had food poisoning before and it is very different from a flu or norovirus. This was POOR medical care. Why is it that medical personnel will not listen before they make these kind of decisions? Is it because they heard food poisoning and that we would blame them and want compensation? So instead they ban someone to their stateroom and make them miss a port or two. Sadly, this entire 21 day cruise, the only places we have never been before are these three ports and we were really looking forward to seeing them. 

 

And not only did they make her suffer this indignity but the nurse gave her a major lecture that if she broke quarantine and stepped outside our room, we would both be thrown off the ship. Then she got a nasty form letter with the same admonition. The letter also stated that if she did as she was told and didn't make any other trouble, we would not be charged for the medical office visit but if she stepped out of line, we would be charged for everything they did for her. 

 

Since then I have been out and about on the ship (I was NOT quarantined—shows how stupid this policy is) and have heard of at least 3 other people who ate the swordfish and got sick. When I asked if they went to the medical office they said, "No! We don't want to get quarantined." Well, my advice from this day forward is this: If you get sick and you aren't dying, stay away from the medical office. They will punish you for poisoning you.

 

OK, my rant is over. I am back to working on the marvelous day I had in Kotor and in Dubrovnik.

 

Jim

[keokukjoe]

42 minutes ago, DrKoob said:

Since Tayana mentioned it I am going to go off on my RANT right now and come back with some happier thoughts about Kotor, Montenegro later. But here goes.

 

Right now I am LIVID at Viking. LIVID! PISSED! TICKED! MAD AS HELL! 

 

So my wife had food poisoning. We knew it was food poisoning because no one else in our party of six is sick. No one else on the ship is sick. Four of us have been traveling together for almost two weeks, I have been at her side for almost 25 years and not a one of us are sick. It is NOT a virus. She was feeling great this morning. We went to Mamsen's for breakfast and had one of their wonderful waffles. Then we went back to our stateroom to get ready to go into Dubrovnik. My bride decided that she would go down to medical to see if they had any Imodium. She didn't feel she needed it but thought since we would be in town, it would be a good preventative. So off she went while I got ready for the rest of our day. 

 

Half an hour later she came back from the medical office where she told me that as soon as she asked for the Imodium, a nurse started asking her questions but would not listen to her answers. The nurse barely spoke English that my wife could understand but she did not want to hear a thing when my wife tried to blame her illness on swordfish served in Manfreddis. Instead she sent her back to our stateroom with two things—2 Immodium tablets and a quarantine notice to stay in our stateroom for at least 24 hours after her last symptoms. Not for COVID but just for gastrointestinal problems. As I said, she felt great. She only wanted the Imodium as insurance. They would NOT LISTEN TO HER because (I guess) she was blaming it on the ship's food. 

 

When she told me this I have to say that I BLEW UP! I went to guest relations and talked to a woman whose badge said she was the head of Customer Relations. She took down everything I said. I asked her why a nurse could make this kind of diagnosis without listening to my wife, without hearing that she and I have eaten just about everything exactly the same except the swordfish. As I mentioned, if this was a virus, I and the rest of our party would surely have contract it by now. My wife has had food poisoning before and it is very different from a flu or norovirus. This was POOR medical care. Why is it that medical personnel will not listen before they make these kind of decisions? Is it because they heard food poisoning and that we would blame them and want compensation? So instead they ban someone to their stateroom and make them miss a port or two. Sadly, this entire 21 day cruise, the only places we have never been before are these three ports and we were really looking forward to seeing them. 

 

And not only did they make her suffer this indignity but the nurse gave her a major lecture that if she broke quarantine and stepped outside our room, we would both be thrown off the ship. Then she got a nasty form letter with the same admonition. The letter also stated that if she did as she was told and didn't make any other trouble, we would not be charged for the medical office visit but if she stepped out of line, we would be charged for everything they did for her. 

 

Since then I have been out and about on the ship (I was NOT quarantined—shows how stupid this policy is) and have heard of at least 3 other people who ate the swordfish and got sick. When I asked if they went to the medical office they said, "No! We don't want to get quarantined." Well, my advice from this day forward is this: If you get sick and you aren't dying, stay away from the medical office. They will punish you for poisoning you.

 

OK, my rant is over. I am back to working on the marvelous day I had in Kotor and in Dubrovnik.

 

Jim

Jim: I am so sorry that your wife was treated as you state. I am a physician and am in shock that a medical professional would treat her in such a deplorable fashion. What did "the head" of customer relations do? Could you please post a copy of the letter? If this is a pre-printed letter authorized by Viking, this is a major problem, especially if the letter actually threatens your poor wife. If other people on the ship also had food poisoning from the swordfish, even if they are afraid to go to the medical center, this must be addressed and communicated to the Viking Corporate Medical Officer as well as to the CDC. If I can be of any assistance, please let me know. Hopefully, your wife is feeling better now. 

[TayanaLorna]

23 minutes ago, keokukjoe said:

Jim: I am so sorry that your wife was treated as you state. I am a physician and am in shock that a medical professional would treat her in such a deplorable fashion. What did "the head" of customer relations do? Could you please post a copy of the letter? If this is a pre-printed letter authorized by Viking, this is a major problem, especially if the letter actually threatens your poor wife. If other people on the ship also had food poisoning from the swordfish, even if they are afraid to go to the medical center, this must be addressed and communicated to the Viking Corporate Medical Officer as well as to the CDC. If I can be of any assistance, please let me know. Hopefully, your wife is feeling better now. 

I too am so sorry you have been treated this way.  Cases of food poisoning certainly must be reported to the CDC.  On our TA, no one could confirm at the time if the GI issues on board were norovirus or food poisoning.  The spouse/roommate was not isolated, only the sick person.  And from the people we talked to or reported on our Roll Call, their partner was so sick that they voluntarily quarantined.  We did not know for sure which GI issue it was until we saw it on the CDC site.  I believe it was 120 or so passengers and crew who got sick.

 

This is troublesome since we already have reports of people coughing, sneezing and obviously sick saying that they won't request a Covid test because they don't want to miss ports.  Now we will have people afraid to report possible food poisoning or norovirus symptoms for fear of quarantine.

[DrKoob]

1 hour ago, keokukjoe said:

Jim: I am so sorry that your wife was treated as you state. I am a physician and am in shock that a medical professional would treat her in such a deplorable fashion. What did "the head" of customer relations do? Could you please post a copy of the letter? If this is a pre-printed letter authorized by Viking, this is a major problem, especially if the letter actually threatens your poor wife. If other people on the ship also had food poisoning from the swordfish, even if they are afraid to go to the medical center, this must be addressed and communicated to the Viking Corporate Medical Officer as well as to the CDC. If I can be of any assistance, please let me know. Hopefully, your wife is feeling better now. 

Thanks for your concern. She is doing great. Feels fine. She was just asking medical for some Imodium IN CASE any of her symptoms (if you know what I mean) returned. They haven't. She and I have been playing cards all afternoon. She has had a full breakfast and lunch and feels great but the earliest she can leave the room is tomorrow at 8:00 after she speaks to the doctor. Total BS in my opinion. The letter (obviously a form letter since it is signed by the captain). And sorry but no one else is willing to say a thing.To be honest, I don't blame them.

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by DrKoob

[keokukjoe]

19 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

I too am so sorry you have been treated this way.  Cases of food poisoning certainly must be reported to the CDC.  On our TA, no one could confirm at the time if the GI issues on board were norovirus or food poisoning.  The spouse/roommate was not isolated, only the sick person.  And from the people we talked to or reported on our Roll Call, their partner was so sick that they voluntarily quarantined.  We did not know for sure which GI issue it was until we saw it on the CDC site.  I believe it was 120 or so passengers and crew who got sick.

 

This is troublesome since we already have reports of people coughing, sneezing and obviously sick saying that they won't request a Covid test because they don't want to miss ports.  Now we will have people afraid to report possible food poisoning or norovirus symptoms for fear of quarantine.

TayanaLorna: The outbreak on your above referenced cruise was indeed "food poisoning" caused by enteric bacteria Vibrio and E. coli. 

Here is the CDC report:

 

Investigation Update on the Viking Sea

Cruise Line: Viking Cruises

Cruise Ship: Viking Sea

Voyage Dates: November 29–December 13, 2021

Number of passengers who have reported being ill during the voyage out of total number of passengers onboard: 116 of 640 (18.13%)

Number of crew who have reported being ill during the voyage out of total number of crew onboard: 4 of 404 (1.0%)

Predominant symptoms: diarrhea

Causative agent: Vibrio and E. coli

Actions: In response to the outbreak, Viking Cruises and the crew aboard the ship reported the following actions:

• Increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to the ship’s outbreak prevention and response plan.
• Collected stool specimens from passenger and/or crew gastrointestinal illness cases and sent specimens for testing.
• Sent daily reports of gastrointestinal illness cases to VSP.

VSP is monitoring the situation and the ship’s outbreak response and sanitation procedures.

Note: The gastrointestinal illness cases reported are totals for the entire voyage and do not represent the number of active (symptomatic) gastrointestinal cases at any given port of call or at disembarkation.

[Mr Luxury]

22 minutes ago, DrKoob said:

Thanks for your concern. She is doing great. Feels fine. She was just asking medical for some Imodium IN CASE any of her symptoms (if you know what I mean) returned. They haven't. She and I have been playing cards all afternoon. She has had a full breakfast and lunch and feels great but the earliest she can leave the room is tomorrow at 8:00 after she speaks to the doctor. Total BS in my opinion. The letter (obviously a form letter since it is signed by the captain). 

What a shambles.

Cruise companies have to cover themselves and norovirus is one of the worst things that spreads like wild fire on a ship.

With all of your issues on board I am still amazed that you haven't been to see the Hotel Director.

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by Mr Luxury

[janetcbl]

3 hours ago, keokukjoe said:

TayanaLorna: The outbreak on your above referenced cruise was indeed "food poisoning" caused by enteric bacteria Vibrio and E. coli. 

Here is the CDC report:

 

Investigation Update on the Viking Sea

Cruise Line: Viking Cruises

Cruise Ship: Viking Sea

Voyage Dates: November 29–December 13, 2021

Number of passengers who have reported being ill during the voyage out of total number of passengers onboard: 116 of 640 (18.13%)

Number of crew who have reported being ill during the voyage out of total number of crew onboard: 4 of 404 (1.0%)

Predominant symptoms: diarrhea

Causative agent: Vibrio and E. coli

Actions: In response to the outbreak, Viking Cruises and the crew aboard the ship reported the following actions:

• Increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to the ship’s outbreak prevention and response plan.
• Collected stool specimens from passenger and/or crew gastrointestinal illness cases and sent specimens for testing.
• Sent daily reports of gastrointestinal illness cases to VSP.

VSP is monitoring the situation and the ship’s outbreak response and sanitation procedures.

Note: The gastrointestinal illness cases reported are totals for the entire voyage and do not represent the number of active (symptomatic) gastrointestinal cases at any given port of call or at disembarkation.

What is the website where you can find this information? (Google is no help.). Thanks!

[TayanaLorna]

4 hours ago, keokukjoe said:

TayanaLorna: The outbreak on your above referenced cruise was indeed "food poisoning" caused by enteric bacteria Vibrio and E. coli. 

Here is the CDC report:

 

Investigation Update on the Viking Sea

Cruise Line: Viking Cruises

Cruise Ship: Viking Sea

Voyage Dates: November 29–December 13, 2021

Number of passengers who have reported being ill during the voyage out of total number of passengers onboard: 116 of 640 (18.13%)

Number of crew who have reported being ill during the voyage out of total number of crew onboard: 4 of 404 (1.0%)

Predominant symptoms: diarrhea

Causative agent: Vibrio and E. coli

Actions: In response to the outbreak, Viking Cruises and the crew aboard the ship reported the following actions:

• Increased cleaning and disinfection procedures according to the ship’s outbreak prevention and response plan.
• Collected stool specimens from passenger and/or crew gastrointestinal illness cases and sent specimens for testing.
• Sent daily reports of gastrointestinal illness cases to VSP.

VSP is monitoring the situation and the ship’s outbreak response and sanitation procedures.

Note: The gastrointestinal illness cases reported are totals for the entire voyage and do not represent the number of active (symptomatic) gastrointestinal cases at any given port of call or at disembarkation.

Thank you.  I did see this CDC report after we were home.  On board everyone was guessing - norovirus or food poisoning?  Closing down self serve and the spa with locker rooms indicated a virus spread by touch and close contact.  However then a survey went out asking anyone who was sick to report what they ate and we heard that the common food reported was lobster roll at the WC for lunch.  

[TayanaLorna]

21 minutes ago, janetcbl said:

What is the website where you can find this information? (Google is no help.). Thanks!

I believe it was on the CDC website under cruise ships section.

[MikeyB]

TayanaLorna-

Do you remember CTBob from that TA cruise?  What has become of him?

And, if you don't mind-what became of that woman from the mid-west (whose screen name escapes me) that started the TA roll call.  Don't see either of them posting anymore.

Thanks

[keokukjoe]

1 hour ago, janetcbl said:

What is the website where you can find this information? (Google is no help.). Thanks!

CDC website. 

[Frenchberet]

8 hours ago, DrKoob said:

Thanks for your concern. She is doing great. Feels fine. She was just asking medical for some Imodium IN CASE any of her symptoms (if you know what I mean) returned. They haven't. She and I have been playing cards all afternoon. She has had a full breakfast and lunch and feels great but the earliest she can leave the room is tomorrow at 8:00 after she speaks to the doctor. Total BS in my opinion. The letter (obviously a form letter since it is signed by the captain). And sorry but no one else is willing to say a thing.To be honest, I don't blame them.

 

I’m sorry that your wife fell ill on her vacation.  However, I’m puzzled by your characterization of her having to suffer the indignity of being questioned by the nurse and quarantined for 24 hours.  Noroviruses are very contagious and can be serious, especially for older people or those with a compromised immune system. It appears that Viking is following the protocol for someone who presents with these symptoms.   I’ve read your reports and understand that this is just one more thing on top of an already disappointing trip for you.  But it’s beginning to sound like you’re documenting your case for a cruise credit.

[LeanneK200]

I am sorry to hear what has been happening.   It’s unfortunate that Viking would have someone in a position of authority in their medical center that doesn’t have the ability to communicate clearly or to be understood clearly.  This is not the coffee bar.  It’s the medical center - in the middle of a pandemic!   I would have questioned her and asked to be seen by the ship’s medical doctor.  It sounds to me like they are so concerned with Norovirus (as they should be) that they are not listening or keeping an open mind to other things that can cause those same unpleasant symptoms. I have heard these ships have added “laboratories” to process Covid tests on all the passengers daily.  Is there a test that can be done that identifies food poisoning (e.coli etc) or norovirus?   A blood test?  A specimen sample?

If this was available on the ship, I would do it to rule out norovirus and avoid an unnecessary quarantine.  Regarding Viking’s threat:  “if you break quarantine you will be billed for all medical services”—this feels really BAD.  Come on Viking……How about ———this quarantine is medically advised for the safety of the passengers and crew on the ship.”  “You may be responsible for some of the medical charges.  Please call this extension if you have any questions.”

Please keep us updated on your situation.  I have been following this thread and enjoy your posts.  You try to be positive.  You seem realistic in your expectations.  Your posts don’t feel like they are written by a Viking employee in disguise.   We are taking our first Viking cruise in November.  We have also been on several other cruises. Some very nice cruise lines.  I hope Viking reaches out to you and tries to keep a valuable customer happy.  Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

[BellKat]

This is Kathleen, Jim’s wife, and the one who was ill. I feel 100% this morning so sitting here waiting for the medical center to open and call me. Although I may just call them. I want to be off the ship at 9:30. What really gets me is that if you have stomach issues, you don’t have to pay for the medical services. What? I’m still trying to wrap my head around that. I did get a call from the doctor yesterday because we were so upset about the handling of this. I was told because gastroenteritis and food poisoning have the same symptoms they have to treat it as if it is contagious. But they still let Jim walk around when he could have it but just hadn’t started having symptoms. I once again let him know I was sure it was the swordfish. I hope he made a notation of that. I wonder if other people who were ill let them know about eating the swordfish - that is if they went to the med center. 

[sugarside]

Useful tip for future cruisers pack some imodium in your travel medications in the same way as you would routinely pack other non prescription medications you might need.

I am sure that many seasoned travellers already do this.

[flare3192]

I think that if you have stomach issues they want to know because of norovirus. It is so contagious that they want to know early to contain it. So not charging for that service encourages people to let them know.

We have learned to travel with basic meds for us such as immodium and mucinex.  When we were in Scotland this year looking for some meds to add because of a cold that we both got we and we hadn't brought enough we found that the drugs we are used to may have the same name over in another country but not be the same drug formulation. So to us it is important to take things in case of such.

 

[Mr Luxury]

1 hour ago, sugarside said:

Useful tip for future cruisers pack some imodium in your travel medications in the same way as you would routinely pack other non prescription medications you might need.

I am sure that many seasoned travellers already do this.

Indeed as the medical centre charges like a wounded bull.

[DrKoob]

10 hours ago, Frenchberet said:

I’m sorry that your wife fell ill on her vacation.  However, I’m puzzled by your characterization of her having to suffer the indignity of being questioned by the nurse and quarantined for 24 hours.  Noroviruses are very contagious and can be serious, especially for older people or those with a compromised immune system. It appears that Viking is following the protocol for someone who presents with these symptoms.   I’ve read your reports and understand that this is just one more thing on top of an already disappointing trip for you.  But it’s beginning to sound like you’re documenting your case for a cruise credit.

How dare you assume that I want anything from Viking? Have I ever said I was looking for anything from them other than an apology and acknowledgment that it was their fish that caused this? They can look at the receipts for that night and call and verify with those that ate the swordfish if they had problems. They could have let my wife explain the situation. We have been together for almost 25 years and in that time I have seen her go through food poisoning at least three times. All of them were exactly like this time. When she has a flu virus it is nothing like this. 

I fully believe that the first person to talk to her DID NOT LISTEN because she was a woman and is not a forceful woman. As soon as the nurse heard the word Imodium out of her mouth she had already made her decision. And what about the fact that I was not quarantined? If anything, I would have been more contagious than she was. I truly believe this was Viking covering their ass. And in doing so they were not willing to listen to my wife and even discuss the possiblity that she had food poisoning from their food. 

 

Let me show you something really upsetting. And NO, I DO NOT WANT A FREE VIKING CRUISE (just an apology and acknowledgement of their part in all this and maybe they could refund the shore excursions we had paid for but she had to cancel).  Because she was quarantined she had to order room service for three meals. This morning, on the recommendation of the med staff she ordered scrambled eggs. They came with salt and pepper in the cute little Viking shakers. She (nor I) could not get any pepper or salt out of them. I get that. Both probably had clogged shaker holes. So I opened up the bottom of the salt shaker and got her some salt. When I opened up the bottom of this pepper shaker...

 

This is what I found.
 

That gray stuff you see is mold. Pure and simple. If a pepper shaker has mold why is it so hard for people to believe she could have gotten food poisoning from their swordfish.

 

Jim

[DrKoob]

Enough about all our problems. Here's my report on our stop in Kotor and the rest of the day.

 

Kotor in Four Parts—Sail in, Olives, Climbing and the Dark

 

Sail-In

On Tuesday morning, I (and a lot of others on the ship) were up early for an incredible sail-in to our next port, Kotor, Montenegro. Check out this map to see where we had to sail in order to get from the Adriatic Sea to our pier in Kotor. 

 

 

It takes about two hours to sail-in from the sea to the port. Along the way, you can see so much, and it takes place during my favorite time of my photography day—the golden hour. Sorry but to see my photos from sail-in, you will have go to my blog at wwwDOTjktravelredmondDOTcom. Please make sure you do. There are some really good ones.

 

Olives

We had signed up to do a tour of an olive farm and check out their production of olive oil as well as other things. Kathleen was still resting after her bout with food poisoning, so I went off on my own. We drove up a severely twisted, bumpy road to a beautiful olive farm owned and run by three brothers. The far had been in their family for nine generations. He told us his ancestors planted the first olive trees there more than 250 years ago. Those tress still yield as many olives as they ever have.

We started our visit with a traditional Montenegran sweet donut that is dunked into honey. Then we tasted two of their newest products; a wonderful brandy and a kind of sickly sweet liquor made from the brandy and a cocoa-type plant that also grew on the farm. After that (and an encounter with their donkey), we walked about 500 meters to their production facility, and our host showed us their method of picking and pressing the olives. We tasted their olive oil (it wasoutstanding) and then they served us a "typical" Montenegran luncheon in the room where the old olive press was still in place. The food was "fine" but I did enjoy the tour. Then we were back on the bus and headed back to Kotor. Sorry but to see my photos from the Olive Oil excusion you will have go to my blog at wwwDOTjktravelredmondDOTcom.

 

 

Kotor City and my hill climb

After my tour, I came back and went to lunch with Kathleen. She was feeling better (this was before they imprisoned her) and needed to get something in her stomach. After lunch and some time in the stateroom, I wanted to walk back into the city. Since we would be there until 10:00 pm that night, I thought I could go walk into the city in the afternoon and gauge how long a walk it was and then talk Kathleen into coming in after the sun was down and the temperatures were more moderate.

 

So I wandered through the city (see pics) and took a bunch of photos, and then at one point, I found myself in front of a shop talking to a local artist about their work (I eventually bought one of her smaller pieces), and I asked her where the path up to the old church on the hill started. You can see the old church and its relationship to the city in the picture on the right.

 

She replied that it was right behind her shop and that if I decided to climb up, I should be very careful because there were at least 15 falls a day going up or down, and there had already been 11 that day. I asked her if I did go up and if she had any tips for me. She had one, "Stay on the steps, stay off the stones." She was right.  The stones that made up most of the path (you can see them next to the steps in my photos) were mostly old granite and marble that had been worn down to a very slick surface meaning that on the way up, it was very difficult to climb and on the way down, it was a real fall hazard. But I decided to try it using those steps. I should let you know that climbing the wall costs 8 euro (I think they should pay you! 😜).

 

The climb itself was a good one. And in the heat, while I didn't regret doing it, I wouldn't do it again and wished I had done it in the evening. But the views! What incredible views. Sorry, but to see them you will need to buzz over to my website at wwwDOTjktravelredmondDOTcom. I am not trying to build up anything. I don't put ads on the website (why does everyone always assume the worst about people), I just have way too many photos to put on CC. There are more than 100 on this page alone.

 

And night descends in Kotor

After dinner on the aft deck (which looked like a commercial for Viking), we headed back to the stateroom. Kathleen had not yet been confined and was feeling great so we watched a little TV before I went out on our verandah and saw the beautiful lights of Kotor come up. I shot a couple from our verandah but then decided to go up to deck seven to what has become my favorite place on the ship, The Explorer's Lounge. There is a forward-facing open deck in front of it that is the perfect place for taking photos, and that's when I got these other shots, one of which may move into my top 10 shots I have taken in forever. We shall see. Make sure you look at the last photo in this group at full screen.

 

So to whet your appetite for the kind of photos I take, here's the best one I took that night. That's trail to the fortress above the city that they light every night. The church I climbed to is just to the left of center.

 

 

Report from onboard!

That about covers Kotor. Had a marvelous time. Back on the ship, this was the day before Kathleen's quarantine confinement, so we had all our meals together. Again both lunch and dinner were in the World Cafe (buffet), and they were excellent. I just happened to be grabbing a dessert at that section of the buffet when the head pastry chef was there. I got a chance to tell him about how I am not a chocolate lover, but anything he has made with chocolate in it has been incredible, starting with the Amarone and chocolate dessert in Manfreddis. This particular night they had announced a Montenegrin dinner featuring local dishes that turned out to be 90% seafood. Kathleen stuck to the bland stuff, but I had seafood salad, prawns, king crab legs and some of the best mussels I have ever had. Oh, and I forgot to mention that at lunch that day, they had a Barolo braised short rib that was sooooooo good that as Primo said in The Big Night, "I have to KILL myself."

 

And please, no more comments about the food poisoning. It's over for us. They let her out. We are putting it behind us. 

 

Jim

[Liz Masterson]

On 9/5/2022 at 8:54 AM, DrKoob said:

I must admit I had a side of risotto with escargot in it that was the best thing I have eaten since we came on board...right up until I tried the chocolate Amarone dessert that I had. It is the hands-down best chocolate I have ever eaten and I am not a big chocolate eater. Deep, dark and rich. 

YES! I love that risotto with the escargot. It is not usually mentioned in reviews. And of course that chocolate dessert is divine. 

 

I know everyone loves the special steak than Manfredi's serves but I found it way to peppery for me.  I can't wait to have that risotto again when I sail to the Panama Canal in January.

 

[DrKoob]

14 minutes ago, Liz Masterson said:

YES! I love that risotto with the escargot. It is not usually mentioned in reviews. And of course that chocolate dessert is divine. 

 

I know everyone loves the special steak than Manfredi's serves but I found it way to peppery for me.  I can't wait to have that risotto again when I sail to the Panama Canal in January.

 

Liz, thanks for that comment. So nice to have someone comment that is not on a crusade. I am on a crusade for the recipe for that Amarone chocolate dessert 😜.