Silver Wind Live! Helsinki to Hamburg, June 4-16, 2023

[Mr Luxury]

2 hours ago, RachelG said:

Sausagesges 

Loving the link between the sausage and the snake.

[TLCOhio]

1 minute ago, Mr Luxury said:

Loving the link between the sausage and the snake.

 

Not sure for me that "Loving" is the right, best description about mixing in about sausage and a snake.  Personally, I hate snakes and they make me feel very, very creepy.  Love sausage, bacon, etc.  Keep me away from the snakes!!  Sorry.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

[jpalbny]

No worries Terry. Chris hates snakes too. Luckily we were not in Rachel's group yesterday, and we didn't see any snakes at all. 

[Daveywavey70]

We don't get many of them but this one was making its way across a car park locally this weekend. I Can't stand them. 

[RachelG]

Also yesterday, George did stumblefoot’s hamburger test.  First off, the French fries and onion rings were excellent.  But the hamburger itself, not good.  Better than Regent which is pretty much inedible, but less so than MacDonald’s.  It was dry and tough, appeared to be pre pressed then frozen.  George thinks it is old cow rather than steer.

[TLCOhio]

On 6/6/2023 at 12:17 PM, LAexNY said:

The ship’s capacity is 274 and it is about half full - somewhere around 140.  Lots more crew and staff than passengers.  Lots of room to spread out.

 

Appreciate this excellent earlier follow-up fro LAexNY.  WOW!!!  Only around 140 passengers on this ship means more than just being able to "spread out".  It creates a wonderful environment!!  Lots of staff and things maybe being more relaxed.  

 

In 2015, we were on the Silver Cloud doing 17-days going up and back on Amazon River, etc.  Only had 179 passengers and it was totally wonderful.  Having that long of a cruise and with limited numbers, it made for an excellent experience in so many different ways. 

 

Great follow-up from JP saying: "No worries Terry. Chris hates snakes too. Luckily we were not in Rachel's group yesterday, and we didn't see any snakes at all."  Glad your wonderful spouse is smart like me in not being a fan of snakes.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Late Summer 2022, many scenic visuals and details from Canada Maritimes doing Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island, etc., via a Tauck land tour.  Visual Summary:

www.flickr.com/photos/196555480@N08/albums

[Hezu]

The snake in Rachel's photo is a grass snake (Natrix natrix) and that is non-venomous, so no need to worry about. Davey's picture then shows common European adder (Vipera berus), which is the only poisonous snake in this part of the world, although adder bites are rarely fatal, but may still need medical attention. And generally these snakes do not attack human unless provoked, say eg. you step on one.

And these photos do show the best identification details of these two species: grass snake's yellow spots on the neck and adder's zigzag pattern.

[Tothesunset]

When we lived in France we had a 1.5 metre grass snake that used to bask on the concrete rim of a raised flower bed. At first it would slither away when we got near but eventually got used to our presence. Even the dog, curious at first, eventually paid it no attention. 

 

Edited June 8, 2023 by Tothesunset

[Fletcher]

As this thread is distinctly wayward may I pop in with two questions about the Wind?  Is there a proper outside seating area on the back deck behind the Panorama Lounge and can you access the forward-facing Observation Lounge from inside the ship or - as on the Cloud - you have to go outside to get there?  Thanks. 

[LAexNY]

Yes, to the observation lounge.

Will have to check on the other question or someone else will answer

[RachelG]

There is seating outside behind the panorama lounge.  And you don’t have to go outside to access the observation lounge.  The spa is up there and there is a hall that wraps around the perimeter and leads indoors to the lounge.

[jpalbny]

Thursday June 8th. Kalajoki.

 

The expedition team pronounces this in a way that sounds like Karaoke. Fortunately no singing was required at this stop!

 

We anchored offshore, so it was back to the zodiacs today. We started a bit late but were ashore by 9AM. Our bus arrived right after that and we boarded. But then we had to wait for the second bus.

 

Apparently the busses had been tied up in traffic? No problem. We made it to the hiking trail soon enough. 

 

 

A short hike to our rest stop. We'd return here for snacks after we finished the hike. Our guide said it would be 5K round trip.

 

There was a picturesque pond with a tree that had a sign on it. I put my Google translate on the sign and it told me the tree was 21 meters tall amd 130 years old. Impressive detail! 

 

 

Off we went through the forest. Sometimes it was sunny but there was a definite chill in the air. It was only in the mid 40s.

 

 

Pockets of mist in the forest made for a neat atmosphere. Our guide set a good pace and we got lots of steps in.

 

 

At our turnaround point I figured that I'd burned a French fry or two from last night's dinner. Every bit helps.

 

A huge swath of reindeer lichen. How do they survive on this stuff?

 

 

We set an even faster pace back. A few picture stops but that was it.

 

 

Beautiful cowslips along the river.

 

 

It was a nice setting for a nature hike. 

 

 

Back to the rest stop for snacks. We had some blueberry juice boxes, and cinnamon rolls. There was a small group of locals who were grilling sausages nearby. 

 

Apparently one of our group thought the sausages were for us too, as he crashed the group and took one! Instead of getting angry, the kind hikers offered him some mustard to go with his purloined sausage! 

 

On the way back to the bus, a shot of the forest floor. It was dense with berry plants. The lighter plants are blueberry bushes and the darker green plants are lingonberries.

 

 

Now the bus stopped by the sand dunes to drop off anyone who was interested. Of course, we hopped off and explored the area.

 

Look at that wind!

 

 

It's a pretty beach for sure. There was even a changing facility, if you wanted to put on your wetsuit for a Polar Plunge.

 

 

We stuck to the boardwalks and stayed dry.

 

 

Chris did a little extra climbing.

 

 

At the shoreline there were lots of little spits of sand jutting out into the water. Some were substantial enough to build on I guess? I wonder about the insurance bill for that property. 

 

 

This does not look like traditional beach attire.

 

 

One more large dune.

 

 

We walked back to the bus stop then rode to the dock. It was a bit more windy on the ride back so some were splashed on the zodiacs.

 

Luckily LT was open until 2:30 for lunch so we made it with time to spare. The pasta of the day was with a delicious pesto. I enjoyed it very much. 

 

Then there was a kantele concert at 3PM. Very nice! Two kanteles and a guitar made beautiful music together. 

 

 

We got second place in trivia. Now time to get ready for briefing and dinner. It will be an early night, as our excursion leaves at 3AM tomorrow. 

[jpalbny]

Briefing included a nice map marking our progress so far, and what's to come. Tomorrow is Oulu, our northernmost stop this voyage.

 

 

We went directly to dinner and got a prime window seat. Tonight's menu. 

 

 

The wines were a Vermentino di Sardegna which we liked very much, and a Chilean Cabernet.

 

We started with shrimp cocktail and the scallops as our appetizers. 

 

 

 

Both very good and they went well with the white wine selection.

 

Chris got the beef tenderloin, and I had the Malabar chicken for mains.

 

 

 

I knew that the white wouldn't hold up to the chicken but didn't want a Cab with it. So I asked for a lighter red like a Pinot noir. This was offered and it was a nice match. Funky nose, but nice acidity and fruit that went well with the very peppery chicken dish. I couldn't finish the bottle though. Hopefully they forgive me?

 

 

We had the brownie and the éclair for dessert.

 

 

 

Wake up call in five hours. Good night all!

[Mr Luxury]

7 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

Briefing included a nice map marking our progress so far, and what's to come. Tomorrow is Oulu, our northernmost stop this voyage.

 

 

We went directly to dinner and got a prime window seat. Tonight's menu. 

 

 

The wines were a Vermentino di Sardegna which we liked very much, and a Chilean Cabernet.

 

We started with shrimp cocktail and the scallops as our appetizers. 

 

 

 

Both very good and they went well with the white wine selection.

 

Chris got the beef tenderloin, and I had the Malabar chicken for mains.

 

 

 

I knew that the white wouldn't hold up to the chicken but didn't want a Cab with it. So I asked for a lighter red like a Pinot noir. This was offered and it was a nice match. Funky nose, but nice acidity and fruit that went well with the very peppery chicken dish. I couldn't finish the bottle though. Hopefully they forgive me?

 

 

We had the brownie and the éclair for dessert.

 

 

 

Wake up call in five hours. Good night all!

Well done JP

Hope you can sleep after that dinner.😀

[RachelG]

June 8,2023–Kalajoki Finland

 

Once again we were awakened by the smell of cigarette smoke at 4:30 am.  This time,George was up and on it with his bloodhound nose, and determined it was coming from a crew stairwell near La Terrazza.  The powers that be agreed and were very responsive.  We went back to sleep until my alarm at 7 am.

 

We were at anchor in a lovely harbor.  The Kalajoki dock is really tiny, so we had to go ashore by zodiac.  We grabbed a quick breakfast in La Terrazza, today with perfectly cooked crispy American bacon of good quality, so I had that and berries.

 

It had been raining earlier, but by the time our tour was called, it was sunny but cold and windy with the temperature in the low 40s.  We layered up for the zodiac ride to a nice but small dock.  There were bird watching tours, a tour to a fisherman’s island, an E bike tour, and a hike in the forest.  Also a shuttle to take you to the sand dunes.

 

We of course chose the hike.  They took us by bus to the trailhead then divided us into fast and slow groups.  We were in the fast group, and our guide didn’t dilly dally.  We hiked a very nicely packed dirt trail which undulated through lush birch, spruce, and pine forest with a pleasant stream on one side.  Our previous hikes on this trip have been quite flat, but this one involved some ups and downs.  There were some deep ravines on one side.  We hiked about 5 km round trip and ended with Finnish chocolate, blueberry juice and cinnamon rolls at a campfire. 

 

The bus then took us to the sand dunes.  Again very windy and cold.  I can’t imagine people swim in the ocean here, but they do apparently.  Today it was just people walking.  The guide said the place would be packed in about 2 weeks as it is a popular Finnish vacation spot.

 

Back the ship for a quick lunch.  We came in 2nd again at trivia, as we missed the official language of Papua New Guinea.  It is English, and I said that, but was not sure enough.  And what was the name of the first telephone?  

 

Dinner with Alexander, one of the expedition team was really wonderful.  We had a great visit, and the food was good as well.  I had the asparagus ravioli followed by black cod.  I love anything with asparagus, but this was really good.  The cod had a gingery sauce which was very nice. George had the filet, and says it is pretty good.

 

Early to bed as we have a 3 am excursion.  Yes, that is not a typo.

[Lois R]

Rachel, so sorry about the smoke issue. Sounds so yukky😠......I hope they solve the problem and the rest of your cruise has a clean scent to it.

[TLCOhio]

5 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Thursday June 8th. Kalajoki.  The expedition team pronounces this in a way that sounds like Karaoke. Fortunately no singing was required at this stop!   We anchored offshore, so it was back to the zodiacs today. We started a bit late but were ashore by 9AM. Our bus arrived right after that and we boarded. But then we had to wait for the second bus.  We got second place in trivia. Now time to get ready for briefing and dinner. It will be an early night, as our excursion leaves at 3AM tomorrow. 

 

Love the wooded settings, scenery, visuals today.  Nice and relaxing.  

BUT, so it ain't so with an excursion departing at 3 am tomorrow.  What is worth getting up that early?  Why even go to bed tonight when you need to rise up at such an unholy hour in the middle of the night??  Look forward to learning more.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

[lincslady]

I've noticed smoke on board various ships, in all cases coming from crew areas.  I am not surprised some of them need to smoke, working long and sometimes stressful hours.  However, obviously   it should be in places where it does not drift to passenger areas.  It is surprising that rarely do you smell cigarettes around a member of staff.

[TLCOhio]

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

Briefing included a nice map marking our progress so far, and what's to come.  Tomorrow is Oulu, our northernmost stop this voyage.  We went directly to dinner and got a prime window seat. Tonight's menu. 

 

These are the best "food porn" visuals, yet, by J.P.  Great menu and tasty choices.  

 

Excellent updating and details from RachelG.  Keep it coming.  Look forward to finding out more from your early am excursion.  Are there with no sunset and in the "Land of the Midnight Sun"?

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

[lincslady]

My recollection, Terry, is that the sun never goes quite down in the middle of June.  No  doubt jp and Rachel G will tell us - though if they are getting up for 3 a.m. they should be asleep by now.

[Hezu]

17 minutes ago, lincslady said:

My recollection, Terry, is that the sun never goes quite down in the middle of June.  No  doubt jp and Rachel G will tell us - though if they are getting up for 3 a.m. they should be asleep by now.

Oulu is not north enough for proper midnight sun, but there is no proper darkness either: for today (Friday, June 9th) in Oulu, sunrise is at 02:35 and sunset at 00:03.

 

My guesses for reasons to start an excursion very early morning are that either the excursion includes a long drive further away from the coast or the excursion involves going to listen the night active song birds singing in the early morning, one potential location for birding in Oulu area would be Liminganlahti.

[Balian65]

38 minutes ago, Hezu said:

Oulu is not north enough for proper midnight sun, but there is no proper darkness either: for today (Friday, June 9th) in Oulu, sunrise is at 02:35 and sunset at 00:03.

 

My guesses for reasons to start an excursion very early morning are that either the excursion includes a long drive further away from the coast or the excursion involves going to listen the night active song birds singing in the early morning, one potential location for birding in Oulu area would be Liminganlahti.

This will be an owl watching excursion. We did it around 11 p.m.

[jpalbny]

3AM, and time to look for owls. It's quite light out though. We'll see!

[Daveywavey70]

Have a great trip JP. 

[alithecat]

Question for you. Did Silversea provide the red jackets for this trip, or did you take your old Antarctica jackets? We are going to Iceland and Greenland next year. Someone said that you only get the jackets in that region on Arctic cruises. 
Thanks.