5C's Que Pasa

May 25, 2019

5th day of the cruise mostly about eating

We decided to take a day off and just do what we wanted which involved reading and playing Colin’s wee guitar. It was sunny and the view of Santorini off our balcony was pleasing so we just enjoyed our very comfortable suite. With four places to sit inside and two outside we were able to stretch out at will and a nap may have been involved as well. There were a least fourteen activities to participate in from arts & crafts to a dance lesson to games and five different locations to listen to live music. I imagine that there are those that just go from activity to activity but not us.

I noticed that one of the two dining rooms was open for an a la carte lunch, a nice change from the buffet. Great decision, the food was so wonderful that I forgot to take any photos. We started with deep fried seafood & vegetable Accra in a tangy soy sauce followed by a sherried onion soup. For our main we both had the grilled supreme of yellowfin tuna served with sautéed zucchini in garlic. My tuna was lightly seared and red the way I like and Colin’s was prepared exactly how he likes his. The seafood quiche looked wonderful as did the fried organic tofu served with stir fry vegetables is a soy chili dipping sauce but the tuna is my favorite. How we could I turn down Key lime pie with Limoncello sauce for dessert. We were joined at our table by fellow from Japan who currently lives in Waikiki but wants to move to Vancouver. He was quite the character with tales of all his travels, he is on a three month trip and only goes to where it is warm on a spontaneous whim. He says that he and his wife are complete opposites and she prefers stay home and watch sports on TV. He appeared to be at least 75 years of age, likely older so I was surprised when he said that he was 69. He thinks of himself as older and maybe only has a few years left to travel before he gets too old to travel. There was also an interesting couple from Germany. They had lived in the US for a period of time because of his job and he had had the opportunity the stay in the US permanently but chose to go back to Europe as things are too far away In America. They love being able to hop on a plane and be somewhere with a few hours maximum. They could not imagine that we had to travel so far to get here in Greece. His vision of living in Canada is that we have lots of space to go hunting. He repeated that several times. The last couple to the table were from Reno and had just come off an 11 days cruise before boarding this vessel. This is their 32nd cruise and they did not like this ship, the food nor the service but they liked the itinerary.

We caught the last half of a classical concert before the captain’s cocktail party. However instead of just going into the party we had to line up to have our photos taken by the ships photographer. It was taking forever and we had no intention of posing for the photo anyway, when Colin saw that there was now a lineup to get into the cocktail party. So we decided to skip the event and went out on deck to take in the sunset before going in for the second sitting for dinner. I just realized that this was what was called an elegant evening and I didn’t even have a photo of us. Suffice to say that we looked presentable.

Dinner was another interesting meal. We started off with salmon gravdlax ( as written on the end ) with a dill sweet mustard followed by a langoustine bisque flavored with Metaxa brandy. Colin had ordered oven baked root vegetable served with quinoa & barley pilaf for his main so asked for a second bowl of soup first. I had the seafood symphony Vol au Vent with nantura sauce. Our waiter, new to us this week as we often are in another section or in the other main restaurant, decided that Colin needed a second meal so served him both mains ? Dessert was one of the highlights of the cruise, a chocolate mousse cake in a glass, caramelized hazelnut ( total yum , double chocolate mousse and praline. I almost ate it all but just could not finish it, it was so very rich. I had only taken the first bite when our waiter presented us with a plate of fruit along with a second desert ?. The other dessert was called Vacherin, Italian meringue, strawberry ice cream and mango coulis. I wasn’t even going to have any but took a bite of just the ice cream. Best strawberry ice cream ever, obviously homemade with a rich taste of real strawberries. If I had to do it again, I would order the strawberry ice cream instead of the mousse which says a lot.

The spectacle as the Europeans say was ‘Welcome to Cabaret’. Many songs from that musical plus others from ‘All That Jazz’, etc., the more risqué songs from over the past few years of which I had never heard before. We sailed about 30 minutes before the end of the show and I was certainly feeling the sway, especially as I watched the set lights move to and fro. At one point I wondered if it was the Greek liqueur I was sampling. Tentura ( I may have already posted about this ) is exclusively produced in Greece, the taste, aroma and color are attributed to the extracts fo spices, daily cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Perfect for fighting off a cold. Turns out it was the swaying ship that put me off balance. We did not even attempt any dancing as a fall would ruin my entire vacation. So off to bed shortly after midnight.

I have been meaning to add that I am using three mini battery candles at night to light the path to the bathroom. Perfect illumination and they take little space.

This and the next photo are to show the various levels and differences in the various layers of volcanic action.

I had to have porto for the chocolate.

Tags: travel

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May 24, 2019

Santorini and Day 4 of our Greek Islands cruise

****Somehow in doing my copy/paste I lost the first 3 -5 paragraphs, once I pasted it, I deleted in error my draft and when I went to work with it to add the photos, they were gone. I am going to try and recreate them but I likely won’t be able to as it had been written a few hours ago, before lunch. So if something doesn’t make sense, make a comment and I will rectify it.

Santorini is about 29 sq miles in area. The island and its surrounding islets are formed from the rim of an ancient sunken volcano that exploded in about 1628 BC. When the volcano exploded, the centre of the island sank to the bottom of the sea and thanks to that fateful day the island is considered by many as the single most spectacular sight in Greece. It certainly is an impressive sight to see from the sea. Once again we were in deep dark grey cloud so we could not take in all the different levels and colors of lava.

As part of the cruise package Celestyal Cruises offers three free half day tours. In 2018 they were voted Best Mid – Size Ship: Shore Excursions by Cruisers Choice, Cruise Critic. One of those was a bus tour with guide of Santorini. We arrived in Santorini at 8AM and will be here for two full days leaving at 11PM on the second day. It was very cool and we even had some drizzle but as the day wore on the clouds lifted little by little and we saw the sun for the first time in many days.

For some reason we were the last ones onto our tender which meant that we were first off and first onto our luxurious tour bus giving us the front seat with great views. In the photos you will see the beauty of the island but also how crowded it is. In fact only 8,000 visitors are allowed onto the island daily due to the traffic and congestions both in the towns and on the roads. We were witness to that and it really was not pleasant. It is visually dramatic from the water but up close in the small areas of the towns on the top of the cliffs we saw a different story. Fuel is even more expensive here. There is only one port that has a narrow and very winding road up to where the people live. Our ship stopped in front of the old port which has a 588 stop staircase up to the top. You can walk it or take a donkey up or down, I don’t know the cost. There is also a cable car which holds 36 people for the 3.5 minute trip up or down for 6 Euro each way. A wealthy family donated the cable system to the island as a gift to its people. Any extra monies left over after maintenance, wages, etc. are given to one of 14 charities each year. The same family also has donated a medical evacuation by air for those who require it. There is now an international airport here making it easier to get off and on the island. Our knowledgeable guide who was born on Santorini remembers how life was before schools and a hospital. When her brother was old enough to go to secondary school the family had to move to Athens. Now one only needs leave the island to attend college or university.

There are 13 – 15 vineyards on Santorini but they only export 30% as they drink the rest themselves. The vines are very different from what you would see in one of our vineyards in that they are kept low to the ground and pruned to grow into a circle like a basket. The grapes grow within the bush as well as on the outside. This was done to protect the vines from the extremely strong north winds that they get. Water is scarce on the island and there is no irrigation however the extremely porous earth which is really crumpled pumice like volcanic ash holds whatever water that falls ( 35 cm annually ) and manages to allow the vines to grow.

The locals try and catch all the water they can into cisterns to last a full year. That way they don’t have to buy expensive water. Most homes have domed roofs because there are no trees ( other than pistachio trees ) on the island so there is no lumbar. Each house does have at least one flat terrace in order to catch the rain water. By the way, the homes are whitewashed once per year as it keeps the bugs away.

We were first taken to and had a chance to walk through an authentic and unspoiled village with its distinctive architecture and character. It was like being in a real Greek village where there are no tourists. The most touristic town is Oia, pronounced ‘EE AA”. Here we saw the blue domed church shot that is featured on anything about Santorini. Lots of shopping which we aren’t into. Instead we stopped to try a glass of the local wine and ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, bread, butter and jam & honey, all for 24 Euro. After walking through the capital, Fira, we took the cable car down ( included in the free tour ) to pick up a tender to the ship.

We had a late much on board, then relaxed until dinner. Because of the back to normal weather we were treated to a lovely sunset. I met a special woman, Nancy, who was also enjoying the setting sun, turns out that she loves watching them as much as I do. She is from S. Carolina and one of her earliest memories as a very young child was drawing pictures of sunsets. Most kids draw a flower and a house with a sun high in the sky. What a neat memory. We ended up sitting at a table for dinner with two ladies from Romania. They shared some of their travels experiences with us. It will take us two days to get back home later in June while they are only ninety minutes away by air. They are already planning their next mini vacation.

The evening show was called ‘Hellenic Voyage’ and featured a traditional Greek party complete with the Greek folkloric traditions. The dress code was blue and white, the colors of the flag. The waiters wore special dark blue jackets with white embroidered edges. It was a festive evening. We did a bit dancing after the show but were in bed before midnight. It was another full day.

This is a church that you can only get to by boat.

Taken from the ship, The zig zag of the steps with the cable car to the left. This is our view from our balcony.

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May 23, 2019

Third day of the cruise & what turned out to be the best birthday ever

Today is Wednesday, May 22nd but you are likely reading this on Thursday, May 23rd. A year ago today we were in Rome and specifically at the Vatican when I turned 65, something I will never forget. So today I turn 66 and won’t forget that we left Mykonos early this morning and make a stop in Milos in the afternoon.

The first photo shows the bit of sunrise, I did go back to sleep for another hour. Note the cruise ship behind the ferry. As we pulled out of Mykonos there was another lovely white cruise ship in port. Looks like it is going to be a busy day in Mykonos.

Once again the weather has been overcast today has been the coldest day of all. We wore our jackets when we went outside on deck. There was a brief surprise, perhaps 20 minutes of sunshine and then heavy cloud. About 4:30 in the afternoon the sun filter through for a bit. Milos is known for its beautiful beaches. Hopefully not too many paid 74 Euro for the beach tour?

Sailing into the bay was the most dramatic part of the day, seeing the famous boat house of the village of Klima. We almost missed it as the ship was an hour early but fortunately we had just walked out onto the deck. Frankly we may have been the only ones who knew what we were observing, fortunately based on my previous research. But just before that we made a brief stop in the Duty Free shop which is only open when we are at sea ( which isn’t that often, they plan to open at midnight tonight when we sail ) I love my birthday bling sandals. I am going to sparkle at happy hours on the Isla. Milos itself is made up of two main streets which is all you see on a self tour. We had no interest in the beach tour of the other tour being sold. Based on the weather and the small town we chose to stay onboard. Colin is beginning to feel bit under the weather and he rested while I sat out on our balcony reading and drinking a few glasses of wine. Don’t miss my birthday selfie. We are moored out at sea and tenders are being used to take everyone to the island. They are being launched four levels directly below us, so it was fun watching. I did notice that those who went over to Milos on their own to tour the town were back in less than an hour.

Ice carving, duty free, just like any larger cruise line.

My new bling.

The boat houses.

The Island of Milos.

I didn’t know that Colin had taken this one.

So I took my own photo while he napped.

Boat tenders into Milos.

So I had pre written this post up until we went out to dinner thinking that I would be adding just a few photos. Who knew that the evening would become so fun?

Heading out to dinner.

We stopped in a lounge for predinner cocktails ( I had a two Long Island Ice Teas ). The pianist and the violinist have been working together for a longtime and their aperitif melodies were wonderful to relax with.

We had a wonderful table for dinner and my favorite, seared tuna was on the menu. It was cooked to melt in my mouth perfection.

Just as I was finishing my dessert, a guitarist approached with about 10 wait staff behind him singing Happy Birthday.

My own personal birthday cake.

The show that night was ‘ Cirque Fantastic ‘. Lots of neat acrobatics, some singing and dancing as well as ballet dancing including en pointe. Very good show.

The last number was YMCA including audience participation. That is me on the extreme right. I had a blast.

We then went to another lounge where we listened to and of course dance to ‘Duo Jaleo’. Turns out they are from Cuba and know some of the same musical people the Colin does. We danced, I ended up dancing with a fellow who happened to be a ballroom dancing instructor ( green shirt ) from Australia ( that is the photo of me with my mouth open – I survived the turns ).

Then the bartender came to present me with a special cocktail, oh my, too much alcohol but I am having so much fun. as you can see, he had a spin with me as well.

We continue to use Spanish as our main language. Turns out that it was the birthday of a woman from Brazil as well but she wanted to only speak Portuguese. We settled on Spanish. Colin danced with her and made her evening, she was on her own. We also met new folks , who were now trying some dance moves on the floor from South Carolina ( they asked if we had ever heard of it! But of course. ). It actually was a carpet and I could not dance in my rubber bling shoes so I went barefoot. Yes I was the Barefoot Contessa ? ? ? Along with my Australian dancing pal and our Madrid and Barcelona friends dropping by, it was a wonderful evening. We are now best friends with the Cuban duo who were supposed to take an hour break but only took ten minutes so they could play for us. We can’t remember salsa nor mambo so we just made it up as we went along. I was one with the music. What can I say, it was a magical night.

Back at our room I had another surprise awaiting me. Balloons all over the place plus a very special birthday card/not from the housekeeping staff. I was trying to be Carmen from the opera!!

Sorry for the long post but what the heck, it was my special day and I did feel wonderful and enjoyed every single second. Please ignore grammar and spelling.

PS I had no side effects from the extra alcohol last night and we had yet another great day today ( Thursday). But more about that on the next post.

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May 22, 2019

Mykonos, our first port

I can’t believe that we left home only a week ago, we have done and seen so much. Another five weeks to go.

We docked at the new Mykonos port at 8AM and were there until we sailed the next morning at 7AM. It was overcast with a bit of drizzle, later in the day a mix of clouds with a few peaks of blue sky. Certainly not optimal conditions for touring and photography. We did go to old town Mykonos by buses arranged by Celestyal Cruises, they went back and forth until 4AM.

But first we had breakfast in the room compliments of Colin who runs up and down the three levels to the various restaurants and buffets. Stairs are not my friend, perhaps because of my titanium hips. I wasn’t going to eat until later and try to keep up with my intermittent fasting as best I could, but those mini croissants were warm and fresh, irresistible. We decided to sign up for onboard internet @ 25 Euro for six hours. Basically that means that even with pre writing each post, having captions written out and all the photos sorted and edited, I still take close to an hour to copy and paste to put it all together. That leaves a few minutes to read comments, check for personal emails and client emails. Once I got myself together we went and walked around the ship and several outside decks. We had decided to have lunch on board before heading into Mykonos which is 3 km away from our ship. Again I have to say that the buffet is first class with such a variety of delicious foods. I made myself a large Greek salad as all the bits were there but in different locations along the buffet line, added some couscous, a small piece of fish, some tasty Turkish beans and was happy.

As the photos below will show you we toured around the town, saw the famous windmills and Little Venice. I have no idea how Colin managed such a great photo of the windmills as they were surrounded by people and shops, etc. I am going to add Colin’s name to the shots that he took and the rest are mine. We only spent a few hours in Mykonos and part of that was chatting with our friends from Spain in both Spanish and French. The one couple own a home within 30 minutes of Barcelona and travel Europe in their smaller caravan ( RV ). We just may be seeing them there someday on a future trip.

Back on board we rested, napped and I finished a book that I have been reading on my iPad. I love reading on it and it has worked perfectly for both of us when we have internet. We changed for dinner and stopped for a drink in the sports bar prior to dinner. We and many others are finding the ship to be very cool and many are wearing jackets inside. I have complained a few times but it makes no difference. If it was warmer, I would like to sit in a lounge and read and sip a wine. I had another Ouzotini ( enough of the licorice taste for me, I will try something new next time ) while Colin had a Mykonos Gold, which is made of tequila, Bacardi, coconut creme and juices. Dinner was another interesting meal with a lovely chocolate desert that I just had to taste and then eat every bite? The show was ‘ A tribute to Abba in Greece ‘ and of course was the musical Mamma Mia, sped up and performed in 45 minutes. A wonderful way to end the evening. We later received a surprise in our cabin which I thought looked like a dachshund who was laying down, it came with two special Greek treats.

Our first view of Mykonos.

We are docked next to where ferries come and go all day long, so not boring to be on the port side. Lots of activity.

Our ship from the bus. Colin took this.

Brave souls. Not a day to be working on your tan.

Can you spot Colin?

Little Venice.

The next seven photos by Colin.

Is that really me?

There is a fellow living here, just next to out dock on a tiny spit of land. He has done a good job of making it look like home.

Three more cruise ships came in before 11PM.

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May 21, 2019

M/V Celestyal Crystal

We had to be out of the apartment by 11AM but boarding was not until 1:30PM so we simply waited at the cruise terminal. Our ship is small with only 1200 passengers but it is full. The day was mostly overcast but the sun came out as we were eating our buffet lunch on the Leda deck. The food was amazing with so many vegetarian and seafood options. We certainly won’t go hungry. Plus our cruise includes an all inclusive alcohol package from Aegean or International cocktails to Greek wines & liquors to a variety of hard liquor to sherry, port and more. The sun came out for a few hours late afternoon but then the clouds returned. Hopefully the weather will improve for our week cruising the Greek islands.

The ship is larger than expected considering the small amount of passengers but is has all that one could need except for a large pool. The pool it tiny and the hot tub even smaller. Our room is great but then it is a JR Balcony Suite, one of 43. Love the balcony. Basically we boarded, ate lunch, toured the ship as I mentioned, had a welcome meeting and then our muster drill. Somewhere in there we unpacked and relaxed for a bit. We had time for a cocktail and chose to have a late dinner ( for a cruise but early by our normal standards ) and attend the last of the two identical entertainment shows put on each evening, which was rather spectacular. The ship did not sail until 9PM as our first stop was only a distance of 98 nautical miles. Apparently there are folks from all over with 30 different languages spoken on board. We met folks from Bulgaria, Cuba, Minnesota, Venezuela ( sad story about her family still there ), Barcelona & Madrid and we only spoke to a few. Surprisingly we found ourselves speaking Spanish quite a bit and with the waiters at dinner. We were even offered a Spanish menu ? Our cabin steward, Shafick, is from a very small island just off of Madagascar. I have no internet in which to research the exact name. We have enjoyed our first day to the utmost. Oh and we even managed a few dances at the end of the show which was ‘Fiesta’, a musical voyage through Latina America. What great way to end our first day onboard.

Colin on the right above.

Taken from the ship. A typical street view. Talk about living one on top of the other.

The tiny pool. Holds 10 -15.

One of the many lounges. No one area ever seems crowded.

The show lounge.

Our favorite white Greek wine.

Thanks to my research I came up with the ideas to use magnetic hooks on the ship wall to hang a few times. The shoe bag over the door idea is brilliant. We have plenty of closet and drawer space for clothing.

I was trying out one of the Aegean cocktails called Greek Mama. It is made with tequila, apricot brandy, coconut cream, fruit punch & grenadine. The few this few sips were good but I found the fruit punch overwhelmed the drink.

One of the Signature Martinis. Ouzotini, made with ouzo, vodka, peach schnapps, lime squash and mint. Yummy!

Everything we ate was excellent and Colin’s pan seared Alaskan salmon was well presented and proved to be moist and tasty. I should have had it as well but my Caesar salad with grilled shrimp was good but only came with three small sized grilled shrimp. Mexico has forever spoiled me with its excellent shrimp.