Cruising: Dining on board

SHIPBOARD DINING

Anyone who knows me and the Chief Penguin well, knows that we are foodies.  As in the case of Caesar, this army travels on its stomach.  One of the delights of cruising with Crystal is the quality and variety of the food. And it is truly excellent!  You can get almost anything you’d possibly want to eat and you will likely be offered a drink anytime you sit down in one of the many lounges.  Despite the fact that there are 970 passengers on the ship, we have always been able to find a quiet, relatively unoccupied public place to sit.

We are early birds and are usually some of the first to attack the breakfast offerings.  Beginning at 6:00 A.M., croissants and pastry as well as a range of fruits and sliced cold meats and cheeses are available to enjoy with coffee or tea.  The Chief Penguin goes up first and gets to have both a pot of English breakfast tea and a cappuccino!  At 7:00 or 7:30 A.M. depending on the day and the schedule vis-à-vis sailing or docking, a full breakfast buffet is open with everything from eggs and bacon to sausages and congee, French toast and pancakes, and about eight different kinds of bread which can be toasted, plus donuts, cinnamon rolls, and other sinful goodies.  We both anticipate the arrival of the bacon strips on the full buffet!

At lunchtime at the grill, you can always order a burger (beef, turkey, salmon, etc.) and fries, or a tuna melt or a chicken Caesar wrap.  Then there’s the lunch buffet:  a salad station with multiple kinds of lettuce, specialty prepared salads, hot entrees (chicken, pork, veal, pasta of the day), sandwich of the day, rice preparations, and representative dishes from other cuisines such as a stir fry of some sort, lots of cut-up fresh fruit, and many little desserts, some sugar-free.  There are also plenty of vegetarian options too.  The selection is amazing to overwhelming and the temptation is to overeat.  Requires lots of self-discipline and more laps around the promenade deck to keep off the pounds!

Dinner in the main dining room is now open seating (used to be you had a set time and table), and we routinely eat on the early side before it gets really busy and noisier.  The dinner menu (presented then as well as posted on a ship screen earlier in the day so you get a preview) offers both modern cuisine and classic cuisine plus traditional favorites. For each course, there is usually a choice of six to nine options.  I have enjoyed several fish preparations, a lovely green salad with Gorgonzola, lamb curry with all the condiments, and several cheeses for dessert.  What is helpful for the calorie counter is that you can order half portions of any course making it possible to taste something, but not overdo.  

Lamb curry with papadum and condiments

And since, “it’s Crystal,” as Ellen would say, you can even request a particular dish ahead of time and they will generally make it for you.  The other evening we asked for veal zurichoise (veal in a cream sauce with mushrooms) and Salzburger Nockerl, an Austrian dessert that is a combination of a soufflé and meringue on top of a layer of pink lingonberry sauce.  The chefs in the kitchen kindly obliged and our delicious Swiss entrée was presented with accompanying roasted potato wedges, cauliflower florets, and asparagus spears while the dessert was a snowy mountaintop wedge covering the plate.

Salzburger Nockerl

And if one should tire of the menus in the main dining room, there are several specialty restaurants which require making a reservation.  We have now eaten at all three: Silk (creative Chinese cuisine served family style), Umi Uma (part of Nobu’s Japanese restaurant group where the onionskin thin new style sashimi was heavenly), and Prego (Italian fare where I had a most delicate and delicious grilled branzino over sautéed spinach with an artichoke potato mousseline on the side).  A yummy set of possibilities! Lastly, if you don’t want to leave your stateroom, there’s room service, of course.

Yet another treat is taking advantage of afternoon tea served on the uppermost deck from 3:30 to 4:30 every afternoon.  There is a tea menu of black, green, herb and infusion teas from which you choose.  You are then presented with a three tier stand of sweets and savories:  dainty cookies, small scones (clotted cream and jam are passed separately), and a row of tea sandwiches from cucumber to cheese to ham.  And if that isn’t enough decadence, a waiter returns to offer oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies!  The chinaware is lovely and all the treats tasty.  What’s  hard is not eating them all—we didn’t!

The ship’s crew hail from 45 different countries and each staff member’s badge indicates his or her home city and country.  They are to a person pleasant, friendly, and delightful, and we have engaged in some extended conversations, particularly if they come from a place we have visited.  

Note: Text and photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved). Header photo is a tug at work in the Haifa harbor.

Religious Israel: Haifa & Jerusalem

SNATCHES OF ISRAEL

The Chief Penguin and I were last in Israel in 1999, and then only in Jerusalem.  He had been several times before and to Haifa and Tel-Aviv.  The trip was for a library conference for me and he was the accompanying spouse.  For my librarian friends, it was the annual IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) Conference and, I served on a committee representing the American Library Association.  We stayed at the elegant King David Hotel, had a private tour of Jerusalem highlights, and enjoyed an exhibit of Chihuly glass at one of the museums.  It was late August and very hot and dry.

This time on our cruise, we docked at Haifa and Ashdod, the country’s largest port.

Gardens in Haifa

Haifa is Israel’s third largest city after Jerusalem Tel-Aviv and, at one time, was a center for preparing dyes.  Like many cities in this part of the Mediterranean world, it has was ruled by a succession of foreign invaders:  in their case, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans, Egyptians, and British. Its importance as a regional port city was greatest during the British mandate period.  Today the port mainly serves only Israel.  Industries here include oil refineries and chemical plants.

One of the many terraces on the way down to the shrine at the Hanging Gardens

Built on the slopes of Mt. Carmel, Haifa has lovely setting overlooking the water.  We decided to visit the Baha’i Gardens (also known as the Hanging Gardens of Haifa) and initially thought about walking the roughly one hour up the hill to the entrance.  Fortunately, common sense prevailed and we decided we’d taxi up and then walk back down to the ship.  Our taxi wound up and around and let us out at one of the garden entrances.  We assumed we could explore them on our own, only to be informed that you only went with a tour group.  The next English tour was in two hours!  But we could join the Russian tour if we wished.

Shrine to founder Bab at the end of the garden terraces

So, Russian tour it was, and we followed the guide and his group, looking around and taking photos, but understanding not a word!  The terraced gardens are really more of a memorial to the Baha’i founder, Bab, ending in a  stunning gold-domed shrine, than a garden.  There are red geraniums around as well as zinnias and pampas grass along with a lot of greenery, but the focus is the different levels of staircases leading down to the shrine.  700 steps done in about 45 minutes!  (Fortunately, there are handrails most of the way.)  The views of the dome, the city below and the harbor behind are quite spectacular and worth seeing.

View of the terraces all linked by descending staircases

After this endeavor, we were hot and a bit worn out.  No walking back to the ship, just another taxi back to the port.  

Ashdod and Jerusalem

From Haifa we sailed overnight to Ashdod, the country’s sixth largest city and biggest port.  Tankers, cranes, and rows and rows of new cars fill this port; the cars waiting to be shipped to Europe or Asia.  Located in Israel’s Southern District on the Mediterranean Sea, Ashdod is between Tel-Aviv in the north and Jerusalem in the east.  

We and our friends had signed up for private all day tour of Jerusalem and were met at the port by our driver and guide, Avi.  Avi is an Israeli Jew, who lived during his youth in Paris and Belgium among other places. He speaks fluent French and Arabic besides the usual English and Hebrew.  He was a terrific guide:  knowledgeable, easy going, and accommodating!

This was one of several days of holiday for Jerusalem and we had been warned to expect heavier than usual traffic and crowds.  The traffic was a mess (a “balagan” as Avi called it) and the crowds extremely dense.   Some roads were blocked which limited our van’s access to certain sites.

We began at the Mount of Olives (see header photo) where parking wasn’t too difficult and the crowds were okay.  We spent 15-20 minutes there overlooking the old Jewish cemetery, Dome of the Rock (Muslim shrine dating back to 691-692 CE) with its lustrous gold dome, and the ancient walls surrounding the old city.  

Visitors in the Old City

Getting into the heart of the old city required patience and persistence.  Avi dropped us off near the Jaffa Gate and instructed us to go wait at the Aroma coffee bar.  He thought he would be back in 20 minutes, but it was more like 35, given where he finally found parking!  In the meantime, we watched Israelis of all flavors stream by, some dressed up, some carrying palms for the religious holiday, some Orthodox Jews all in black with top hats or fur hats (the latter only worn on special occasions), and some few just ordinary tourists like us.  

With Avi, we walked through the Armenian, Jewish, Christian and Muslim quarters of the Old City including the Cardo, or old Roman main street, and inched our way up and along the Via Dolorosa (supposedly where Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion). After a tasty lunch of salmon and quiches, we went to the Wailing Wall (part of the Western Wall and a very holy site for prayer), and then back to the Christian Quarter for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  The Wailing Wall is divided into one section for men and another for women.  Since we had eaten on the early side, the crowds at the wall were a bit less, and Ellen and I could actually get right up to it to touch.  There are tiny slips of paper available for anyone who wishes to write a message and stick it in the wall.  

An observant Jew

Appropriately, our last stop was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  According to tradition, it’s the site where Jesus was crucified, called Calvary or Golgotha, and also that of his empty tomb.  With the crowds, moving along was slow and it was occasionally hard to see, but we got the general idea.  I had been to the Wailing Wall on my last visit, but not to this church.

Avi was prepared to take us to see more, but given the crush of people and everything, we opted to end our tour early.  I also took fewer photos than usual because of the crowding. (And the ones I took on my iPhone don’t upload to my iPad, where I compose the blog, because of slow WiFi speeds, hence fewer photos of the Old City.). Back in the van, it was about an hour’s ride back to Ashdod and the ship.

Jerusalem is often crowded, people get pushy, and visiting can be a strenuous exercise.  Yet, for anyone brought up in a faith, be it Jewish, Christian, or Muslim, it is a powerful experience to see where the events of the Bible, in my case, took place.  And to get a sense of the geography and particulars of the ancient world.  

Tonight we sail on to Paphos, Cyprus.

Note: Photos and all text ©JWFarrington. Header photo is a view from the Mount of Olives.

Cruising & Crete

A BIT OF CRETE

Two days ago, we docked in Chania, a city on Crete’s northern coast.  Long before it became part of modern Greece, Chania was ruled by the Venetians and later the Ottoman Empire.  Its architecture is rich with Venetian and Moorish influences.  Since we were in port, we could walk off the ship instead of having to be tendered in.  Shuttle buses took us from the terminal up to the center of town.  We walked down then to the lovely small Venetian Harbor which is partially enclosed by a stone wall on the water side which you can walk along all the way to the lighthouse.

On the land side, there is a popular promenade which is lined with café and restaurant after café and restaurant offering Greek specialties galore.  The fortification on the water side terminates in a delicate lighthouse tower leaving just a small stretch of open water from the harbor to the sea.  We strolled along the promenade noting also the pointed roof arsenals, warehouses for the storage of ships and gear in the winter. It was Sunday and lots of folks were dining, hawkers were enthusiastically trying to entice passersby for a fishing or snorkeling cruise, and the waterfront was alive.  

At the far end of the promenade, the Chief Penguin stuck his head in the maritime museum, while I briefly checked out the Mediterranean International Bookstore.  It had a surprisingly large selection of English guide books and Greek history along with novels from the UK and the US.  I picked up a novel set in the Cretan mountains.  

Later, we walked farther into the town noting small lanes filled with shops and stalls, one all bootmakers and another just leather goods.  The market, built in 1913, was tightly closed, although we pressed our noses to the glass, as was the supermarket across the street.  A small square was dominated by a Greek Orthodox Church.  The exterior was classic in style; the interior was done in shades of blue with dark wooden side chairs for the congregation and elaborate crystal chandeliers.  Several statues also graced the square outside, but the inscriptions were only in Greek making it impossible to identify them.  

From the harbor side view, one building in particular stood out on the skyline and that was the Kioutsouk Hassan mosque with a large central dome and more than ten smaller ones. It was built in the late 1600’s.  Although we were only in Chania a couple of hours, we got the flavor of the Old Port neighborhood.

AT SEA

After leaving Chania, we sailed the Mediterranean Sea for a day and a night before arriving in Haifa, Israel early this morning.  Israel has strict immigration rules so all passengers had to exit the ship (beginning at 6:30 A.M.) and go to the terminal building a few steps away.   We went through security, showed  our passports to the Israeli officials, and got back our passports along with a small slip allowing us to be there.  We then re-boarded our ship, showing our ship ID card as we did.

 What does one do on a day you are constantly in motion?  There are more shipboard activities than usual, often a lecture or two, and the chance to just relax.  I did some reading—light novels set in various Greek isles—and the Chief Penguin and I walked briskly around the promenade deck a few times.  The goal was to get in enough steps so we could eat well at lunch and dinner and perhaps even indulge.  The food on board is so good with such variety that temptation is always at hand!

RECENT READING

The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes

Moyes writes popular fiction for women and I’ve read a number of her earlier novels.  This one was of particular interest to me because it’s about a group of librarians in the backwoods of Kentucky in the late 1930’s.  Eleanor Roosevelt was concerned about getting books and other reading material to people who didn’t have access to them and so proposed the idea of packhorse librarians.  These women went on horseback (or mules) up into the hills and mountains carrying books with them.  They were not usually trained librarians, but readers or lovers of books and/or adventure, who were paid modestly for their efforts.  This novel focuses on a few of these women and the challenges they faced both from the men in their lives and in the town and their struggles with the rugged terrain and the weather.  I found it an absorbing story.

Lighter Fare Set in Greece for Cruising or the Beach

The Summer House in Santorini by Samantha Parks

The Honey Farm on the Hill by Jo Thomas (Crete)

Note: No photos here given very slow WiFi speeds. Text ©JWFarrington.

Cruising: Sorrento & Pompeii

CRUISING

From Rome, we went by car to Civitavecchia to board our cruise ship.  It’s about an hour’s drive from the center of town through the countryside to a rather plain, but functional, cruise terminal. Here, after being given a card for Boarding Group 1, we sat in one of the many rows of folding chairs until it was time for check-in.  They opened the counter about 20 minutes early and thus, we were boarding the ship and in the dining room before noon.  

As is the custom, you board, staff take your picture and then give you an ID/key card for your room, and then direct you to the dining room for lunch.  As you approach, wait staff are standing by to offer you a glass of champagne.  We were escorted to a lovely table by the window.  I had the Cobb salad which was done chopped style and excellent, while the Chief Penguin indulged in a hamburger, a rare treat.  After lunch, we sat and read until our stateroom was ready.  

ANCHORED OFF SORRENTO

We cruised overnight to Sorrento which is on the west coast of Italy and situated near the Amalfi coast.  We had scheduled an early morning (8:00 A.M.) tour to Pompeii with our travel companions, Ellen and Bob. Consequently, we were up early and waiting to get the 7:30 tender to town.  The tender departures were delayed so it was slightly after 8 when we arrived at the dock in Sorrento.  Tour guide Clelia and driver Michael were waiting for us.  Sorrento is built on a cliff above the sea with very narrow streets and many switchbacks up and around to get out of town.  Add in lots of traffic and Michael’s skill and fortitude were much appreciated!  It took about an hour and a quarter to get to the Pompeii ruins.

Modern Pompei is located in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius, a volcano that is still active today.  The ancient city of Pompeii at its base was buried under 13 to 20 feet of ash and pumice by an eruption of the volcano in 79 A. D.  It is the ruins of this town that can be toured today.  Over the years, Pompeii was settled and inhabited by Italians, Greeks, Etruscans, and later Romans.  It was a rich city and in the ruins, one can see evidence of art and sometimes elaborate decoration.  

Spaces where human remains were found were injected with plaster to recreate the shape of the body.  Examples can be seen preserved in glass cases along with rows and rows of urns and jugs of varying shapes and sizes.  I’ve visited other ruins in Italy (Roman Forum), in Mexico City, and elsewhere, and found Pompeii to be one of the most interesting, both because of what was preserved and because of the mosaics and other art.  Without Clelia, this would not have been as informative or as enjoyable an experience.

Note: Text and photos ©JWFarrington.