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Ski
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Joined: 28 May 2005
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PostWed Sep 14, 2022 4:52 pm 
It's difficult for me to get my head wrapped around just how huge man is able to construct objects which will, defying the forces of gravity, float on the water. The MS Westerdam is no less than 936 feet long. (Think: Space Needle all the way down to Denny Way.) If you don't think you can do a bit of "hiking" on one of these babies, think again: When the aft deck on the top floor is where you need to go for tea, and your cabin is up forward, you're in for a lot of walking. And nothing says fun like having your 90-year-old mother trip on the dust ruffle on the bed and do a faceplant in the cabin, so you can push her around in a wheelchair on the boat for a whole week. We had a blast.
Kind of difficult to grasp the scale of these monstrosities. That behemoth on the left there is even bigger than the one we're on! And it looks dinky compared to one of the big Norwegian cruisers!
Kind of difficult to grasp the scale of these monstrosities. That behemoth on the left there is even bigger than the one we're on! And it looks dinky compared to one of the big Norwegian cruisers!
After pulling away from Pier 91 in Seattle, I stashed my camera for a couple days. The weather was crappy. The seas were rough. My ears are a bit screwy and I was having a difficult time keeping my balance. The nice girls down at the front desk gave me some kind of pills. I ate too many and they put me to sleep. The food was absolutely fabulous.
Caesar Salad 083022
Caesar Salad 083022
I have got to get me some of these fancy knives with the little cow heads on the handles. They reminded me of that steak house in Flagstaff where they had the little cows and corrals all around the perimeters of the dinner plates. Truly classic American kitsch.
I have got to get me some of these fancy knives with the little cow heads on the handles. They reminded me of that steak house in Flagstaff where they had the little cows and corrals all around the perimeters of the dinner plates. Truly classic American kitsch.
lamb chops with roasted beets and feta, and asparagus 083022
lamb chops with roasted beets and feta, and asparagus 083022
Mom had the fish.
baked halibut 083022
baked halibut 083022
The weather cooperated to a minimal degree for the stop at Glacier Bay.
Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Alaska 083122
Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Alaska 083122
bk Glacier Bay 083122
bk Glacier Bay 083122
For dinner I decided to try something a bit different.
baked hake 083122
baked hake 083122
chocolate mousse 083122
chocolate mousse 083122
The stop in Sitka (the morning Mom fell and hurt her foot) turned into a complete fiasco. Mom had booked a couple "excursions", but stayed behind because she hurt her foot. I got off the boat, rode the shuttle bus into town, only to discover that our "tour guide" had already left with a load of tourists. We improvised and I got to go see the fabulous church again, which is (other than Gavan Hill) about the best thing in Sitka. (Gavan Hill trip report HERE)
I can't read Cyrillic, so I have no idea what this is about. Eastern Orthodox Church, Sitka, Alaska 090122
I can't read Cyrillic, so I have no idea what this is about. Eastern Orthodox Church, Sitka, Alaska 090122
Mom ordered room service for breakfast, but I found it far more fun to go up and sample the delights offered on the buffet line and watch the tourists.
breakfast 090222
breakfast 090222
Dinner was, again, fabulous. Mom ordered this cute little appetizer:
roasted beet and tangerine salad with feta on polenta 090222
roasted beet and tangerine salad with feta on polenta 090222
The dinners just got better and better.
roast duck breast on red cabbage 090222
roast duck breast on red cabbage 090222
Other than doing a lot of walking and eating, we found amusement in the form of a little quartet.
Lincoln Center Stage Quartet (L to R) Yunjo Lee, piano; Jorge Maresch, cello; Hua Chu Huang, violin; and Victoria Witmer, viola.
Lincoln Center Stage Quartet (L to R) Yunjo Lee, piano; Jorge Maresch, cello; Hua Chu Huang, violin; and Victoria Witmer, viola.
This wasn't a high school recital. This was top-shelf, world-class stuff. I will not be surprised to see Hua Chu's name on CDs in the future - he really is that good - up on his toes, diving in and attacking each note. Victoria was positively brilliant on the viola. Yunjo kept the pace with lightning-fast fingers, and George - with his death-defying pizzicato passages, anchors the four of them. We pulled back into Elliot Bay on the morning of Sunday September 4th to beautiful blue skies (after, of course, another fabulous breakfast)
breakfast 090422
breakfast 090422
No room service for Mom on the last day, so I made four trips up to the buffet for her breakfast. (I can only carry so many plates at one time.) That was a record-breaker: end to end on the ship four times in 20 minutes, including eight elevator rides.
Elliot Bay 090422 0620 PDT
Elliot Bay 090422 0620 PDT
I sure hope that foot of hers heals up quick. I think she and I should do that Honolulu-Papeetee thing. Thanks Mom! Love you! BK

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."

Waterman, gb, Bloated Chipmunk
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Bloated Chipmunk
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Joined: 29 Jan 2007
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Bloated Chipmunk
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PostWed Sep 14, 2022 7:52 pm 
Good on you for doing a trip w/your mom! smile.gif up.gif Hope she heals fast.

Home is where the hiking is. "Peaks that have come and gone four times should halt a man in his steps." -- William O. Douglas A balanced diet is a margarita in each hand.
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Ski
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Ski
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PostTue Aug 22, 2023 8:07 pm 
^ scroll to top of page for report from 2022 60° North = 08/13/23 - 08/20/23 Mom and I boarded the MS Westerdam again last Sunday under beautiful blue skies. While the rest of you were down here roasting in 90° heat, we were steaming north into gray clouds and fog and rain that started to let up just a bit before we got to the glaciers. Mom did not break her foot in seven places on this trip, but a few days prior to departure, her hearing aid technician stepped on her foot, effectively crippling her for the last week or so. Fortunately she kept crashing into the furniture at a minimum with the little rental scooter thing. No humans were injured. Holland America unfortunately has not been able to renegotiate their contractual arrangement with Lincoln Center Stage. They gave us some silly story about "not being able to find talent," but we let them know that we knew that to not be true. Food was excellent, as expected, but they've got some kind of snag on their line in the kitchen and are not getting the entrées to the table hot. (Problem was NOT waitstaff - the plates were hot, the food was lukewarm.)
roast rack of lamb 08/14/23 - cooked perfectly, served lukewarm
roast rack of lamb 08/14/23 - cooked perfectly, served lukewarm
bk and Mom Yakutat Bay 08/16/23
bk and Mom Yakutat Bay 08/16/23
Thanks Mom! wub.gif love BK

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."

runup, JimK
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flatsqwerl
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PostWed Aug 23, 2023 7:06 am 
The food looks almost as good as your food pics from your many Olympic peninsula trips. wink.gif

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Ski
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PostSat Aug 26, 2023 7:27 am 
^ The food onboard ship was absolutely fabulous. My trips on H/A lines compelled me to seriously try to up my game in the kitchen, particularly in respect to presentation. (Ergo: the nutty "foodie" shots which seem to dominate some of my TR's.) Curiously, I get different feedback from different people: My neighbor lady Rivi said H/A's food was terrible and she'd never sail with them again. Said Caribbean Princess (Princess Lines) was the only way to go. Go figure. This was my third cruise on H/A. Food first two times was 100% perfect, every day, every time. This last trip: preparation and presentation was first rate, but dinners continued to arrive at table lukewarm. If you ever watched that whako Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Hell" show, you know this is a fatal mistake for a food-serving establishment. There is a reason I very rarely eat at restaurants any more (and I ate out all the time in my 20s, 30s, and even into my 40's.) I'm a better cook than most any of the line cooks at any of the mid-to-high-range eateries around here, with few exceptions: Primo Grill over on 6th Avenue would be a contender. Both my parents worked full time when I was a kid. There were four of us - myself and my three sisters. The refrigerator and the kitchen cupboards were kept well-stocked. The standing rule was "Cook or Starve". I learned how to cook rice by watching Graham Kerr's "Galloping Gourmet" television program in the early 1960s. It's been a long process, with a lot of failures, Eating is the second-best thing in the galaxy. It is therefore necessary to get it right. Every time. Let me know when you want to come over for dinner, fs. I'll find another chair. BK

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."

flatsqwerl
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