Food glorious food

TSH is still recovering his strength and needs a lot of energy. So he is hurling himself at the food with gusto and sometimes still claims to be hungry. The buffets are unfamiliar in layout and the dining rooms are huge by Silversea standards but he has managed to make a few buffet trips alone – and find his way back to the correct table.

Bonus energy is provided by the Werners Originals handed out on the excursion buses by the Saga representatives.

Diva was pleased when one of the singers launched into a song by Leonard Cohen. The singer even pointed out the context - Cohen wrote it when he was 82. But it was a tactless choice for a ship full of over 50s with some people considerably older. 'I'm leaving the table. I'm out of the game'. 

From the shoreline and the sea

Last night's excellent dinner was served in a room and in a style which made TSH and Diva wonder if Miss Marple was at one of the other tables. Formal, restrained and with top class service. Doesn't happen any more. But it does here and, apparently, in the other hotels of the Brend Group.

The weather was dry and with a reasonable temperature and both had a great day. The route was through Exmoor and then along the coast road from Minehead to Ilfracombe. TSH went to photograph steam trains whilst Diva sat in a tea shop with her Kindle. TSH bought a book to help with his project.

DIVA IS ABOUT TO HAVE A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN. Following reader requests, she is trying to write about the good bits of the holiday so that everybody knows that a good time is being had by all. But it is starting to read like a Christmas Round Robin letter and if anyone posts it to one of those ironic sites which mock, she will sue.

Diva wants to write about the white knuckle ride through the narrow twisty 25% gradient A roads, full of loose dogs, nervy horses and local drivers who own both sides of the road. About the Dutchman almost reversing his massive LH drive camper van into another vehicle. About the sheer drop over the cliffs and into the raging sea beneath. About the church wardens who lure the unwary from the route to the town car park and into their most expensive church car park. And its not high season so there are not that many caravans to make the roads even more interesting.

Ilfracombe has a massive Damien Hurst statue - Verity. A pregnant woman with a sword and the scales of justice. TSH and Diva were impressed but did not understand the connection with Ilfracombe.

Monday's 20% off order from M&S was collected from Barnstaple - isn't click and collect wonderful?


TSH and Diva are both really enjoying their holiday.

A day at sea

Sea days are regarded as rest days but not by everyone.

Diva and TSH were up as usual around 6am and ready in good time to enjoy breakfast when it was available at 7am. A light breakfast was taken (noted by one of the waiters – do they really study what everybody eats?) - solely fruit, with the exception of TSH having an excellent cinnamon Danish pastry to accompany his coffee.

Then it was up to deck 8 to pick up the daily puzzles before climbing another flight of stairs to do Tai Chi. Doing Tai Chi at sea is usually a challenge due to the motion of the ship and the wind but fortunately the seas have been reasonably kind thus far. As Tai Chi is partly about balance, it is perhaps a good way to practice.

After physical exercise, Diva and TSH set about metal challenges with the crossword and Sudoku puzzles, which they both completed. The crossword has taken some time to tune into as it uses American words, spellings and phrases which they are not accustomed to.

The puzzles were followed by an educational session, as Diva and TSH attended a lecture on upcoming ports of call. This was the first one they had managed to attend (after three weeks on board) as Diva and TSH had previously been too busy to find the time for this activity.

Diva and TSH then allowed themselves a short relaxation break during which they read books on their kindles whilst seated on the pool deck. This rest could not continue though as it was soon lunch time.

At lunch Diva decided that it was time for another seafood pizza which she again enjoyed even though she could not manage to eat the whole of the base. TSH limited himself to a large salad and a lean piece of pork and some fruit for pudding. He did give in to the cookies to have with his coffee – three of them.

Whilst seated in a prime window seat in the restaurant, TSH spotted some dolphins beside the ship, causing a bit of excitement amongst guests and staff.

After lunch Diva and TSH decided it was too bright to use computers out on deck so they retired to the observation lounge to work on their projects. After spending some time doing this, Diva and TSH read from their kindles and moved outside to take the air whilst taking advantage of the shade from the strong sun.

Before returning to their cabin, Diva and TSH observed flying fish - they flew for considerable distances in order to escape from the approaching ship.

TSH had a minor panic after finding out it was formal night and discovering his frilly shirt was not to be found. He reasoned that it must be in the laundry that the Butler had taken away (Diva and TSH get free laundry as a result of doing more than 100 days with Silversea). The shirt was duly delivered whilst TSH was shaving in preparation for dinner. So he could dine suitably attired. Not only did he have a clean shirt but he also had freshly polished dress shoes to wear, as the Butler had polished them yet again – at this rate they will be worn out more by polishing than wearing.

Before dinner Diva and TSH relaxed whilst listening to the soothing tones of Leonard Cohen, played on a PC brought with them.

Dinner was excellent – Diva had lobster whilst TSH had bream as main courses. Diva enquired of the Restaurant Manager when filet mignon would next be available on the menu. He responded ‘for you madam it is available whenever you wish to ask for it’.

Aquavit and Academia

Dinner included a trio of smoked salmons and Diva cautiously drank the Aquavit served with it, surprised that she liked it as normally she doesn’t ‘do’ spirits. Very strong, so little or no wine that night. At the cookery demonstration the next day, the chef claimed that all Aquavit crosses the equator twice to improve the flavour. The demo covered a Thai curry which may get made at back at home and a Norwegian venison dish which would require modification as it contained cream and was undercooked for Diva and TSH’s taste. TSH and Diva stayed up late, well 23:00, to watch Kashena Sampson’s show. They have seen her before and enjoy her mixture of folk and country singing. She is about to release her first album, including some of her own songs.

The lecturer, Dr Peter Crimes, is excellent, both for knowledge and presentation. He is from Chester and was studying at Liverpool University when Diva worked there in the computer lab.

On a day at sea, Tai Chi was harder than usual because of the wind and the ship’s movement. A woman who looked Asian was also doing Tai Chi, but hers was from a different tradition. Later, both put in a long hard shift proof-reading Diva’s Leonard Cohen dissertation.

A couple of things Silver Cloud got wrong: The Captain said the forecast was for ‘moderate to rough’ seas, but fortunately this did not happen.  They don’t know how to make an omelette ‘well done’.

Marianne in Brussels

The day started with a metro ride to the centre of the city. The Grand Place is one of the great squares of the world, with medieval merchants' houses alongside a royal palace. Everything is ornate and in many cases coated in gold. TSH and Diva used their DK guidebook for a walking tour around the lower town, which is really the working town. The small shops come really close to the old royal palace - in medieval times royalty and peasantry lived in very close proximity. The walking tour started in the GP, and then took in the grand (the Opera House), the scruffy (lots of graffiti) and the gentrified (fish restaurants and a fabulous cheese shop). The return metro trip was so crowded that Diva got claustrophobic and had to get off and wait for an emptier train.

There are nominally internet facilities on the TV at the hotel but navigation is not clear and its not very usable. TSH improvised a scoop from the foil on the top of the jar of coffee. The hotel do not provide spoons - its all supposed to happen in a stupidly complex drinks machine. Hence the kettle from housekeeping and the coffee bought at the Carrefour across the road.

Dinner was taken at the hotel and was acceptable without being great. Diva has taken a holiday from her studies but sometimes there's no getting away from Leonard Cohen, as Marianne played in the restaurant (not his own version). It was preferable to the Buble on a loop we had the previous night in the Italian. Diva does not like Buble but TSH really hates the music.

Titanic and Marianne

Diva and TSH provide the kiss of death to more excursions. They were notified in the evening that the planned excursion for Bar Harbour was not running so booked another which by the following morning was also cancelled. If the fourth choice does not run it’s back to the shop to spend more on board credit.

On the last day in Canada for Diva and TSH, they were greeted on the quayside of Halifax by a bagpiper and a drummer playing traditional Scottish music. Later, after TSH had seen a train, they enjoyed walking on the boardwalk. They visited the maritime museum to see the exhibit about how the search for bodies from the Titanic was coordinated from Halifax and many of the bodies were buried here. This exercise served Halifax well when they had their own disaster in 1917. Two ships, including an ammunition ship, collided in the harbour, triggering the largest man-made explosion ever (eventually eclipsed by Hiroshima). Many people died and many bodies had to be identified and buried. The US city of Boston helped with organising the aftermath and building new dwellings at a fast rate.  

On the way back to the ship, a busker was singing the Leonard Cohen song ‘So Long Marianne’ (he did not write a So Long Diva and TSH). And it’s the last day.  And Diva is writing a dissertation about Cohen. How spooky is that?

Quite a lot of Irish influence in this part of Canada which is noticeable in the names on signs and some of the music that Diva and TSH have heard.