Babe

 

In Rouen, TSH had a cunning plan. They wanted to walk by the river Seine but the temperature was due to rise rapidly. So he suggested that they should walk before breakfast, as they often do at home. This resulted in a pleasant cool walk and a leisurely breakfast. The walk was observed  from the Silver  Spirit by the Hotel Director, who had concerns about them leaving the ship alone on a potentially very hot day and looked relieved when they returned safely.

TSH and Diva love the pizzas on Silver Spirit but in order to keep their cheese consumption to reasonable levels they agreed to visit Spaccanapoli only once on each leg of the cruise. 4 times in all. But a pleasantly warm evening whilst docked in Rouen persuaded them to reconsider. 5 times in all.

The butlers and waiters of Silver Spirit were desperate to see Paris. So those who were able to finish their duties by 21:00 hired a vehicle to take them there, allow them to see the floodlit Eiffel tower and return them to the ship at 3:00 the following morning. And start work at 7:00!!

TSH and Diva are well aware that their walking is far less important than the running of people who are timing themselves, counting their steps or measuring whatever other parameters are available on their phones. But Diva did not expect to be grabbed from behind, pushed to one side and told to ‘step aside, babe’. She confronted the female runner later, but was told that no wrongdoing had occurred.  In 74.9 years, she has never before been addressed as ‘babe’. And she does not like it.

 

 

 

1 out of 3

 There have been a couple of technical issues. TSH is rightly proud of his photography using his SLR camera and regards photos from the phone as a bit beneath him. But he can do it when he has to. So he was dismayed when he took a few pics around the ship and his phone produced a series of pics of his legs and the bar floor. Diva - the team techie - worked out that he had pressed on the option for delayed take and was taking the pic several seconds after he pressed the button. Sorted!!  And their bathroom has a replacement tap. The original one seized up so that Diva progressed from using 2 hands to not being able to move the temperature at all. Sorted!!

The crew like remembering what guests order so that they can bring the correct drink without being asked. Diva often drinks sweet berries tea in the Arts Cafe in the afternoon and whenever and wherever she meets the waitress who normally serves it she is greeted jokily with 'Sweet Berries Tea, Madam?  

This cruise has covered a large portion of the seas of northern Europe but there have been no sightings of marine life such as whales or dolphins. But the seas have remained calm. 

Diva likes to match the colour of her watch to her outfit each day. She brought 3 watches on holiday for that purpose, but a month after leaving home 2 of the batteries were flat. Fortunately Swatch have a lifetime free battery arrangement and their shop in Rouen was able to do the required replacements. 3 out of 3 working now. 

Scheduled Sabotage

 In Zeebrugge, TSH went ashore on an excursion which included a canal ride in Ghent. This was made easy for him because the guide wore bright pink (easy to pick out), the meeting place was the Marriott hotel (prominent location) and everybody was supplied with a card containing an emergency phone number. 

Meanwhile, Diva was sitting in Panorama lounge when a group of armed Belgian Custom officials appeared and carried out a detailed inspection of bar stocks. There was a discussion about discrepancies between the declared stocks and the actual stocks. A total recount was proposed but the matter must have been settled in some way because Silver Spirit was allowed to depart on time. 

Scheduled TV maintenance was carried out, meaning there was no TV for a few hours. During the night. During the England World Cup game against Mexico. Despite this, England won.

Amazing Antwerp

 Silver Spirit is in Antwerp for 2 days. A bus ride round the city one day and a walk into the main square the next. The buildings are magnificent and the mooring near the city centre is ideal. Special mention should be made of the main square, the spectacular new law courts and the port building designed by Zaha Hadid. The bus ride made a stop at the main railway station, where the guide made a few factual errors which TSH was too polite to point out. Security into the port is strict, insisting on all metal objects be placed in trays, as at an airport. TSH set the alarms off several times. Each time finding something in his pockets which should have gone into the trays. 

On 4th July, lunch at La Terrazza was USA themed with burgers, hot dogs and Budweiser, as well as the usual range of buffet food. TSH and Diva are not sure if it was as inauthentic as the British pub lunch, with its flags, average fish and chips and sing-alongs. The Cruise Director, realising that they did not attend, said 'I expect you get this all the time at home'!!!

A waiter made a napkin into a rose and presented it to Diva. Inexplicable but charming. 

Gull's Gulp

 When the Silver Spirit made a call to Dover, UK, TSH and Diva went on an excursion to nearby Deal. It was described as having one photostop and freetime in Deal. Instead, there was a walking tour of Deal, a few minutes of free time and then a long stop at Dover Castle. Which is very impressive but impossible for anyone with mobility problems. Silversea had totally changed the tour without informing anyone who was already booked. TSH and Diva were not the only guests to be furious.

When anything goes wrong on the Silver Spirit, there are well rehearsed recovery procedures. A waiter broke a number of glasses, which spread widely across the floor of busy La Terrazza. He immediately placed a chair over the worst of the debris, obtained a warning sign, moved any guests who may have been affected and alerted a number of other waiters to bring brushes.  The whole scene was impressively cleared in just a few minutes. For greater problems, there are regular general emergency drills for the whole crew.

On the pool deck - now branded 'Riviera' - a gull boarded the ship and made a spectacular dive onto a guest's lunch. Which was, of course, rapidly replaced by a waiter. The bird did not leave the ship for some minutes afterwards, as it had identified a large number of potential food sources.

10 spare wooden coat hangers.

Overheard from Silversea guests

 Ashore - to bus driver: 'Which is the best side for the view?'

                                        'What are 'attractions'?'

In the restaurant, grumpily, to dining companion: 'This is just like MacDonalds'. TSH and Diva have had their complaints about Silversea over the years but it is NOTHING like MacDonalds.              

In the restaurant when there was a squeaky door: 'Have you any WD40?'  Waiter (who seemed to think this was a drink) 'I will try to get it for you, sir'.

Diva takes instruction

 In Skagen for the second time on this cruise, TSH and Diva once again took the shuttle bus and walked around the pleasant town. TSH was eager to take a picture of the church but when they reached it, most of the building was wrapped in plastic as repairs were undertaken. 

There are coincidences onboard - two sets of unrelated guests from Wisconsin USA and another set of guests who live only about 5 miles from TSH and Diva's home.

When Diva uses the guest laundry, she is accustomed to providing technical advice to people who cannot operate unfamiliar washing machines (any washing machines?). On this occasion, another guest advised her on setting a suitable program and clearing the lint from the tumble dryer. She enquired if he was an engineer but he replied that he was an Australian banker.