WELCOME TO SALAVERRY, PERU - DAY 34

A Look At What Is Happening Today:

Maiden Port Of Call Stop At Salaverry✔  Dinner At The Crystal Dining Room✔  

Before dinner last evening, we had a drink with John and Linda in the Crystal Plaza.  Last night was formal night on the ship.

Although last evening we dined at Silk Road, these were the menus from the Crystal Dining Room which featured the Captain's Gala Dinner.

We went to Silk Road for dinner with Bob and Glo and had an absolutely wonderful time.  This is the first time during this cruise that we have had dinner together and it was great for the four of us to get-together.  We treasure our friendship with Bob and Glo.  

Our waiter for the evening was Albert and he took great care of us.  He pre-ordered us several Nobu Specials.

If we had to characterize what we enjoy best about Silk Road it is the quality of the ingredients, the preparation of each item which includes the various sauces that are used in many of the recipes, the overall ambience of the dining room and the outstanding service.  For us, this translates to a very fine dining experience for us and we have enjoyed Silk Road from our very first dinner there back in 2005.  


Adding to make last night special was dining with good friends Bob and Glo.

We began with a trio of Nobu Sashimi Special which Albert had ordered for us.  While Anne Marie usually does not eat sashimi, she will eat these items as each one is very flavorful because of the unique sauces (all different) which accompany each special.

This is also a special that Albert ordered for us.  It is a Lettuce Wrap with Black Cod.  You can just wrap it and eat it with your hands so that you are eating the lettuce and the black cod at the same time, or eat it with chop sticks as Keith does.

This was yet another special that Albert pre-ordered for us.  It was very tasty. 

Bob, Glo and Anne Marie also had some tempura which we didn't get photos of. 

 Keith ordered a variety of Sushi and Sashimi for the table.  Keith prefers mainly the Sashimi but ordered more of the rolls since Glo and Anne Marie prefer the rolls.  Bob and Keith also helped out by eating them too.  We ordered Shrimp Tempura, California and House Special Rolls.  The Sashimi included Fresh Salmon, Tuna, Smoked Salmon, Fresh Water Eel and Squid.

Keith had the Mushroom Salad.  The mushrooms are served warm and Albert squeezed the lime that is served with them which adds some interesting flavor to the salad.

 Keith had Lobster for his entree with a side order of steamed vegetables.

Anne Marie had a Beef appetizer for her entree.  It was also very tasty.

This is the Lobster Entree that Keith had.

Bob, had the Corn-Fed Chicken Entree.

Anne Marie surprised Keith with a Cake.  No it is not for a ten year birthday and we have been married for more then ten years.

Maitre d' Antonio suggested the cake.

After Dinner, the four of us went to the Production Show, Across The Pond.  This show made its debut a couple of years ago and mainly focuses on the British Invasion.  As we left the show, Keith reminded Bob and Glo and Barbara Rinella that come next year it will be fifty years since The Beatles (Keith's favorite all-time group) appeared on Ed Sullivan.  Several of their songs are featured in Across The Bond.  We love this show.  It is very upbeat.  With different singers and dancers performing this from time to time we find that this changes it up and even where you sit gives you a different perspective of the show.

We slept very well last evening.  The seas were calm and that gentle rocking of the ship makes it easy to fall asleep.

Who do you think woke up first?  Yes, you win.  It was Keith who was up bright and early and back to the Fitness Center for a good workout on the Elliptical Machine.  He enjoyed coffee in the Lido Cafe and spoke with a few of the Lido Deck Stewards; Clark, Ross, and Ed.

Anne Marie walked for close to an hour before breakfast.

We enjoyed breakfast in our room and then we got ready to visit Salaverry, Peru.  The stop at this port represents a Maiden Port Of Call stop for Crystal Cruises.

The city has an overall population of a little over 700,000 residents.  Spanish is mainly spoken here.   

The drive between the port and the city of Salaverry took about thirty minutes each way.  During most of the drive we passed many buildings with simple exteriors and in most cases did not have roofs.  This is similar to what we remember from Lima and we suspect as in the case of Lima if the roof or other areas of the building were not complete then the owner’s did not have to pay taxes.  We also passed several shanty's.  In terms of the terrain, there were hills on the right side of the road all the way on the drive from the port to the town of Salaverry.

This all changed when we arrived to the city of Salaverry and our drop-off point from the shuttle.  

The town is very typical of some of the other towns  in this region featuring a town square with different buildings such as a Museum and a Cathedral.

We visited the Cathedral, which was build between 1647 and 1666, which had altars in a Baroque and Rococo style and beautiful paintings.  Unfortunately, after taking one interior photo we learned that indoor photography was not permitted.

Anne Marie with friend Lynn outside of the Cathedral.

We walked several blocks and walked by several churches.  We also walked a few nice areas with lots of stores, cafes, bakeries, banks and other buildings.  It was very nice.

 As we walked to the end of this area we came to a small square with a very large tree.

The architecture of many of the buildings was stunning.

When we stopped into some stores the people spoke some English and between their English and Anne Marie’s limited Spanish we could communicate with them.

While on the main roads there were lots of taxis, mainly of a small size, and we were asked several times if we wanted a taxi. Also, many people appeared from almost nowhere to ask if we wanted to take a tour to places such Ancient Chan Chan.

As we continued our walk we passed by many small vendors.

Back at the pier we walked around the area where people were selling products.  Many of the items being sold were sweaters, scarves and hats along with a few other items. 

We wanted to note that some guests took tours out to the Temples which we had discussed with one of the people at the shore excursion desk a couple of weeks ago.  We decided to pass on a formal tour today as we have several coming up in the next segment. We also plan to be back here in 2015 and we will plan to do the tour at that point in time.

After enjoying a nice time touring the local city we had lunch back on the ship. We ate at the Lido Cafe. Fellow passenger and friend Elaine joined us for lunch and it was fun catching up with Elaine.

Anne Marie walked in the afternoon.  Keith played some tennis but the turnout was very small.  He also read and wrote  and met with friend Bob.  Anne Marie also went to the afternoon Yoga Class.

This evening we will be back in the Crystal Dining Room.

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney

Keith and Anne Marie

CRUISING TO SALAVERRY, PERU - DAY 33

A Look At What Is Happening Today:

Another Wonderful Day At Sea ✔  Four Lectures On Todays Program✔ Attended Fifth And Final iMovie Class And Shared Our Video With The Class ✔ Dinner With Bob & Glo At Silk Road This Evening ✔  

It was very quiet on the ship last night and we really feel that spirit of community that takes place over the course of a world cruise.  

Before dinner last evening we stopped by the Avenue Saloon to have a pre-dinner drink.  While we were there we were the only two guests and with a staff of four people it was quite nice.  We enjoyed a quiet conversation, some with each of the staff and enjoyed the music they were playing.

Afterwards, we sat with John and Linda in the Crystal Plaza and spoke for awhile.

Last evening we dined at the Crystal Dining Room.  These are the dinner menus.

During dinner we really felt that spirit of community and how the ship become a small village.  We spoke with some guests who we have known for years.  At the same time, a passenger that Keith has met in Spin Class and is on for the first segment of the World Cruise stopped by to say hello and we also saw another passenger on for this first segment who plays Tennis with Keith.  Various wait staff came by to chat including our waiter from two years ago who is now a senior waiter.  The dining room was relatively quiet as some guests are on overland tours to either Machu Picchu or are eating in other restaurants or had room service. Some guests go elsewhere since with Formal night tomorrow evening the vast majority of the cruisers will be back in the dining room.

We enjoyed an absolutely wonderful meal between the cuisine, the ambience of the dining room and the premier service.  We took our time dining and just enjoyed the evening.  We were in no rush to go anywhere else.

We had seen our Sommelier, Jiri, earlier in the day and spoke about wines and he selected a wine for Keith for dinner that is offered in Prego just to change things up. Anne Marie had Chardonnay.

We both had Salads and Anne Marie had the same standing order salad as Keith does.

We each ordered the additional Salmon Entree and it was fresh Salmon.  

Keith had the same entree as Anne Marie did but had a baked potato on the side rather then Mashed Potatoes.

During the course of the meal we smelled a nice aroma of garlic coming from our Head Waiter Augusto's station.  We asked Augusto what he was preparing and it was a special entree for two of his guests which was a Bolognese Sauce over Penne Pasta with Meatballs.  He gave us a tasting of it and it was delicious.  

Anne Marie had a sugar free Banana Walnut Cake a la Mode and Keith tried a small portion and it was delicious.  Keith had mixed berries.

Dinner was wonderful and we ended up staying close to two hours as we enjoyed every moment of the dinner.  

When we arrived back to our room there was a gift on our bed which was a hi-fi audio JAMBOX portable wireless speaker with a very nice card from President of Crystal Cruises, Gregg Michel.  It works with a variety of devices including our iPhones.

We enjoyed a very nice sleep as we sailed to our next port of call in Salaverry, Peru.

Keith was up early and enjoyed a nice workout at the Fitness Center.

As he does most mornings, he went to the Lido Cafe for Coffee.  He enjoys this time of the morning as it is quiet up at the Cafe as you can see in these first couple of photos.

When Keith arrived the early bird coffee has been all set up and then the Lido Deck Stewards were preparing the Cafe for the Early Risers Continental Breakfast.  About an hour later, there will be a Breakfast Buffet with both hot and cold items.

Keith spoke with some of the Lido Deck Stewards, Clark, Ed and Ross and Clark assisted Keith with his coffee.

By the time Keith finished up there were several familiar faces in the Cafe and he spoke with some of the fellow passengers.

Anne Marie walked for an hour before we had breakfast in our room.

It was nice to have a sea day today after a few days in port.

Keith took an Spin (indoor cycling) Class at 9:30 and enjoyed the class.  It was the last class of this first segment of the World Cruise.  Zeljko (Zelko) taught the class and he pushed us hard and that was great.  There were only four of us in class as some of the people who take the class were on overlands.

After the class ended, Keith showered quickly so he could get ready for his 11:00 AM iMovie Class. This was also the final class of this segment.  These classes will be repeated on each segment of the World Cruise and Keith would like to repeat some of them so that he can ensure he understands all elements of the application. The instructors asked if anyone wanted to show their movie to the class and Keith was one of five students who did.  They are likely going to show a few of these on the Daily Morning Show.  It's been a lot of fun and something that Keith will continue to do.

We watched on the television repeats of the lectures that were presented today.  Dr Jay Wolff spoke about Simon Bolivar and the critical role he played in ridding South America of Spanish colonialism.  As we have mentioned, when Dr. Wolff speaks you start to believe that he was actually there back then as he provides so many details in his talks.  Ken Rees spoke about Peru and his talk included sharing insights into the tallest Volcano on our planet, and he spoke about the history of Peru and as he always does shared thoughts on what to do in port.  Changing things up, in the afternoon former White House Correspondent Ken Walsh shared his perspective about the Modern Presidency and covered areas of the White House that most have not yet seen in coverage. Finally, in the afternoon former Astronaut Dr. Tom Jones spoke about technology breakthrough's that he believes will come about that will open up space to more scientific exploration, tourism and explosive in commercial opportunities between the Earth and the Moon.

We often Blog about all of the enrichment activities offered during sea day during the daytime and thought we would post the morning/afternoon program so you could see first hand all that is offered.  During the World Cruise even more programs are offered.

We enjoyed lunch at the Lido Cafe.

Afterwards, Keith played Paddle Tennis and Anne Marie took a nice long walk and she also sat out at the pool.  The skies were clear and it was a little windy which was nice.  Seas continue to be relatively calm.

This evening is the final formal night on this first segment of the World Cruise.  We will be having dinner with friends Bob and Glo at Silk Road. Before dinner, we plan to go to the Captain's Reception.

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............

“Every artist was first an amateur.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Keith and Anne Marie