A Look At What Is Happening Today:
All Day Tour Of Lima ✔
Dinner, Crystal Dining Room ✔
Before dinner last evening, we sat with Linda in the Crystal Cove Plaza. We also spoke with several other guests some of whom were leaving the ship in Lima.
We each had some wine. Before dinner each evening in the lounge areas, various canapés are served and they changed from evening-to-evening. While we didn't have any, we thought we would post a photo of one those adorable canapés which are the cheese hamburgers. These are truly "Classic Crystal" as we remember them as far back as our first Crystal Cruise.
Although we dined at Prego last evening these are the menus from the Crystal Dining Room.
We had an absolutely wonderful time in Prego. We had a very nice table by the window and throughout the evening we enjoyed speaking with our Waiter, Costa, Head Waiter, Mario and Maitre d' Antonio. The food, service and the overall ambience was just outstanding.
When we dine at Prego, for us it has that "Old World" European charm which we truly enjoy.
A little while after we had time to look over the menus, Costa was back and he told us about the two additional entrees. We attentively listen knowing that there is normally one pasta addition and wondering whether there will also be a seafood addition as we usually order the seafood entree if one is available. Fortunately for us, there was a seafood addition.
Each of us began the meal with a salad. Anne Marie had a Caesar Salad and Keith had his standing order salad.
The highlight of the meal was the additional seafood entree. This one was quite unique and something we had not yet had at Prego before.
The entree included lobster, shrimp, scallops and calamari over risotto. It was absolutely delicious. In fact, when Costa served it you could smell the lovely aroma resonating from the bowl. It was an A++ entree.
We also enjoyed the wine. Each night choice of white wine and two choices of red wine are available but if you don't care for these wines often there are other options.
Anne Marie had a Chardonnay wine and Keith had a wonderful full bodied Red Wine. Sommelier Christian who recently went on Holiday had mentioned to one of the other Sommelier's how much Keith enjoyed this wine so when Keith asked about which red wines were being served the Sommelier mentioned this one which Keith gladly selected.
This photo shows the way the entree was presented.
This photo shows the entree after waiter Costa removed the lobster shell. All of the seafood items, other then the lobster, were already cut into bite size pieces.
Keith had a fruit plate for dessert and Anne Marie had an Italian Cookie and Decaffeinated Cappuccino.
Last evening we chatted with some friends who returned from the three-night overland at Galapagos Island and they loved it.
A few of you had asked why we had not gone to Machu Picchu. We had seriously considered either the Crystal Cruises overland tour or another one offered by our Travel Agency, but did not think this was wise for Anne Marie. We have been blessed with all of the places we have visited over the years and those that we plan to see on this trip so we never feel like we have missed out on something. Just as we try to share our experiences with others, the good news is that through the experiences of others and the ability to view some of their very own videos and photos we can at least enjoy their experiences.
We turned in relatively early last night since we knew we had a full day planned for today. We both slept very well. A couple of times Keith could hear some very minor noise as this is an industrial port but he still manage to enjoy a better sleep on the ship then he does at home.
This morning marked the end of World Cruise Segment I and the beginning of World Cruise Segment II.
During the first segment we traveled from Miami to Lima. We visited ten ports of call and we traveled 3,868 nautical miles or the equivalent of 4,448 land miles.
We did make several memories which will last a life time. We have enjoyed being reunited with many friends who we have sailed with in the past. We also enjoyed meeting new friends some of whom will be on for most if not the whole World Cruise and some who are leaving today. One of them is a very nice man who was in Keith's Spin Class and also in Anne Marie's afternoon Yoga Classes. He and his wife enjoyed this World Cruise segment so much that they booked two World Cruise segments for next year. This is why we never say goodbye and rather say until we meet again.
Keith woke up early and worked out as he normally does at the Fitness Center.
Afterwards he had coffee in the Lido Cafe. He chatted with all five of the Lido Cafe Stewards. They asked about our plans and Keith asked what they did. During their time off they mainly took advantage of the Internet Access available on the pier and some of them purchased some gifts for home. Prices for the goods sold in Peru are very favorable to the United States dollar.
Anne Marie did an abbreviated walk and then we had an early breakfast so we could then get ready for our tour. Rao told us that he and some of the other butlers went for a light dinner after work last evening. This is often not possible and one of the benefits of overnights for the crew. The crew works so very hard so it is always nice when they are able to have a little time off to go into town.
Today, we took a private tour that we had arranged with our Travel Agency. We have three of these types of tours planned through our travel agency for this World Cruise. This was a truly outstanding tour. We enjoyed each of the places we visited and our tour guide and driver were terrific.
We were met at the pier by our tour guide, Alberto and driver, Freddy
Our drive from the Port into Lima took about 45 minutes and during that time Alberto shared a lot of good information with us about the Port, Lima and how the Districts and Provinces were organized and also answered lots of questions from us.
We learned a good deal about the economy of Lima and Peru. Peru is a major exporter of raw material including copper, gold, and silver and also natural gas, coffee, mangos, tomatoes, and asparagus. Tourism is also a major driver of its economy. While all of this is good news, three million of the nine million people living in Lima live in Shante's or in other words slums.
We learned that the mass transit system such as buses are privately run. In the downtown area we saw lots of French and Spanish Architecture and learned that many of the exteriors of buildings went from gray to its former colonial look with pretty colors. This has made the city look more colorful. This represents the Portuguese influence.
We also learned that Lima has grown from around 1 million residents in the 1960's to its current population of around 9 million residents.
We have seen a lot of positive changes since we first visited here in 2007 and look forward to revisiting this city in the future.
We did want to note that crime is still an issue in parts of Lima so it is wise to leave jewelry and other valuables on the ship. We did not take Keith's SLR Camera so the photos are not as sharp as they would have been as we took two other cameras with us. We thought this was a wise decision although as it turned out we visited areas that are considered to be safe.
We began our tour with a visit to Plaza Mayor, which is the official center of the city and the original site where Lima was founded.
We then visited several sites including the historic Cathedral.
We walked past the Presidential Palace.
We also visited the church of San Francisco (Saint Francis Church) and its library collection of fine paintings. Unfortunately, we were prohibited from taking photos or video inside.
The only interior photo we could take was when we went down to the Catacombs. It was amazingly large and they don't take large tour groups down there.
We also visited Casa Aliaga, Lima's oldest colonial mansion. It was build in 1535 and has been the home to 18 generations of descendants. It was amazing and these are photos from just a few rooms.
These are the exterior doors to the house.
We also visited a museum which provided a history about the different areas of Peru including the types of foods that are eaten and where people originally came from.
We continued our walk around the area as our guide pointed out many of the buildings to us and provided lots of information about the history of the area. There are many churches in close proximity of each other and this is a photo of one of them.
During the course of the day we saw many parks both by foot and by car and we also saw so many beautiful trees. This tree is unique as it produces two different color flowers.
We then drove to Miraflores which is in a more modern area of Lima. We stopped off at Love Park. The fog was rolling in as the park is built along the cliffs that overlook the ocean.
Afterwards, we drove the Huaca Pucllana Restaurant for lunch. This restaurant specializeds in Peruvian cuisine. This restaurant has had many famous visitors including former President Bill Clinton who visited there in 2009.
This is an interior photo of the restaurant.
We dined outside.
There were several different dinner rolls to choose from.
We ordered two entrees that we ended up sharing:
This was the Sea Bass with a very tasty crust.
This was Salmon which also had a very tasty crust.
We could have had appetizers, dessert and wine but we passed on that.
After lunch, we visited the Larco Herrera Museum. It holds a gold and silver collection from ancient Peru. We could not take photos inside but it was an amazing museum and our guide was so thorough as he took us all throughout the museum. The museum originally was a house and its exterior was very nice.
All in all it was a great day. We learned a great deal and left with a very positive impression of Lima, its people and most importantly about its future.
This evening we will dine at the Crystal Dining Room and will post about this tomorrow.
Before dinner last evening, we sat with Linda in the Crystal Cove Plaza. We also spoke with several other guests some of whom were leaving the ship in Lima.
We each had some wine. Before dinner each evening in the lounge areas, various canapés are served and they changed from evening-to-evening. While we didn't have any, we thought we would post a photo of one those adorable canapés which are the cheese hamburgers. These are truly "Classic Crystal" as we remember them as far back as our first Crystal Cruise.
Although we dined at Prego last evening these are the menus from the Crystal Dining Room.
We had an absolutely wonderful time in Prego. We had a very nice table by the window and throughout the evening we enjoyed speaking with our Waiter, Costa, Head Waiter, Mario and Maitre d' Antonio. The food, service and the overall ambience was just outstanding.
When we dine at Prego, for us it has that "Old World" European charm which we truly enjoy.
A little while after we had time to look over the menus, Costa was back and he told us about the two additional entrees. We attentively listen knowing that there is normally one pasta addition and wondering whether there will also be a seafood addition as we usually order the seafood entree if one is available. Fortunately for us, there was a seafood addition.
Each of us began the meal with a salad. Anne Marie had a Caesar Salad and Keith had his standing order salad.
The highlight of the meal was the additional seafood entree. This one was quite unique and something we had not yet had at Prego before.
The entree included lobster, shrimp, scallops and calamari over risotto. It was absolutely delicious. In fact, when Costa served it you could smell the lovely aroma resonating from the bowl. It was an A++ entree.
We also enjoyed the wine. Each night choice of white wine and two choices of red wine are available but if you don't care for these wines often there are other options.
Anne Marie had a Chardonnay wine and Keith had a wonderful full bodied Red Wine. Sommelier Christian who recently went on Holiday had mentioned to one of the other Sommelier's how much Keith enjoyed this wine so when Keith asked about which red wines were being served the Sommelier mentioned this one which Keith gladly selected.
This photo shows the way the entree was presented.
This photo shows the entree after waiter Costa removed the lobster shell. All of the seafood items, other then the lobster, were already cut into bite size pieces.
Keith had a fruit plate for dessert and Anne Marie had an Italian Cookie and Decaffeinated Cappuccino.
Last evening we chatted with some friends who returned from the three-night overland at Galapagos Island and they loved it.
A few of you had asked why we had not gone to Machu Picchu. We had seriously considered either the Crystal Cruises overland tour or another one offered by our Travel Agency, but did not think this was wise for Anne Marie. We have been blessed with all of the places we have visited over the years and those that we plan to see on this trip so we never feel like we have missed out on something. Just as we try to share our experiences with others, the good news is that through the experiences of others and the ability to view some of their very own videos and photos we can at least enjoy their experiences.
We turned in relatively early last night since we knew we had a full day planned for today. We both slept very well. A couple of times Keith could hear some very minor noise as this is an industrial port but he still manage to enjoy a better sleep on the ship then he does at home.
This morning marked the end of World Cruise Segment I and the beginning of World Cruise Segment II.
During the first segment we traveled from Miami to Lima. We visited ten ports of call and we traveled 3,868 nautical miles or the equivalent of 4,448 land miles.
We did make several memories which will last a life time. We have enjoyed being reunited with many friends who we have sailed with in the past. We also enjoyed meeting new friends some of whom will be on for most if not the whole World Cruise and some who are leaving today. One of them is a very nice man who was in Keith's Spin Class and also in Anne Marie's afternoon Yoga Classes. He and his wife enjoyed this World Cruise segment so much that they booked two World Cruise segments for next year. This is why we never say goodbye and rather say until we meet again.
Keith woke up early and worked out as he normally does at the Fitness Center.
Afterwards he had coffee in the Lido Cafe. He chatted with all five of the Lido Cafe Stewards. They asked about our plans and Keith asked what they did. During their time off they mainly took advantage of the Internet Access available on the pier and some of them purchased some gifts for home. Prices for the goods sold in Peru are very favorable to the United States dollar.
Anne Marie did an abbreviated walk and then we had an early breakfast so we could then get ready for our tour. Rao told us that he and some of the other butlers went for a light dinner after work last evening. This is often not possible and one of the benefits of overnights for the crew. The crew works so very hard so it is always nice when they are able to have a little time off to go into town.
Today, we took a private tour that we had arranged with our Travel Agency. We have three of these types of tours planned through our travel agency for this World Cruise. This was a truly outstanding tour. We enjoyed each of the places we visited and our tour guide and driver were terrific.
We were met at the pier by our tour guide, Alberto and driver, Freddy
Our Tour Guide Alberto
Driver Freddy
The Van Was Very Comfortable And Spacious.
It Could Accommodate Seven Passengers
Plus Tour Guide And Driver
Wherever We Walked Throughout The Day
Freddy Was There To Pick Us Up
Our drive from the Port into Lima took about 45 minutes and during that time Alberto shared a lot of good information with us about the Port, Lima and how the Districts and Provinces were organized and also answered lots of questions from us.
We learned a good deal about the economy of Lima and Peru. Peru is a major exporter of raw material including copper, gold, and silver and also natural gas, coffee, mangos, tomatoes, and asparagus. Tourism is also a major driver of its economy. While all of this is good news, three million of the nine million people living in Lima live in Shante's or in other words slums.
We learned that the mass transit system such as buses are privately run. In the downtown area we saw lots of French and Spanish Architecture and learned that many of the exteriors of buildings went from gray to its former colonial look with pretty colors. This has made the city look more colorful. This represents the Portuguese influence.
We also learned that Lima has grown from around 1 million residents in the 1960's to its current population of around 9 million residents.
We have seen a lot of positive changes since we first visited here in 2007 and look forward to revisiting this city in the future.
We did want to note that crime is still an issue in parts of Lima so it is wise to leave jewelry and other valuables on the ship. We did not take Keith's SLR Camera so the photos are not as sharp as they would have been as we took two other cameras with us. We thought this was a wise decision although as it turned out we visited areas that are considered to be safe.
We began our tour with a visit to Plaza Mayor, which is the official center of the city and the original site where Lima was founded.
We walked past the Presidential Palace.
We also visited the church of San Francisco (Saint Francis Church) and its library collection of fine paintings. Unfortunately, we were prohibited from taking photos or video inside.
The only interior photo we could take was when we went down to the Catacombs. It was amazingly large and they don't take large tour groups down there.
We also visited Casa Aliaga, Lima's oldest colonial mansion. It was build in 1535 and has been the home to 18 generations of descendants. It was amazing and these are photos from just a few rooms.
These are the exterior doors to the house.
We also visited a museum which provided a history about the different areas of Peru including the types of foods that are eaten and where people originally came from.
We continued our walk around the area as our guide pointed out many of the buildings to us and provided lots of information about the history of the area. There are many churches in close proximity of each other and this is a photo of one of them.
During the course of the day we saw many parks both by foot and by car and we also saw so many beautiful trees. This tree is unique as it produces two different color flowers.
We then drove to Miraflores which is in a more modern area of Lima. We stopped off at Love Park. The fog was rolling in as the park is built along the cliffs that overlook the ocean.
Afterwards, we drove the Huaca Pucllana Restaurant for lunch. This restaurant specializeds in Peruvian cuisine. This restaurant has had many famous visitors including former President Bill Clinton who visited there in 2009.
This is an interior photo of the restaurant.
We dined outside.
There were several different dinner rolls to choose from.
We ordered two entrees that we ended up sharing:
This was the Sea Bass with a very tasty crust.
We could have had appetizers, dessert and wine but we passed on that.
After lunch, we visited the Larco Herrera Museum. It holds a gold and silver collection from ancient Peru. We could not take photos inside but it was an amazing museum and our guide was so thorough as he took us all throughout the museum. The museum originally was a house and its exterior was very nice.
All in all it was a great day. We learned a great deal and left with a very positive impression of Lima, its people and most importantly about its future.
This evening we will dine at the Crystal Dining Room and will post about this tomorrow.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE
DAY............
"There are no foreign lands. It is the traveller only who is foreign." -Robert Louis Stevenson
Keith and Anne Marie
No comments:
Post a Comment