A Look At What Is Happening Today:
First Visit To Puerto Chacabuco, Chile ✔ Dinner At Crystal Dining Room ✔
Although we dined at The Vintage Room last evening, these are the dinner menus from the Crystal Dining Room.
This is a copy of the entertainment program from last evening. The featured entertainer was Classical Pianist Rustem Hayroundinoff. There was also early evening Karaoke.
We did an exclusive Vintage Room last evening.
When you book the Vintage Room you have two options.
One is to submit a reservations and you will grouped with other fellow guests. Usually 14 people dine there.
Another option is to book an Exclusive Vintage Room where for one total price you can dine with 14 or less people. The fewer the total number of people,the finer wines that can be poured. Either way you are in store for a very special and memorable evening.
In our case, we participated in the Exclusive Vintage Room. Including ourselves, there were nine people and we did enjoy some very extraordinary wines.
We took this photo shortly after arriving to the room. The table looked wonderful and those flowers were absolutely gorgeous.
Anne Marie with Head Sommelier Bart Dufour who selects all of the wines and oversees the complete Vintage Room. He is so very knowledgeable about wine, and does a truly outstanding job explaining each wine before we get to taste them. We have learned so much from Bart these past few years. He is very gracious and very kind.
The preparation of the foods falls under the responsibility of Executive Chef Franz Weiss. Bart pours all of the wines and there is a wait staff of three people as well.
This is the table with the various wines that we enjoyed last evening. Each wine is paired with a specific food item.
After everyone arrived, we began the evening with a flute of Moet et Chandon, Cuvee Dom Perignon, Burt, Epernay 2003 as we toasted the evening. After we spoke for a little while we took our places at the table. One of the ships photographers arrived to take a groups photo. Towards the end of the evening, we each received copies of the photo which will serve as a memento from such a special evening. The other keepsake is the menus and also the extensive writeup on the Champagne and Wines.
Our first white wine was Viognier, Darioush Signature Wine, Napa Valley 2011 and it was very light and very tasty. It was paired with Pan-Seared Sea Scallops. Even for those whose preference is not white wine, the consensus of the group was that this was a terrific wine.
We then had another white wine of Puligney-Montrachet, Premier Cru, "Les Perrieres," Etienne Sauzet 2009. It was more dry then the first one. It was paired with Lobster Thermador "New Style". While we enjoyed the first wine more then this wine, it was nice to have two white wines with distinct aromas and flavors.
We then had three red wines. They were each fantastic.
First was a Pinot Noir, Ambullneo Vineyards, Bulldog Reserve, Santa Barbara Country 2006. It had a terrific aroma which many Pinot Noir Wines have with a very pleasant taste. It was paired with Porcini Mushroom Risotto.
The next wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon, Harlan Estate, Napa Valley 2004. This absolutely outstanding wine was paired with the Grilled Filet Mignon. As Bart mentioned, this is one of the finest wines made. We might be wrong on our numbers but something like only 250 cases of this wine were either produced or available for public purchase.
After the wine was poured we took some time to enjoy its aroma before even trying it. It was a terrific wine.
It was paired with Grilled Filet Mignon which was accompanied with a Red Wine Sauce, Wild Mushrooms, Asparagus and Smothered Shallots. The Filet was very tasty.
Our final red wine was a Verite, La Joie, Sonoma County 2004 wine. Before trying it Keith wondered whether or not Bart saved the best for last or if the best was the previous wine. He soon found out that this one was yet another absolutely wonderful wine. It actually had a taste of an old world wine from France.
This was another truly outstanding wine and this one was paired with a selection of artisanal cheeses.
We didn't get a photo of the cheese (Keith was enjoying the wines too much and must have forgotten to take the photo). Four cheeses were on the plate and on of the waiters came around with a large selection of crackers to choose from.
We ended the meal with a dessert wine which was Trockenbeerenauslese, Grand Cuvee No 6, Burgenland, Austria 2000 wine. We also enjoyed this wine.
This wine was matched with what is called Chocolate Fantasy. This dessert was very rich.
The wait staff also came around with homemade chocolate pralines with each one hand painted. There were two types to choose from.
Often we find one or two of the wines to be exceptional for us but last evening we have to say that one wine was great (the second white wine) and the rest of those wines fell into what we would say is the exceptional category.
All in all we had a wonderful evening. The entire meal went close to three hours and we enjoyed wonderful conversation with absolutely wonderful cuisines, wines and service.
We also had another special treat. While we were cruising we were treated with very nice scenery as we passed various islands. The highlight was a rainbow that you could see from one horizon to the other horizon. All of this reminds us of how beautiful our world is and how much we enjoy seeing it while sailing the seas.
It was a most memorable and fun evening.
We slept very well as the seas continued to be relatively calm. The daily program that we received when we went back to our room noted that over the coming days we might have some rough seas when we sail in open waters that are not part of the Chilean Fjords. We know from sailing these waters on previous cruises that you can never be sure what to expect. It was recommended that we secure various items in our rooms. We will do exactly that.
Although we went to sleep later then usual, we were both up at our usual times. Keith was up first and enjoyed a very nice workout in the Fitness Center. By the time he finished a few other people arrived.
He enjoyed coffee in the Lido Cafe and after a short time it was busier then usual as many people were up earlier for tours of Puerto Chacabucco, Chile.
Anne Marie walked for an hour inside as it was quite windy outside at the early hour of the day.
After she finished we enjoyed breakfast in our room.
Today marked not only our first visit to Puerto Chacabucco, Chile but also a Maiden Port Of Call stop for Crystal Cruises. The actual town is relatively small with only a population of around 1,200 residents. We did not take a tour. Instead, we decided to walk around the area on our own.
We took the tender over from the ship and then we took a very short shuttle from the tender pier to outside the pier. From there we walked around the area passing many small homes, and a few restaurants as well as other buildings. As we have seen in other towns of Chili, there were quite a few stray dogs.
The town has a feel of other small towns in other parts of the world such as a small town in Alaska or one in Norway.
We saw several homes like this along with many that were in poor condition.
This was the nicest looking of the stray dogs we saw. Several walked in packs.
A relatively small Fire House for an equally small town.
This was the only church we could find.
We did find one nice hotel called the Hotel Loberius del Sur.
There were three tents set up with some local crafts. Many women were knitting items that they would be selling while some other people were working on crafts. Everyone was very friendly and we did make one small gift purchase.
A short while after we returned from the town we enjoyed lunch at the Lido Cafe. It was rainy and cool so we ate inside but were at a window table so we could see the shoreline.
In the afternoon, Anne Marie walked for another hour. Keith had originally planned to play Paddle Tennis and had spoke with some crew members and guests about getting together but unfortunately Mother Nature did not cooperate. As such, no Paddle Tennis today so Keith used that time to go back to the Fitness Center for a second workout on the Elliptical Machine and to do some weight lifting as well. Later in the day he got together with friend Bob.
This evening we will be back in the Crystal Dining Room and we have invited a guest to enjoy us for dinner.
The next three days we will be at sea with view of Fjords and a Glacier.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............
We did an exclusive Vintage Room last evening.
When you book the Vintage Room you have two options.
One is to submit a reservations and you will grouped with other fellow guests. Usually 14 people dine there.
Another option is to book an Exclusive Vintage Room where for one total price you can dine with 14 or less people. The fewer the total number of people,the finer wines that can be poured. Either way you are in store for a very special and memorable evening.
In our case, we participated in the Exclusive Vintage Room. Including ourselves, there were nine people and we did enjoy some very extraordinary wines.
We took this photo shortly after arriving to the room. The table looked wonderful and those flowers were absolutely gorgeous.
Anne Marie with Head Sommelier Bart Dufour who selects all of the wines and oversees the complete Vintage Room. He is so very knowledgeable about wine, and does a truly outstanding job explaining each wine before we get to taste them. We have learned so much from Bart these past few years. He is very gracious and very kind.
The preparation of the foods falls under the responsibility of Executive Chef Franz Weiss. Bart pours all of the wines and there is a wait staff of three people as well.
This is the table with the various wines that we enjoyed last evening. Each wine is paired with a specific food item.
After everyone arrived, we began the evening with a flute of Moet et Chandon, Cuvee Dom Perignon, Burt, Epernay 2003 as we toasted the evening. After we spoke for a little while we took our places at the table. One of the ships photographers arrived to take a groups photo. Towards the end of the evening, we each received copies of the photo which will serve as a memento from such a special evening. The other keepsake is the menus and also the extensive writeup on the Champagne and Wines.
Our first white wine was Viognier, Darioush Signature Wine, Napa Valley 2011 and it was very light and very tasty. It was paired with Pan-Seared Sea Scallops. Even for those whose preference is not white wine, the consensus of the group was that this was a terrific wine.
We then had another white wine of Puligney-Montrachet, Premier Cru, "Les Perrieres," Etienne Sauzet 2009. It was more dry then the first one. It was paired with Lobster Thermador "New Style". While we enjoyed the first wine more then this wine, it was nice to have two white wines with distinct aromas and flavors.
We then had three red wines. They were each fantastic.
First was a Pinot Noir, Ambullneo Vineyards, Bulldog Reserve, Santa Barbara Country 2006. It had a terrific aroma which many Pinot Noir Wines have with a very pleasant taste. It was paired with Porcini Mushroom Risotto.
The next wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon, Harlan Estate, Napa Valley 2004. This absolutely outstanding wine was paired with the Grilled Filet Mignon. As Bart mentioned, this is one of the finest wines made. We might be wrong on our numbers but something like only 250 cases of this wine were either produced or available for public purchase.
After the wine was poured we took some time to enjoy its aroma before even trying it. It was a terrific wine.
It was paired with Grilled Filet Mignon which was accompanied with a Red Wine Sauce, Wild Mushrooms, Asparagus and Smothered Shallots. The Filet was very tasty.
Our final red wine was a Verite, La Joie, Sonoma County 2004 wine. Before trying it Keith wondered whether or not Bart saved the best for last or if the best was the previous wine. He soon found out that this one was yet another absolutely wonderful wine. It actually had a taste of an old world wine from France.
This was another truly outstanding wine and this one was paired with a selection of artisanal cheeses.
We didn't get a photo of the cheese (Keith was enjoying the wines too much and must have forgotten to take the photo). Four cheeses were on the plate and on of the waiters came around with a large selection of crackers to choose from.
We ended the meal with a dessert wine which was Trockenbeerenauslese, Grand Cuvee No 6, Burgenland, Austria 2000 wine. We also enjoyed this wine.
This wine was matched with what is called Chocolate Fantasy. This dessert was very rich.
The wait staff also came around with homemade chocolate pralines with each one hand painted. There were two types to choose from.
Often we find one or two of the wines to be exceptional for us but last evening we have to say that one wine was great (the second white wine) and the rest of those wines fell into what we would say is the exceptional category.
All in all we had a wonderful evening. The entire meal went close to three hours and we enjoyed wonderful conversation with absolutely wonderful cuisines, wines and service.
We also had another special treat. While we were cruising we were treated with very nice scenery as we passed various islands. The highlight was a rainbow that you could see from one horizon to the other horizon. All of this reminds us of how beautiful our world is and how much we enjoy seeing it while sailing the seas.
It was a most memorable and fun evening.
We slept very well as the seas continued to be relatively calm. The daily program that we received when we went back to our room noted that over the coming days we might have some rough seas when we sail in open waters that are not part of the Chilean Fjords. We know from sailing these waters on previous cruises that you can never be sure what to expect. It was recommended that we secure various items in our rooms. We will do exactly that.
Although we went to sleep later then usual, we were both up at our usual times. Keith was up first and enjoyed a very nice workout in the Fitness Center. By the time he finished a few other people arrived.
He enjoyed coffee in the Lido Cafe and after a short time it was busier then usual as many people were up earlier for tours of Puerto Chacabucco, Chile.
Anne Marie walked for an hour inside as it was quite windy outside at the early hour of the day.
After she finished we enjoyed breakfast in our room.
Today marked not only our first visit to Puerto Chacabucco, Chile but also a Maiden Port Of Call stop for Crystal Cruises. The actual town is relatively small with only a population of around 1,200 residents. We did not take a tour. Instead, we decided to walk around the area on our own.
We took the tender over from the ship and then we took a very short shuttle from the tender pier to outside the pier. From there we walked around the area passing many small homes, and a few restaurants as well as other buildings. As we have seen in other towns of Chili, there were quite a few stray dogs.
The town has a feel of other small towns in other parts of the world such as a small town in Alaska or one in Norway.
We saw several homes like this along with many that were in poor condition.
This was the nicest looking of the stray dogs we saw. Several walked in packs.
A relatively small Fire House for an equally small town.
This was the only church we could find.
We did find one nice hotel called the Hotel Loberius del Sur.
There were three tents set up with some local crafts. Many women were knitting items that they would be selling while some other people were working on crafts. Everyone was very friendly and we did make one small gift purchase.
A short while after we returned from the town we enjoyed lunch at the Lido Cafe. It was rainy and cool so we ate inside but were at a window table so we could see the shoreline.
In the afternoon, Anne Marie walked for another hour. Keith had originally planned to play Paddle Tennis and had spoke with some crew members and guests about getting together but unfortunately Mother Nature did not cooperate. As such, no Paddle Tennis today so Keith used that time to go back to the Fitness Center for a second workout on the Elliptical Machine and to do some weight lifting as well. Later in the day he got together with friend Bob.
This evening we will be back in the Crystal Dining Room and we have invited a guest to enjoy us for dinner.
The next three days we will be at sea with view of Fjords and a Glacier.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............
“In a
moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst think you can do is nothing.”
- Theodore Roosevelt
Keith and Anne Marie
Hi Keith and Anne Marie! Thank you for sharing your adventure. Unlike many "stray" dogs I have encountered at shelters or periodically in our travels across the country, the pictures you have shared of the dogs in various ports look fairly healthy. Love today's sweet faced one :-)
ReplyDeleteContinue to treasure your experiences!
Caryn & Stan (and Jasper!)
Keith,
ReplyDeleteA Harlan Estate? I am sooooooooo jealous. :-)
My question: if a party wanted to, could you change your dinner table across the various legs of the WC? (That is, say, table for 8 the first leg, table for 2 the second, etc.)
Thanks again for doing this wonderful blog.
Ken
Hi dad! I really like your jacket/pants combo you wore to the vintage room. Glad y'all had a good time!
ReplyDelete