Re-entry

After three months of luxury, we were happy to find the house still standing, but I forgot where I put the house key.  It was raining lightly when we arrived Tuesday evening.  I found the correct suitcase on the first try, but I searched all of the inside pockets before remembering to try the top outside pocket where it would be a cinch to find.


It was not much better in the house.  Rather than leave the dishwasher running when we would be away three months, I left it full of dirty dishes. Shortly after arriving home, I was unloading clean ones.  I totally could not remember where I kept the dinner plates.  I had to open the cupboards until I found the right one.

But slowly it all comes back to me.  We have three months of mail, of course, to deal with plus the unpacking and laundry, but we were cleaver enough to leave the message machine off on the grounds that it was better for people not to get us at all than to think that we were ignoring them.

We give our eternal thanks to the good friends who watched the house while we were gone and left us not only enough milk for breakfast but fresh fruit as well.

Best Memories

Memories that will linger:

Dubai with its magnficient tall buildings

Suez canal and the Panama canals—as fabulous in their own way as the pyramids.

Queen Elizabeth itself and the massive complication of making it run, the line of waiters in the morning, the turned down quilts in the evening (how will I manage to turn down my own quilt at night?), the afternoon tea in the Queens Room—exactly like the one upstairs only they bring it to you, being called “Mum” by staff at every opportunity.

Wandering Rome, Athens and Lisbon on our own and especially seeing the Sistine chapel (on tour) again.

The infernal formal nights.  Our delightful table mates.

The welcoming events in the morning—the Samoan dancers in the rain, the Indian Railway band, the Hong Kong dragon dancers, the sailaway in Sydney and especially Perth with thousands of purple flags not to mention the three Queens with fireworks in the snow of New York City.

Traveling through the pirate zone the preparations and razor wire, the onboard security, the constant watchers on the deck.  We expected no trouble and had no trouble, but still it was an event.

And all that wine.

What I Have Learned About Cruising

What I have learned:

Touring is for those who prefer a predictable travel schedule and minor thrills.  The meals, the music, the lectures, the activities are pleasant and not challenging.  Most of our fellow travelers were very well traveled and well “cruised.”  Some had taken many world voyages as well as traveling on other cruises on other lines.  Always a safe topic of conversation.

The people who most likely will enjoy a cruise are those who like to dress up, to dance, to play social bridge, to take courses, to meet others like themselves in taste.  This is a culturally and politically conservative crowd no matter where they are from.

The nations of the tour are first--the British, second--the Australians, third--the Americans.

If I were to do it again, I would take one of the ongoing courses—bridge, water color painting, fencing, craftwork—these are the better places to get to know people.  We had the best lunch conversation of the trip in Sintra.  We will never see those people again.

There was more illness (mine) than I expected.  This is the end of the trip, and I have had a swollen gland the last two nights.  I feel fine in the daytime, but I will be glad to be home.

I miss my washing machine and the larger shower.

I was really glad for the camp soap which rinses out of clothing very easily.  Doing hand laundry allowed me to postpone trips to the dreaded laundromat.

I was more worried about rough seas than I should have been.  I packed only very sturdy, stable shoes.  I could have been a little wilder in the shoe department.

Sea days are lovely—not boring at all.

American culture, especially its music and films, and especially the great American songbook of the forties is  ubiquitous at least on English ships.

Wine

Wine Notes: I believe I explained previously that I have been unable to explain what I want to my wine dealer in a way that allowed him to help me.  Here has been my golden chance to learn the language and try a variety of wines so I have attended most of the wine tastings and tried different bottles at night.  I have learned that the best way to assess the true color of wine is by studying the color as reflected on the table cloth.  As a red ages it becomes lighter in color and may develop a little brown around the edges.  A white wine becomes deeper in color.  In general I learned that I like a fruity wine without too much acidity.  Most wines should be clear unless they are old reds.  Legs are the dripping patterns inside the glass particularly in red wines, and long legs are good although I have forgotten why.  In addition to noting color, nose and taste, a wine should have a long “finish,” that is the taste should linger in the mouth.  American oak barrels have larger pores than the French and sell for $1600 as opposed to $2,000 for the French.  According to the speaker, the American requires more wine to produce the same amount but yields more oak flavor.  Vines love poor soil which produces a lower yield with more flavor.  Grapes should be kept off the ground.

May I apologize here for spelling mistakes?  It is difficult to check when the bottles have been put away, and the internet on the ship is so limited.

John insists that he doesn’t get all of this, but the one wine tasting we attended together, we came out with exactly the same impressions:  no winners, one wine was really blah and one was relatively more pleasant, and we agreed about both wines.  Three kilos of grapes yeild one liter of wine making the prices of wine more logical.

Good champagnes have one stream of small bubbles rising to the top.  It has a distinctive yeast fragrance and clear pale color.  Brut is not a bad word here.  If it is not made in the district of champagne, it is a sparkling wine. 

I liked the Wente Brut with its pineapple and citrus notes.  Wente is Cunard’s house brand as far as I could see.  When you read pineapple and citrus, understand that I am noting the words used by others.  I do not get that at all, but the words appear to have meaning to others including, I hope, my wine store at home. 

The Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, vintage rose, Champagne, France, 2002 was not my favorite Veuve, a brand I like a lot. All champagnes have a yeasty nose; this one added notes of berries.  It had a long aftertaste and was described as “rich.”  I found it a little too dry and acidy.

Delamotte Brut, Mesnil sur Oger, Champagne, France.  It was described as having notes of brioche, vanilla and tropical fruits.  It would be an elegant aperitif, and I liked it very much.

White wines: White wines get deeper color as they age.  I thought the Santa Florientina, Pinot Gris from Argentina very blah, but I don’t usually like a Pinot Grigio. 

Chablis, Premier Cru, domaine Laroche, Burgundy, France, which is made from the Chardonnay grape was described as having a lemon or passion fruit nose with a small amount of oak (although it fermented in satinless steel as a rule, they do sometimes use oak).  The taste was descibed as crip, fruity, and “honeyness.”  It was not my favorite—chardonnays never are, but it was a wine I would drink.

One of my favorites was the Nigl Gruner Veltiner Freiheit, 2008 (www. Weingutnigl.at) from Austria.  The vineyard occupies twenty-five hectares.  Ninety percent of the area is planted with the white varieties:  Veltliner 40%, Riesling 40%, and Sauvignon Blanc, Gelber Muskateller, and Chardonnay add up to 10%.  The vin eyard follows sustainable land practices.  The wine is describe as lemon and light in color with a grassy, green apple nose and a peppery, spicy flavor.

Cherverny Blanc, ‘Unique’, domaine du Salvard Loire, France is made with 85% Sauvignon and 15% Chardonnay.  Unfortunately my tasting notes are sparse.  The area where it is grown is next to Burgandy.

Catena Alta, Chardonnay, Mendoza, Argentinea iw made with 100% Chardonnay.  I had a deeper color than most whites and was described as buttery, rich and fullbodied, not overly oaky althought it is aged in oak.  I rated it only OK.

Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg, Rieling Spatlese, Rheingau, Germany, 2007

This is a wine made with hand-harvesting and in stainless steel, thus no flavors from the cask.

The color is pale and clear with a fruity, nose and some peach notes according to my fellow imbibers.  I found it sweet as did others who noted that it was fruity, light and would be good with Asian food.

La Maggendia, Clos Payeyre, Jurancon, France, is a late harvest wine with a dark gold color.  The nose is tropical with sweet vanilla notes.  The taste shows sugar and acidity.  It should be served cold similar to an ice wine and would serve as a aperitif or a desert wine.  Although I see little need for desert wines, I noted it as my favorite for the day.

Clos Poggiale Blanc, Skalli, Vin de Corse, Corsica, France, 2009

This wine has a light gold color and a fruity nose with notes of black currant, herbs, apple.  The sommelier notes that it “needs food.”  This is an area which eats goat, donkey and grilled fish.  I liked it, but I didn’t love it. 

Also good was the Cunard Private Label Graves, Bordeaux, France with the color of deeper wheat, a fresh lemon, green apple perfume and crisp flavor with a long finish.

Acceptable was the Mina Morande Gerwurtztraminer, Casablanca Valley, Chile.  It has a wheat color, a rich floral-jasmine, rose nose and was described as having some petrol taste (!).

The Languedoc Terre du Lumica was similar to a sauvignon blanc.  It was more acidy than I expected.  It was acid, dry, and light with a short finish.  They suggested it for a hot summer day, but I might consider lemonade.

The Hunter Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand was a favorite which I ordered more than once.

A Spanish chardonnay by Ruimat was a blend of three pickings of the grapes.  It had a creamy, dry, fruity-lemony nose and taste with a longer finish.  I found it acceptable but not a favorite.

Red wines: Chassagne-Montrachet, Domaine Fontaine Gagnard, Burgundy, France, 2007.  This vineyard was established forty-five years ago and is part of a set of vineyards owned by a close-knit family. The color of the wine is described as light red at the top with a rich side.  With age it will get lighter and browner.  The nose has some oak, plum, strawberry and citrus.  The nose has some oak, plum, strawberry, fruity undertones.  The taste is dry, acid, balanced.  It has notes of cherry, long legs, and a long finish.  It is intense according to my fellow tasters.

Gevrey-Chambertin, Vielles Vignes, Domaine Rossignol-Trapet, 2006

This had a dark red color and cherry, tobacco, red fruit nose.  It was an expensive wine and not noted as one of my favorites.  It is complex and would go well with coq au vine, beef and game.

Catena Alta, Malbec, Mendoza, Argnetina had a deep color, and a flowery, spicey, oakey balance with notes of white pepper.  The tase was well balanced with a few tannens and good acidity.  It was one of my favorites.

Chateau les Ormes de Pez, Saint Estephe, France was a lighter red and a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, more Sauvignon than the others.  It had a “good” nose oakey, vanilla, spicy, not yeasty.  The taste had dark fruits, slightly lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon unblended.  I noted “syrupy?”  I also noted that it was nice.

Moss Wood Estate, Margaret River, Australia, 2006

This was a deep red wine with several varietels including cabernet sauvignon and merlot.  The nose was a little stronger, spicey.  The taste was structured with tannic overtones.  Some tasters mentioned cedar wood, pepper and spice.

The Valdivieso Éclat, Central Valley, Chile is a vineyard that for a hundred years produced ordinary wines and has only since the 1980’s started to produce fine wines.  They are currently showing well in international competitions.  The Valdevivieso was deep red with notes of fruit, blackberries, sweet spice, vanilla and oak.  It will become oakier with age.

A French Fleurie Beaujolais, 2009, was made of all gamay grapes grown in granite soil.  The winery uses a semi-carbonic fermentation.  The color is pinky-purple with no brown overlays and the nose shoes raspberry and red fruits.  The flavor had a little tannin. 

Sula is a red wine from a new vineyard in India a hundred plus miles north of Mumbai.  Flavor includes rhubarb, plum spice and black fruits with notes of licorice and some acidity.  I rather liked it.

A new red wine from Mexico was also rather pleasant.  The vineyard is located on the Baja peninsula, and the wine is called Estator Venia, and it is a blend of four grapes—cabernet sauvignon, petit syrah, zinfandel and Barbada.

Calera Ryan Vineyard, Pinot Noir, California, 2006, was a pinky-purple color and a nose of sweet, ripe fruit with a touch of licorice.  The flavor I found dry, acidy with tannin.  It had a light to medium body and a very long finish. 

Condado de Haza, Bodegas Fernandez, Riberu del Duero, Spain 

The sommelier at my dinner table pronounced this outstanding, her favorite type of wine.  I think it was chosen in part to show that Spanish wine goes beyond Rioja.  Spain has more acres (or hectares) of vineyard than any other country but not so much product because of the Spanish growing conditions.  The Spanish government has recently introduced appellations and designations for growing conditions to make increase clarity in knowing what one is buying.  The wine was described as deep purple, syrupy, oaky and with vanilla notes.  I found it a little strong, but when I compared it with other wines of the day, I thought it the best.  Red wines are more complicated than white.

Cote Rotie ‘Brune et Blonde’, E Guigal, Rhone, France, 2004

Brune and Blonde refer to two neighboring areas—fields might be a good word.  Wine has been made here since Roman times.  This wine had a deep, dark color with some brown at the edge.  It was described as vegetal, jammy, from the farmyard.  We were urged to take a bite of cheese before tasting.  It is strong.  The flavor was described as acidy, oaky, tannin, vanilla, black pepper.  It would be good with game, mushroom sauce, cheese.  It was the most expensive wine of the day.

And for something different:

Santorini, Vin Santo, Greece was very different from Italian vin santo.  It was orange-red in color with a nose of dried fruits—raisins, prune, orange and honey.  It had a sweet, fresh taste—easier to like and mild that the Italian.  I can see this in the evening with some fruit although I usually avoid after dinner wines.

Peller, Ice Cuvee, Sweet Sparkling Wine, Niagara, Canada

I am not a big fan of ice wines .  This is made with chardonnay and pinot noir grapes frozen on the vine.  The wine is made by champagne method.  The nose was honey, pineapple, grapefruit.  I could see it at an evening desert and cheese affair.

Lisbon and Thoughts of Home

Saturday, April 16,  2011, Lisbon, Portugal

Not having been to Portugal we decided to take a longer tour stopping at the outside of the Monastary, the Prince Henry the Navigator statue, the airplane monument (two Portuguese pilots flew to Brazil before Lindbergh flew to Paris) and the picturesque towns of Caxcais and Sintra.  In the evening we went to the center of town and had dinner and looked briefly for a fado performance before returning to the ship.  What will we remember?

The sidewalks are stone mosaics, slippery but beautiful.  The weather was lovely and so was the land.  The people were gracious especially the nice man who helped us explain to the taxi driver where we wanted to go.  I did not know about the Atlantic flight previously.  I no longer love Rose Mateus wind as I did fifty years ago.  Then it was a pleasant buzz.  Now it is bland.

This is the end of a long voyage,  Cleverness and inspiration have fled,and packing beckons.  There will be a few more entries after I arrive home, and then a decision to make about whether to continue.  If you have enjoyed this, you might check the earliest entries and let me know if you are interested in more.

Acupuncture, Rome, Civitavecchia

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

This morning is very windy and rainy.  The wind not only turns umbrellas inside out; it prevents our larger sister ship, the Queen Mary 2, from entering the harbor until it calms down.  It is cold enough for heavy jackets.  Amazingly by the time we reach Rome the sky is a clear, rich blue, and the day is glorious.

Civitavecchia has been the port of Rome since ancient times making me wonder what the extensive ruins at Ostia Antica were—more ancient times?  As I recall the sea moved away from Ostia Antica, and it is now landlocked.   Anyway we are docked an hour and a half from the city.

 Having been here before we opt to revisit the Sistine chapel without a guide and wander the Vatican museums on our own.  We buy our ticket on the bus and the guide tells us to follow the groups through the door on the right to leave the chapel and enter basilica that way.  Advice to treasure.  It allows us to cut all the lines which are horrendous.  The line to get in the basilica curves all the way around St. Peter’s Square and the one to the museum is four deep and at least a block and half long.

There is simply too much to see.  And it is dizzyingly glorious.  And I won’t remember half of it.  There are many works of art which are intriguing and by artists with names I have never hear of and will not recall.  After several hours we stagger out and find a trattoria for wine and pasta.  The time left we wander the streets perfectly happy just to be in Rome.

The Veranda is the upscale dining room on the ship and an extra fee is charged.  There is no need for it—the dining room meals are of good quality, but once in three months we have to try it.  Tonight’s menu in the regular dining room did not appeal to John, and the Veranda had a vacancy so this is it.  For dinner we select a seafood first course and veal as the entrée.  The desert is particularly fine.  It is lovely.  The room is much quieter than the main restaurant and the service is attentive without being intrusive.  There are the extras of upscale dining: an amuse bouche, a sorbet to clear the palate before the main course, a finger bowl after although it isn’t needed, and after desert some petit fours—in fact, a lot of petit fours and you can have as many as you have room for.

On Acupuncture I have a lower back pain from time to time and early on the cruise developed a shoulder pain that interfered somewhat with movement.  A medical speaker noted that the most effective treatment for sea-sickness by a large amount was acupuncture, and I have known nursing home residents helped by it.  My gut tells me that it does not work.  My husband notes that they have been using it for 3,000 years, and there must be something to it.  I remind him that I am an atheist, and that argument won’t wash with me.  On the other hand, I have no physiatrist on board, and acupuncture is not likely to have negative side effects.   I decide to give it a try.  After the acupuncturist takes a history, and we discuss the goals of treatment, an appointment is made.  The possible sensations and side effects are explained.

I am led into a room with a massage table and soothing music, told to remove my top and lie between the sheets and in almost no time I am full of needles.  The needles are not particularly painful; the treatment is not unpleasant.  Best of all it seems to work.  I definitely have less pain.  I revert to my exercise program as set up years ago by my physiatrist and take the stretching class in the gym when I can.  It doesn’t work miracles, but there is definite improvement.