Valentin!

 Way back in February of 2023, the Malbec crew was bopping around down in the Caribbean celebrating special anniversaries and birthdays. Ah, the night of the 5 cakes…

Anyway, we might this absolutely delightful young man named Valentin, who was a waiter in the Italian speciality restaurant called Sabatini’s. We, of course, won him over with our laugher, goofiness, and charm and we’d all yell and cheer for him when we saw him. We took a very cute picture with him before we all parted ways.

About a week ago, we were sitting in the dining room and Jason suddenly said, “Is that Valentin?” I followed his pointed finger to see and YES, IT WAS!

We called him over. I pulled up the picture to show him. He seemed so thrilled and said, “thank you for remembering me!”

Well, now we’re hanging out daily in the dining room and we were determined that we would recreate the photo- so we did last night. So much fun. He said he couldn’t wait to share it with his mom. He’s still a very sweet and kind young man with some big dreams to one day open his own little restaurant in his town in Romania. I bet he will!

Athens by HoHo

 We have been enjoying not having planned excursions because that means we can get off the ship whatever we want to and we don’t have any hustle and bustle and waiting with a big group for our number to be called. 

So by the time we got up and going after our big night of staying out late. We walked out about 1030 and were shocked to find that we were still able to jump on the same bus that Rich and Ginny were on. The guy selling the tickets showed us. The route asked us what time we wanted to be back and we said probably around three and so he told us what station to be at at 2:30 in order to get back at three. Perfect. We hopped on and were on our way.

The bus first went through the Seaport town of Piraeus, which was absolutely adorable. Clearly, some money in this town they were all kinds of yachts open air cafés shops. It was so cute and we were delighted to once again have some sunshine. We noted to ourselves that that might be a great place to come back for lunch after we toured the city.

From there we were off to Athens, which probably took seems like less than 10 minutes. We decided we would just stay on the bus to one huge lap and get a chance to see everything. And I have to say this still remains my favorite thing when you see something you’ve only seen in Books or TV with your own eyes so there we were cruising along and all of a sudden Jason points up the hill and I look and there’s the acropolis for crying out loud. Amazing. We enjoyed riding the bus around seeing the sites. It’s a little crazy that it’s this massive booming cosmopolitan city on one hand and also look over to your left and suddenly there’s some ancient building, gorgeous old architecture, destruction… Truly fascinating to see.

We got back around to the stop where we knew we needed to catch the bus back to Piraeus and that’s when we realized there had been slight communication error. We got there about one and asked when the next bus would be rolling up which we assumed would be any minute and they told us 230 and we said well that can’t be right. One comes every half an hour, but apparently not at this stop. It will be there at 2:30. Well shoot that pretty much destroyed our chances of going back to Piraeus to indulge in one of the beautiful open air cafés at the marina. So we made the best of it and we strolled right back down the street found a cute little café, sat down and ordered some grilled halloumi and a picture of local white wine to share. Ginny got what she thought was a piece of baklava but a huge plate of baklava came out instead so we all got a few bites of that too, and it was so delicious.

We got back to the bus pick up area about 10 minutes early to make sure we could get on the bus and we’re told that princess was going to send a separate bus just to pick us up so they were asking us please not to get on the first one that was coming, will that be for people who were not cruisers to take. I have to say, we’ve traveled all around the world and sometimes we face things like this and it turns out not to be true, so we were a little bit skeptical. But before long we looked up and there was a bus coming that had a big banner running across the front that said Princess cruisers only. Low and behold a miracle. Bus took us straight back to the cruise ship- no chance for Piraeus! Nothing that when we come back, we’d skip Athens and just go to this charming town. 

Since it was day one for all the new people, we knew the piazza would be nuts since people tend to congregate there while waiting for their rooms. I went up to the sanctuary sun deck to write and enjoy the last of the evening sunshine. It was a bit chilly so I wrapped some blankets around me. Pretty much had the whole place to myself!

Jason came up and we had our new favorite drink- a vodka soda with a splash of limoncello! We realized we hadn’t had much food so we cruised down to dinner. Our main man Stefan rolled up to help us open our wine and have a few sips. We have him hooked on Nicora! 

And the most exciting thing about this day is that it’s the eve of my chance to finally get to Santorini. Will I make it?!?!?!?!

Starting Over with the Bloody Marys

Today was a good one! In this vindication cruise, Mykonos day is where it all gets set right. 

4 years ago, I was sitting on the pool deck, sipping a Bloody Mary, when my cabin steward came to find me and put me in quarantine. 

So this morning, we ordered Bloody Marys at breakfast- determined to have a full reset! We ran into Mike and Diana in line for a table so they joined us and before long Ginny came down to eat, too. 

There was one problem, however. The weather forecast said it was going to be 60 degrees- which was ok. But, it also said the winds would be blowing at 50 MPH. I thought surely that must be a typo. I mean. 50? FIVE ZERO? Come on.

The good news was, that was indeed wrong. The bad news was, it was 42 MPH. That’s pretty darn hard to walk comfortably in and is honestly just a bit miserable all around.

HOWEVER - we were going to shore, darn it! The others decided to skip in since they’d all been before and I think I would have too in the same conditions.

There weren’t many who went ashore, I have to say! But the shops and restaurants were all open. We meandered around through the adorable little “streets”- which were sometimes not wider than about a foot more than my shoulder span! All the cute blue painted doors, flowers blooming like crazy, brightly colored scarfs and towels for sale blowing around outside the shops. 

We popped into several shops and bought some things- including baklava! I had a terrific sample in one shop. Such a treat. While in there, the shop worker offered a sample to another man who walked in. Here’s how it went:

Lady: Would you like some baklava?

Man: What’s that?

Lady: Baklava!

Man: Say it in English

Lady: Baklava!

HA! He was a good sport and tried it. 

Next, we set out looking for a cafe to sit and linger (our favorite activity) while dining on what was sure to be amazing Greek food. The challenge was finding one that was somehow still outside but not directly in the wind. We went round and round and finally found a few that would work. 

An interesting thing about the cafe culture in Europe is that there is always an older gentleman standing outside by the posted menu to greet people walking by and inviting them in. It’s not pushy or weird - it’s common. We’ve gotten used to it and even enjoy asking them a question or two. One question is always, “Do you have local wine?” The answer is always an emphatic exhale and, “OF COURSE!” Followed by a sweeping arm welcoming us to a table. 

The wait staff are also almost always older men. They are constantly on the move- squeezing in between tables effortlessly while carrying plates of food and glass of wine. They are generally quiet and efficient. Something like, “You are ready to get food, yes?” And you tell them and they leave. 

We ordered a bottle of Greek Chardonnay, some fava beans, and some anchovies. We are obsessed with eating all the small fishes while in Europe. After awhile, we had chicken souvlaki and a pork gyro. Too much food but we just wanted to try so many things and thankfully, normally the portion sizes here aren’t American sized:) What a stinking delight.

Then, we refused dessert but a tiramisu was delivered anyone and sorry…when in Rome and all that. And then, our waiters showed up with their local digestif- 4 little shot glasses for us to enjoy together, which of course we did. 

We then waddled back to the ship trying to not get sand blasted in our faces or blow off the pier! 

Our buddy Stefan, the sommelier, pinged us on WhatsApp to figure out where we’d be dining that night. Thankfully, we had reservations at the Hot Pot (like a fancy soup place) that night and nothing big like the steak house. Definitely not going to be hungry! Anyway, while we were seated in there, Stefan came cruising by with a bottle he wanted to share with us. HOLY COW was it delicious. It was a special partnership between a legendary French winery and one in Mendoza, Argentina. Absolutely incredible- what a delightful treat.

 

At this point, we must have finally become our vacation selves because we somehow stayed up till midnight listening to the house band in the piazza. We probably needed that much time to digest so I guess it all worked out. 

Somehow, the following day we arrived in Athens which meant the first week was up and a whole lot of people were disembarking. This is always an interesting situation when you are staying on board. You never know what the instructions will be as they vary by country. This looked pretty simple - they give you pieces of paper that say “passenger in transit” or something similar to show when you are coming back in so that you don’t have to go through the whole initial onboarding process again along with all the new passengers just arriving. 

We didn’t have an excursion planned so we figured we would wait for all the people to clear out and then grab a hop on hop off bus (HOHO) to take us around town. Rich and Ginny were going to do the same so we had some loose plans to find them for that. 

Cognac, Turkey, and Tuscan Dinners

 We had another sea day, which we were thrilled about, and decided to go back to the brunch in the dining room because it was so delicious, but as we were reading the little newspaper for the ship before we went, we realized that there was going to be a cognac tasting at noon and that sounded different and interesting so we thought why not! we’ll go in there after we have breakfast. We went and hilariously, it ended up being just the two of us and this very lovely young man from Brazil named Yuri. We had texted Rich and Ginny to see if they wanted to come and before long Ginny came walking in so then it was the three of us . I asked Yuri where he was from in Brazil and he said São Paulo and I said I have been. He asked me if I liked it and I said I absolutely loved it and I bet that when I was there he wasn’t born yet so he said well when were you there? I said I was there in 1993 and 1994 and he said I was born in 94 and I said amazing — I was in São Paulo present for your birth in 1994 !!! and now here we are today tasting cognac together in the Mediterranean! What a life!

I’m trying to do some more laundry and this is quite the event as I said the other day. So all day on our sea day, I kept getting all of my laundry and walking all the way down the hall only to find all the washers full. So finally, I went down a floor and then another floor and then I went up a floor and then I went all the way up to 17 because those people up there get free laundry but even there the washing machine was full so I gave up came back to the room hand washed two sweaters, all of jason’s socks and all of our underwear and we got all of that hanging up in our shower. I will tell you I’m writing this three days later and my sweaters are still wet, which is a shame because today it is chilly and exceedingly windy and I do not have a sweater to wear.

That said, the morning before we went ashore in Kusadasi, I was able to get a washing machine. So we were able to catch up on all of the laundry, and when I put it in the dryer, I threw all the rest of our underwear and socks in there to finally get dry. Unfortunately, my sweaters can’t go in the dryer so they are still hanging up. Moments like this are frustrating, but it does make you appreciate how easy it is to simply clean your clothes when you’re at home. Also, I met a lady in the laundry room who was waiting for my washer who lives in Gilroy, California, which is just two hours up the road from us on the 101. Small world.

Anyway… We went back to Kusadasi, where in 2022 we last toured Ephesus and enjoyed all of the history and oddly saw 18 million cats, but this time we just wandered into town, looked around, ate some amazing seafood— definitely the best octopus I’ve ever had in my life, drank a great bottle of local white and enjoyed a lazy day in the port.

We had a five course wine pairing dinner that Rich and Ginny went to with us that night. The sommeliers were back in action though sometimes in those  things even though they use a microphone, it’s hard to hear so I’m not entirely sure what all we drank, but I did like it. The food was mostly good, although there was a little bit of a strange first course. It was beautiful looking but a little bit odd. But, for my main course, I selected the fish and it was hands-down the best fish I’ve ever had in my entire life— truly unbelievable.

After that, we wandered around and went back to try to hear a little more live music. This is something we always like doing, but the ship is so crowded. It’s just a little bit unfortunate. We also were trying to find the lovely lady that had served us a drink earlier when we had run out of small bills and we weren’t able to tip her. Most people on the ship do not tip. They certainly don’t tip for every drink or service. But we try to even if it’s just a dollar or so we know it really makes a difference to the workers and the huge big smiles they get are rewarding for us, too. A couple cruises ago during the Covid times when the crew was constantly scrubbing and sanitizing every surface, Jason started tipping those workers who were definitely not used to getting a tip and holy cow!! Their whole face would light up when he would walk up and say thanks for the hard work you’re doing and give them a tip. So we’re still doing that. We saw a guy on his hands and his knees with a toothbrush, scrubbing the baseboards, and Jason gave him a tip. And then we saw a lady down on her hands and knees, scrubbing the floors, same thing. We’re thankful that we’re able to do so and we’re having a nicer vacation because of the work that they do.

Sea Days, Crete, and Broken Bottles of Red

 We were up for our first sea day and if you know us you know that we were thrilled. We had a slow morning going and then ventured into our dining room for brunch. While there, Ginny texted that she got us seats at the wine tasting which was about to start so we hustled right over there. We were wanting to meet the sommeliers, so this was a good chance as they’d all be there. 

The tasting was pretty good and we did indeed meet all 5 Somms on board and figure out where they are all stationed in the evenings. We have been sad about the wine list on this ship. Not only if there no wine bar- we miss you, Vines!, but the selection is pretty lacking especially by the glass. Usually you find different wines in different bars around the ship, but this is pretty standardized. That’s a bummer, too. I mean, we’re not letting it get us down…I’m just noting it.

From there, we cruised on into the art auction to meet the art team. This cruise is not too into actually bidding it seems. Pretty dead crowd. There isn’t a nice space for the auctions- it’s in the back of a restaurant so the lighting isn’t great and sometimes the art is directly behind a post and you can’t see it🤣

We took naps and then headed back out to listen to a little music and have a glass of wine before dinner. Easy and chill day- minus the seas, which were not chill! We were rocking and rolling for most of the day but thankfully, I didn’t get sea sick! Woot! 

The next morning, we had an excursion with the whole Malbec crew in Crete. Unfortunately, Jerry hasn’t been getting around too well and this trip said no mobility devices so he and Sue had to cancel. The rest of us went to a working farm where they make olive oil, wine, and honey. It was a lovely spot and we had a snack of fresh veggies and bread and olive oil. We got to try their local appertif, which was strong!  We met an awesome family- an aunt and her niece and nephew- who sat across from us at the table. We enjoyed talking to them. The olive oil was fresh and delicious!

From there, we traveled into town and went to a beautiful restaurant for a wine tasting. The sommelier talked us through 5 wines, which we really enjoyed. We grabbed the two whites to bring back onto the ship to share with Sue and Jerry since they missed it. We had a little time in town and it was so cute- tons of little shops and open air cafes. As always, I wished we had more time to visit them all. Diana had a frozen (Greek) yogurt and said it was delicious!

When we got back on the ship, we popped over to the Buffett and grabbed a sandwich to share. We realized we hadn’t eaten much! There is a small but stocked area of grab and go sandwiches and salads. Such a nice to have thing. 

The Malbec crew all ended up in the private sun deck for sanctuary guests. There is a lovely wall of ivy with a bell. When you ring it, a small door opens and a white gloved hand appears with a glass of champagne! 🍾 everyone else was ready for dinner early, but our snack was messing us up! We decided to go anyway to be with the crew. We had a special surprise up our sleeves so this seemed like the right time. 

Now you probably know that when we travel, we always bring a wine suitcase. It works really well and we’ve never had any trouble. This time we brought 12 bottles and when Jason went to open the suitcase to unpack it, we very quickly realized there was some broken glass. A very large scene then unfolded while we tried to get the suitcase out onto the patio, carefully pick up all the glass shards and pieces, wash all the non-broken bottles and get them put away, and figure out where the heck did all the wine go from the bottle that broke??? Also, why did it break? It’s never happened before. We realize that that one side of the suitcase wasn’t fully strapped down. Now the suitcase has already been through a lot on this trip as you know. It’s been loaded on and off of a gazillion planes it’s been in several countries. There’s a whole lot of opportunity for somebody who have opened it and then not properly re-secured it. The bummer is we don’t know who so there’s really no one to ask for reimbursement from. I also feel bad for whatever took the brunt of a full bottle of red wine leaking onto it. Cause the wine wasn’t still in the suitcase.

That said most of the rest of the bottles were fine. There was one however, that was cracked around the cork, and it looked like the cork itself was holding the whole thing together. So when we met the sommeliers earlier, Jason asked one of them if we brought this in if they would be able to help us pull the cork out and filter the wine in such a way that we could guarantee that nobody would be drinking glass shards. They said bring and we’ll try it. 

So, we showed up at dinner with this precarious bottle of wine and we found Stefan the sommelier and sure enough he was able to uncork it and get it filtered. We, of course, gave him a small glass to try and he loved it and we knew from that moment on we would be best friends.🙌🤣🍷 welcome to Nicora, Stefan!