There are a lot of swells in the ocean today but we barely feel anything. There was a bit more swaying last night as I bet they turn the stabilizers off at night. Coffee on our balcony again, the sky was a mellow orange color though the ship is sailing at such degree that we did not see the sunrise today. Sparse clouds float past but no threat of rain, certainly idyllic. After coffee in our room I had a coupon for speciality coffee on the Promenade, which was delicious, the coffee they serve routinely is not very strong or full bodied.
Our first event of the day was a lecture "Cruising Victorian Ladies" and the speaker had on the full garb and explained all of it as she took it off to a modest degree. Then it was off for our walk but the deck 4-5 walk we like was partitioned off up the stairs so we improvised. Some folks are complaining about the wind but we find it refreshing! The Internet was down when we checked so we went on to lunch in the dining room. Caesar salad with shrimp for me and beef fajitas for John; salad was good but fajitas not so much. We don't want to eat too much anyway as we have our fancy "Portofino Wine Dinner Series" tonight (menu and wines listed below) at 7:45pm.
Cabin Crawl from 2-4pm; this was a small event another woman and I put together. One is able to view others cabins, two groupings of cabins, for one hour each. No set times, just within that hour set aside for it. Of most interest was the Grand Suite and Jr. Suite. The aft balcony was really big also. Of course all of these categories come at a higher rate than our balcony cabin. Looks like they are replacing the older TVs as they die out with flat screen types. We are thrilled with what we have! After the crawl some of us met at the Viking Crown Lounge for a drink. It has been interesting to meet so many people who are almost "professional" cruisers. Within the group there is so much knowledge that I suppose any question we had could be answered.
Crown & Anchor Welcome Back Party at 4:30; typical welcome party serving 3-4 drinks to choose from, wine, and champagne. No appetizers but that is fine as we have the big dinner tonight.
The show tonight was 6:30 pm for us since we had the later dinner plans. It was the typical Broadway presentation, nicely done with a couple of excellent singers. We slipped out early to our special dinner. It was remarkable, just fantastic, we really enjoyed it. Here is the menu with photos:
PORTOFINO WINE DINNER SERIES
~~~
Antipasto Freddo
Tuna Carpaccio and Tomato Tartare~with Kalamata olives, crispy lettuce and herb oil
Danzante Pino Grigio
Veneto, Italy
Antipasto Caldo
Pan seared bay scallops and lobster~In basil seafood nage with double whipped mashed potatoes
Il Ducale Sanjiovese, Ruffino
Tuscany, Italy
Insalata Della Casa
House Salad-Radicchio, arugula, Romaine, Belgium endive, tomatoes, olives, fennel with crispy Prosciutto, Feta cheese and chive dressing (no additional wine)
Piatto Principale
"Creazione Dello Chef Marco"-Roasted Beef Medallions, Parmesan custard, asparagus, sweet corn puree and golden shallot reduction
La Vite Lucente Sanjiovese/Merlot Blend
Tuscany, Italy
Dolce con Sapori Toscani
Mascarpone and Strawberry crepes-Citrus scented Galliano syrup, candied orange peel and almond Florentine
Errazwriz Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc
Casablanca Valley, Chile
I really don't know what else I can say about this meal that you cannot see with the photos. One thing, we could not even drink all the wine they gave us, a full glass of each type! We did finish the first and last ones, the second red wine with the beef was just wonderful. I was surprised at the alcohol content of that wine also, 20.5 percent. That is very high for wine. The Maitre' d gave a wonderful presentation telling us of each course and each wine as we went along. This is certainly not something one would want to do often, but it was a great experience for a foodie!
Temperature: 68* (11:00 pm)
Sea: Moderate 4-7.5 ft. Gentle breeze.
Miles from Galveston: 1,763, to Bermuda 122 (nautical miles)
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