Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Dining in Paris and The French Paradox
Having just returned from a 10-day trip to Paris and still being a bit dazed by it all, I will post some observations while they are still hanging around somewhere in my brain! First of all, let me go pour myself a glass of champagne....
Ah, that's better. And speaking of champagne, Bob and I flew Air France non-stop out of Atlanta since I read the champagne (and all other beverages) are free! Oh, and the first checked bag is free as well. None of the Delta nickel-and-diming-you to death routine. Next I would like to give a shout out to Dr. Jim Braude of www.ourhomeinparis.com for amassing a wonderful collection of Parisian apartments that are in lovely neighborhoods and well-appointed. Ours was in Le Marais and was just downstairs from the one Jim Morrison rented on his final visit to Paris. He was found in the bath tub, as anyone my age would know, dead from a heart attack. Or at least that was the story! The kitchen was just so French with its black and white marble backsplash and old wooden floors. A tall pair of casement windows with black iron decorative railing on the exterior added to the charm. If I could figure out how to post a photo, I would. Wait....maybe I can.....
Since I did some reading this morning on WebMD regarding cholesterol, my mind starting going to the French people and their dining particulars. My doctor recommended that I never eat cheese, for example, but a cheese course exists on just about every French menu. And there are an abundance of fromageries with delicious, fresh cheeses all over the place. The French folks looked pretty healthy to me, so I thought about the French Paradox that we Americans heard about a couple of decades ago when everyone flocked to the package store for red wine. Here are some observations from me to you:
*The beverages of choice for the French are wine, water, and coffee. Take heed, all you Baptists reading this! Not once did I see anyone drinking sweet tea. Interestingly enough, there are quite a few Coca Colas served in glass bottles with a glass of ice. Not one sighting of a Pepsi though! The tap water in Paris is very good and most always we were served a carafe of water at the table.
*A basket of fresh, sliced French bread is served with every meal....sans le buerre. When I asked for butter, I was looked at with amazement and told that it was in the food. Now that took some getting used to!
*French fries are a standard side item with most meals. I won't use the term entree because that is actually an appetizer in France. I suppose if you call them pommes frites it seems less like a fried food side. I do not know what they are fried in but it would be my wild guess that it is a healthier type of oil than what would be used in the U.S.
*Fresh cheese is usually listed as a dessert option, but I ordered it a couple of times with wine before a meal. The brie at Ma Bourgnon in the Place des Vosges was terribly strong and when I mentioned this to our server he pointed to the mustard in a jar on the table. "This is the way we eat it." I asked to take it home and then threw it in the trash outside our apartment.
*Speaking of cheese, I tossed some in our buggy at the Monoprix (the grocery store chain) and looked around for crackers. Around and around....until I found some. If memory serves correctly, I found only one selection of crackers, just above some Ritz Bitz. Apparently they don't eat crackers with their cheese!
*The French do not consume much processed food as there are open air markets everywhere with wonderful produce as well as fromageries for cheese, boulangeries for breads and other baked goodies, wine shops, boucheries for fresh meats and sausages. It is very common to see folks strolling down the street carrying a fresh loaf of French bread. Those of you who know me will understand just how envious that makes me!
*Long lunches and late dinners are the rule in Paris. Again, with lots of wine and almost always dessert. Servers do not bring a check to the table when you are still halfway through the main course as is standard practice in the U.S. I am a slow eater and was continually startled at the tables of diners that arrived before and lingered after we were gone.
*The French people go to outdoor cafes to smoke. A lot. Thank goodness they cannot smoke inside the restaurants. It makes me wonder about the lung cancer rates there. Maybe all that wine and coffee inhibit cancer cells?
*The streets of Paris are flooded with people. People walk a lot there and even if they take the Metro there are lots and lots of stairs to navigate down under.
We visited a lot of restaurants and had some truly wonderful food. I will post some reviews soon (before my brain decides to delete and make more space for other things).
The FB
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Silversea Cruise on Silver Spirit, Western Caribbean
To celebrate Bob's retirement, I booked this cruise on the Silver Spirit departing from Ft. Lauderdale on January 3rd for 7 nights. Since this was Bob's first cruise and only my second, I wanted to make sure I found something that would be a pretty sure bet to be a pleasant experience. When I ran across a nice deal on vacationstogo.com, I booked a mid-ship veranda suite, Room 918, which is on the pool deck. The Silver Spirit carries 540 passengers which was more appealing than one which accommodates 10 times that many.
We flew into Ft. Lauderdale on Monday for a Tuesday embarkation, just in case we ran into weather issues in the north Georgia mountains. It was a smooth entry from the cruise terminal onto the ship in the early afternoon and our butler greeted us in our suite. I loved the location as we were just down the hall from the entrance to the pool deck and the Panorama Lounge. Most of the room attendants were from the Philippines and were quietly eager to please. The bathroom was the star of the suite with granite counter tops, walk-in glass shower, and tub large enough for two. Down the hall was the closet and then the sleeping area with narrow vanity, followed by the living area. There were mirrored walls in the sleeping and living areas which had 2 flat-screen tv's embedded in them. The balcony consisted of two wicker-type chairs, ottomans, and a table.
The pool deck became our go-to venue for mid-day when the ship was at sea or, for example, when we docked in Guatemala. I am glad we didn't book an excursion there since the comments were mostly negative. One of our fellow travelers described his tour as a "jungle walk" before which they were told to watch out for snakes, spiders, and animals. We were glad we opted for lunch and drinks on the ship that day! The port there was mostly industrial and we were the only cruise ship there as the container ships loaded and unloaded cargo. Our ship was also the only one docked in Belize and we had to board tenders to get ashore. The shops and restaurants on the water were closed due to lack of other cruise ships, but we had the name of a restaurant that we wanted to try. We found a cab driver who took us to the Bird's Isle, which was truly a place where the locals go. My snapper was fresh and it was fun to experience the local flavors.
Back to the ship. Since I dislike getting out early for breakfast, we ordered room service most mornings. Our butler was very timely and I called for coffee sometimes when I woke up earlier than planned. Bob ordered the omelets a few times, and when we ordered the waffles and pancakes they arrived cold. We learned to stick with such things as oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, and pastries. I didn't realize that most of the restaurants were by reservation, so we really were at a disadvantage for dinner. The main restaurant did not require a reservation and was quite good on our first visit. We wanted to have a special evening at Le Champagne and our butler tried hard to get us a table. On the night when he succeeded, we found out that the theme was "A for Asparagus" and the main dish would be caviar, which neither of us eats. Since there is an additional $200 per person charged for this venue we decided to opt out. We went to the BBQ on the pool deck but the wind began whipping and we decided to go inside. Then our butler informed us that he had secured reservations the next night for "Hot Rocks", also on the level just above the pool, where you cook your own food. Sorry, but we'd had enough of dining outside on the windy seas and if I'd wanted to cook my food I'd have stayed home!
One thing we did enjoy was the daily quiz and the crossword puzzle from the Library. We won the prize for the Quiz on two occasions! There was a daily Team Trivia contest, but we learned it was important to start early and get on a team. One afternoon we decided to wander into the Panorama Lounge for a cocktail and then learned we were sitting in a team's "spot". The Bar on level 5 became the place we went for a pre-dinner drink and the servers were eager to learn our names. It was decorated in an Art Deco style and the same crowd seemed to wander in just as if one was at a local cocktail lounge.
There were many times when I wandered through the corridors and never saw another person, so this ship really does deliver in the space per passenger ratio. The Observation Lounge on Deck 11 hardly ever had anyone there during the times I visited. The Captain had his family on board and could be seen playing with his grandchildren by the pool during the day, which held a certain charm. The international crowd was well-dressed and I have never seen so many women who wore heels with their bathing suits to the pool!
We went to the Casino on a couple of nights and played Blackjack. The dealers were mostly from Romania and were very tolerant of novice players such as myself. I did manage to win money, however, on each of the three nights I played! It was fun to go on the one formal night and pretend to be in a James Bond movie, given all the men in tuxedos.
Overall, we had a great cruise and most of the shortcomings were due to lack of planning on my part. In the future I will book the restaurants and pay more attention to the shore excursions although the point of this trip was relaxation. And when in the Caribbean in January, my goal is to get away from winter and simply enjoy the great weather on the ship. Can't wait for the next cruise!
We flew into Ft. Lauderdale on Monday for a Tuesday embarkation, just in case we ran into weather issues in the north Georgia mountains. It was a smooth entry from the cruise terminal onto the ship in the early afternoon and our butler greeted us in our suite. I loved the location as we were just down the hall from the entrance to the pool deck and the Panorama Lounge. Most of the room attendants were from the Philippines and were quietly eager to please. The bathroom was the star of the suite with granite counter tops, walk-in glass shower, and tub large enough for two. Down the hall was the closet and then the sleeping area with narrow vanity, followed by the living area. There were mirrored walls in the sleeping and living areas which had 2 flat-screen tv's embedded in them. The balcony consisted of two wicker-type chairs, ottomans, and a table.
The pool deck became our go-to venue for mid-day when the ship was at sea or, for example, when we docked in Guatemala. I am glad we didn't book an excursion there since the comments were mostly negative. One of our fellow travelers described his tour as a "jungle walk" before which they were told to watch out for snakes, spiders, and animals. We were glad we opted for lunch and drinks on the ship that day! The port there was mostly industrial and we were the only cruise ship there as the container ships loaded and unloaded cargo. Our ship was also the only one docked in Belize and we had to board tenders to get ashore. The shops and restaurants on the water were closed due to lack of other cruise ships, but we had the name of a restaurant that we wanted to try. We found a cab driver who took us to the Bird's Isle, which was truly a place where the locals go. My snapper was fresh and it was fun to experience the local flavors.
Back to the ship. Since I dislike getting out early for breakfast, we ordered room service most mornings. Our butler was very timely and I called for coffee sometimes when I woke up earlier than planned. Bob ordered the omelets a few times, and when we ordered the waffles and pancakes they arrived cold. We learned to stick with such things as oatmeal, yogurt, fruit, and pastries. I didn't realize that most of the restaurants were by reservation, so we really were at a disadvantage for dinner. The main restaurant did not require a reservation and was quite good on our first visit. We wanted to have a special evening at Le Champagne and our butler tried hard to get us a table. On the night when he succeeded, we found out that the theme was "A for Asparagus" and the main dish would be caviar, which neither of us eats. Since there is an additional $200 per person charged for this venue we decided to opt out. We went to the BBQ on the pool deck but the wind began whipping and we decided to go inside. Then our butler informed us that he had secured reservations the next night for "Hot Rocks", also on the level just above the pool, where you cook your own food. Sorry, but we'd had enough of dining outside on the windy seas and if I'd wanted to cook my food I'd have stayed home!
One thing we did enjoy was the daily quiz and the crossword puzzle from the Library. We won the prize for the Quiz on two occasions! There was a daily Team Trivia contest, but we learned it was important to start early and get on a team. One afternoon we decided to wander into the Panorama Lounge for a cocktail and then learned we were sitting in a team's "spot". The Bar on level 5 became the place we went for a pre-dinner drink and the servers were eager to learn our names. It was decorated in an Art Deco style and the same crowd seemed to wander in just as if one was at a local cocktail lounge.
There were many times when I wandered through the corridors and never saw another person, so this ship really does deliver in the space per passenger ratio. The Observation Lounge on Deck 11 hardly ever had anyone there during the times I visited. The Captain had his family on board and could be seen playing with his grandchildren by the pool during the day, which held a certain charm. The international crowd was well-dressed and I have never seen so many women who wore heels with their bathing suits to the pool!
We went to the Casino on a couple of nights and played Blackjack. The dealers were mostly from Romania and were very tolerant of novice players such as myself. I did manage to win money, however, on each of the three nights I played! It was fun to go on the one formal night and pretend to be in a James Bond movie, given all the men in tuxedos.
Overall, we had a great cruise and most of the shortcomings were due to lack of planning on my part. In the future I will book the restaurants and pay more attention to the shore excursions although the point of this trip was relaxation. And when in the Caribbean in January, my goal is to get away from winter and simply enjoy the great weather on the ship. Can't wait for the next cruise!
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