July 3, 2017 – A second day at sea

I do not mind these days at sea. It is nice to have a little extra time to do all the boatside stuff. John and I went to two lectures/demonstrations today. One was on the possibility of another Scottish independence vote and the other a cooking demonstration with the head chef making a salmon dish and risotto. Both informational sessions were interesting. We can also get all the port talks and lectures on our TV so if we don’t feel like getting dressed we can watch from our room.

Here are some pictures from around the boat –

Our cabin is on the third level and this is the view out of our front window. We cannot access this area and we never see anyone out here except for a guy who raises and lowers flags.
This is the atrium which spans several floors. There is a big digital display where they put up themed pictures. On the bottom floor there is usually a piano player or a string trio performing.
This is the Star Theater where they have shows and lectures. It is also the holding bin for people waiting to depart the boat. We are tortured with music almost exclusively from 1958 while we wait.
Here is a closer-up in the Star Theater where we heard the lecture on the odds of a second Scottish independence vote.
This is the display outside of our favorite restaurant. We had that dish displayed the first night we were here. They change the menu every three or four days. So far we have had most of the menus twice. Paul, the sommelier changes up the wine for us and the chef often does something a little different on our dinner the second time we have it. Vikesh, the manager, always saves a table for us.

Tonight at the Chef’s Table there is a new menu with a sweet and salty theme. It is really delicious.

Our amuse bouche is a tomato and watermelon gazpacho. At the bottom there are small pieces of watermelon and cucumber. The surprise is small pieces of feta that contrast nicely with the sweetness.
First course was grilled scallops with beets and passion fruit sauce. Delicious. We did not like the Albariño it was paired with so we had it with some French Chablis instead.
The palate cleanser was a prosciutto and melon granita.
The main course was veal tenderloin with pumpkin and red onion marmalade. Also very good. Vikesh came over to talk to me during this course and so it got a little cold.
The finale was strawberry and basil delight with phyllo shreds which we had with a late harvest chenin blanc.

So this is a really tasty dinner and we are having it again tomorrow night. The chef is going to do a little something different with the spices on the veal and Paul promises some interesting new pairings. It should be fun and delicious.

 

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