RIDING THE OCEAN AND GUESS WHAT THIS DISH IS!

Regal Princess/At Sea on the Atlantic Ocean
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Cloudy, spots of rain, 79F

A pretty cool photo by TK

The days are getting much warmer and the sea is quite calm.  Today the Third Officer announced at noon that we are 1062 miles from the nearest land mass, the island of Santa Maria, part of the Azores Islands.  He also said that we are 1600 miles from our next port of call, Antigua. That means that we are REALLY alone on the Atlantic Ocean, far from land!  

(Note: Usually on the TA, we can see another ship crossing with us, or some container ships, or freighters. Not yet!)

 

Nothing makes me feel tinier than being on the ocean with absolutely nothing in sight. Even though our ship is fairly large, certainly larger than the Brig Niagara (110 ft long w/o bowsprit) and the Mayflower (about 100 ft long), it still looks small in the ocean.

Another note: On the ocean, the horizon is about 3 miles away--depending on the viewer's height and the height of the vessel.  

Regal Princess: 360 ft in length (about 3 football fields long); 217 ft high (about 22 stories high); and 155 ft. wide (almost the size of the Millcreek Mall/WICU tower).

Another stat that I do not understand and I could be comparing apples to oranges:

Regal Princess:  141,000 gross tonnage

Brig Niagara:  492 gross tonnage

Mayflower: 230 gross tonnage

This little exercise is to show that the ship we are aboard right now is very big, yet very  small on the Atlantic Ocean.  I am not even going to think about the 102 passengers and 30 crew on the Mayflower crossing the Atlantic with little knowledge of where they were going.

Enough of that—today was a very quiet day of eating, reading, resting, and writing, nothing to report.

But, TK’s Contest, Guess this dish is!!  Yesterday, October 15

PUMPKIN PIE!

According the the Chef on Regal Princess

Thank you to Ann, Julie, Heidi, and Chris for your great ideas!

 Ann was really on the money with, “A pastry shell filled with pumpkin and some kind of   custard on the side, plus whipped cream (not enough!)”  Every detail!  Plus, TK agrees that the 2024 Regal Princess chef got closer to what beef stroganoff really looks like! Spaghetti-no!

 

Julie and Heidi had an interesting (and very good) guess:  Pastel de Nata, a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry, optionally dusted with cinnamon—they have enjoyed this pastry (brought to U.S. by grandson/nephew) and it not only sounds delicious, it l ooks exactly like the Regal’s pumpkin pie!

 

Pastel de nata

Chris took a different point of view which to me seems like a good possibility:

“The mystery dish sort of resembles a chicken pot pie, maybe melted cheese on top and leaking gravy from the bottom, lol…and a decorative bit of sour cream. My lunch tastes tend to be more on the savory side than the sweet dessert side.”  Honestly, we can see this too!

 

TK is so pleased that there were guesses that he found another mystery food.  I do appreciate that you humored him on his quest. I am betting today’s challenge is going to be more difficult!

 TK'S TODAY CHALLENGE OCTOBER 16

Guess what this dish is:

What is this?

TK’s Takes: He saw two seagulls soaring over the ship today—think about that, 1000 miles from land!

TK went to Movies Under the Stars last night--Dune II

He did not stay--3 hours is a long movie, but he brought 

very good popcorn back for me!

It's a movie I want to see, but we have it recorded at home.

DAYS AT SEA ON THE REGAL PRINCESS!

Regal Princess/At Sea on the Atlantic Ocean
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Rain, Clouds, then Sun, 77F

Towel animals are back!

A little doggie!

TK wanted me to blog today because he wants to revive his “contest,” "Guess what this food is." Remember, these are Sea Days and I think he had plenty of time to think about things like that.  I will come back to TK’s contest in a moment.

This morning was rainy, so we spent the morning in the covered back of the ship, overlooking the sea.  So far, the ocean is much calmer than a few days ago.  This was very pleasant, the weather is much warmer now, it was not really windy, and what’s not to like about daydreaming?

Regal Princess-Deck 16 Aft

Wish you, dear Readers, could enjoy this with us!

At noon the Third Mate announced that we have traveled 717 miles away from Funchal, Madeira, so far and we have 2000 miles to go. He speaks in nautical miles, then gives us the data in miles. I wish he had given the depth of the ocean.

One interesting detail is that about every two days we are setting our clocks back an hour--tonight we will be only four hours ahead of EDST.

These are very lazy days – I was looking forward to my highlight of the day: lunch in the dining room with my new favorite, “Colossal Fries.”  Those are my favorite coated fries, hot and crispy, and only served at lunch in the dining room as an appetizer. Next time I am going to order a double! Ann, you know what I am talking about!  To make it seem like this was a real lunch, I ordered deep fried Thai spring rolls with shrimp.  TK, thinking more nutritionally, had some kind of soup and some kind of entrée. I was too busy eating fries.

After lunch we headed to a favorite spot on Deck 7, the Serenity Lounge—we have talked about this spot before, thickly padded lounge chairs, overlooking the ocean, with attendants attending to any beverage you wish, and tea with a variety of tea sandwiches and petite sweets, including scones, clotted cream, and jam at 3 p.m.  There is a charge for this area, but TK gets a lot of onboard credit that must be used on the ship.

TK daydreams while I read and read and read.

 

Thank you for so many books, Chris!!

I have read these books 

plus 3 others  since the plane ride to London

I have 6 books left...

Back to TK’s contest!

On cruise in 2022, he wanted readers to guess what the first dish was:

Beef Stroganoff on the Regal Princess

November 2022

Spaghetti pasta

Beef Stroganoff on the Caribbean Princess

January 2023

Beef Stroganoff on the Regal Princess

October 2024

TK'S NEW CONTEST

Guess what this dish is:

Janie's

TK's

MADEIRA: WARM OCEAN BREEZE AND PALM TREES SWAYING!

Regal Princess/Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Sunday, October 13, 2024
Sun, 76F

Funchal, Madeira on Sunday morning after we were docked

Who can resist walking along an ocean side promenade with a warm, salty ocean breeze and palm trees swaying?  TK and I were doing just that this morning.  We very pleased with warmer weather and sunshine, leading us to think of ourselves as fair weather cruisers. Funchal is very walkable right off the ship, although Princess offered a shuttle to the city’s center.

  
Funchal from the ship in the afternoon

TK made a screenshot

Strolling along the shore--the Regal Princess in the background

Why not have beautiful blue tiles on your building?

Closeup of one panel of the blue and white tiles

Palm trees along the street

What's not to like!?

TK checking directions

We stopped for a soda

We could run a coffee truck and 

stay in Madeira!

I need to clarify something--Madeira is an autonomous region of Portugal, but it is not considered part of the Azores Islands. It is an archipelago  made up of four islands (two are uninhabited) and situated in the North Atlantic, 250 miles north of the Canary Islands, 320 miles west and 500 miles southwest of mainland Portugal. It sits on the African Tectonic Plate, although it is culturally, politically and ethnically associated with Europe, with its population predominantly descended from Portuguese settlers. Madeira’s population is 254,000.

Funchal, the capital, is the largest city and has a population of 105,795, making it the sixth largest city in Portugal. Because of its high cultural and historical value, Funchal is one of Portugal's main tourist attractions; it is also popular as a destination for New Year's Eve, and it is the leading Portuguese port on cruise liner dockings.

After coffee and a croissant at a local coffee shop, we headed for the city center and Plaza Madeira, a “unique shopping experience.”   We have visited Funchal several times previously, so today was just going to be a leisurely day. There is a cable car to take people to the summit of a nearby incline, and one can take the basket sled ride back down, something Funchal is famous for. 

Others enjoyed the tuk-tuk ride for two or four—a small mode of motorized transportation for driving guests around the city.  

 

Tuk Tuk

This bright shiny mall only had a few stores we recognized, and I think by now readers know we are not really shopping at malls, but just checking out the local streets and people watching.  More stops along the way included stops at sidewalk cafes for soda, and some souvenirs.

 

Madeira Plaza

One food shop in the Food Court

Burger choices:  Fresh looks like tomato and lettuce?, vegan 

(looks like it has a fried egg on top), mushroom, cheese

Continued: Cheese, carbonara, Mediterrean, eggs Benedict, superbread

Friend Julie, I can order the benedict burger for you!

The city park was refreshing, and I noted the lush Clivia miniata, also known as September Lily or Bush Lily, native of South Africa. It was a plant my mother had, and I still have as a houseplant. Mine never blossoms because I have not figured out the right window for it. 

City Park

Bush Lily

Bird of Paradise

Silk Floss Tree

I do not think we have seen such a tree before

I love the purses made of cork and the embroidery of Madeira.  Other souvenirs include Poncha (sugar cane alcohol, honey, sugar, tangerine or lemon), and Madeira wine (a fortified wine, usually sweet). 

Football Sunday!

Shout Out to our football crew in Erie!

Chicago Bears and the Jacksonville Jaguars 

are playing in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 

as part of the NFL's Week 6 schedule.  

TK was watching this game this afternoon.

TK's Takes:   He definitely thinks it's better to cruise in warmer weather.

Finally, when the ship leaves Funchal this afternoon about 6 p.m., we will on the Atlantic until next Sunday when we arrive in Antigua.  I am not sure about the Internet during that time, nor what exciting things we will be reporting. Don't worry!

REGAL PRINCESS: ROUGH DAYS AT SEA!

Regal Princess/At Sea, A distance off the Coast of Morocco
Saturday, October 12, 2024
Clouds and sun, 70F

 We have been at sea without seeing land since 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The sea has been very rough, but we are fine.

On Thursday, TK commented that there has been a temperature change of one degree per day since leaving Cobh, but we have to amend that because now the temperature is about 70F. 

On Friday the Captain announced that we were headed SSW on the Atlantic Ocean.  The depth of the sea on Friday was 16,000 ft. deep, that is over 3 miles, or the distance from our house near Grandview to the Bayfront Highway!  I cannot wrap my mind around a depth of water like that, and we are not in the deepest area of the Atlantic.  The captain also told us that yesterday we were in gale winds at 30 knots per hour, about 34 mph. Thankfully the ship is well stabilized.

Today, Saturday, we are still headed SW with 265 more miles to get to Madeira (at noon), but the sea is only 14,800 ft. deep—whew, not quite 3 miles deep. That’s a relief.  The 3^rd Mate who spoke today at noon said that Funchal, Madeira Island, Azores will be about 72F tomorrow. We will be warming right up!

Keeping one’s balance is a challenge in such a sea, and the waves today are even bigger than yesterday, about 14 ft swells.  We are working on the art of being graceful as we walk along, but TK had plenty of experience on the USS Columbus, a heavy cruiser--4 years. I had my share of practice on the U.S. Brig Niagara when I sailed as crew on the Atlantic years ago when a hurricane chased us up the Atlantic seacoast.

So that has been our excitement for the past several days!  Tomorrow Funchal, Madeira, Azores!  

This probably doesn't look like much, but!

TK’s Takes: He thinks the menu in the dining room should have pictures, so you know what you are getting. And, he says the sea is rougher than he remembers for a long time. 

COBH, CORK, MARKETS, MORE TITANIC, AND IRISH EMIGRATION!

Regal Princess/Port of Cobh for Cork
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Clouds and sun, 51F

The Regal Princess in the Port of Cobh

Ireland was happy that we returned for another visit! This time the ship docked in Cobh, a port I like much better than Ringaskiddy. It is right in the middle of the Cobh and only steps from the train station.  We decided to hop a train to Cork this time, since two weeks ago we traveled to nearby Blarney Castle.

Cork was half an hour away by train and we had an easy walk into the city center. We do love towns that are easy to navigate and have interesting sites. We feel like professional train “hoppers” since our trip to Germany in June, and all the information signs are in English! We found a woolen shop, bakeries, pubs, barbershops, souvenir shops, restaurants, coffee shops (even Starbucks, and we were relieved to see that it did not carry a Cork mug), and a cathedral.  The streets here were not cobblestone, but you must beware of the bicycle lane-don’t walk in that!

Cork on the River Lee

The Flag of Ireland waves over Cork

Murphy's Pub

Coffee created in Cork

Cork is known for its English Market, a large market with multiple fish, meat, cheese, breads and pastry, vendors.  We have yet to see a market as large as the one in Barcelona, but just as interesting—the smells, the sounds, the people shopping, the whole atmosphere.

Entrance to the English Market in Cork

English Market

English Market 

TK's favorite, Irish Soda Bread

English Market

English Market

TK strolling along at the English Market

Before leaving Cork, we stopped at an interesting coffee shop that seemed to cater to younger people who needed access to the Internet and printers. Computers were available too, but most people had their own laptops.  To our surprise, one of their pastry choices was my beloved sfogiatelle!  We each had a heavenly croissant and shared that petite Italian favorite.

We found our way back to the Cork train station for our trip back to Cobh to explore that great seaside town.  

Waiting for the train back to Cobh

Cobh, probably best known for being the last port of call to the ill-fated RMS Titanic on April 11, 1912, berthed at Queenstown (now Cobh) before she set out across the Atlantic on the last leg of her maiden voyage.  However, Cobh is also known as the departure point for a huge wave of about 2 ½ million Irish emigrants to America, from 1815 to the 1950. 

The Heritage Center, a small museum in the old train station, provided interesting information about the Irish famine and emigration, as well as the Titanic and the Lusitania.  Survivors and victims were brought to Cobh after the Lusitania was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915, in the Irish Sea.  This tragedy took the lives of almost 1200 people.

Poster for the Titanic's maiden voyage

Tickets for Sale Here!

Possibly one of the last photos of the Titanic--

taken in Cobh on April 11, 1912

Commemorating the arrival of the USS

Jamestown on 4.11.1847 with food donated

for the famine stricken people of Munster

TK and I enjoyed Millionaire's Shortbread

Shortbread base, with a layer of caramel, 

then chocolate

The city of Cobh

This memorial in Cobh honors those 

victims of the Lusitania

as well as those who helped the survivors

A pub in Cobh, Ireland

with a musician from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Note: This port that has had three names was first called “Cove” in 1750. It was renamed by the British as “Queenstown” in 1849 to commemorate a visit by Queen Victoria to Ireland. In 1921 when the Irish Free State was established, the name changed to Cobh, in its Irish form.   And remember, Cobh is pronounced “cove.”

After a gelato by the sea, we returned to the ship, having walked 7 ½ miles. Trust me, we are grateful for being able to do all this.  And, these are not intense walks, but just plain old walking around.

 Yesterday's sea day was uneventful, only a little rolling --  these big cruise ships have stabilizers that minimize the action.  Hurricane Kirk has apparently hit Spain pretty bad, and the captain has said he is watching the current hurricane situation in the Gulf and Atlantic.  We pray for those who are facing these hurricanes.

We have three sea days now before we arrive in Madeira, Azores. 

TK's Takes:  He thinks Janie can make Millionaire's Shortbread.  He liked the return train trip back to Cobh, the train to Cork was immensely crowded.

TK with his salted caramel gelato