As we mentioned in yesterday's post, in keeping with the St. Patrick's "Spirit" on-board the ship there were lots of evening activities/entertainment centered around St Patrick's Day last evening.
At 7:00 PM the first of two shows were presented with Irish Comedian Billy Boyle. We were able to attend most of the first show and enjoyed the Irish Humor. After all, Anne Marie is half Irish.
At 7:00 PM the first of two shows were presented with Irish Comedian Billy Boyle. We were able to attend most of the first show and enjoyed the Irish Humor. After all, Anne Marie is half Irish.
At 7:45 PM there was an Irish Sing-a-Long at the Avenue Saloon with singers Karen and Dave and singer/pianist Colin Salter and then at 9:00 PM there was a St. Paddy's Day Party in the Crystal Plaza that lasted until Midnight. We enjoyed each of these events. At the Sing-a-Long, song books were passed out so we could following along and sing. The Saloon was packed with guests and was a lot of fun.
The Crystal Plaza and the surrounding area was decorated for the Holiday and we each wore something green as well.
The Crystal Plaza and the surrounding area was decorated for the Holiday and we each wore something green as well.
Before dinner last evening, we attended a travel consortium cocktail party. We spoke with some guests who just joined the ship in Hong Kong as well as some guests who we have sailed with since the start of the World Cruise.
From the party we went directly to dinner.
We had pre-ordered a couple of items with Augusto for dinner and he also had a surprise for us.
As you know, on most evenings we stick to fish but once in awhile it's nice to have something special. This year we've tried to change things up a little bit and last night was one of those nights.
As you know, on most evenings we stick to fish but once in awhile it's nice to have something special. This year we've tried to change things up a little bit and last night was one of those nights.
We began our meal with the "Augusto Caesar Salad". Once again it was delicious as Augusto has away of making the salad without the ingredients being too overpowering as can sometimes happen with Caesar Salad. As they say, it was just "right".
Our second course was the "Augusto Penne with Lobster and Tomato Sauce" entree. It is not often that we have a Linguini entree and, in fact, this has been the only time since boarding the ship that we have ordered a pasta entree dish but as we said we decided to change things up a bit. This was a delicious entree. We didn't finish it all because midway through that course Augusto told us about the next course. Yes, the surprise.
Our third course, the surprise,was something he made for us and Celeste and Bill who have late dining. It was Eggplant Parmigiana. It was simply delicious. This pan was not all for us as Augusto gave it to other guests in his section of the dining room for the first seating. He prepares the Eggplant in the same manner that Anne Marie would which is a method that she learned from her Grandmother. We mentioned that Anne Marie is half Irish and she is also half Italian.
Our third course, the surprise,was something he made for us and Celeste and Bill who have late dining. It was Eggplant Parmigiana. It was simply delicious. This pan was not all for us as Augusto gave it to other guests in his section of the dining room for the first seating. He prepares the Eggplant in the same manner that Anne Marie would which is a method that she learned from her Grandmother. We mentioned that Anne Marie is half Irish and she is also half Italian.
The last course was dessert and rather than sugar free dessert we had some cake.
It was a great St. Patrick's Day and a wonderful dinner.
We slept very well last evening. Before we went to bed we could hear the ships fog horn sounding once again, but we still fell asleep relatively easy and never heard it again throughout the night.
Keith was up very early this morning and back in the Fitness Center. It likely was the pasta, but he actually felt that he had extra strength and had one of his best workouts on the Elliptical Machine. He was watching a movie and that also made the workout go much faster.
Anne Marie didn't workout this morning since we had a private tour of Shanghai we had an earlier than normal breakfast and then we got ready for the tour.
It was extremely foggy when we arrived to the Shanghai Cruise Ship Terminal. During the Captain's Morning talk he noted that right after we arrived the port was closed due to the fog so if we would have arrived just a few minutes later we would have had to wait. Captain Glenn's thought of the day follows.
"Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find it out."
Anne Marie didn't workout this morning since we had a private tour of Shanghai we had an earlier than normal breakfast and then we got ready for the tour.
It was extremely foggy when we arrived to the Shanghai Cruise Ship Terminal. During the Captain's Morning talk he noted that right after we arrived the port was closed due to the fog so if we would have arrived just a few minutes later we would have had to wait. Captain Glenn's thought of the day follows.
"Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find it out."
We had a great time in Shanghai.
If we had to use words to describe the day we would say, Lots of People (Over 23 Million people live in Shanghai), Old and New, Fog, Cold and lots to do and see. It is incredible when you think of the growth that took place in this city.
We began by visiting Yu Yuan Gardens which is incredible. It has a 400 year history and it was just beautiful even in spite of the overcast skies. There are halls, chambers, towers, pavilions, and flowing streams which express the essence of the Ming and Qing Dynasty's garden designs.
We then visited some stores where we not only looked at the merchandise but we received some very good demonstrations about silk and pearls.
We had lunch at a restaurant calledLu Bo Land. Our tour guide ordered the lunch for us ( we did selects some items from photos such as the soup and the dumplings and vegetables) and then we ate by ourselves. Former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton have dined there as did Queen Elizabeth.
We then walked all around to various markets and you just wouldn't believe the number of people who were out and about and it was literally store and store and restaurant after restaurant.
We went over to The Bund. This is a 100 year old boulevard that represents both the past and the future. We enjoyed a nice walk as we took in all that was around us.
Anne Marie with our tour guide Alice (Shenjie is her Chinese Name)
The next set of photos was taken at Yu Yuan Gardens
There were also lots of ponds with fish which is very important in the Chinese Culture
The next set of photos are from our lunch. There was way too much food but our tour guide wanted to give us a feel for the cuisine. We left much more on the plates than we ate when it came to most of the items other than the vegetables. Even the soup could have fed ten people.
We shared a Chinese Beer (large bottle for two)
We also had tea.
Pork
Spring Roll
Chicken
Dumplings which also had hot soup in them.
Soup
Vegetables
At the Pearl Factory
Interesting Food.
This photo will give you a sense of the number of people we encountered
This is the vehicle we were driven in and the photo shows not only our tour guide, Alice, but also our driver Mr. Ge.
From the Bund we took photos of the new and the old. This is the new.
The Peace Hotel
This evening we will attend a World Cruise Shoreside Event.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.....
"If you live long enough, you'll make mistakes. But if you learn from them, you'll be a better person. It's how you handle adversity, not how it affects you. The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit." - Bill Clinton
Keith and Anne Marie
More wonderful photos! We remember Shanghai and the smog. But how exciting! Tell Augusto to hold that thought about the Penne. I WILL be looking for that when I embark.
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