DAY 27 - DAY NINETEEN ON THE CRYSTAL SERENITY

Last evening we had what we would describe as an enchanted evening on board the Crystal Serenity as we continued to sail towards Hilo, Hawaii.

Our evening began with a Vintage Room Dinner.  The Vintage Room can accommodate up to fourteen people but we had a total of eight people attend.  The Vintage Room involves the pairing of wines with specific foods which bring out the flavor of both the wines and the cuisine.  

We enjoyed delicious wines and foods.

Since we last attended the Vintage Room in 2013, the menus have been updated so we had the opportunity to also try new courses that we did not have before.  

Anne Marie with Head Sommelier, Bart Dufour

When we first arrived we had Louis Roedere Cristal, Brut, Reims 2005 Champagne.  

After a little while we were seated and one of the ships photographers took a photo of all of us and before the evening was over we each received a copy of the photo.  Ironically, Ricardo took the photo and he is the photographer that is very creative in the way he has posed us in photos and just relaxes us with his approach. 

Bart not only explained the champagne but even the design of the bottle.

Our first course was King Crab served with Asparagus & Leon Sabayon pared with Pur Sang, Didier Daguenau, Saitnt Andelin Loire Valley 2009.  The wine was oaky which is unusual for this type of wine and we enjoyed this one.

The next item was Grilled Sea Scallop with Oxtail “Marmalade”, Celeriac * Truffle Oil pared with Chambolle Musigny, Les Feusselottes, Premier Cru, Meo-Camuzet, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy 2007

This was followed with Homemade Gorgonzola Agnolotti with Escargots Ragout * Truffle Honey pared with Pinot Noir, Wedell Cellars, Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, 2008.  Many of us preferred the Pinot Noir over the wine that was pared with the previous course.

Next up was Seared, 72 Hour Prime Beef with Wild Mushroom Strudel, Carmaleized Shallot Demi-Glaze pared with two wines; Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, First Growth, Paullac, Bordeaux 1989 and Chateau Angelus, 1 Grand Cru Classe, Saint-Emiloion, Bordeaux 2000.  Because of the 72 hour process the meat maintains the red look but do not confuse this as being rare as it is not.  Bart purposely paired this item with two red wines so that we could do a comparison ourselves including color, aroma and taste. Both were very special wines.

As if this was not enough, we enjoyed a selection of four cheeses served with Apricot Cofit & Walnut Bread pared with a Dessert Wine of Trockenbeerenauslese, Grand Cuvee No. 6, Kracher, Burgenland, Austria 2000.

For Dessert we had Paradise Chocolate Cake served with Freshly Made Sabayon.  The cake was very rich in taste and very moist.

The finale was Homemade Vintage Room Chocolate Pralines which we did not take a photo of.

The food was prepared under the direction of Executive Chef Feranz Weiss and was delicious.   Head Sommellier Bart Dufour coordinated all of this including the pairing of the wines and he thoroughly explained each and every wine we tasted.  There were four waiters who served each course.

We had a wonderful time and everything was perfect.  We dined for over two and on half hours.

Following the meal, we went directly to the first of two shows that was performed by Acrobalance and Aerial Artists Les Farfadais.  They had performed an abbreviated show at the World Cruise Gala which we did not see since we were already on the ship.  Their act was fantastic and ranks in one of the top acts we have seen on board any cruise ship.  Words cannot adequately describe how magical their performance was.   We were very fortunate that the sea swells and the winds were calm enough so they could perform.

The good news is after getting back to the room relatively late, we once again, turned the clocks back one hour.

We slept quite well even given the rocking of the ship.  We did go to sleep later than normal though.  Interestingly enough, when Keith got out of bed and Anne Marie awoke for a few minutes we could tell that the swells and wind were very strong and the ship was moving around.  

Keith still managed to wake early and start another day with his morning workout at the Fitness Center.  It was more challenging to get up and down the steps.  While it might have been difficult to use certain machines, the Elliptical Machine has an advantage in these situations as you can hold on with both hands.  

After his workout, he stopped by the Lido Cafe for Anne Marie and he also brought back coffee to the room.  

Keith walked Anne Marie down the steps and as we got to deck six where Anne Marie planned to walk we saw Elaine so Anne Marie began her walk with Elaine.  By that time the swells were not as bad as earlier.

The movement of the ship ranged from relatively calm to quite a bit of movement.

Around the time that Anne Marie returned to the room we had breakfast.  

Afterwards, Keith made his way to the Fitness Center for yet another indoor cycling Spin Class.  This time Fitness Director Scott taught the Spin Class and he used a different playlist and also had us do somethings differently than Fitness Director Michael which is always good to vary things up.  Only Keith and one other guest attended the class but they had a great time.

This involves lowering yourself and spinning with no bounce.  

Since we did not arrive to Hilo until Noon, various programs were on the schedule including a final talk given by James Bradley about the true story of the six very different young men captured in the immortal photograph as they raised the flag atop Iwo Jima.

Anne Marie met up with several of the ladies doing Knitting which was  listed on the daily program.  Keith spoke with one of the IT people for awhile.

We had lunch at the Lido Cafe.  It was not very crowded as some guests were getting ready to go out on tour.  The cafe opened earlier at 11:30 AM rather than at Noon.

 This was our second visit to Hilo, Hawaii.

Hilo is not only the rainy Capital of Hawaii but in many ways of the United States.  On average, it receives over 125 inches of annual rainfall.  That is a lot of rain.

Hilo is part of the Island of Hawaii which is the largest of the islands.  The population of Hilo is at around 45,000 inhabitants.  The Island of Hawaii is quite diverse as you have this lush side of the island which contrasts with its desert like side.

Since we have been here before and given that we had a relatively short stay, we did not take an organized tour.  Instead we walked from the Port to the town of Hilo but walked along a pretty stretch by the water that included a visit to a beautifully landscaped, 30 acre Japanese Garden known as Liliuokalani Gardens.

Keith wearing his Life Is Good Shirt that Jennifer and Gui gave to him which say Enjoy The Ride.

These are Banyan Trees

This was one of several beautiful trees that we saw as we walked into town.

This next three photos are part of the beautiful Liliukolani Gardens.

Shortly after arriving to town, we stopped by a market where people were selling crafts, along with fruit, vegetables and flowers.

We spoke with our son, Eric and our daughter, Jennifer.

A statue in honor of Kamehameha

All in all we walked about nine miles.  The weather was terrific and we really enjoyed the pretty views.  In town, we ran into many guests and members of the crew.  

It's been a wonderful day in Hawaii.

This evening we are back in the Crystal Dining Room for dinner.

Like the saying on Keith's shirt, "Life Is Good."

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY...………

"Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are."  - Franklin Roosevelt

Keith & Anne Marie