Join Gramps on His Adventures

2026 World Cruise on the Oceania Vista!!!

Departing San Diego March 7, 2006

Hawaii

French Polynesia

Cook Islands

Samoa

Tonga

Fiji

New Caledonia

Australia

Indonesia

Singapore

Malaysia

Thailand

Sri Lanka

India

Oman

United Arab Emirate

Saudi Arabia

Egypt

Greece

Italy

Spain

Morocco

Portugal

France

United Kingdom

Ireland

Denmark

Iceland

Nova Scotia

NYC

Charleston

Miami July 6, 2026

My beautiful wife Anita with me on Celebrity Apex New Year's Eve 2024 aboard the Celebrity Apex in the Southern Caribbean.

Sunset New Year's Eve 2024

Silversea Silver Ray

January 19, 2025

The trip begins at the Brightline Station in Orlando. Took the train to Ft. Lauderdale. Boarding the Silver Ray tomorrow at 4:00 P.M.

First night January 20, 2025

It was dark and raining when I boarded so pictures of this beautiful ship will be shown January 22, 2025 when in a port. Tomorrow is a sea day

The ship is beautiful! Internet pictures do not do justice to the actual ship. It is as nice or nicer than a Four Season's Hotel

Cabin 9083

Pre dinner cocktails at the piano bar

A small charcuterie plate. I only tried one bruschetta

Second course homemade spaghetti with garlic and red pepper flakes

Main course was swordfish over a tapanata of grape tomatoes and green olives

Dinner at La Terrazza

Then the jazz trio!

Tuesday January 21- A Day at Sea

Some Pictures of the Silver Ray

Nothing quite like coffee in fine china

Breakfast at Atlantide- the Main Dining Room

Part of the Pool Deck with the Pool next to the rail

Glass elevators are on the side of the ship

S.A.L.T. Kitchen-Salt And Land Taste

A few Kitchen Classes I am taking

LIBRARY

Sushi and Sashimi light lunch at Kaiseki

Tiny Casino!!

Dinner at Silver Note- a small jazz club serving tapas

Tonight's entertainment was a husband-wife pianist and singer

As you can tell, this was the menu but I cannot figure out how to rotate the photos

First course Tuna in a Can

Ceviche, chili, lime, pickled cucumbers, grapefruit jelly

Second Course Roast Canon of Lamb

Bright herb blanket, pea puree

Final Course Beef Tournedos

Day Three Arrival in Cozumel

Arrived and anchored in Cozumel at 8:00 AM. Docks too crowded so planned to anchor this morning and take tenders to shore for my 9:00 excursion but they had to cancel the tenders as the seas are too rough. We will anchor overnight at 4:00 PM and spend all day here tomorrow before heading to the Panama Canal.

The Observation Deck

Docked at the Pier at the Island of Cozumel

January 23, 2025

Port of Cozumel

Where the Police were carrying submachine guns!

Unfortunately it was a cloudy windy day with light drizzle off and on

Dinner

Dinner was at S.A.L.T Kitchen where the menu changes every 2-3 days to reflect the current location of the ship

Met a couple from Atlanta while having pre-dinner cocktails. They are on his retirement trip as he just retired as a Delta pilot. So busy talking that I forgot to take a picture of the food (Sorry Roland has taught me better).

Dinner was Arroz con Patio a la Chiclayana- Roasted Duck Breast atop cilantro rice, green peas and criolla

Comedy Show- not too good!

January 25 Day at Sea heading toward the Panama Canal and my first day in the S.A.L.T Lab

Pargo Rojo al Escabeche

Ceviche de Corvina

White seabass, finely chopped onion, green bell pepper and celery. Chopped cilantro and lemon juice, S&P. Combine and chill for 1 1/2-2 hours.

Red snapper (or other white fish), deboned and lightly dusted with flour. Briefly sure in EVOO and remove from skillet. Add finely julienned red bell pepper and onion, add minced garlic, paprika, curry powder and a little vinegar (we used white). Saute vegetables and serve over the fish.

Cocktail Party for newcomers to Silver Sea

Bone China in Atlantide- the Main Dining Room

Perhaps the best Prime Rib I have ever tasted!

Great Show starring Roger Wright

January 26 Panama Canal Crossing

Begun by the French in the late 1800's, the plan was do dig through the mountains of Panama so ships could go between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, saving them considerable time as opposed to going around South America. The concept was eventually abandoned by the French as they could not successfully cut through the mountains given the tools and equipment available at the time. The United States military assumed control of the project in the early 1900's and developed a plan to raise, and then lower ships 85 feet from sea level, and using a system of three locks and traveling between two man made lakes, ships could travel from one ocean to the other in approximately ten hours.

From the Atlantic side you sail through the Gatun locks, then the Pedro Miguel locks and finally the Miraflores locks.

Dinner at La Terrazzo

Cotoletta alla Milanese di "Fassone"- Milanese style breaded veal chop with potato puree, cherry tomatoes and arugula, 26 month DOP Parmigiana Reggiano cheese

January 27 Day at Sea sailing to Manta, Ecuador

Today I attended a lecture on tomorrow's destination as well as a slide show from the Captain and Chief Engineer on how this ship was built!

I learned genuine Panama hats are made in Ecuador, not Panama. They are called Panama hats because the workers on the Panama Canal wore them to shield the from the sun.

Today's Cooking Class- Traditional Empanadas from Ecuador

I made a Morocho Empanada which was shrimp, onion, garlic, green bell pepper.milk and peanut butter baked in a corn dough AND two Empanadas de Viento which are melted cheese empanadas fried and then dusted with sugar of all things- Very popular Ecuadorian street food!

January 28 Manta Ecuador

Making Panama Hats in Montecristi, Ecuador

The Archeological Museum in Manta

January 29- First of two days at Sea on the way to Lima, Peru

Great Show Featuring the Music of Elton John, Billy Joel and Freddie Mercury

Thursday January 30 Day at Sea

Tomorrow we arrive at 7:00 A.M. in the city of Callao, Peru, an hour's drive from Lima, a bustling city of over 10,000,000 people. We will spend tomorrow and Saturday in Lima, departing at 7:00 P.M.

Another Day at the S.A.L.T. Kitchen

This stew has been a staple in Peru for centuries. Quite good!

The Sopa Seca came from African and Italian settlers in the early Inca days- 1300-1400's!. Very aromatic. We made ours with pasta- you can also use rice!

Special Seafood lunch- Crabs, Shrimp and Lobster

January 31 in Lima, Peru- the Capital of Peru

Statue of the founder of Peru Francisco Pizarro

One of the many Catholic churches I saw- the Basilica de Nuestra Señora del Rosario- Beautiful!!!!!!

Local Entertainers brought on board for the evening show. Not very good!!!!

February 2 Pisco, Peru following a day at sea

Pisco is a small town of 100,000 decimated by an earthquake in 2007 at the edge of a desert, so not much to do except....

Dune Buggy Ride!

Fantastic Opera Singer from Italy

February 3 Day at Sea from Peru to Chile

S.A.L.T Lab

Quinoa is believed to have been used in this area of the world for over 3000 years!

Gourmet Evening at La Dame

Cocktails at the Shelter Bar. My friends there all loved the outfit, especially the shoes

The bread was a sourdough dread cooked with olive oil, rosemary and olives, then sprinkled with salt.

First course was a Petit Oignon Souffle. Small Onion stuffed with Provencal Vegetables, White Truffle Puree and Root Juice. When the dome was removed, smoke escaped from the dish.

Second course- Bisque de Homard- Lobster and Cognac with Black Squid Ink Crisps

Followed by a palate cleanser- Notre Sorbet- Champagne Sorbet, Lychee and Rose Water

Main Course- Surf and Turf

Filet de Boeuf du Limousin- Filet of Grassfed Limousin Beef, Green Bearnaise Sauce, Spring Onion and Baby Potato Roasted in Thyme, Gaufrette Potato and Balsamic Jus and Lobster Tail

Souffle au Caramel Beurre Sale

February 4 in Arica, Chile

Only 11 miles south of the Peru-Chile border, Arica is known as the "City of Eternal Spring". Seaside next to a desert, Arica's daytime temperatures are in the 70's year round. This small town exists as a port basically serving nearby Bolivia as Bolivia is land bound with no access to the sea.

Catedral San Marcos de Arica founded 1876

A view of Arica from the ship

I think I saw Eric going into the Karaoke bar

February 6- Day at Sea heading toward Coquimbo, Chile

S.A.L.T Lab- South American Sandwiches

The Buraco Quente was my favorite. When you have sautéed the meat and vegetables, you cut the end of a small baguette and use your finger to make a hole in it then fill with the hot dish. The baguette absorbs all the flavors!!!!

Dinner at my favorite- Silver Note for tapas

Sweet Onion Petals- Scallop medallions, hazelnut crumble, caviar and champagne foam

Free Range Chicken- Sweetfoam hummus, crispy pancetta and pan favors

Another wonderful Opera evening

February 6 Day At Sea- nothing to report

February 7 at the Sister Cities of Coquimbo and La Serena, Chile

Coquimbo is the port city and LaSerena is the resort city next to it- combined population of around 500,000

This is a "fake"lighthouse, built for the tourists and no practical reasons!

This was the National Cemetery for dignitaries and politicians- not the fresh flowers in the vaults!

Prix Fixe Dinner at Kaiseki- one of two special restaurants on the Silver Ray- Amazing!

The Omakase is the Prix Pixe dinner

February 8-9 in Valparaiso, known as "Little San Francisco" for its 42 Hills

Sunrise in the Pier

As the second largest city in Chile, Valparaiso is a major port where the port and related logistics industry support 70% of the population of 500,000 people.

In the 1800's Valparaiso was a major stopover for ships traveling between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. As such there is a diverse population with ancestors from England, France, Spain, The United states and others. Interesting bit of history is the original volunteer fire departments were staffed and named for their home countries. Although no longer a volunteer fire department, the fire trucks still carry the names of the original countries. I saw one name for America and another one named for Germany.

Many of the homes and businesses are brightly painted and quite a few have murals painted on them

A Ride on the Funicular built in 1902

This was a British Girl's Boarding School in the early 1900's- now an apartment building

Once the largest private home in the city, this is now their Art Museum

Fonck Museum of Natural History with artifacts dating back to 3000 B.C.

Vina de Mar, 7 kilometers from Valparaiso

Called a "Modern City" as it was not founded until 1874 when the builder of the Pacific Railway connecting Valparaiso with Santiago fell in love with a local young lady, married her and founded this city. Upscale apartments, homes and modern shopping centers

The beautiful Vina de Mar Hotel & Casino

February 10- Day at Sea

S.A.L.T. Lab

Pastel de Choclo is am everyday dish from southern Chile and Aji Pebble is a salsa served with the Pastel

Dinner at S.A.L.T Kitchen with dishes from southern Chile

First course was Crudo, steak tartare with toast, a famed bar snack created by German immigrants in central and southern Chile (I forgot to take a picture of it!). Enterr was Cordero Asado- Roasted lamb loin served with cornbread, roasted potatoes, and porotos granados Chilean beans followed by Panqueques Crepes filled with manjar (dulce de leche), toasted walnuts, hazelnuts, served with fresh berries

Entertainment by trumpet virtuoso Nathan Samuelson

February 11- Puerto Montt, Chile

An area with a population of 250,000 this area was originally settled by German immigrants in the 1840's

This area gets over 80 inches of rainfall annually so the countryside is very beautiful. This is the volcano Oserno- one of 95 volcanoes in Chile. As part of the Andes mountains, the peak of the mountains represent the border between Chile and Argentina. Lake Llanquihue in the foreground is huge- and at its deepest reaches 1040 feet deep. In the winter the water temperature is in the 40's, and in the summer reaches the mid 60's. And I saw people swimming in the lake without wetsuits!

Sunset followed by a full moon!

A surprisingly good magic show by illusionist Gaston Quieto. Notice the sparse attendance- Quite a few passengers seasick after the very rough seas the day before!

February 12- Day at Sea-another class at S.A.L.T. Lab

Dinner at Silver Note for more Tapas

Vegetable Dumpling- Braised in clear togarashi, miso-saki broth

Crispy Filo- Forest mushrooms, roasted onion puree, shaved truffles

Free range chicken with sweetcorn hummus, crispy pancetta, pan flavours

Like an opera- Soft almond sponge, coffee foam and coffee syrup with chocolate cream

February 13- Cruising the Chilean Fjords-Amazing Sights All Day before entering the Straits of Magellan at night

February 14- Happy Valentine's Day from Punta Arenas, Chile

The City at the End f the World- a wind-whipped, fractured land of islands, glacial fjords and mountains which drop away towards Antarctica- In fact many countries have their Antarctica expedition teams based in this city of 100,000

Founded in the 1840's the economy of Punta Arenas revolved around raising sheep and coal mining. Coal was mined in the hills past the city and sent by rail to the shipyard where it was sold to Steamships traversing the Straits of Magellan. When the Panama Canal opened in 1914, the number of ships going through the Straits declined dramatically, dragging the local economy down with it. The economy did not begin to recover until oil was discovered in the region in the early 1940's.

Today, sheep farming and oil production along with a large shipyard provide the basis for the local economy

The most unusual, but very interesting Recuerdo Museum, an outdoor museum designed to record the economic history of the region.

An early snow plow, steam powered crane and oil derrick built in California in 1945 and shipped to the area

The bakery, general store, local bank and tool shed

The Museum of Modern History. Above are oars used for canoes by the indigenous people of the region. Below are renditions of hunters and fishermen.

Catholic Missions were prevalent throughout Chile. These vestments were made by indigenous people in the late 1800's. The chair was made for Pope John Paul II for his visit in the area in Aril, 1987.

Animals from the region- Condors, Llamas, Pumas, Penguins and others including storks!

In the center of town they erected a statue of Ferdinand Magellan in 1920 commemorating the 400th anniversary of his discovery of the Straits of Magellan. On the statue he is facing the Straits, but what is most interesting is the mermaid with two intertwined tails, representing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans!

Valentine's Day Dinner- I had the Center Cut Tenderloin with truffle gratinated potatoes, roasted vegetables and natural jus

February 15- Cruising the Garibaldi Fjord and Glacier- some of the most beautiful natural landscapes I have ever seen!

February 16 in Ushuaia, Argentina

The "City at the End of the World" is the southernmost city in the world. Not much here as tourism is the primary economic driver- Ski resorts in the winter, backpacking in the summer and expedition ships to Antarctica

It is the middle of the summer her, but this snow is fresh from last night! My walking tour today was a brisk, damp 40 degrees!

From 1920 to 1944 this prison housed the worst criminals in Argentina along with some political prisoners. They were used to clear timberland, build roads and bridges and were subject to horrible conditions. Two wood burning stoves provided the only heat for 400 prisoners, and come shower time, there was no hot water!

Beautiful sunset as we leave for our three day sail to Buenos Aires

Show was an Italian guitarist- not too good!

February 17- Day at Sea- It will take four days non stop to reach my final destination- Buenos Aires

S.A.L.T. Lab

The southern part of South America encompassing Chile and Argentina is know as the Patagonia Region named after the indigenous people of the region, so today we made two old local recipes

Broadway's Christine Andreas put on a great show!

February 18- Day at Sea enroute to Buenos Aires

10-12 Foot Crossing Seas and drizzle most of today

My Last S.A.L.T. Lab Day

The Savory Blueberry Sauce was excellent over fish. The chef indicated if you make it with strawberries instead of blueberries it is excellent over steak.

What a view to end the day!!!!!!!

February 19- Day at Sea

Another amazing sunset

Anther magnificent show by Christine Andreas- this tie featuring music by Gershwin, Berlin, Bacharach, Bricusse, Lerner and others

February 20- Arrival in Buenos Aires and my last night aboard the amazing Silver Ray!

I find this astonishing. We are two hours from Buenos Aires, the ocean is quite shallow here, and silt from the Amazon River dirties the ocean!

The last sunset aboard the Silver Ray

February 21 Walking around the Recoleta area of Buenos Aires

Named by CNN as one of the 10 Most Beautiful Cemeteries in the World, the Cemetery of Recoleta was founded in 1822 and still has 1-2 Funerals each Week. It is huge, covering 14 acres with 4691 Vaults

Below is the vault holding the remains of Eva Peron, born into poverty in 1919 she became an actress and married a colonel who became President of Argentina in 1946. Eva performed great works supporting trade unions and various charitable organizations and became a hero to the Argentine people. Unfortunately she passed away in 1952 at the age of 33.

This is the Gomero de la Recoleta, at over 200 years old this Rubber Fig Tree is the oldest tree in Buenos Aires

My hotel until 9:00 PM tomorrow night

February 22- Hop On, Hop Off Double decker BusTour

Above is the Argentina Capitol Building. It took 40 years to build from 1907-1947

Random Buildings Both Old and New

Game Day- Argentinians Love their Futbol

Native Risotto with Chicken and Vegetables Bottled water and a Vodka Tonic for 21,000 Argentine Pesos- About $18 US!

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