Millers' Time

This is the end of my bread baking experience for now. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the time. Usually in groups there is someone who is always late or someone who is really annoying and that really wasn’t the case this time. Everyone showed up at least 15 minutes early every day. There were a couple people with a few little quirks but nothing too bad. Roger and I were great partners and we always seemed to be the first ones done with any part of the projects.

Today was French Bread day. Our instructor today was Jeff. He had worked at Columbia City Bakery in Seattle at one point in his career. This was the one I had really been waiting for. We started off with a big pile of dough that they had made in the machine and all chipped in to preform the dough as they weighed it.

One of the two big batches of dough they had ready for us

Next we went to the front and Jeff mixed up a batch of the dough using the poolish from the night before and adding more flour, yeast and water. This is called a lean dough as there is no butter or other things added to it.

He then showed us how to knead it. The dough is a very wet (hydrated) dough and has to be handled in a different way than the ones we had done before because you want the dough to stay wet and you don’t use flour in the kneading.

They call the process Slap the Cat or Bad Kitty. You put your fingers under the dough horizontally and about 2/3 of the way up (like you pick up a cat under the arms not in the middle) . Then you slap it down on the table and pull back towards you then fold over and do it again.

It is a goopy mess to start and your fingers are covered with dough but the more you do it the more it starts to come together and eventually it quits sticking to the work surface and your fingers. It got really noisy in the room and people’s bowls and other items were being bounced off the work tables and onto the floor, which only added to the noise. It is rather tiring and everyone worked up a bit of a sweat.

First step is sliding your fingers under the mess

Lift

Slam it down on the table

Pull the dough back towards you

Fold and then repeat

Next he showed us how to form the dough into batards. It is not an easy thing to do. He made it look easy but believe me, looks were deceiving. They had made enough dough so that we all were able to practice on 3 loaves. One we did at the front with him helping then the next two were at our stations. The loaves are then put on a well floured clouche and set to rise.

Formed batards on the clouche

Then we were back to the dough we had made earlier. This dough needs to be folded after about 45 minutes of the first rise or proofing. This helps build strength and also rotates the cooler outside into the middle. There is a lot more time spent in proofing and resting this dough than the other ones we had made.

To take up some of the time and also to give us a different kind of ‘dough’ using chemicals (baking soda and baking powder) instead of biologicals (yeast) we were going to make scones

Again, he demonstrated and then we made some. They had currants to put in them. I didn’t take any pictures of the process.

I also didn’t take any pictures of us loading the batards onto the conveyor belt and putting them into the deck ovens. There were probably close to 50 batards from the dough they had premixed that were ready to go into the oven. Everyone took turns loading them and then slashing them.

We then went back to hear Jeff talk us through how to add steam to our home ovens when baking bread. It involves two baking stones and a cast iron skillet. One stone is on the bottom of the oven rack and one on the top rack with the skillet on the third on under the bottom stone. Ideally, you would have three racks for you oven but if not, the cast iron can go on the bottom. You heat them for an hour at 500 degrees.

You also have a pan of boiling water on the stove and once the loaf is put on the stone you pour the water into the skillet and close the door and don’t open for at least 15 minutes.

By this time our own dough was ready so he showed us again how to form the loaves. He also showed us another way of forming the dough that looked easier to everyone. I decided to do one each way. I think the first way was easier because we got to practice it beforehand. These were then set to proof.

The scones were done so we got to taste them. They were good but needed a little raspberry jam or butter, lol.

We were running out of time so our loaves didn’t get to proof as long as he would have liked but they still turned out fine.

My batards. The one on the right was the first way we were shown and the one on the left, the second.

The first batch of batards.

I want to take the next two sessions of bread making which are Artisan breads and then learning the baker’s math and being able to develop your own recipes. However, the current calendar of classes is already full! So, I signed up on the wait list and will probably get into the next classes when that calendar is dropped in March.

I gave the class all high marks and really thought it was worthwhile. I just hope I can remember everything and be able to transfer the knowledge to my home kitchen.

But there is only one star baker, and that was me. More on that later.

Yesterday before we left, we started soaking the Harvest Grains that would go into our boulés today. The Harvest Grains mix includes four grains (whole oat berries, millet, rye flakes and wheat flakes) and four seeds flax, poppy, sesame and sunflower) for their range of textures and flavors. Soaking them softens the bran and hydrates the blend.

We started the day with whole wheat dough. The flour was mixed with water, dried milk, salt, honey and yeast and then allowed to sit for 15 minutes or so to hydrate the bran. This is the big tip for using whole grains as they are very thirsty. If you don’t do that, the loaf will be a door stop. I have made many door stops in my time.

The surprising thing about both the doughs today is that they are not stiff and hard to knead like the whole wheat I have tried in the past. They were actually very soft doughs because the grains had been hydrated.

While that was proofing, we mixed the Harvest Grains blend with flour, yeast, salt and more water. This was a very, very wet mixture and we left it in the bowl to knead. We used our hand to knead and it became a big gloppy mess for a while until the dough was kneaded enough. Then it was turned out onto the work surface and a little flour was used to do the smile, taco, turn method a few times.

My multi-grain dough

Jen

Our instructor today was Jen. She had been the ‘assistant’ on the first day and is quite knowledgeable about every aspect of bread making. She did a ‘lecture’ on how to determine the correct temperature for the water. That is how you can either speed up or slow down the process. I left my notes at the classroom but it was interesting and will be helpful in home baking.

The whole wheat dough was ready , so she split it in two and showed us how to make a cinnamon raisin loaf with one. This time, I asked for no cinnamon so she gave me brown sugar to use. The others had a mix of white sugar and cinnamon. The rest of the dough we practiced making rolls again.

Jen rolling the raisin cinnamon loaf

Jen demonstrating the rolling technique for rolls

After those were all sent for the second proofing, she showed us the technique for making boulés and putting them in the banneton proofing basket. This involved pulling the dough towards you with your hands and leaving a ‘skid’ mark on the table. She said it was the only time a skid mark was okay.

A well dusted banneton

Forming the boulés

Dough ready for second rise

The rolls and loaf were proofed and ready to be slash with the lame. A lame is a piece of metal with a double edged razor on it so the razor is a bit curved. We also painted the loaf with egg wash first. The slashing keeps the loafs from exploding from the moisture in the oven.

All the beautiful loaves of bread ready for egg wash and slashing.

Post slash and egg wash

Those went into the rotating oven but the boulés were going into the deck oven where we made the pitas. This is because steam can be added to that oven which gives the loaves a nice crisp crust with good color. The steam also keeps them soft so the loaves can rise up. But first we had to dump them out of the bannetons and slash them again. There are certain slash designs used for these loaves and everyone got to pick their own design.

The first batch ready to be dumped out and slashed

Slash designs

The loaves being loaded on the conveyor belt into the deck oven.

After each batch was brought out, Jen had everyone vote on Star Baker. I won for my batch. We hadn’t done that before, but it was kind of fun. Especially when you win!

Sticky buns from yesterday. They are supposed to be flipped out upside down while warm but since I didn’t stay they went in the freezer like this. I did turn one over so you could see the sticky part.

Whole wheat raisin loaf and dinner rolls. I had one of the dinner rolls and it was pretty good.

My Star Baker multi-grain boulés

There was more information given by Jen about prefermenting, whole grains, yeast and I can’t remember what all. She has been the best instructor of them all.

Tomorrow is Jeff and French bread and scones. The scone are just kind of thrown in there probably for something to do while the breads are proofing since they are non yeast.

Another good day.

Today was sweet enriched dough day at class. Enriched doughs have more butter, sugar, and eggs in them and are a softer dough than most bread doughs. We started with a basic Sweet Bread recipe. It was enough for two types of bread or rolls. The instructor today was Kristen.

She demonstrated making the dough and kneading it. It was the same process as yesterday but the dough was quite sticky because of the added ingredients. The kneading method they use is called smile, taco, turn. You fold the dough in half toward you to make a smile. Then turn it up so it looks like a taco and finally turn it vertically and start over. This stretches the dough and the glutens.

This is the smile part

This is the taco already turned

Then we went and made our own dough and kneaded it. Since we were doing 3 different items today they had mixed a big batch of dough in the mixer so that we could get started on one of them while our dough was proofing.

We found out how the dough made in the mixer was a much dryer and tougher dough than the ones we did by hand. It was a lot more difficult to roll out as the gluten had been worked more and caused it to spring back.

Next she and Leah showed us how to braid the loafs. Leah had a story to help with the braiding of an alien with two arms and two sets of legs. I didn’t get pictures of that but it was helpful. I still had a problem doing it. Probably because I never had a daughter with hair to braid. Roger got his done quickly and he and Kristen coached me through it.

My sweet dough braid

Next the demonstration was two different types of faux braids, one with raspberry jam and one with poppy seed filling.

The first batch of dough was rolled out into a rectangle then the raspberry jam was spread down the middle. The corners were cut out then the dough was cut into strips along each side. These were then ‘braided’ over the jam.

The faux braid with raspberry

The next dough was also rolled into a rectangle and the poppy seed filling was spread all over leaving an inch of room around the entire piece. This was then rolled up jellyroll style and cut down the middle. The two pieces were then turned so the filling was facing up and crossed over each other.

The poppy seed twist

Since we could only make one of these, Roger and I decided to each make one and split them. He did the raspberry and I did the poppy seed.

Next were sticky buns. Having made these types of rolls before there wasn’t much new to learn. As most of you know, cinnamon and I are not friends. I had planned on just not using the cinnamon in mine but they had prepared it for us. So I had to smell cinnamon all around me and on my hands. I forgot to take pictures of that, probably due to the cinnamon overload.

I took pictures of the big ovens and proofing cabinet. Then took a video of the braids being cooked.

The oven on the right with the multiple shelves is what we used to cook the pitas in and will use it again on Thursday

The cabinet on the left is the proofing chamber and the one on the right is the baking oven.

This was really cool to see. We were busy yesterday and never noticed the oven going.

It was another really fun day. The group of people are all really nice and pretty friendly. I am already looking at taking the artisan bread class.

Here are the finished products. The sticky buns will be shown tomorrow. Notice how the first braid is so shiny and pretty. It is because we put an egg wash on it. The other two were done, not sure why. It would have made them look so much nicer.

Sweet dough braid

Poppy seed twist

Raspberry faux braid

The King Arthur website has all of the recipes and also videos for shaping various breads if you want to try this at home.

It has been a while since I had anything to write about but I think this will be something people might enjoy.

I am in Burlington until Friday taking a Basic Bread class at the King Arthur Bread Lab. They opened up in 2018 and there was an article in the Seattle Times about it in November.

After reading the article I signed up for the class the same day. They have had a classroom on the East coast but are working with WSU and the grains they grow. The classes are from 1:00 – 5:00 Monday-Thursday.

Since Burlington is an hour and a half (at least) away from home, I am staying at Candlewood Suites in Burlington. It has a small kitchenette and is perfect for the 4 nights and 5 days I will be here. I just found out I could have even brought Misty! Next time, Misty.

I got to the facility early and walked in and there were about 5 men already there. I looked at a spot in the front row but saw something on the one chair remaining. One of the men said, “Come on up front” and I saw that it was an apron and towel that was on all the chairs.

We all introduced ourselves, but then more people started coming in and we didn’t keep it up. The man next to me is Roger and he is very nice and easy to talk with, which is good because we work together on some of the projects.

There are 8 men and 5 women in the class. Most people were from the Seattle/Bellevue area but there was one from Montana and one from Tennessee. Roger is from Elma.

My partner, Roger

Each station had a bowl, scale, beaker, a folder with recipes and other information and all the ingredients needed for the first breads.

My workstation

Today was Basic Bread and Pita Bread. The format is that the instructor has everyone come to the front of the room and she talks through the ingredients and why they are important, then demonstrates the recipe. Then we go back to our workstations and do our own dough. Her dough is for samples so we can take ours home.

She showed us a different way of kneading the bread that is actually pretty gentle compared to how I was used to doing it. The Basic dough was very soft and wet so the object was to keep the wet on the inside and use as little flour as possible when kneading. When you think it is ready you do the ‘doorbell’ test as soon as you stop kneading. That is taking the flat of your finger and touching the dough to see if it springs back right away. Even letting is sit for a few seconds can make the glutens relax and the dough doesn’t spring back as well.

Then the dough was put in a giant proofer. (I kept thinking of the proofing drawers on the Great British Baking Show.) I will take pictures of all the ovens and proofer tomorrow.

After the first rise or proofing.

Then we watched and made a pita dough with 50% all purpose and 50% whole wheat flours. That dough was easier to work with and was a much smaller portion. Roger and i worked together on that one, taking turns kneading it.

After the Basic was done proofing, Leah, the instructor, showed us how to divide it and make a loaf in a pan and 6 rolls. She had a unique way of rolling the dough for the rolls to make them higher. They were put back in the proofer for the second rise.

Next she demonstrated rolling out the pitas. The pita is the kind that has a pocket, not the Greek thick kind. Roger and I finished ours first and took them back to the oven. Leah’s sample ones were already in and we watched them puff way up from the steam in the thin dough.

Then we used a pizza peel to put ours in the oven. The ovens are so hot that it only takes a few minutes to cook. She pulled them out for us and I held my apron up and she put them into it. I took it back to the workstation and wrapped them up in the apron. This keeps them soft and pliable.

The puffing pitas

The assistant for the day, Jen, called us back to show us the rolls and bread that was proofed again to show us how we could tell they were ready and not over- or under- proofed. They kind of jiggle like jello and if you touch them, you can feel the air inside. Then they went into the oven.

We went back up front and Leah cut up her sample pitas and we had those with some hummus while waiting for the bread and rolls to be done.

Pita and hummus time

Then it was time to get the hot, hot, hot rolls and bread and put them into paper bags so they could cool without steaming and head back to the hotel.

So, I got a loaf of bread, six rolls, and 4 pitas! I will end up sharing with the hotel staff but I wanted to watch the championship game so headed straight to my room.

My take for the day. The rolls are misshapen because I dumped them in the bag while they were still hot but they were perfect.

Tomorrow is enriched dough – sweet rolls! Then Wednesday is multi-grains and Thursday is French day! Yay! Each day is a different instructor but they all take turns being the assistant.

More to come. Go Clemson!

Monday, June 18, 2018: Frankfurt to Seattle

I had set my alarm for 5:45 but woke up at 5:15 not knowing where I was. I had gotten used to my room on the ship and had stumbled around a bit in the night when I went to the bathroom.

It was a clear day and the sun was rising. I took my shower and got ready once again for the day. No coffee in the room and the restaurant in the hotel didn’t open until 6:30. I decided I would wait until the lounge at the airport.

I went down to check out around 6:45 and saw the driver was already there. He hadn’t texted me or I would have gone down earlier.

Saw some really cool buildings on the way to the airport and wished I had more time to spend in Frankfurt. Some other day, I guess.

My flight wasn’t until 10:45 and boarding was at 10:00 so I again had a few hours to wait in the airport. Luckily, I was able to wait in the Lufthansa lounge. There weren’t a lot of people when I first got there but it sure filled up by 9:00.

Lufthansa lounge FrankfurtFinally got my coffee – a cappuccino

I am looking forward to getting home. It has been a great trip but I miss my kitty, Misty. From what my son says, she misses me too. He checks on her most days and said she is getting very needy. She will probably be very vocal about her displeasure with me when I do return. Courtney says I need to figure out a way to take her with me next time, which is why I have a camper and boat that she can travel in.

The plane took off late due to Germany having issues with not enough air traffic controllers. I guess that was why every flight out of or into Germany that I was on was late. We got into the air about an hour late.

The flight was long but it was daytime so I didn’t even try to sleep. I ended up watching four movies! More than I usually watch in a month. It was a pretty smooth flight and not long after we passed over Iceland it was clear and I saw vast areas of frozen tundra. Still have to say that the Pacific Northwest was the most beautiful.

Some of my observations and learnings from this trip:

Don’t travel during prime tourist season.

Don’t travel when it is hot!

Doing your own thing can be more fun than taking organized tours.

T-mobile actually worked much better than I expected in Europe. I was able to use GPS and internet most of the time when in port and the cities.

Don’t pack so many shoes and clothes. Last time I spent a month in Europe out of a carry on but got a little carried away this time.

Hydrate or die. One day my feet and ankles were so swollen, they hurt.

Europeans obviously have a better language system in their schools. Every where we went people spoke English whereas very few Americans speak another language fluently.

Men take longer in the bathroom on planes than women unless the woman is primping.

Global Entry is so worth it. There were 6 international flights that arrived around the same time. Lines were backed up into the gangways. But they called for Global people to move to front of line. Had to wait a bit for luggage but it all went smoothly and I was home before most of the other passengers were even through customs!

And, finally, kitty cats really do miss their humans.

I don’t have any plans for travel until a short RV trip in July and maybe some boating so not sure when I will post again.

Thanks for following along with me.

After much petting and meowing, Misty settled down on top of my head.Paytime

Sunday, June 17, 2018: Venice and Frankfurt

I got up around 6:30 and got ready for the day, had some breakfast, then sat and waited for my ‘color’ Sand to be called to disembark. It was supposed to be around 9:20. I sat in an area where I could hear and also see a TV with the colors being called. Well, I never heard or saw Sand and then they said all colors had been called. I looked at the screen and saw Brown so I assume Sand was part of Brown. It was no biggie but weird.

Sunrise in VeniceA bus took me to the airport and I got there around 10:15. My flight wasn’t until 2:45 and they won’t let you check in or drop bags until 3 hours before flight time. There were very few seats and they were all taken so I stood close to the Lufthansa desk until 11:30. I had checked in online and had my boarding pass.

While waiting I went back online to check a bag since for some reason my flight to Frankfurt wasn’t business class so I had to pay for a checked bag. Something went wrong with that so I had to pay at the counter and it was almost twice as much as what I thought I paid online. The agent told me it was cheaper to do it online.

Then I went through security and got something for lunch and sat, and sat, and sat. The plane was over 30 minutes late boarding. The flight was uneventful except a bit of turbulence getting into Frankfurt and a hard landing.

Frankie had arranged a ride to the hotel from the airport and after waiting much longer than the 20 minutes Alaska Airlines has for luggage arrival, I got my bags and met my driver. Thankfully he was there according to my flight arrival because the document said it would be a 6:00 pickup. It was around 5:00 at this time and I didn’t want to for another hour in another airport!

I saw lots of old homes that probably had been one family homes at one time but were apartments now. Lots of trees and greenery everywhere.

We were sitting at a stop light and I had my window down and heard some exclamations from a bunch of people outside a cafe on the sidewalk. I asked the driver if Germany was playing in the World Cup and he said, yes. He didn’t seem to be much of a fan so I looked online and saw they were playing Mexico and the score was 0-0. I noticed many more sidewalks full of people watching screens set up outside the cafes.

World Cup watchers

I was booked into the Lindner Hotel and Residences near the Main River in the Sachsenhausen district. The room was large and had a couch and two chairs, a desk and also a small kitchen area. It had two large windows that looked out onto a plaza, the river and some large modern building.

View of the Main and some tall buildingThe plaza with a water feature. Later in the evening there were kids playing in it.

Don lived near Frankfurt when he was in the service and had told me about a restaurant in the area where they had German food and was a lot of fun. The Dauth-Schneider hotel was started by a farmer who started making his own apple wine and cleared out his living room to serve it to customers. It is around 150 years old now.

I was worried it might be packed because of the World Cup but took off around 7:00 to find it. It was not packed inside. There were a few people outside watching the game and in their courtyard but the inside tables were pretty deserted.

Dauth-Schneider courtyardInside tables

By this time, Germany had lost the match and the announcers were interviewing a lot of very sad looking players and coach.

I ordered a sausage platter with blood pudding, liver sausage, liver dumpling and pickled pork loin. It came with mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. I expected just a couple sausages and a piece of pork. I got a huge plate full of food. I barely touched the potatoes, ate about half the pork and most of the sausages with a little sauerkraut.

I guess it is a traditional apple wine restaurant but I didn’t know that until after I had ordered their summer special wine, Vinho Verde, from Portugal. Not sure I would have liked the apple wine but it might have gone well with the sausages.

Frankfurter Schlachtplatte, Blood pudding, Liver Sausage, Pickled Pork Loin, Liver Dumpling

When I arrived back at the hotel, I turned on the TV and watched part of the US Open golf match. I got packed again and ready for bed. It was about 9:30 by this time and I was tired. A driver was picking me up at 7:00 AM to take me to the airport so I was going to have to get up early

Outside of the hotel building. I thought it was pretty cool. Hard to tell but there are lights at the top

The sun was just setting and I could see it’s reflection in the large building and windows of a smaller building nearby. Quite pretty.

Frankfurt sunset reflectionSunset in the windows

The bed was comfortable but only had two pillows, I usually use around 4. And it was made up different than any I have been in. It was a queen bed with two duvets folded and placed where you would sleep. At first I thought it was like a pillow top for the mattress then realized what it was. I knew Europe didn’t use top sheets but had not stayed anywhere without before. I wish I had taken a picture but I forgot. It was so warm in the room that I slept without anything over me, however.

Saturday, June 16, 2018: Port of Call – Dubrovnik, Croatia

It was an early docking at Dubrovnik. I had some breakfast and waited for the traffic off the ship to die down before I left around 9:30.

There was supposed to be a shuttle bus from the ship to Old Town for €15 roundtrip and tickets available on the dock. Well there was a sign but nobody there. I asked one of the workers but he had no clue so I went back on the ship and went to guest services. I told the woman that there was a sign but no one there. She called and said, yes, there was someone there.

Back I went but still no one around. As I was leaving I had heard some people who were just coming back say they had hired a taxi who took them on a panoramic tour so I just did that.

It was actually a great tour. The driver was very knowledgeable and took me places the tour buses couldn’t get to. Plus, I didn’t have to do a lot of walking up and down since I wasn’t feeling all that well.

Lots of GreeneryThey are very proud of their bridge that was completed around 2004, 60 meters highFortress built in around 1262 in 100 days to keep Venetian awasyView from across the bridgeThe walled Old Town Looking to the South from above DubrovnikClear WaterOld area from past where they filmed a war sceneThe walls

For non-Game of Throne watchers, they filmed a lot in Dubrovnik. The Old Town is King’s Landing and the driver took me to another area where he said they filmed one of the battle scenes. Not sure which one, however. I don’t think he had actually watched it.

It is a beautiful city and area. I think I liked it better than anywhere else we went because it was so different.

When I got back to the ship I got a little lunch in the cafeteria then went and started packing. After that I lay down for a while and listened to my book. I was tired and still not feeling great.

About 4:30 or so I went to the pool deck and Don found me. We sat and talked for quite a while.

We all met up for dinner for our last night. We got the big round table again. They had a duck salad and a duck main dish so I got those. The duck breast was overcooked but still good.

I went back to my room after dinner and finished putting the last few things in my big checked bag and put it out to be picked up. Then I went to bed.

Friday, June 15, 2018: Travel Day from Greece to Croatia

I woke up early today not knowing what time it was since there was another time change. That makes three in as many days and only yesterday did my phone change automatically. I had figured out that the navigation channel on the TV shows the ship time. So I turned it on and it was 7:15.

I got up and ready for the day and headed to Versailles for coffee and breakfast. There was hardly anyone about and the stewards hadn’t started setting up in the hallway for their day yet. People were taking advantage of a lazy morning with no where to go. I said something about looking forward to doing nothing to the waiter and he said it made for a busy day for them.

The restaurant was pretty deserted too and I was seated at the back by the aft windows.

Versailles Dining RoomAft windows in Versailles

After breakfast I went back to my room and was surprised to see that the stewards still weren’t in the hallway. I guess they started later letting everyone have a good sleep in.

After sitting there for a while I headed aft and went up to the area we had been in when we first boarded ship, but I hadn’t been back since then. Rachel had said she worked the bar in this area from 10:00 – 12:00 and sure enough, there she was. I got an ice water and found a place to sit. It is a quieter area with two hot tubs and great views. So, I sat and started writing my blog posts. But pretty soon I started smelling smoke and realized at least part of the area was smoking area.

Aft seating area

I went back to my room, which had been made up by this time and sat on the balcony. It is nice having a place to sit and watch the water without a lot of music or noise.

Balcony viewRoom with a view

Don and Frankie knocked after a while and said they were going to the pool. I finished whatever I was doing and went up to join them. They were both in the pool joined by Rob so I stood and watched them until they got out. Then we sat and talked for a while.

Pool Deck

They were going to stay on the pool deck to eat burgers since they were wet so I went to Versailles alone. It isn’t usually open for lunch but was today since everyone was on board. It would have been too overwhelming for the other places to feed the whole ship.

I had popcorn shrimp, scallops gratin, and a Greek salad. Funny they had the salad after we left Greece. Everything was very good. The scallops were served in an escargot dish and were tiny little things, but tasty. The shrimp was very good, not dried out or anything.

I went back to my room and listened to my book for a while and rested. Then I headed back to the pool. The day was a bit overcast and cooler than it had been so it was very pleasant, if noisy, around the pool. There were even a few sprinkles and it was funny to see people start fleeing.

I sat with Don, Frankie, Rob, and Krysti talking and people watching, alway a fun thing to do. Everyone started leaving to go get ready or do other things but Don and I sat on. I had gotten ready for dinner already and just needed to change my shirt. Then we went down to Gatsby’s for a drink then realized we only had 40 minutes before meeting everyone for dinner and Don needed to shower. So, off we went to our rooms.

I went down to Versailles a few minutes before 7:00 by my phone and Don and Frankie were waiting. Then we waited and waited and couldn’t believe everyone else was so late. The hostess pulled her phone out and called Rob and Krysti’s room. Frankie asked why they weren’t at the restaurant yet and she said it is only 6:15.

Well, my phone never did change even though I was connected to the internet and neither did theirs. We had a good laugh and felt rather foolish. So we went to the bar next door and sat until it was really 7:00.

We were seated at a round table that fit us all for the first time. It was better than being at a long table. I didn’t take any photos at dinner but saved one from Frankie’s Facebook page.

Ann, Barb, and Celia

I had a salad and steak frites. It was a New York steak and was pretty good. The fries were good too.

There was a big show that most people were going to but I went back to my room and decided to stay there.

It was a good day with no rushing or agenda. Saturday is our last day on the ship and we will be in Dubrovnik for a little over 4 hours.

Thursday, June 14, 2018: Port of Call – Mykonos, Greece

I was awakened at 4:40 AM by a phone call. I just clicked ignore and it rang right back again. I could see that there were a ton of numbers so just clicked ignore again. I was not able to get back to sleep but did stay in bed and dozed a bit. When I did get up I saw that the first call was from Germany and the second from Romania. The funny thing was that I had my cellular off, so not sure how the calls got through.

I went down to get some breakfast and Don and Frankie were there so I joined them. They had already eaten but sat with me while I ate my eggs Benedict. We then went ashore and took a bus to a drop off point a half mile or so from the town.

It was sunny and hot again but only in the low 80s so it seemed more pleasant, but that could be because we were on our own and not on an excursion.

We meandered around the town which consists of narrow, winding little alleys surrounded by white walls with some colorful shutters, balconies, and shops. We got to a dead end area and Frankie climbed a hill to take pictures of the windmills. He ran into Barb and PK and talked with them while Don and I people watched.

Narrow walkway in Mykonos

When Frankie returned, we walked along the breakwater where many little restaurants are located and sat at one for a beer. Barb and PK, came along and sat with us. We talked and took photos then moved on back through the town. I stopped at one store and bought something, then we started heading back towards the pick up point for the buses.

We all wanted to eat lunch in town and I had seen a nice little fish restaurant. We stopped there and got a table next to the water. I ordered a saganaki (fried cheese) and pita bread for the table and an octopus salad. Barb and PK shared a Greek salad and grilled calamari. Don got a kabob and fries. Frankie ordered a Greek salad and fried sardines.

Everything was excellent and we all enjoyed the meal. Very light and refreshing.

We headed back to the ship agreeing that it had been a most pleasant time not being herded around like cattle.

Mykonos

Frankie at the beer stop

Kavos RestaurantSardines

Octopus SaladCalamari and Greek Salad – the tomatoes were excellent!Kebab

I went to my room and had a lay down for a couple hours. Then I took a shower and went down to Gatsby’s for a drink. After that I went up to the pool deck and found Rob, Krysti, Don and Frankie. We sat for a while chatting then they left to get ready for dinner just as PK and Ann showed up. I sat with them for a while then went to dress for dinner.

There was a White Hot party that night so most people were dressing in white. I had brought a white shirt and capris so put those on and went down to the Aqua Restaurant for dinner.

It is a smaller restaurant than the Versailles and darker, but the menus are basically the same. I sat at a table with Mike and Linda whom I had not talked a lot with and Rob and Krysti joined us. It was nice getting to know them better.

I ordered fried calamari, cauliflower soup, and the veal special of the night. It was veal and mushrooms in a light cream sauce over egg noodles. It was all very tasty.

The seas were supposed to be a little lumpy during the evening and you could feel it pick up as we sat and ate. Both Barb and Krysti had their wristbands on but were starting to feel a little peaked towards the end of dinner.

The entertainment before the party was a magician, but I decided not to go. I planned on a fairly early evening. I went back to Gatsby’s and sat at the bar. Shortly after a couple of men sat next to me. There was a jazz band playing and they were loud but not nearly as loud as the piano man.

Staff’s white night shirtsJazz Band

Turns out the men were from Santiago, Chile. I was a little hesitant to talk with them because I didn’t want to be seen as being on the prowl for a man. Turns out they were gay so we got along great after that!

Not sure exactly what their full names were but Chris was next to me and Petra was his partner. Turns out Chris had owned a restaurant (#18 on TripAdvisor) in Santiago and had recently sold it. He said he hadn’t been looking to sell but was made an offer he couldn’t refuse.

He is now getting into catering and teaching cooking and has a YouTube channel with a cooking demonstration and something else. I can’t stream onboard so haven’t had a chance to check it out.

He did say he has a beautiful apartment and has people there to teach cooking after going to the markets together to buy the food. Sounds like my kind of heaven.

He also was a good representative of his country and pretty much has me convinced to go there.

I ended up staying talking with him until after midnight. Never made it to the party, just went to bed.

It was my favorite day of the cruise and Friday is a travel day so will be a good one for relaxing and taking it easy.

So we said goodbye to beautiful Greece and will say hello to Croatia soon.

Wednesday, June 13, 2018: Port of Call – Santorini, Greece

Today was a partial travel day as we didn’t arrive in Santorini until 2:00 PM. I woke up and went down to Versailles for breakfast. I sat and drank several cups of coffee and read my news feeds before ordering. I had eggs over easy, hash browns, and bacon along with another melon plate.

I then went up to the pool area and was going to do some blog writing and people watching. Don and Frankie showed up and sat down. We chatted and people watched for an hour or so. It was a pretty comfortable temperature-wise until it got close to noon. We had an excursion and had to be at the theater by 1:30 so left to get things together.

There were 900 people going on excursions that day so it was a bit of a zoo in the theater. The excursion guy that announces the tours and what to do was getting a bit frustrated, I think, because people just don’t listen. We ended up getting boarded on a tender sometime after 2:00. We were boarded onto tenders and then put onto buses.Cliff

Cliffs up to towns on Santorini

The bus had to go up switchback narrow roads to get to the top of the island from the embarkation point. Those bus drivers deserve medals! They don’t seem to get frustrated or swear, at least out loud.

It was quite a ride to Oia and again along narrow roads. The island is so popular with tourists that most of the apartment rentals are now AirBnB type rentals so it is almost impossible to rent anything to live in as a local and cheaper to buy. And depending on where you look to buy it can be outrageously expensive. Sound familiar, Seattleites?

When we reached the town of Oia the bus pulled into a parking area where there were probably 15 buses packed in together. Again, those drivers are amazing the way they navigate the roads, avoid the people and cars not paying attention, and then maneuver into tight spots haphazardly in a parking lot. I wished I had taken a picture of it.

By this time it had been a couple hours since I left my stateroom and I had to pee! The tour guide said the toilet was about 10 minutes away which was fine. However, once we climbed up the hill and through the very crowded, narrow walkways she wanted to show us a couple of things before releasing us.

Well after a few minutes, I took off to find the bathroom. Frankie was out by the entrance to the area she had taken us into and went with me. The bathroom was another line up, of course, and you had to pay €.50 to use it.

We went back the way we had come so Frankie could show me a view area, we figured we had lost the rest of the crowd so we found a little place and sat and had a glass of wine.

The waters here are so blue and crystal clear. The buildings are all white and, for the most part, domed. They use domed or curved roofs because they don’t have the wood for beams. The structures look to be either brick or cement covered with something like stucco. Absolutely breathtaking vistas all around.

Town of FiraTown of Oia

We needed to be back to the bus in about 10 minutes and figured we had plenty of time but there were so many people and tours that it was a challenge to get through them. Finally there was a tour leader who was by himself and he just started clearing a path through so I got behind him and Frankie was behind me and we made it back to the bus in time. Of course, there were several others that were up to 15 minutes late. Very inconsiderate.

Next we went to another town for a ‘photo op’ stop. We parked and were taken up a hill where the guide pointed out a couple of picturesque buildings and said it took 10 minutes to walk up to them. Well, we only had 15 minutes to be back to the bus so only a couple of people went up there. We went to a little shop looked around with some purchases made.

Next it was off to a restaurant for our Greek celebration dinner. The place was huge. There had been 200 people from the ship going on this tour. Each bus had about 40 people led by a guide.

We were served 3 types of spreads: tzatziki, a Fava bean one that was similar to hummus, and a fish roe one. Then there were dolmades, shredded spinach salad and one like coleslaw with olive oil and vinegar to add, tomato fritters, slow cooked pork in some sort of sauce, and rice. The food was pretty good but we were all starving by then so that might have helped.

Then came the celebration part. Three women and one man came up in traditional Greek dress and performed some dances. They proceeded to pull up a lot of the guests to dance also. The guides brought out plates made of some sort of clay and then it was time to throw the plates on the floor around the male dancer. Opa!

Greek dancingPlate breaking dance

We boarded the bus again and were taken to a parking lot and dropped off. We had been told that it was a twenty minute walk to a cable car that would take us down the cliff to where the tenders would pick us up. It was all uphill and when we got close to the top the line stopped.

There had been at least 200 people dropped off at the same time and the line for the cable car stretch on for at least a quarter of a mile. We shuffled along there for around 45 minutes until it was finally our time to get on a 6 person car and go down the steep embankment.

Cable Car lineup

After getting into a hot, enclosed tender and back onboard ship, I was ready for a cold drink. I headed straight to Gatsby’s Bar and sat for a couple of drinks. Rachel and John were there so we did some pictures. All the bar gang wanted to get in on the action.

The tour was supposed to have been back by 7:45 but we didn’t get on the ship until almost 9:00, so it had been a long day. It had also been another hot one in the upper 80s. I went back to my room and took a shower and went to bed. My legs and feet were very tired from all the stairs, hills, and walking we had done.