The Widow and the Spinster: The Search for Adventure, Enlightenment, and the Quest for Forbidden food - Bacon, Bacon, Bacon, and New TR Link! 5/23

[franandaj]

I’ve never seen that. Then again, I never do hotel waffles.

Why not? That's one of my favorite things when traveling and staying at chain hotels.

Places I’ve never heard of.

I like that.

I hadn't heard of them either. I had to look them up on the map!

I’m sure you made up for your oversight.

Yeah, funny story about that coming in a future chapter.

There it is!

Good thing you didn’t make that a drinking game.

Really! If we had to drink every time they said Bon Apetit, we would have been hosed!

Did they say if the river was high? It looks like it.

They said nothing.....

Good. Was worried that the service might not have been good.

Oh no, she was excellent! We were both very happy with the treatment!

That’s interesting. Did they simply wait their turn and pull themselves up to the ship by rope when the previous one was done?

I think they were all kind of working together. I didn't pay much attention to them beyond noticing their existence, taking a few photos and then closing the windows again. They just kept hollering if they thought they had your attention.

So out of the norm for what I’m used to.

I'm used to the dry desert, sometimes......

Lots of exhaust. Gas powered? Or coal???

No idea. But a quick Google search turned up this:

How are river cruise ships powered?

Cruise ships use Diesel-Electric propulsion systems. The main engines are generators which produce electricity which then powers the azipods. VV ships have 4 engines and 2 azipods.

 

[franandaj]

to drive his **** around?!

Evidently!

looks like no one brings umbrellas for shade there hey?

I didn't see much of that, no.

Totally, I'm sure M would be the same way

It really wasn't the place to take young children. It was a rather "intellectual" sort of trip.

Look at them stacked there!
Looks smoggy also, did you notice the smog?

Everywhere in Egypt was smoggy. Did you notice that I never even tried to take any sunrise or Sunset shots in Cairo? It was just too thick with smog to even see the sun. Here was a little better, but not much.

ok now I want to stay in a hotel with the waffle batter things so I can see if they say "malted" here and I've never noticed!

You'll have to let me know once you do! Certainly they don't have it at Sparkling Hill!

totally!

yikes! I noticed it in the other picture, but wow this really shows it!

Yeah, when I saw that, I had to take this shot, it was just too gross.

were the breads dry? they look like they could be

Funny thing, I think that they "steam" a lot of their breads and cakes. I recently found a recipe for my favorite cakes off the buffet in our hotel in Cairo, and the cake was steamed in a Dutch oven. It's taken me several times to get it right, but I think the third time will be the charm.

cute set ups!

did you hit the hot tubs? I don't think I've missed you in them

We didn't have any time to rest on the top deck. Plus it was just too hot up there. It really didn't even cool off, even after the sun went down.

So did you see anyone buying anything?

I think someone on one of the lower decks did actually buy something. I saw them hoisting it up to the second floor and somehow exchanging money. It was rather comical. We were on the 4th deck so I don't know how they would have completed the exchange.

 

[pkondz]

Why not? That's one of my favorite things when traveling and staying at chain hotels.

I'm not a huge waffle fan at the best of times... and... dunno... just... How could it compare to a scratch Belgian waffle? Maybe?

Yeah, funny story about that coming in a future chapter.

popcorn:

Really! If we had to drink every time they said Bon Apetit, we would have been hosed!

They just kept hollering if they thought they had your attention.

Ew...

You should have brought a large Super Soaker water pistol to fend them off!

No idea. But a quick Google search turned up this:

How are river cruise ships powered?

Cruise ships use Diesel-Electric propulsion systems. The main engines are generators which produce electricity which then powers the azipods. VV ships have 4 engines and 2 azipods.

Now we know.

 

[franandaj]

I'm not a huge waffle fan at the best of times... and... dunno... just... How could it compare to a scratch Belgian waffle? Maybe?

Ah, see I'm a huge waffle fan. I don't make them at home because they're sort of time consuming. When it was Fran and I, keeping them warm while I cooked them all was a bit tedious. Plus our waffle makers were not nearly as good as the ones in hotels. Those get super hot. Home waffle cookers, not so much.

popcorn:

I had to look up what we were talking about. Yes by day 3 let's just say that certain staff members recognized me.

Ew...

You should have brought a large Super Soaker water pistol to fend them off!

That wouldn't set off any red flags at security!

Now we know.

 

[pkondz]

Ah, see I'm a huge waffle fan. I don't make them at home because they're sort of time consuming. When it was Fran and I, keeping them warm while I cooked them all was a bit tedious. Plus our waffle makers were not nearly as good as the ones in hotels. Those get super hot. Home waffle cookers, not so much.

I didn’t know that about waffle makers. This TR is super informative!

That wouldn't set off any red flags at security!

They ain’t real guns!

 

[franandaj]

Jill had just finished her massage and I met her as she came up from the lowest deck. We went right back to the top deck and found some chairs at the front of the boat. A lot of people had gathered there and were just as interested in seeing it as we were. No sooner than had we sat down, the ship appeared to come to a complete halt. It appeared that we were next in line, but we weren't going anywhere.

These were all the ships waiting behind us.

After about half an hour we saw a bright light emerge and realized that there was a ship coming north through the locks. Once it had passed it was our turn.

Once we were in place it took about half an hour to fill the lock and raise us up to the height of the river near Esna. Another ship had sailed into the second lock. They had just as many folks gathered to watch the process as on our ship. You can see the ground in this photo and we are about at the same level as the pavement.

You can see that we are rising higher as they fill the lock.

You can see how high up we rose before we could continue on. It was a neat process. Someday I hope to cross the Panama Canal. Evidently there are a series of locks in that process.

Once we had crossed the lock, we headed down to our room to get ready for dinner. There really wasn't anything to do to get ready, at least for us. We weren't dressing up at all. For us, this cruise was a way to see all the cool ancient sites and nothing else. Most of the rest of the ship was filled with Russian (at least that's what we thought their nationality was) tourists who had come to party and wear their most Chic clothing, well the women. The men looked like ordinary tourists wearing shorts in the dining room at dinner, even though the dress code called for full length trousers.

On this night there was a Captain's reception in the main saloon at 7:30PM, half an hour before dinner. Free drinks? We'll be there! Oh look! Jill got a butt shot of me!

They had seven or eight different kinds of alcoholic beverages pre-poured. Things like Gin and Tonic, lemon and Gin, Tequila Sunrise, Cuba Libre, Screwdrivers, I don't remember the rest, although I did have them point out the different drinks when I went in around 7:20 to get myself another glass of wine.

There were a number of appetizers as well. Jill and I tried the ones that looked safe. I should have taken more of the little fingers. They were lamb kibbeh and they were good.

They like their “cutlery art” on the ship. This is the dining room now.

We were served more bread.

When we got to dinner I realized I should have eaten a lot more of the appetizers. We were served the "Shrimp cocktail" that we ordered. What they put down in front of us in no way resembled any shrimp cocktail that I recognized. I ate what I could, but the lettuce was limp and gross. The sauce was super bland. I ate what I could of the shrimp and left the rest. They were trying to be fancy with the napkins.

I believe that it was this night that the head waiter said that he would recommend a wine for us, and that this was one of his favorites.

Then came the onion soup. Neither of us had ever seen an onion soup like this. The poor little crouton was floating all by itself, and where was the cheese? In actuality this was the tastiest thing on the menu this evening and that was sad.

We both ordered the Arancini and these were a total disappointment. Jill remembered to take a picture of them. I don't remember if I ate a whole one or just half. I tried it with the sauce in the little ramekin and the sauce was gross. I mostly just ate the potatoes. I smeared them with butter and salt and that gave them some flavor. The nearly full plates were removed with another "Bon Apetit"

I didn't even want to try dessert. We were tired from the hot morning and then the massages. They gave us each an extra glass of wine after we polished off our bottle. I was ready for sleep, so I pounded my glass, which was a mistake. I had to sit there for a little bit and let my stomach settle. Once I felt better, Jill said, "you can have mine too, I'm done." I took her glass back to the room and sipped it slowly this time.

I was asleep by 9:30. At least we didn't have an early wake up call on Wednesday.

Here’s our timeline for today.

Next Update: Talking to the Past

 

[pkondz]

Jill had just finished her massage and I met her as she came up from the lowest deck.

Would've been more fun if you'd finished that sentence with "she was limp as a noodle."

It appeared that we were next in line, but we weren't going anywhere.

What about that ship in front of you? Or was that a photo from earlier?

These were all the ships waiting behind us.

Lots!

After about half an hour we saw a bright light emerge and realized that there was a ship coming north through the locks. Once it had passed it was our turn.

Well that would've explained it.

You can see that we are rising higher as they fill the lock.

Someday I hope to cross the Panama Canal. Evidently there are a series of locks in that process.

I just watched a time-lapse video of that! There are 12 locks in total. Half raise you up to a lake in the middle, then the other half down on the other side.

tourists who had come to party and wear their most Chic clothing, well the women. The men looked like ordinary tourists wearing shorts in the dining room at dinner, even though the dress code called for full length trousers.

Odd that the men wouldn't dress to match their partners?

On this night there was a Captain's reception in the main saloon at 7:30PM, half an hour before dinner. Free drinks? We'll be there!

Oh look! Jill got a butt shot of me!

I like the little lights.

They like their “cutlery art” on the ship. This is the dining room now.

I kinda like it too.
Too bad the food wasn't as good as their cutlery art.

What they put down in front of us in no way resembled any shrimp cocktail that I recognized.

More like a shrimp salad. An overly drenched one, too.

I believe that it was this night that the head waiter said that he would recommend a wine for us, and that this was one of his favorites.

How was it?

Then came the onion soup. Neither of us had ever seen an onion soup like this. The poor little crouton was floating all by itself

Probably fell in by mistake.

In actuality this was the tastiest thing on the menu this evening and that was sad.

We both ordered the Arancini and these were a total disappointment.

The nearly full plates were removed with another "Bon Apetit"

 

[jedijill]

When I finished my soup, the server came by to take the plate and said "Bon Apetit." And I thought, in my best Inigo Montoya voice "You Keep Using That Word, I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It means."

We cracked ourselves up the rest of the trip by saying Bon Apetit My Queen at inappropriate times. LOL

ill was in the room when I got back. We heard voices outside and went to the window. These guys had basically attached themselves to our ship. We called them pirates for lack of a better word, but actually they were trying to sell stuff to the people on board.

I knew to expect the "pirates" from watching a Rick Steves special about Egypt. They were very enterprising! I think there was a system of ropes that ran the merch up and money down.

I was working on resizing pictures for the TR (about the only thing I could do without the internet) when I felt the ship's engines come to a full stop. Something was happening. I went up to the top deck and I could see that we were in view of the locks, but there were at least three or more ships ahead of us. It was just about 6PM and Jill should be finishing up her massage. I went down three flights and caught her as she was coming up from the lowest deck where the spa and dining room were located.

The massage was amazing and well needed....I was glad I didn't miss the locks and glad Alison grabbed me so we could secure chairs on deck!

These were all the ships waiting behind us.

All the boats were on the same schedule and were basically racing each other for position to go through the locks. I'm pretty sure it was very late at night by the time the last boat went through!

On this night there was a Captain's reception in the main saloon at 7:30PM, half an hour before dinner. Free drinks? We'll be there! Oh look! Jill got a butt shot of me!

Payback!

Jill in CO

 

[franandaj]

Would've been more fun if you'd finished that sentence with "she was limp as a noodle."

Well perhaps she was, but she was able to climb the three sets of stairs to the top deck.

What about that ship in front of you? Or was that a photo from earlier?

That ship went through and then we thought we were next, but the other one was coming through the other way.

Well that would've explained it.

I just watched a time-lapse video of that! There are 12 locks in total. Half raise you up to a lake in the middle, then the other half down on the other side.

Yes, Lake Gatung or something like that.

Odd that the men wouldn't dress to match their partners?

Most men I've met don't......

I like the little lights.

Yes, they were very festive.

I kinda like it too.
Too bad the food wasn't as good as their cutlery art.

Yeah, the food was hit and miss....but I'm not complaining.

More like a shrimp salad. An overly drenched one, too.

Yeah that's not what we expected. I wish I had a picture of that day's menu so I could see what other choices that I could have had.

How was it?

Every wine we had was decent, but nothing really special.

Probably fell in by mistake.

 

[pkondz]

We cracked ourselves up the rest of the trip by saying Bon Apetit My Queen at inappropriate times. LOL

Well perhaps she was, but she was able to climb the three sets of stairs to the top deck.

Not very pasta like.

Most men I've met don't......

Really? That's... odd.

 

[DnA2010]

You can see how high up we rose before we could continue on. It was a neat process. Someday I hope to cross the Panama Canal. Evidently there are a series of locks in that process.

Very cool, I hope to do it someday as well.

Free drinks? We'll be there!

Heck ya! We are always aligned here

they all seem to be lacking in 1 thing...

They like their “cutlery art” on the ship. This is the dining room now.

this is cute indeed

shrimp salad? hard pass for me on that one I think...

he would recommend a wine for us, and that this was one of his favorites.

And how was it?

Onwards to more adventures!

 

[franandaj]

We cracked ourselves up the rest of the trip by saying Bon Apetit My Queen at inappropriate times. LOL

Bon Apetit My Queen!!!!

I knew to expect the "pirates" from watching a Rick Steves special about Egypt. They were very enterprising! I think there was a system of ropes that ran the merch up and money down.

I kept thinking they were like the French people in the beginning of Monty Python and the Holy Grail told Arthur and his Knights to "Go away! Or I shall taunt you a second time!"

The massage was amazing and well needed....I was glad I didn't miss the locks and glad Alison grabbed me so we could secure chairs on deck!

Even though we'd only had one a few days before, we really needed another one!

All the boats were on the same schedule and were basically racing each other for position to go through the locks. I'm pretty sure it was very late at night by the time the last boat went through!

I'm just glad we made it through before the party and dinner. I was tired that night and wanted to go to sleep!

Payback!

 

[franandaj]

Really? That's... odd.

Not really. I haven't met a lot of (straight) men who like to dress up. But I know a lot of women who really like to get dressed over the top.

 

[franandaj]

Very cool, I hope to do it someday as well.

I want to do the Panama Canal, that's a whole bunch of locks.

Heck ya! We are always aligned here

they all seem to be lacking in 1 thing...

What is that?

this is cute indeed

shrimp salad? hard pass for me on that one I think...

Yeah, it was supposed to be shrimp cocktail but it looked nothing like that.

And how was it?

As I said to pkondz. All the wines we had were decent. None stood out as outstanding. Then again, I'm spoiled with my wines.

Onwards to more adventures!

 

[DnA2010]

What is that?

Ice cubes

 

[franandaj]

I woke up by 5:30AM, my fitbit says I got 6hr 51mins sleep. Sometime the night before, the ship had docked at Esna for overnight. At about 5AM the ship's engines started to fire up, as this morning we were going to finish the trip to Edfu. I'm sure this is what caused me to come to consciousness. Even on Deck 4 the engines were quite loud and you could feel them as well.

I decided this was as good a time as any to try out that tub. We had great hot water in the room. I started filling the tub, put the bath salts in and climbed in. The tub was so small I couldn't even put my legs straight. I suppose this tub is like the ones on DCL, intended for bathing small children and that's about it.

I wasn't going to waste my bath salts that I'd poured in and I made the best of it. Eventually I laid down and my torso was about 85% covered. I did have to rest my legs on the wall where the faucet was, but that was OK I was still getting the benefit of the warm water and Dead Sea Salts on my shoulders.

When I got out of the tub, Jill was awake and messing with her phone. She didn't sleep much that night. Neither of us had really had a good night's sleep since we left home. You'd think that we would have slept well on some of the days just from sheer exhaustion, but no.

On our way down to breakfast, I got a little artsy farsty with my pictures. I took these of the staircase. Did I mention that none of these boats have elevators? These spiral staircases were the main way to get from deck to deck. Although the staircases to the dining room and up to the top deck were not nearly as fancy.

This is the second floor, entrance, lobby level……

Here’s what’s happening today.

This morning breakfast wasn't until 7:30AM, and we were both starved by the time that rolled around. I started off with a waffle, then got some fruit and yogurt. They had salami on the buffet and it looked pretty good, so I made a salami and cheese sandwich and got some pastries.

Today we were meeting a different guide at 9AM when we were supposed to dock. I had another mission on this day as well. By the time you read this I may have already posted about it on my DL TR, but the day I’m writing about now was November 1st. At midnight Pacific Time, on this day, reservations for the Chef's Counter at Napa Rose opened for the month of January.

Now Jill and I have some pretty bougie plans coming up in 2024 which include a lot of fine dining. I'll cover it in the DL TR for the most part, and it will culminate in my WDW TR next Spring. But I needed to call at midnight CA time on this day.

At 8AM I left the dining room to make my call. I turned my phone off of airplane mode, and it took a bit to register on the Egyptian network. You see, with my Verizon phone plan, I'm registered for International calling. I can use my phone fee-free in Canada and Mexico. For $10 per day I can use it worldwide. For the most part I got along just fine using WiFi and using email and WhatsApp to communicate with folks back home. But since I had to call, neither of those options worked.

Eventually the call went through and I left a voice mail with all my information. I told them I'd have my phone on for another 14 hours or 2PM California time if they wanted to call me for a confirmation call. Otherwise I gave them Jenny's phone number to call and confirm.

I went back to the dining room and finished breakfast. By now the misuse of the phrase "Bon Apetit" was really starting to get on our nerves. Especially when the server was removing full plates of food. Essentially he was removing stuff we thought was gross and saying, "Enjoy your meal!"

After breakfast we went up to the room. When we got back to the room I noticed my phone's resting screen was displaying local time and home time. It was 11:35PM. Oops. I was an hour early on the midnight call.

So I called again at 9AM my time. This time I got the operator even though I dialed the direct number for Napa Rose. She put me through to their voicemail and I left another message, this time not quite so wordy. Let's hope we get it. Spoiler Alert, we do!

The “pirates” were back at it again.

Approaching the docks.

That’s one you don’t see back home.

We were still docking as far as Jill and I could tell, but we decided that we should go down to the lobby to meet our guide anyways. Just then the room phone rang. It was the reception desk telling us that our guide was in the lobby waiting.

His name was Mohammed and he was definitely our favorite of all the guides so far. Not only was his English impeccable, he was super knowledgeable, he had a great sense of humor, and he was very helpful to me with my lack of mobility.

We got off the ship and (as with every place we docked) we climbed some slightly treacherous stone stairs to reach street level. He took my hand to get me started until there was a railing to hold onto. I didn't take any pictures because it was hard enough climbing some of these steps. Lots of the stones were broken in places, sometimes eliminating an entire step. In the US steps in this condition would be closed down with caution tape and someone would likely be issued a daily fine until it was fixed. But after a couple weeks in this country, conditions like this had become commonplace for us. Another reason why traveling abroad helps you to realize what you love about your own country.

Once we reached the top of street level, one of the beggar children started hassling us. I think they see the camera with the big lens and think "rich people", when in fact the really rich people wouldn't even bother with such hassles, they'd hire a photographer if they wanted those type of pictures. But I digress.

In Edfu the traditional means to get to the temple (for small parties like Jill and I), is to take a horse and carriage. Large groups still take buses, but our guide had a guy lined up for our trip to and from the Temple.

I had a difficult time lifting my foot into the carriage, but the driver gave my foot that extra shove it needed and got me into it. Our guide climbed into the jump seat and we were on our way.

Edfu is a busting little town and traffic is almost as crazy as Cairo just on a smaller scale. Here we are on our way.

At first we traveled along the waterfront where all the other ships were docked.

There’s another one of those Tuk Tuks

More commerce stalls…..

And bread baking….

These were some sort of beans or grains….

I’m guessing the closest thing to a supermarket….

And here we are approaching the Temple….

I’m going to wrap this up here.

Next up: The Edfu Temple

 

[franandaj]

Ice cubes

Ah yes! How quickly I forget!

 

[DnA2010]

Did I mention that none of these boats have elevators?

No you didn't! How many levels were there again?

Eventually the call went through and I left a voice mail with all my information. I told them I'd have my phone on for another 14 hours or 2PM California time if they wanted to call me for a confirmation call. Otherwise I gave them Jenny's phone number to call and confirm.

By now the misuse of the phrase "Bon Apetit" was really starting to get on our nerves. Especially when the server was removing full plates of food. Essentially he was removing stuff we thought was gross and saying, "Enjoy your meal!"

Did you ever try to explain?

The “pirates” were back at it again.

Looks like no one is looking outside to sell to them...

it took me a little while to figure this picture out- guy rowing his boat with weeds/palms/plants of some sort?

Another reason why traveling abroad helps you to realize what you love about your own country.

Truth.


Apparently I didn't have too much to comment on today, on to the temple...

 

[jedijill]

After breakfast we went up to the room. When we got back to the room I noticed my phone's resting screen was displaying local time and home time. It was 11:35PM. Oops. I was an hour early on the midnight call.

To be fair...Egypt switched from Daylight Savings time on a Thursday night 2 weeks before the US did and I think the UK switched a week before the US so our math was hard to figure it all out!

His name was Mohammed and he was definitely our favorite of all the guides so far. Not only was his English impeccable, he was super knowledgeable, he had a great sense of humor, and he was very helpful to me with my lack of mobility.

He was the BEST guide of the trip! I wished we had him the whole time. You don't really have a lack of mobility..you did amazing! It's just hard stepping up that high on the carriage.

Jill in CO

 

[franandaj]

No you didn't! How many levels were there again?

There were four interior levels and the top deck was five.

Yeah little did you know how happy that Jessie would be!

Did you ever try to explain?

It was pointless, their English was not that great. They meant well, but were just parroting a phrase they had been taught.

Looks like no one is looking outside to sell to them...

They would just holler and hope they could get the attention of somebody.

it took me a little while to figure this picture out- guy rowing his boat with weeds/palms/plants of some sort?

Yeah, me too! Was like ***?

Truth.


Apparently I didn't have too much to comment on today, on to the temple...

That's OK. Made it easier for me to reply from my phone!