Port Vendres France

Before dinner we attended the mandatory muster drill for all guests who embarked in Barcelona. On Serenity you are assigned to one of the public rooms for the drill. In our case, we went to the Hollywood Theatre on Deck 6. 
 
Although we didn’t dine at Waterside, we did look at the dinner menu. The menu combines what used to be the traditional and modern menus into one which has both types of cuisine. This makes it easier to order from. Some salads and appetizers will be constant each evening with some changes. Examples of constants would be Shrimp Cocktail and Caesar Salad. Rather than having a separate cheese menu the cheese is listed for each evening along with desserts and wine.
 
We did stop by the Crystal Cove to see a couple of cruising friends who were dining at Waterside last evening and it was great to catch up with them.  
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Last evening's Waterside Dinner Menu

Since the restart of Crystal Cruises we have gone to Osteria for our first dinner of the cruise. Just like enjoying a Cobb Salad and a Flute of Champagne for lunch on embarkation day the Osteria Italian Specialty Restaurant has become our go to dining venue for the first night of the cruise.

Dinner was magnifico. Our waiter was Jose and the Sommelier was Maurizio and the Specialty Restaurant Maitre d' was Paolo. A few of the other Osteria Waiters came by either assisting Jose or to say hello. The waitstaff works very well as a team so if one waiter is taking an order or serving another table another waiter(s) will assist them if your course is ready as was the case with our first course last evening.

Shortly after dinner began, Captain Vincent spoke from the bridge and said we had a short delay leaving the port due to notification from the port but that we would arrive to our first port of call on-time in the morning.


It was fairly quiet  at Osteria with people arriving at various hours starting at 6:30 PM as we did. Mainly two person tables which tend to be quieter than larger tables. 

​Food was just spectacular. We began with Involutini di scampi. It is light and very tasty with a great presentation.  For our next course we shared Lasagne. As Maurizio said, this is the kind of Lasagna that his mother made and we know it's not the kind we would have in the states. Believe it or not although we think alike we did not have the same entree or dessert. Anne Marie had  the eggplant another favorite and it has a smoky taste and Keith had the Branzino with was moist. For dessert Anne Marie had 1/4th of a Tiramisu prepared table side and Keith had the cheese and crackers. Everything was marvelous including the Italian wine.

Just to expand on why we think everything was wonderful let’s start with the food. We know that some people miss the original Prego restaurant. For us that food was great but it’s more like American Italian. There is nothing wrong with that but for us it was the type of food easy to find at home at a variety of restaurants. In our case Anne Marie is half Italian and growing up her grandmother lived with them and did the cooking and was very Italian. Her grandmother’s older siblings grew were born in Italy, so Anne Marie learned from her how to prepare quite a bit of Italian meals. We find the food at Osteria to be not only authentic Italian but the kind of food that you would find at a very special restaurant on land. It is very tasty, consistent each time you dine there with a wonderful presentation. In short, it looks great and tastes great. For us I would say we’ve tried most items on the menu and we enjoy almost all of them. For those who want to eat less, consider half portions. If in doubt, ask if that is possible. In some cases, if you want just a little taste that is possible such as with the 1/4th of a Tiramisu that Anne Marie had.
 
The inclusive wines were quite nice. The sparkling one was organic and was a nice way to start the meal and we enjoyed the white wine which we’ve had before. The red is on the Connoisseur list so that is not inclusive and one I selected having had it last year. It is from the Tuscany region in Italy.
 
We have learned a great deal about wine over the years. Our first real introduction was from living in Northern California between 1987 and 1991. Prior to that our knowledge was basic such as there was red wine and there was white wine. LOL but very true. Although our knowledge increased many-fold we would say that had more to do with California wine. Our knowledge has grown a great deal starting with Crystal and that included learning about wine at the on-board Vintage Room and from Crystal Sommelier’s and Head Sommelier’s at dining venues. This expanded as we traveled more for pleasure including learning about wine during our international trips. We always enjoy listening to the Sommelier’s about where the wine comes from, the types of grapes used, the soil and region and anything else they share about the wine and/or winemaker.
 

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Keith often says that he sleeps best on a cruising adventure. I am not sure if it is the gentle rocking of the ship, the bed, the wine or the entire combination but last night was an example of this. Once in bed, he falls asleep quickly and while up early he sleeps very well. After a stop at the Fitness Center, it was time for a sixty minute fast paced walk outside. Keith has  found that very early morning when on one is outside except for a crew member getting the pool and pool deck ready for the day, he can get a nice long walk in and have some protection from any wind on the pool deck. An added plus is the lighting.

Today's Daily Reflections

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​Our first port-of-call on this young voyage is Port Vendres, France. It is a harbor town known for its beauty and was discovered by the Greeks and is situated near the Spanish Border. It has a long history dating all the way back to the Iron Age. Its population is relatively small at close to 4,000 residents and has decreased in the past 50 years.
 
It is a beautiful Mediterranean destination with yachts, fishing boats and visits from passenger cruise ships and known for its numerous seafood restaurants.
 
Crystal offered several excursions including scenic drive, visits to iconic locations including the Palace of the Kings in Perpignan dating back to the 13th century and a visit to a winery.
 

Cheers,

​Anne Marie & Keith