Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> "sf" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Fri, 10 Apr 2009 23:56:53 -0400, "Ed Pawlowski" >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Why, when visiting countries with some of the best food in the
>>> world would I want to eat at a cattle trough on a ship? I go to these
>>> places to enjoy the local ambiance and food. I can get Applebees any time.
>> I wouldn't put it that way, but I agree with you as far as partaking
>> in the local cuisine. I probably would have eaten early in port
>> though.
>>
>
> The time in port was too short for a good visit, IMO. On a 12 day cruise
> there were only 40 hours on land spread out over 9 ports of call. Of that
> 40 hours, some would be lost just finding transportation.
>
> I guess it depends on how you view the trip. To me, visiting a different
> area of the country or the world in an opportunity to see the scenery, meet
> the people, learn how others live, and absorb the culture. The cruise was
> more of a long ride on a ship with occasional short diversions to some
> different city. Time to stretch your legs before boarding again.
>
>
It's true that you don't get to spend enough time in a city to
thoroughly appreciate it, but for some of us with limited travel ability
it works. I like the ides of not having to pack and unpack and deal with
airports or hotels.

If you want to do some leisurely travel with out havin g to pack and
unpack, try a river barge cruise. We did one from Budapest to Amsterdam
on Uniworld and it was fantastic. The head chef even took me to the
kitchen for a tour. These river barge cruises are more expensive than
the ones the ocean liner companies offer, but they are so much more
relaxed and gracious. The food on our river barge cruise was awesome.
One day we came back for lunch and they had a Bavarian feast complete
with suckling pig, 7 different kinds of sausages and all the other stuff.

The chef told me that he had corporate permission to purchase any of the
fresh ingredients sold at the farmers markets where the barge would
anchor. One time I saw some wonderful morels and to my delight, they
appeared on the menu in various dishes and even in the breakfast omelets.

--
Janet Wilder
way-the-heck-south Texas
spelling doesn't count
but cooking does