Five hours of foodie decadence at Pizarro Fine Dining in Groß-Gerau…

On Thursday afternoon, Bill finally got home from his latest TDY trip. I was delighted to see him, especially since he was sporting a white beard. He said he’d quit shaving while he was working the nightshift in Bavaria. I think Bill is adorable when he has a beard, but I don’t enjoy kissing it, and he doesn’t like the upkeep. So, within a few minutes of his arrival home, he shaved. Then we started talking about future food and travel endeavors… 😉

I showed Bill a few places I found for a potential long weekend. We’re overdue for a trip outside of Germany. He said he’d see what he could do for time off, not to include the two days he’s taking to recover from sixteen days straight of non-stop work. I’ve mentioned before, Bill is not a night person, and he’s no longer a spring buck. He gets things accomplished, but it comes at a price when the job is done. I like this, because it means I can plan elaborate short trips, which often turn out to be our most memorable.

Before we make any serious plans for a long weekend, Bill wanted to go out to dinner. There was a time not so long ago when we used to go out to eat all the time. Nowadays, we’ve kind of lost the desire to get dressed up and go out to a restaurant. I think it’s a combination of us getting older and the pandemic, which got us used to hanging out at home all the time. Also, today happens to be the one year anniversary of the death of our beloved beagle-coonhound mix, Arran. While we wanted to celebrate him, we also miss him a lot.

Now… about Pizarro Fine Dining in Groß-Gerau…

At the time Bill proposed a night out, I was all for it. He went on OpenTable.de and found a new restaurant in the nearby hamlet of Groß-Gerau, which the GPS tells us is about sixteen miles from where we live.

Bill started reading about Pizarro Fine Dining on OpenTable, and then Googled the restaurant. He noted the solid five star ratings people on Google had given the place. He also noticed that the restaurant was mentioned by The Michelin Guide in 2023.

Pizarro Fine Dining has kind of a unique concept. Instead of having people come in and order what they want a la carte, they offer a set “Nuna Inka” menu, which is a tasting menu of different fish dishes coupled with healing herbs. They also offer “kitchen parties” and “daytime champagne matinees” every other week. Additionally, they have wine events, and are available to be booked for business events or parties. The next wine event, according to Pizarro’s Web site, will be held on May 10, 2024.

Last night’s fully booked dinner was the Nuna Inka menu. For 125 euros per person, patrons are welcomed into the restaurant at 6:30 PM, given snacks and an aperitif, and then at around 7:15, the first course arrives. Diners are welcome to pair the tasting menu with wine– alcoholic or non-alcoholic. Bill really liked the fact that there was a non-alcoholic wine pairing, which made it possible for him to fully enjoy the experience without worrying about drunk driving. Additionally, patrons are welcome to purchase a glass or a bottle of wine, and stick with that instead of having the pairings. And, of course, there’s always still or sparkling water. Pizarro has a whole beverage menu with all of the choices.

Yesterday afternoon, I was feeling kind of tired and didn’t feel like getting dressed up and putting on makeup. Nevertheless, I made myself go, because I’ve been cooped up alone at home for weeks. Besides, this blog needed some fresh content… and boy did we get “fresh” in spades last night!

*Probably the Rathaus. We will have to go back and explore.*

Five hours of food…

We arrived at Pizarro Fine Dining at 6:30 PM, parking our car at the handy public lot right across the street from the restaurant. We were greeted personally by Chef Julio Pizarro, and his friendly and capable waiter, who impressed us so much last night by speaking almost perfect English. It’s not that we’re surprised he spoke English so much as that our language is so pervasive in Europe now, and we don’t even have to ask people to do it. To be honest, it kind of puts us Americans to shame. There were only a couple of times when the English word for something escaped the waiter’s memory. Fortunately, ten years of living in Germany this time has made us both pretty proficient in restaurant German.

We had a seat at a table in the corner. My back was to what appeared to be a wine library. I took note of the music, which was a delightfully eclectic combination of jazz, world music, and 70s era pop. I found myself repeatedly “Shazaming”, when it was quiet enough in the restaurant. I’ll be adding more to my personal playlist, thanks to our visit to Pizzaro’s! Aside from the music, I also enjoyed the lighting, which became colorful after the round of snacks. With each new course, the lights changed, which added to the unusual ambiance.

Feast your eyes on the parade of very fresh food we ate last night… As you can see, it was very heavy on fish, which I enjoyed very much. In fact, I commented to Chef Pizzaro that it was a real pleasure to have such different cuisine in Germany.

This meal was– no lie– one of the best I’ve ever had in my life… and I have had a lot of good food. Every course practically exploded with different flavors and textures. There wasn’t a single course that offended me, and the only time I needed any kind of change was with the optional Wagyu course (25 euros per person). I don’t eat mushrooms or truffles, and that course had both. Bill enjoyed his the way Chef Pizzaro created it, while I just tasted the plain beef. Oh my GOD… that beef practically melted. It was so tender and flavorful!

While this was a long evening with lots of food and wine, I was neither stuffed nor drunk when we left there at about 11:30 PM. In fact, I remarked to Bill as we were eating that I was feeling markedly better, physically, than I was when we came into the place.

Remember when I mentioned that I was feeling kind of tired and not wanting to venture out anywhere? Well… I think there really were some healing qualities to the herbs in those dishes. Because after I had the first dish, following the three rounds of “snacks”, I literally started feeling better, physically. It was kind of cool. And I didn’t know the dishes had any healing herbs in them when I made that comment, as I didn’t read up on Pizzaro Fine Dining before we went on this culinary journey.

On our drive home, Bill and I kept talking about how amazed we were by the food and wine experience we’d just had… and how we’re definitely going to have to go back another time. But– word to the wise– this experience is not cheap. When all was said and done last night, we’d spent almost 500 euros, before the tip!

We’ve dined in some pricey establishments before, but this one was probably the most expensive of them all. But that included nine courses served at a leisurely pace, wine pairings, two bottles of water, the Wagyu supplement, a glass of 2001 Pauillac to go with the beef (16 euros), coffee and petit fours. The only option we didn’t add on is a cheese course (15 euros). We could have spent significantly less if we’d wanted to do that. But we were having such a good time, I just wanted Chef Pizarro to take our money.

Thanks to the relaxed pacing of last night’s dinner, we had the chance to chat with the chef, who personally brought out some of the food. After immediately pegging Bill as an American guy who works for the Army, Chef Pizarro told us he’d gone to college in Michigan. He landed in Groß-Gerau because his wife is German. What a gift it is for those of us lucky enough to live close to his restaurant! As we were leaving, we thanked him profusely once again, and promised we’d be back for another visit. And now, I’m spreading the word to others, in case anyone else wants to meet Chef Pizarro. Just be sure to make a reservation and bring your credit card or lots of euros!

I would not call Pizarro Fine Dining a child friendly restaurant, although there was a table with two well-behaved children in attendance last night. Dress is casual elegant, although I did see people in jeans. Chef Pizarro doesn’t do substitutions, except for pescatarian, which must be requested at least 24 hours in advance. Vegetarian options are also not available. If you have allergies or intolerances, you can let the chef know and he will make adjustments for that reason. My advice, though, is to just let Chef Pizarro take the wheel. He really is a wizard!

*We’ll have to visit Groß-Gerau again and check out this town…*

The featured photo is another shot of the Hamachi ceviche, which was my favorite of the courses… although that beef was certainly a contender!

Luxury

More favorite European luxury hotels…

Happy Saturday, blog fans. I usually try to update my travel blog on the weekends with reports on restaurants, fun activities, or travel. This weekend, Bill is recovering from two back to back TDYs, some kind of respiratory infection that isn’t COVID, and irritable bowel syndrome. He is out shopping for food right now, but I have my doubts that we’re going to get out and about today.

Although we have lovely fall weather, we’re both kind of tired… Bill from sickness, and me from tending to Arran all week and repeatedly getting up in the middle of the night. Arran is doing okay today, except for his rancid, atomic farts, and being a little sleepy from his chemo. He did get a chemo pill today, as well as Prednisolone; the Endoxan pill makes him want to snooze. And two days post Vincristine infusion is also when the side effects tend to kick in. He was a little low energy this morning, and threw up a little of his food.

This is actually kind of a bummer, though. I’d rather Arran not be dealing with side effects on Saturday, which is the one day Bill and I can go anywhere and things will be open. Maybe we should try to change the day of the infusions. We’ll have to do that anyway, if Arran is still with us next month. We still have plans to visit France, starting on Wednesday, the 16th, which is our anniversary.

But maybe it’s not so bad that we aren’t going out today. I’ve been wanting to write another post about some of my favorite European luxury hotels. We’ve been to some good ones since the last time I did one of these posts, in February 2017. Our fortunes have improved since that time, five years ago, when I wrote about our favorite luxury digs. These aren’t necessarily ranked in order, nor are they even my favorite lodgings of all time. They’re just luxurious European places we really enjoyed and haven’t forgotten. So here’s another post about some of my favorite hotels when we want to drop a load of euros. Here goes.

10. Grand Hotel du Lac, Vevey Switzerland

*From the very first moment, we were impressed… until we ate in the restaurant and our waiter sold us 40 CHF glasses of Cristal Champagne, and waved a truffle under my nose!*

Bill and I stayed at this five star hotel in Vevey, Switzerland in December 2015. I went with him on a business trip to Vicenza, Italy, and we decided to stop in Switzerland on the way home, so Bill could visit the Giger Museum in Gruyeres. I noticed the Grand Hotel du Lac the first time we lived in Germany, but in those days, our finances made it impossible to book such a place. Switzerland is expensive no matter what, but a five star hotel there is quite a splurge. Still, I decided to go for it, and even sprang for a lake view, as the hotel is right next to Lake Geneva. The lake view was a waste of money, though, because there was fog the whole time we were there during waking hours. The one full day we were in the area, we spent in Gruyeres. Still, the hotel is absolutely beautiful and comfortable, and I remember our stay there fondly– with exception to our experience in the restaurant, which was not as impressive. Vevey is a pretty town, too. I’d love to go back! And I would definitely stay in this hotel… though I might go elsewhere for dinner.

9. Merrion Hotel, Dublin Ireland

*Merrion Hotel is wonderful! And it’s close to lots of authentic Irish pubs, too…*

In 2018, I whimsically bought tickets to see a bunch of concerts, one of which was in Dublin, Ireland, and featured Paul Simon, James Taylor, and Bonnie Raitt. Yeah, that was a great show, and it lasted about six hours! We obviously needed good digs, so we could get proper rest. I decided to book Merrion Hotel, which is supposedly Dublin’s best… or, at least it was when we were there in 2018. Anyway, we didn’t have an upgraded room, but the room we had was nice enough. Bonus was that they gave us lots of chocolate– like three huge bars of it– milk, dark, and white. I remember loving the breakfasts at this hotel, which were cooked to order and absolutely amazing. Plus, there was a beautiful pool area, and top notch service. Highly recommended!

8. Europäische Hof Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

*This was a very tastefully decorated and comfortable room. The owner of the hotel obviously takes great pains to make her hotel special.*

In June 2021, Bill and I decided to pay a visit to Heidelberg, Germany, a city not that far from where we currently live. At the time, COVID-19 cases, and the restrictions that accompanied the pandemic, were in full swing. We decided we wanted to stick close to home. I booked a few nights at Europäische Hof Heidelberg, a beautiful five star hotel with a long history and high service standards. The hotel has been family run for generations, and the attention to detail and care for guests are obvious. The owner of the hotel was very attentive and visible during our visit. Afterwards, when I wrote a review on TripAdvisor, she responded personally, and even sent me an email. We had a gorgeous, comfortable room, and the location was very convenient to the downtown area. I still get email offers from this hotel, and I’d love to go back sometime. Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s not a rip off.

7. Park Hotel Sonnenhof, Vaduz, Liechtenstein

*The view from our patio. What a beautiful place! I could stare at those mountains all day!*

Bill and I visited Vaduz, Liechtenstein in May 2022, on our way home from a trip to Italy to taste wines. Originally, I had planned to stop in Lugano, Switzerland, but determined that Lugano wasn’t close enough to home. We had visited Liechtenstein once, back in 2009, and I thought it might be interested to visit the tiny country one more time. When I saw that it had a very highly regarded hotel with beautiful views, I was definitely onboard with booking. We had a lovely time in Vaduz, and delighted in tasting even more wines there! Park Hotel Sonnenhof is a very restful hotel with an excellent restaurant. It’s great for a splurge.

6. Hotel Bareiss, Baiersbronn, Germany

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you might know that Bill and I only recently stayed at the Hotel Bareiss in Baiersbronn, Germany. It’s probably the most expensive hotel we’ve ever stayed at, but it’s important to remember that the price of the room includes breakfast and dinner, as well as an afternoon cake buffet. At this hotel, food is front and center, but it also offers classic, quaint Black Forest inspired rooms, a petting zoo, daily activities, walking trails, several restaurants, and a first class pool and spa area. I LOVED the pool and spa areas, actually. We were there at a great time to enjoy them, too, because it wasn’t crowded at all! I wish we’d had a chance to try the a la carte restaurants, because the items that we had that weren’t part of the board menu were truly very special. Service is also outstanding at this hotel! Baiersbronn is a great town for foodies, as there are quite a few exquisite Michelin starred restaurants there. It’s also a fine place for hikers, especially if they want to see waterfalls.

5. Upper House, Gothenburg, Sweden

*Coolest pool ever! This is jutting out from the building on the 18th floor, and has a glass bottom.*

In late June 2019, Bill and I went to Gothenburg, Sweden to pick up our brand new Volvo at the Volvo factory. Although we could have stayed at a hotel chosen by Volvo, I wanted to go to the Upper House, a hotel in Gothia Towers. Why? Because of the pool. It juts out from the side of the building on the 18th floor! Also, the hotel is very swanky and beautiful, and offers beautiful views of the amusement park next door. Bill and I both loved the breakfasts, which were very unusual and cooked to order with fresh ingredients. If you’re going to Gothenburg and looking for something special, The Upper House is a good bet. The spa area is dreamy, but so is the bar… and I distinctly remember loving the bed. I wish I’d thought to find out where the mattress came from. That was a pretty epic trip. We combined it with stops in Copenhagen, Rostock, and Leipzig, and saw Mark Knopfler, both in concert, and at the bar in the Leipzig hotel where we were staying!

4. Auberge au Boeuf, Sessenheim, France

*The pastries alone were worth the trip! The room was nice, too!*

In March 2022, we had to go see our dentist in Stuttgart. At that time, COVID-19 rules were in full effect in Germany, and things were feeling a bit dystopian. We decided we wanted to get out of Germany for a few days, so I looked for a place just over the border. That’s when I discovered tiny Sessenheim, a little village near Soufflenheim, where a lot of French pottery is made. Sessenheim boasts a marvelous Michelin starred restaurant called Auberge au Boeuf, which also has four rooms to rent. This isn’t a big hotel, but the room we stayed in was the only one I have ever stayed in my lifetime that had its very own private sauna. It also had a jacuzzi bath. But the most impressive and memorable part of our stay at this hotel was the breakfast, which included the most delicious pastries I’ve ever had! They were obviously made on site, and served on special pottery that appeared to be locally made. Breakfast also included cheeses, smoked fish, cold cuts, and a variety of other goodies, all of which were brought to us. No breakfast buffet!

3. Hotel Oberwaid, St. Gallen, Switzerland

*Beautiful pool area. There are also great spa facilities on the ground floor.*

If you ever feel the need to feel “safe”, Hotel Oberwaid is a good bet. This hotel, located within sight of Lake Konstanz, is also a health sanitorium. There are physicians on staff for people who go there for health reasons, but it’s also a very comfortable hotel. From June until December, children are not allowed at the hotel, so it’s a very restful, adult oriented place. The restaurant serves excellent local cuisine, and there’s a fantastic pool and spa area. What I loved most about this hotel, though, was that they went to great lengths to make guests comfortable. After four nights at a noisy resort in Italy, I was definitely in the mood for a peaceful, quiet couple of nights at a place that was climate controlled and had good beds. Hotel Oberwaid had that, but it was also a very classy place. I can see why people go there for their health, even though I didn’t feel like I was staying in a hospital. The focus is on health and wellness, but in a comfortable, visually appealing setting. I’d like to go back sometime, if the fates allow.

2. De Witte Lelie, Antwerp, Belgium

This is the hotel Bill chose for us when I turned 50 in June. It’s not the most luxurious of the properties where we’ve stayed. It doesn’t have a spa or a pool. However, it is beautifully and stylishly furnished, and offers every comfort, and it’s very convenient to downtown Antwerp. What I loved most about it was the service, which was very warm, personal, and professional. They brought out a beautiful strawberry tart and some fizz for my birthday morning, and we stayed in the funkiest room I’ve ever seen. I like this hotel because it’s so hospitable; we were so pleased with everything! One caveat I would mention is that if you have mobility issues, you might want to call the hotel for advice on which rooms are best. Our room required climbing a couple of flights of stairs. The other side of the hotel has elevator access for that part. The featured photo is of the hotel’s iconic red front door!

1. Brenner’s Park Hotel & Spa, Baden-Baden, Germany

In November 2018, Bill and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary. We were also preparing to move to Wiesbaden from the Stuttgart area, in what would turn out to be a very stressful relocation, particularly considering that we were moving within Germany. I wanted to find us a really beautiful place to spend our anniversary, and I found it in Brenner’s Park. One of my former professors from Longwood University recommended this hotel, calling it “a little slice of Heaven”. Indeed, that’s what we found when we got there, especially since they upgraded us from a deluxe room to a junior suite… and that room was palatial! Brenner’s Park has a resident cat named Kleopatra, a fantastic spa, beautiful pool area, delicious food, and a classy bar. I would LOVE to go back there, even though it’s not very far from where we live now. Maybe on a future dentist excursion, we’ll book Brenner’s Park… but I don’t know if we can spring for a junior suite, and it’ll be hard to downgrade after staying in one. In a word… WOW.

I won’t deny it. Bill and I have been living a pretty sweet life over here… and I am very grateful we’ve had these opportunities to enjoy some of Europe’s loveliest hotels. I hope we can visit a few more before it’s time to retire and settle somewhere permanent. For now, we’re going to keep splurging for as long as we can. You only live once!

If you’re curious about any of these places and want more details of our visits, be sure to search the blog. I have done extensive review series of each place listed in this post!

Luxury

SeaDream Yacht Club drops a bombshell…

Recently, SeaDream Yacht Club has been teasing its prior passengers with promises of “big news”. Even though our last SeaDream cruise was in May 2013, I still really like this cruise line and would love to sail them again… soon, if possible. Although I haven’t signed up for an upcoming cruise yet, I did sign up to get the big news. Just a little while ago, I got the email with the latest scoop.

Ever since its inception, SeaDream has had two ships– SeaDream I and SeaDream II. They are identical, except SeaDream I was built in 1984 and SeaDream II was built in 1985. They used to be called Sea Goddess I and Sea Goddess II. For years, there have been rumors swirling about a new vessel. In fact, in 2013, during our last cruise, the cruise director had dinner with Bill and me and told us about plans for a new ship. But then, that guy ended up quitting his job just a few weeks later.

Well, as of today, we know SeaDream will have a new vessel called Innovation which will allow SeaDream to add over 200 ports around the world, to include polar regions. The new ship will have three marinas, a seaplane, and its own helicopter. The staterooms will also all have balconies. At this point, they’re saying the ship will be ready by September 2021. I hope to do another SeaDream cruise before then, if time and finances allow.

Since Bill left the Army and has been establishing his new career as a contractor, the opportunity to take a SeaDream cruise has eluded us. We have been fortunate enough to take Hebridean cruises in Scotland and, in fact, I actually prefer Hebridean in some ways. However, SeaDream was our introduction to small ship cruising and they go to places Hebridean can’t. SeaDream has things Hebridean Princess doesn’t have, like a piano bar and a marina… and a pool and Thai spa. Plus, the clientele is a bit different, although not necessarily better or worse. I’ve met a few celebrities on SeaDream, while on Hebridean, it’s more likely to meet very wealthy British people.

*Computerized screenshot of the new vessel.*

So this is exciting news, although I highly doubt any voyages on the Innovation will be in our price range. SeaDream cruises are very expensive and they annoyingly add port taxes after the already high fare. I like the way Hebridean does things. You pay a huge fare, but it’s truly all inclusive. Once you pay, you don’t have to worry about anything else, except whatever you might buy in their tiny gift shop.

So far, we’ve done three SeaDream cruises. Our first, in April 2010, was San Juan, Puerto Rico to St. Thomas, USVI. It was just five nights and cheap, especially for SeaDream. I think I booked a guaranty fare for $1599 a person. The second was in November 2011, St. John, Antigua to Bridgetown, Barbados. And the third was in May 2013, Rome, Italy to Athens, Greece, with a passage through the Corinth Canal.

I had my eye on a voyage happening this summer, but Bill didn’t want me to book it. Now I realize I probably should have gone ahead and booked it. Especially now… because I really, REALLY need a real vacation.

I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for Innovation’s fares. I might just laugh at them for awhile as I dream.

Luxury

Paul Simon or bust… Our Dublin getaway! Part three

The first time we visited Dublin, Bill and I stayed at the Marker Hotel, which is a very nice business class accommodation located near Ireland’s Facebook offices. The Marker Hotel was, at that time, Trip Advisor’s number one pick for hotels in Dublin. I don’t think that’s why I booked it, though. I think it’s because the Merrion Hotel was full during the time we wanted to visit. When I travel without the dogs, I like to stay in nice hotels.

Super nice digs!

Bill and I liked the Marker Hotel fine, but the location wasn’t ideal for us. It’s very close to the Liffey River, kind of away from all the pubs and sights. The Merrion Hotel, by contrast, is right in the thick of things, off Merrion Square and close to St. Stephen’s Green. It’s directly next to a street lined with restaurants and it’s also not far from the RDS Arena, which is where Paul Simon would be performing. The Marker Hotel’s location is a bit more residential and not as convenient to non business related activities.

The Merrion Hotel is also just plain more to my liking. It’s more of a traditional hotel, with more of a classic feel than the Marker Hotel’s ultra sleek modern vibe. Both hotels are expensive. Both hotels are very nice and offer excellent service and good food. But my preference is for the Merrion, which our cab driver assured us is the best hotel in Dublin. I believe him. For readers who are wondering which one they’d like better– if you’re going to splurge, that is– I’d say choose the Marker Hotel if you like modern decor and want to be close to the river and/or Facebook. Choose the Merrion Hotel if you like a more traditional decor with character and lavish service. Either way, you really can’t go wrong. They are both beautiful hotels.

If your preference is more for “interesting”, I’d recommend checking out the Charleville Lodge, which is run by a hilarious guy who is very active on Facebook. I have not stayed at the Charleville Lodge myself, but I have a feeling I would enjoy it… if only I weren’t so posh. The guy who runs the Charleville Lodge also runs the White Moose Cafe, which was all over the news a few months ago after the owner exposed a blogger. Hmmm… I guess that’s another reason I decided not to book there. Seriously, if you like cheeky humor and don’t mind some ribbing, you might want to check it out. Maybe we’ll stay there next time we go to Dublin, but only if I’ve given up writing by that time.

So, anyway, back to the Merrion Hotel. I had prepaid for the room, but they took an imprint of Bill’s credit card for “incidentals”. We knew there would be incidentals, too. The Merrion Hotel has two restaurants, a pub, and a cocktail bar, as well as a beautifully equipped spa. I never made it to a spa treatment, but I did try out the beautiful pool and took note of the well-maintained exercise room, which, of course, I didn’t use.

We were assigned room 333, which was a standard room on the “garden” wings. The garden wings are relatively newly built wings to the original hotel, which originally consisted of four Victorian era townhouses. While the newer rooms lack the character of the original rooms, they are still extremely well appointed and comfortable and even come with free chocolate and water. Below are some pictures.

They gave us free Fuji water, which we never got around to drinking, and three chocolate bars, which we brought home with us. Chocolate is definitely a plus.

The bed. Not sure what that stripe down the picture is. Maybe my iPhone malfunctioned.

A tray of amenities. If you need dry cleaning or laundry done, they have you covered.

A huge marble bathroom with a nice shower and tub. It also had a scale in it, which I carefully avoided. The shower was nice, although I preferred the one at Wald Hotel in Stuttgart!

Water by Oscar Wilde! He’s everywhere in Dublin!

Our room also had a French balcony, free Internet, a mini bar, and a TV with lots of channels on it. Every night, a housekeeper brought us ice and kept us stocked with water. We only got turn down service on the night of Paul Simon’s concert because the other nights, we were already in for the evening when it was time for turn down service.

We were pretty tired on our first night in Dublin, so we decided to eat at the hotel. They have a pub in the basement called The Cellar Bar (which I had originally misunderstood as “Salad Bar”). It’s a really cool place, with lots of brick rooms. Thursday nights, they have live entertainment. Although we didn’t see the musicians who played for a short while, we did hear them. It was a nice treat and, unfortunately, the closest I got to live pub music during our visit. Maybe next time we’ll have better luck and want to stay up later.

Bill peruses the menu.

He had an open faced steak sandwich with mild cheese.

I went with half a chicken smothered with barbecue sauce. This was a real treat! While we certainly get chicken in Germany, it’s not usually prepared in this style. It came with a salad.

A Hop House Lager, made by Guinness.

Service at The Cellar Bar was cordial and professional and the food was very good. I would have liked to have gone there a second time, but we didn’t get the chance. However, we did have three breakfasts in The Garden Room, which is one of the hotel’s restaurants. Breakfast is 24 euros if you just want the continental stuff and 29 euros if you opt for a cooked to order breakfast. If you want steak and eggs, it’s another fourteen euros. I was a little tempted by steak and eggs, but that seemed too extreme.

On our first morning, we had a nice view of the courtyard garden.

And here’s a view of the continental island, which has the usual fruits, cheeses, breads, juices, and pastries.

Bill had scrambled eggs with smoked salmon.

I went with Eggs Benedict.

The garden is very pretty.

It even has a fountain!

When the maid is cleaning your room, they hang these handy signs.

I liked the uniforms the staff in the Garden Room wore. They had very nice tailored slacks and vests that appeared to be good quality. Actually, everyone in the hotel wears very nice uniforms and they vary depending on what part of the hotel the person is working in. We noticed at least one American working in the Garden Room. She was the chattiest of all the wait staff. I think I overheard her saying that she was in studying in Dublin. As a former English major, I couldn’t help but note that Ireland is kind of a paradise for former English majors… or even well read geeks like my husband.

After breakfast, we learned more about Dublin’s rich musical and literary history. More on that in my next post!

Luxury

Pam Conover resigns from SeaDream…

Less than a month ago, I blogged about SeaDream Yacht Club’s turnover. When I wrote that post, I was a little hesitant, since I am definitely no cruise line insider, nor am I even really a travel expert. I just like to travel when I can and I like to write about my experiences. I have cruised on SeaDream three times and mostly enjoyed each time. However, as a Cruise Critic message board poster, I also regularly follow SeaDream’s forum and this morning, learned that Pam Conover, a highly regarded and much touted executive who joined SeaDream less than a year ago, has just decided to resign her position, effective December 4, 2013.

This is yet another worrying departure on the small, but much beloved, luxury cruise line. Of course, I don’t know why she’s leaving. For all I know, she could be resigning for personal reasons that have nothing to do with SeaDream’s apparent decline. However, I do know that at least on Cruise Critic and among a couple of people I met onboard, there seems to be growing discontent with the product, mainly because of issues people have been having with kids on the ships.

SeaDream I is headed for Costa Rica this month. I was really wanting to book one of the Costa Rica cruises, but our circumstances didn’t allow for that. If we hadn’t had to move to Texas, perhaps we would have pulled the trigger. Every time we move, it costs money and requires time to get settled. As it is now, I’m not really feeling the urge to book anymore. I do have the itch to travel, but not necessarily on SeaDream, and that is a big change from the past, when I couldn’t wait to book my next SeaDream voyage.

I will be watching to see what people say about the Costa Rica cruises. Even if we never do a SeaDream cruise down there, I would like to go to that region at some point. If my teeth keep giving me grief, I might even go down there for medical tourism purposes.

One magical memory, courtesy of SeaDream…

Luxury

Day 6 of our SeaDream cruise… Itea (Delphi) and the Corinth Canal…

Itea

Nat Green had told us that Itea had really beautiful, calm waters. Sadly, the clouds were out on May 16th, which made it hard to see how beautiful the water really was. SeaDream stopped in Itea, Greece, to let passengers who wanted to see Delphi take a tour. Bill and I opted to just walk around the port for awhile. I heard later that Delphi was a fairly strenuous stop that involved a lot of climbing stairs.

Itea didn’t seem like a very exciting town, though I did see what I would consider “stereotypical” Greek scenes. There were orange trees and flowering bushes everywhere, and old men sat at cafes holding court, drinking coffee, and smoking. Bill and I passed a butcher shop and I happened to see a pig’s head hanging in the window. He didn’t notice until I said, “Oh my God!”

Orange you glad we’re in Greece?

We walked by one coffee shop that smelled absolutely heavenly. I was tempted to go inside for a cup of coffee, but instead, we went to a gift shop where several SeaDream passengers appeared to be on a shopping spree. At this point in the trip, I was being pretty restrained about shopping. I did see some beautiful plates and tiles that I coveted, but somehow I managed to stop myself from buying them… in Itea, at least.

These beautiful bushes were everywhere.

Pig head!

The proprietors of the gift shop were pretty funny, though. As a few of the SeaDream ladies picked out pieces of silver jewelry, one of the store’s owners said, “God bless America. You can stay here all day!”

The postcards in Itea were very interesting. I’m not sure what Bill is reacting to…

On the tender back to the yacht…

I left the store with a Greek cookbook, two compact discs, and a little icon to go in my shadow box at home. My shopping urge temporarily satisfied, we went back to the ship where we lazed around in the hot tub and the TOY Bar until it was time to pass through the Corinth Canal. Job kept me supplied with mimosas and Manuel kept me in stitches with stories about life as a bartender on SeaDream I.

Getting ready to party through the Corinth Canal!

I must say, SeaDream made going through the canal pretty special. They put out plenty of hors d’oeuvres and passed around small glasses of ouzo as we made our way through. There was live music at the front of the yacht. Some folks were smart enough to go to deck five, which was a lot less crowded than the TOY Bar was. If your goal is to get great pictures and see a lot, I would recommend not hanging out near the TOY Bar. As for Bill and me, we had a great time listening to the music, toasting with ouzo, and getting to know some of the people we had met in the piano bar the night before.

Me and Bill and a new friend!

That evening was the degustation menu dinner. We did ours with a wine pairing and Pablo the sommelier explained the different wines he paired with each course. We had the marvelous Jose waiting on us; he is one of my favorite SeaDream personalities because he has a beautiful, genuine smile and seems intent on making his guests happy. When Jose noticed me not eating the foie gras, he took the liberty of bringing me a salad from the alternate menu which was much more to my liking.