Soliloquy on the Silhouette

Like her running mate, the Celebrity Solstice, this is a beautiful, tasteful ship with none of the glaring bling of a lot of cruise vessels. From the artwork on the walls to the furniture in the public rooms to the décor of our stateroom, she is quite the lovely lady.

Our cabin, as shown in the last post, is quite large: four people could do yoga, there’s that much floor space. Right now Ransom is lying down on the full size sofa while I’m sitting in an easy chair. I could instead be sitting at the desk or at the table on the balcony.

Last night we ate in one of the specialty restaurants – a concept I still have trouble with, remembering when paying for food onboard was an oxymoron – and it was exceptional. Qsine doesn’t provide traditional menus; rather, we were both given an iPad on which to build our meal. The waiter than compared the two lists, rearranged items and made suggestions as to how we would proceed.

Thus began the parade: excellent food served in extraordinary fashion. Sushi lollipops were exactly that: the freshest of sushi, rolled into balls and presented at the top of sticks, upright on a marble slab. Soup and Soufflé was an intriguing presentation of three chilled soups served in very small tall and thin glasses -- with straws -- alongside charming square cups of three complimentary soufflés. Escargot was hardly traditional either; the snails were joined by lobster meat and they were served with paper cones of brioche.

Dessert was a two-step process: first we were given a Rubik’s cube-like paper box that opened in various ways to display various choices. Ingenious. I passed, but Ransom’s mango ice cream was exceptional.

The food was excellent and the experience was worth the extra tariff, though, as I say, I still have a bit of trouble with the concept.

This is being posted just as we end a very rainy and windy seven-hour stop in Lisbon. We found Ransom an internet café and I found a cathedral, so it was a typical trip ashore for us. Shortly we leave Europe behind and head across the Atlantic. If today’s weather is any indication I may be glad for the patch behind my ear.