On-board Buffet Lunch Breisach

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Avalon Artistry II Lunch

Back from our first official excursion to the Black Forest, it was now time for our first lunch on-board the Artistry II.  As with everything on this cruise, you had choices.   We opted for the buffet lunch in the main dining room.

In this picture you can see guests in the background helping themselves to salad and the main dishes.   Another table had hot and cold soup selections along with breads.   Other choices included daily selections, which could be ordered via one of the waiters, or you could have a light lunch in the lounge if you preferred.

Soup & Salad

The complete lunch buffet included a selection of salad fixings with choice of dressings.

There were two soup choices - Vegetable Bouillon with Potato Strudel and Chilled Pineapple.  Both of the soups were very good.
In fact the chilled soup was so good that instead of dessert, I had a second cup of soup.


Main Dishes

Pictured here are two of the entree choices - Roast Beef Loin with gravy and Strips of Turkey Breast "Chop Suey" over rice.

Each lunch had one or more dishes at the carving station - usually a meat and a pasta as well as self-service selections.

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Arriving Back in Rome

Post-Cruise Stay - Rome

Upon arriving at Roma Termini train station, we walked a few blocks to our post-cruise hotel, Hotel Giardino.

As you can see in the picture, carrying large suitcases up the steep stairs would be challenging, so we were happy that we had opted for much smaller bags.  We used rolling bags that would fit easily on the train.

After checking in, we asked the hotel staff for some dining recommendations.   We were in the mood for some pizza or pasta, so they gave us a couple of choices nearby.

Spaghetteria L'Archetto

It was a short walk to the restaurant from our hotel.   When we arrived, it was pretty busy, but it was only a short wait for a table outside.  It was a gorgeous afternoon, so that was fine by us.

While we were waiting for a table to open up, we had time to look at the menu.   There were several choices that sounded good, so now all we had to do is wait a bit to be seated.  One thing you need to know about dining in Rome, unlike the United States, if you want water, you have to purchase a bottle, so keep that in mind.

 

We enjoyed our pastas and pizza, and then resumed our self-guided walking tour of Rome.  The food was good and the atmosphere was as well.  We would recommend this restaurant if you are in the neighborhood and get hungry.

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When in Rome

What Comes to Mind

If I mentioned a Caribbean cruise vacation, what would come to mind?   I suspect you'd think of palm trees, warm sandy beaches, crystal clear blue waters, and tropical drinks.

What would come to mind if I mentioned Rome, Italy?   Obviously ancient ruins, churches, and fountains would be among the responses.  But, I'm thinking of something completely different - pizza and gelato of course.


After exploring the Roman Forum, it was time for something to eat, so we searched for a local cafe. We had passed several as we walked to the Colosseum, so it was a matter of finding one for our first meal in Rome.

The four of us decided that pizza was all we wanted, so we each ordered our own individual pizza. There were several choices on the menu, but we decided upon two selections, cheese and mushrooms and cheese, mushrooms, and Prosciutto (ham).

Prosciutto is an acquired taste, so if you've never had it before, you may end up taking it off your pizza, as one of the people in our group did.  As you can see, the pizza is served on a dinner plate and fills the entire dish.  Sometimes, it is even a bit larger than the plate.  You'll have to use your knife to cut the pizza - there's no such thing as serving pizza that has already been cut up as we are used to in the states.

In most places, the pizza is very thin.  The edges are typically very crispy, but the middle could be a little soggy by our standards.   Another thing that pizza isn't is cheap.   The pizza in this picture cost 9€ and that didn't include drinks.   The bill for the four of us came to about 46€, so we rounded it up to 50€ to leave  a tip.  Tipping in Italy isn't expected, but it is common if you have good service to round up a few euros.

What's dinner without dessert, so we had to find a cafe to have some gelato.  Just a few doors down from our pizza cafe, we found a place to have some.   We had planned on just getting a cone and continuing to walk, but then changed our mind and sat down at a table to eat it there.  

Gelato is an ancient Italian frozen dessert, much like ice cream. It is made with some of the same ingredients as most other frozen dairy desserts. Milk, cream, various sugars, flavoring including fruit and nut purees are the main ingredients.

Gelato is different from some ice cream because it has a lower butterfat content.  This would only be the first of many more cups and cones of gelato throughout our trip.  Even in Greece, one can have some of this delicious frozen treat.   It is often cheaper if you select it for "take away" instead of eating it at the cafe.    In most cases 2€ will get you a small size cup or single dip cone to go.

As you can see in the picture above, there are many flavors to select from.   You can combine more than one flavor in your cup or cone if you so desire.   This one which my husband had was strawberry and lemon cello.    There were even two different choices for lemon alone, so there should be a flavor or two that you'll enjoy.  

So my friends, When in Rome.... have some of the local pizza and pasta and don't forget to add some gelato or Italian pastry treats too.

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Celebrity Solstice - Oceanview Café

While on our pre-inaugural cruise on Celebrity Solstice, one of the first experiences we had was dining in the Oceanview Café.

We were immediately struck by the eye appeal of both the dining area and the serving area. Especially appealing was the serving area which was very spacious. The color scheme included beiges, and other light colors, yellow, gold, and blue lighting. Signs overhead clearly marked each serving station.

Passengers collected a plate from one of the many serving islands and filled their plates as they made their way easily from station to station. There were duplicates of some stations so that if the line was long at one of them, you could simply go to another one and not have any wait.

The stations included a beverage station, salad bar, fromagerie (cheese selections), pasta kitchen, pizzeria, BBQ, chefs corner, the carvery, the bakery, and desserts. At each station, the food was arranged meticulously - nothing was out of place.

We've seen many buffets on ships and this was the most efficient and elegant setting that we've ever seen. It goes without saying that the quality of food was very good also. Celebrity has definitely raised the bar on fast food.

We enjoyed all of our breakfasts in Oceanview as well as our lunches. If you didn't want to eat inside, you could go out on deck and enjoy the ocean views in an open setting. Don't miss this treasure while onboard a Celebrity Solstice class ship.