We then went to the Silk Road Japanese Specialty Restaurant for dinner with World Cruise Hostess Stacey and World Cruise Events Coordinator Shane. We had an absolutely wonderful time at dinner enjoying lots of wonderful conversation and a lot of laughs together and wonderful cuisine, and service.
It used to be that on a Formal Night that the specialty restaurants would be very quiet, as many guests preferred dining at the Crystal Dining Room on those nights. This was one of those nights where Silk Road was very busy but even with a lot of people we found service and all of the other aspects of the dining experience to be terrific. Congratulations to the Silk Road waitstaff and to the sushi cooks and everyone else for all that they do.
Head Waiter Sigi, Waiter Albert and the rest of the Silk Road team took wonderful care of us. We did have a lot of sushi and sashimi. Believe it or not in addition to the large platter of sushi and sashimi that is in one of the photos below, we also had an additional plate of sashimi which included Salmon Egg Sushi wrapped in Seaweed and one other Sushi/Sashimi item, but Keith forgot to get a photo of that.
We began with a couple of items that Albert had pre-ordered for us as a surprise.
After all of that we both had Mushroom Salad and Anne Marie had Lobster for her entree and Keith had the Sea Bass. We probably should have passed on the entree and thank goodness for all of the exercise. No dessert for any of the four of us. It was so much fun getting together with Stacey and Shane.
There was also a Captain's Reception and then the entertainment was the Billy Joel Concert Show.
All in all it was a lovely evening.
When we arrived back to the room, there was a World Cruise Gift on the bed, which was in a box contained inside this gift bag. We have been getting gifts on each World Cruise Segment.
This is a photo of the four Onyx Coasters.
We slept very well last evening as we were sailing to Rio de Janeiro. The seas were relatively calm.
The morning started as all morning's do with a workout for Keith and then some coffee at the Lido Cafe. Anne Marie was able to walk for a little while as we had an early morning Breakfast. After breakfast, she finished her walk. Keith was also able to get the laundry done.
At 8:00 AM, Keith was going to lead a spin class since the regular class was not on the schedule. However, he learned a short while later that another class was being taught so he couldn't do the class. Our next class will be in a couple of days since we have a full day in Rio tomorrow so that is why Keith volunteered to teach the class in the first place.
Instead, he worked out in the Fitness Center. He then played Paddle Tennis with several other guests right after that.
Since we did not arrive to Rio until around Noontime, there were several items on the schedule to make the morning feel like a sea day.
This included a talk by Kathryn Childers who spoke about the idea of retiring and how she prepared for retirement.
We then watched the arrival into Rio which is one of the most special places to arrive by Cruise Ship. When we think of those special places Rio is indeed on the list along with other places such as Sydney, Hong Kong, Venice, New York City, San Francisco, Cape Town just to name a few. Destination Lecturer Ken Rees narrated our arrival from the Palm Court which is a great area for viewing the arrival with its Panoramic Views.
Keith took photos of our arrival from the top outside deck of the ship and also from our verandah. It was a hazy morning so it made it a little more challenging to capture the colors that you might see without the haze.
The lunch venues opened earlier than normal, given our noon arrival time to Rio We then had salad at the Lido Cafe and then go thready for our visit to Rio.
We wanted to mention that about ten (10) days ago each guest received a letter in our room from the Retail Manager of the on-board shop noting that for the period of time we are sailing Brazilian water that this would effect the existing pricing of items at the boutique stores. In short, between April 18 & 28 a price of 30% premium would be charged on all tax and duty free pricing in direct complains with local mandated regulations. The premium is paid directly to the Brazilian Government. In order to prepare for this, the boutiques were closed at 7:00 PM on April 15 in order to prepare for inspection by the Brazilian authorities and would reopen April 18 with the new premium in place.
Likely all of this is in response to something similar we impose on Brazilian visitors to the USA. We would guess that with very little exceptions such as someone requiring over the counter medicine or say some toiletry item that no one is going to make purchases during this time frame so it's a shame that the stores and the employees have to go through all of this work. Maybe it would have been easier to just close the stores but we suspect that the Brazilian authorities might not have allowed that either. Sometimes the world we live in can be "crazy".
We have been to Rio many times before. Keith's first visit was over 20 years ago on business with followup trips there and then we first visited Rio as tourists in 2007 and then on several subsequent sailings.
Rio has so much to offer those touring this city. We are cautious as to where we go and for that matter what time we go. Of course, our views are similar for selected cities around the world including selected cities or parts of cities in our own country. As such, we prefer touring Rio in the daytime.
Rio is a large city with so much to do and see. Over 6.5 million people live in Rio. Rio was first discovered by the Portuguese conquistadors on January 1, 1502. IN 1763 it became the countries capital, and in 1822 after Brazil's independence from Portugal it became the official capital.
Some of the attractions that are iconic to Rio include:
Corcovado also known as the Christ the Redeemer which stands 130 feet tall, weighs 635 tons and is located at the peak of Corcovado Mountain which is 2,300 feet high.
Pao de Acucar also known as Sugar Loaf which offers breathtaking views of the city.
Copacabana Beach which is one of the most famous beaches in the world. The shuttle stops at the Copacabana Hotel located right across from the beach.
Ipanema which is considered a great beach for surfing.
Jardim Botanic which we visited a few years ago on a Crystal Tour which is a Botanical Garden which if we remember correctly is one if not the largest Botanical Garden in any city.
Marconi Stadium which is home to Football (Soccer).
Lapa Neighborhood which we visited on a tour in 2013 which used to be a red light district and now is known for its vibrant nightlife.
Here are some photos of the old city. Many tourists do not stop there, favoring the more famous locations to visit but for those with time or on a repeat visit we highly recommend a visit to the old city. To us, you see the Portugal influence between the architecture of many of the buildings to the mosaic tile found all around this area.
Once back on Serenity, Anne Marie walked for an hour and Keith met up with dear friend Bob.
This evening we are back in the Crystal Dining Room for dinner.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.....
"Travelers never think that they are the foreigners." - Mason Cooley
Keith & Anne Marie
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