We enjoyed another night on board Crystal Serenity last evening.
We were back at the Crystal Cove for a pre-dinner drink while we listened to Scott Mitchell play the piano.
After Scott finished playing, he joined us for dinner at the Crystal Dining Room and this provided additional time for us to catch up with Scott although we have spoken with him on many nights right before he gets ready to play the Piano.
We both had an appetizer of Crabmeat. It was very tasty.
We each had salads and then for our entree Keith had fresh Salmon.
Anne Marie had the Fresh Angler Fish and afterwards Branislav came around with some of the fish for Keith to try. It's texture is similar to Lobster. It was very tasty too.
Last night was our last night in the Dining Room of this voyage and we just wanted to take a moment to complement the wait-staff team that had taken excellent care of us. This includes Senior Waiter Branislav whom we have known for so many years but this is the first time we have had him as our Senior Waiter. He not only was on top of each and every item we ordered he knew so much about what we already preferred from being a Senior Waiter at nearby tables over the years. He also is very personable and willing to go the extra mile. And, he is funny too. Our waiter Frenando has been very professional and we will see him from time-to-time. The major role of the waiter is to take the orders that have been carefully written down by the Senior Waiters and to not only get them to the appropriate Galleys that prepare the food items for the dining room but to stay in the galley until coming out with all items that are associated with a particular course for each table that they have responsibility for. While our orders might be more straight forward because we sit at a two-person table, others are a lot more complicated such as those at an eight person table or at the case of the table near us an eight person table as on certain nights that table is hosted by officers during both the main and late seatings.
Our Sommelier Javier is a gem and takes excellent care of us. He will take the time to explain the wine before we have it and also stays on top of the wine the entire evening. Sometimes we tease him that when our the wine in our wine glasses go down to a certain level that the flashing lights goes off because he always seems to make it over to our table at that point in time.
Rounding out the wait staff is Head Waiter Giuseppe whom as we mentioned we have had from time-to-time as our Head Waiter and who has been with Crystal Cruises for a very long time and someone that we have known for many years.
Finally, there is the Maitre d' of the Crystal Dining Room, Leo, whom we have also sailed with for many years now and who is very adept at seating guests who might need a different size table from what they normally have or might need to come a a different time on selected nights and while he is doing this somehow can find a little time to stop by the table to check on us as he does with other guests. Leo came by last night two different times including once when we finished dinner. He and Anne Marie hugged and we will see him again next year.
We are very appreciative for all that these professionals do to make our dining experience so enjoyable.
We also want to mention the Galley which is under the direction of Executive Chef Frantz and all of the people some of which we know and others we never sea who work behind the scenes each and everyday to prepare wonderful meals and who are in other roles including washing all of the dishes, glasses and eating utensils along with those who have to clean the galley and the dining room.
As they say, this is all a team effort and it shows.
It was very quiet in the Crystal Dining Room as many people were dining at the other specialty restaurants and some were off the ship as we didn't leave until 10:00 PM.
We slept well as we sailed to our final port of call at Saint-Helier, Jersey before we arrive to Dover where this voyage will come to an end and we will disembark Serenity.
Keith was up first and enjoyed a long workout at the Fitness Center. With the time difference he caught half of the life Presidential Debate in the USA, followed by post analysis. Interestingly enough, one of the BBC stations carried it live too. After his workout, he made his regular visit to the Lido Cafe to read and write and to enjoy some coffee. He spoke with some of the Lido Deck Stewards who like their other colleagues who work on this deck day-in-and-day out for us represent the pulse and the heart of the ship, including Max, Michael, Phil, Martin and Raymond.
We then had breakfast in our room as we got ready to visit Saint-Hellier, Jersey.
Saint Hellier is the largest town on the largest of the Channel Islands. Jersey is around 45 square miles It is believed that St. Helier was settled at the time of Roman control of Gaul. Its population totals approximately 35,000 residents.
The Channel Islands are located just 12 nautical miles off the French Coastline where Normandy flanks the English Channel. Great Britain is located approximately 100 miles away.
Some of the highlights of Saint-Hellier include:
-Elizabeth Castle which is but on a rocky islet in St Aubin's Bay.
Jersey War Tunnels
Liberation Square where a statue was erected in 1995 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jersey's liberation from Nazi occupation.
We took the first tender over to town. It took around twenty minutes to arrive to the tender drop off area which was located right near the marina.
We then walked along the Marina towards the town, making our way to the Steam Clock-Ariadne
We then made our way towards Liberation Square
We had a short stop at the Jersey Museum & Art Gallery.
Liberation Square and the sculpture erected commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Liberation from the Nazis in 1995.
We then continued our walk of the town stopping at a area with various stores, and restaurants.
As we walked the town, we would pass a variety of monuments and sculptures.
The town is very charming including the architecture of many of the buildings we passed. The locals were also very friendly.
We stopped off at a local market featuring fruit, vegetables, flowers, a butcher and some other fine shops.
Throughout the town there were nice displays of flowers hanging in baskets, which we always enjoy looking at. On a related note the weather was quite nice and reminded us of a nice autumn or spring day back home.
On our way back from town as we neared the tender pier we ran into the dream team of Shore Excursions including Manager, Daniel, Assistant Manager Joyce and Louisa.
This Tender also serves as the Life Boat for the room that we normally stay in.
We had a private tender on our way back to Serenity.
Moments before we arrived back to Crystal Serenity.
All in all we had a great time in port. This is one of those towns that we just enjoyed a nice walk around town rather than taking a formal tour. Many on board were signed up for the tour of the tunnels.
We enjoyed lunch back on the ship and we had our final lunch of this voyage at the Lido Cafe. Yes, we each made a nice salad entree.
Keith played Paddle Tennis and Anne Marie walked outside on the Promenade Deck for the final time this voyage. This was by far the warmest afternoon day of the cruise with lots of sunshine.
This evening we will finish the final packing as we get ready to depart Serenity tomorrow morning.
TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY......
"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." - Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Keith & Anne Marie
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