Trieste, Italy
Ship: Silversea Cruises’ Silver Ray
Itinerary: 11-Night Venice to Athens
This morning, Silver Ray is docked at Trieste, Italy. This will be our first time to visit Trieste. My morning begins with coffee and some computer time at Arts Cafe on Deck 4. Arts Cafe has a very nice work table where I can enjoy my morning Americano as I pour over the photos and video from the previous day.
Work table at arts cafe
Arts Cafe offers a variety of pastries, fruit, yogurt and other light bites for breakfast.
Breakfast selections at Arts Cafe
As we prepare to disembark the ship, we have to remember to fill our water bottles. These metal water bottles have replaced the disposable plastic water bottles that Silversea used to provide to guests. I am not sure how I feel about these refillable water bottles just yet. There are refill stations located throughout the ship.
Refillable Water Bottles
We do not have a shore excursion booked here, but Silversea does offer a complimentary shuttle service every 30 minutes to transfer guests to the town center. The old town of Trieste is very easy to navigate on foot and it is hard to get lost. Of course, Silversea provides city maps for guests.
Many of the streets here are pedestrian only, so you don’t have to worry about dodging traffic. We were impressed by the architecture in Trieste. Also, there are lots of sidewalk cafes and restaurants should you decide to have lunch in town. High end boutiques line the streets; however, souvenir shops are scarce.
Chamber of Commerce - Trieste, Italy
We spend a couple of hours exploring Trieste on our own before returning to Silver Ray. We are back on board in time for a late lunch, but we had such a large breakfast at Atlantide this morning that all it takes is a couple of small finger sandwiches from Arts Cafe to tide us over until dinner.
A quick look at the daily Chronicles reveals afternoon trivia and a very interesting lecture this afternoon.
As we wait for afternoon trivia to begin, we decide to enjoy the warm, but comfortable weather aft of Panorama Bar. Rickee enjoys a Limoncello while I have my Crown Royal.
Limoncello at Panorama Bar
I was pleased to see that at Panorama Bar they serve Crown Royal in a proper, heavy rocks glass. When I had my drink in Dolce Vita, it was served in what resembled a water glass you would find at a Holiday Inn. It is strange how the type and weight of a glass can affect the enjoyment of a cocktail.
A Proper Rocks Glass For My Crown Royal
Soon, our Cruise Director, Rico, was calling out trivia questions. We teamed up with some new friends and ended up with 14 points out of a possible 22. The winning team had 21 points…seriously?
Cruise Director, Rico
After trivia, we tried our hand at golf putting. There were so many people at golf putting that Rickee had to leave early to make it to the afternoon lecture in time. I stayed and finished the putting competition, then joined Rickee at Venetian Lounge for an excellent and very interesting lecture on US Intelligence operations by Lt. Col. Rick Francona.
Lt. Col. Rick Francona
Tonight is the Captain’s Reception and it is “formal optional” dress code this evening. I soon learned that “formal optional” translates to “jacket required” when entering Atlantide. You would think after 18 Silversea cruises I would know better!
Atlantide was packed with guests this evening, but we were offered a nice table for two. Rickee had her favorite, Caviar, along with a beef tartare appetizer. Of course, we will do a complete review of the food and dining on Silver Ray at the end of our journey.
Caviar at Atlantide
After dinner, we head to Venetian Lounge for a front row seat at “35mm Blockbuster'“, tonight’s production show. A 6-piece band provides back up music for a very lively song and dance show featuring popular songs from epic movies.
The production quality was definitely a step above anything we have seen on Silversea in the past. The singers and dancers were excellent. Perhaps this is a result of the influence of Silversea’s new Royal Caribbean ownership?
35mm Blockbuster
Tomorrow, Silver Ray will be docked in Zadar, Croatia
