Blossoms, bullet train and beyond: exploring Japan by Land and Sea.

Quickstatus said:
Beaver:

View attachment 441249
Click to expand...

I see your point but on the other hand none of the other symbols used were actually the true representative creature for that country. Unless sheep are the symbol for NZ and Koala for Australia. Can't recall the others but they were all somewhat funny.
 
Pushka said:
After the Sea temple we visited the APEC site for 2005
Click to expand...
Maybe because it was in a more remote site.. but can't think of anything that remembers APEC Sydney 2007

Symbols all seem to be a bit of what you wouldn't first think of.
Normally NZ would be Kiwi Bird, and Australia tends to be Kangaroo over Emu or Koala
 
Pushka said:
Yes. There are about 15 officials onboard.

We received a note that as suite guests we should go down to Luminae (suite lounge) and await escort. In the meantime our butler rang amd said to call for him when we were ready. So five minutes later I rang him back and asked if he was free. 'Yes madam, I am right outside your door' 😬. He was. He escorted us downstairs to the main dining room which was now an immigration processing centre. Huge queue. He handed us over to another butler with a large sign 'Priority, Retreat guests' and took is past the long line of people waiting. Kinda awkward but rather excellent. Yes, we became 'those' people. As usual my fingerprints took some time but think he just pressed the green button anyway. As we finished I looked back to the queue and saw the two people in the Royal suite about to take our place. We both called out 'awkward' and laughed. Oh dear.

We've had similar on other cruises but can't quite remember which ones. Maybe Egypt? And on the QM2 it was for China.
Click to expand...
Nah, that's what you pay for.
 
Many decades ago, we had an escorted equestrian tour in Germany before attending the world equestrian games in Stockholm
There were two buses, our group hit off together , we were loud, noisy and drove the guide insane..
What about lunch someone would start, the guide would say well we need to do x and see y .. we find a local restaurant and start a party.
The lot on the other bus did what they were told and had a miserable time…we had a raging ball….
 
So last night MrP and I decided to take a tour of the Art Gallery. Oh my. There are some simply stunning paintings there. One of a farm fields with cottage gardens was gorgeous. Now, this was the amazement for me. It truly is a floating art gallery. There IS a genuine Rembrandt, several pieces by Pablo Picasso, (auction prices started for various works from $8000 usd to $15,0000 usd. Goya, Salvador Dali. Paintings and many beautiful sculptures by Britto. There were some wonderful authentic paintings of several Disney and other movies, Bambi. Aladdin's Lamp. Mickey Mouse and friends, several Harry Potter scenes and so on. Just gorgeous. I asked the attendant how on earth they could source such beautiful works. She said they had very active agents, they purchase deceased estates (that's where the Picassos came from). I take everything I said, back. I'd love to have taken photographs but likely would have been detained on the spot. Security was everywhere and no wonder. Was blown away.
 
On our first cruise, a long long time ago, on one of the Superstar ships (from memory Virgo), we ate in one of the specialty restaurants. They had a number of originals and where it was a copy, the line had the original on a different ship in their fleet. The staff could point out which was original and which was not.
One of the most stunning was the Lucien Freud portrait of Kate Moss. Of course these were not for sale. The restaurant also used Versace charger plates (which of course were then whisked away).

Regardless of what the art work is, Park West Galleries has a bit of a cloud hanging over it. From Lawyerinc,
Park West Gallery, one of the leading players in the cruise ship art auction industry, has been at the center of several lawsuits alleging fraudulent practices. Plaintiffs in these lawsuits claim that they were sold artwork that was either fake, had fake signatures, or was heavily overpriced and misrepresented as bargains or investments. These alleged incidents have led to a negative reputation for Park West as well as the cruise ship art auction experience in general.

I think it would be quite risky to spend big money for art on a cruise ship.
 
Check out the latest credit card signup bonus point offers
Read our AFF credit card guides and start earning more points now.

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

love_the_life said:
On our first cruise, a long long time ago, on one of the Superstar ships (from memory Virgo), we ate in one of the specialty restaurants. They had a number of originals and where it was a copy, the line had the original on a different ship in their fleet. The staff could point out which was original and which was not.
One of the most stunning was the Lucien Freud portrait of Kate Moss. Of course these were not for sale. The restaurant also used Versace charger plates (which of course were then whisked away).

Regardless of what the art work is, Park West Galleries has a bit of a cloud hanging over it. From Lawyerinc,
Park West Gallery, one of the leading players in the cruise ship art auction industry, has been at the center of several lawsuits alleging fraudulent practices. Plaintiffs in these lawsuits claim that they were sold artwork that was either fake, had fake signatures, or was heavily overpriced and misrepresented as bargains or investments. These alleged incidents have led to a negative reputation for Park West as well as the cruise ship art auction experience in general.

I think it would be quite risky to spend big money for art on a cruise ship.
Click to expand...
Indeed when we first started cruising with the Silversea classic fleet they had art hanging around the ship for sale and an occasional auction. Around 2015 I think that disappeared. Always thought it was dodgy.
 
drron said:
Indeed when we first started cruising with the Silversea classic fleet they had art hanging around the ship for sale and an occasional auction. Around 2015 I think that disappeared. Always thought it was dodgy.
Click to expand...
Part of the problem is that there is no time to properly research the so called provenance and authenticate the work. The gallery may have acquired it in good faith but that really doesn't mean the work is not what it purports to be. Lots of cases where a buyer has bought from a reputable seller only to discover the piece was not necessarily a fraud but perhaps is from the 'school of' and not the supposed artist.

Anyway this is off topic for Pushka's TR so best move on.
 
love_the_life said:
Part of the problem is that there is no time to properly research the so called provenance and authenticate the work. The gallery may have acquired it in good faith but that really doesn't mean the work is not what it purports to be. Lots of cases where a buyer has bought from a reputable seller only to discover the piece was not necessarily a fraud but perhaps is from the 'school of' and not the supposed artist.

Anyway this is off topic for Pushka's TR so best move on.
Click to expand...
Agree. You’d have to buy it because you loved the pairing and not who it is purported to be painted by. The ones I love are no-name to me and stupid $$$$. But I can still admire.
 

Become an AFF member!

Join Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) for free and unlock insider tips, exclusive deals, and global meetups with 65,000+ frequent flyers.

AFF members can also access our Frequent Flyer Training courses, and upgrade to Fast-track your way to expert traveller status and unlock even more exclusive discounts!

AFF forum abbreviations

Wondering about Y, J or any of the other abbreviations used on our forum?

Check out our guide to common AFF acronyms & abbreviations.

Recent Posts

Currently Active Users

Total: 1,796 (members: 39, guests: 1,757)
Back
Top