Here is how the nice people at Holland America describe the Culinary Arts Center.

"On ms Koningsdam, the Culinary Arts Center transforms into a new dinner concept, an immersive farm-to-table experience where the chefs prepare simple, artisanal dishes in the show kitchen and guests enjoy each course as it's freshly prepared. Every meal will emphasize fresh, thoughtfully sourced selections while incorporating select ingredients harvested from a glass-enclosed growing area just off the kitchen."

We describe it as an amazing experience in dining. Our chef, from Toronto, and his team from the Philippines created a unque dining experience, cooking in front of us, entertaining us, and delivering outstanding food chock full of flavour. We even had an experience of trying a Szechuan Button, a micro green that when consumed leaves your mouth feeling like you just got your teeth frozen by a dentist. So cool! This Wikipedia entry about sums it up:

"The flower bud has a grassy taste followed by a strong tingling or numbing sensation and often excessive salivation."

Someone could have pulled my tooth out and I would have been fine.

Remember Richardo Montalban and the Chrysler Cordoba and its rich Carinthian leather? Cordoba Spain does not look like it. And it is not pronounced "core-dow-bah" as Richardo suggests. It is core-da-bah.

Below is a quick video about our trip from the port of Malaga to Cordoba, and the incredible history thast awaits all visitors. Read all about Cordoba on Mellissa's blog.

Sel De Mer translates to "salt of the sea", so you guessed it, it is a seafood restaurant. And yes, a French one. The Holland America folks call it "French seafood in a traditional brasserie setting."

It is quite different than other speciality restaurants on Holland America. There is not a base price for a meal at Sel De Mer. It is a la carte so if you're not careful things can really add up, especially if you want starters like their seafood platter!

As you'll see in this brief review, they deliver a few touches along the way that make the dining experience memorable, including showing you your fish before it turns into just the insides. Happily the fish is not still alive when they show it the first time. It was pre-dead.