28 NOV 22 Montego Bay, Jamaica

 

This post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's notes from our cruise in November 2022. When information from other sources is added—for further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off in a text box (as this one).
Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for clarification, indicate that source in the caption.

The Viking Daily newsletter showed today's weather forecast as "Partly Sunny with a Shower 81° F" and "Sunrise: 6:26 AM."

Don woke at 5 am (MT was already up).

Monday, ‎August ‎28, ‎2022, ‏‎‏‎5:05 AM - Viking Star: Looking ahead to Montego Bay from our balcony.

‏‎5:38 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from our balcony of low-lying clouds on mountainside (telephoto 130 mm).

‏‎5:46 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from our balcony of Montego Bay at sunrise.

MT 5:57 AM - Viking Star: near sunrise from our balcony (mild telephoto 66 mm).

The Viking Star was scheduled to arrive at Montego Bay  around 8 am, although we would dock around 7:20.

Montego Bay (pop. 110,115) is the capital of the parish of St. James in Jamaica. The city is the second largest anglophone (English speaking) city in the Caribbean, after the Jamaican capital of Kingston.
The Arawak tribe of South America were the first known inhabitants of Jamaica and ere there to greet Christopher Columbus when he ventured to the island in 1494. Columbus named the bay “Golfo de Buen Tiempo” (Gulf of Fair Weather). The name “Montego Bay” is believed to have originated as a corruption of the Spanish word manteca (“lard”), allegedly because during the Spanish period it was the port where lard, leather, and beef were exported.
Jamaica was a Spanish colony from 1511 to 1655, when Oliver Cromwell’s expedition drove the Spanish from the island. The English colonists established the Parish of St. James (named for King James II) and influenced the area becoming a large producer of sugar cane. Montego Bay was the largest producer of sugar cane on the island, giving the region more value than originally anticipated. Throughout the duration of slavery, from the mid-17th century to 1834, and well into the 20th century, the town of Montego Bay was primarily a sugar cane port. After emancipation of the slaves, Montego Bay and its sugar cane industry took a hit. It branched out into exporting bananas and coffee as well.

 

‏‎5:58 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from our balcony of city with one ship at cruise ship terminal.

‏‎6:06 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from our balcony of cruise ship terminal with one ship docked.

‏‎6:06 AM (Cropped) - Near Montego Bay: closer view of that ship; written in German cursive on the side is "Sonnenuntergang" (Sunset),  "Faszination" (Fascination), and "Seeluft" (Sea Air) and in larger cursive "Mein Schiff" (My Ship), hard to read here, except for the latter, but clearer in a later photo of the same ship after we docked.

‏‎6:15 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from our balcony of more of the city ahead.

‏‎6:15 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from our balcony of the freight terminal pier where we would dock.

MT ‏‎6:24 AM - Viking Star: Viking Newsletter map of itinerary from 17 Nov, showing the route for the whole cruise, including going around the west side of Cuba on the way from Montego Bay to Ft. Lauderdale (which would change).

MT ‏‎6:35 AM - Viking Star: sunrise from our balcony.

MT 6:46 AM - Viking Star: screenshot of MT's iPhone showing our "OnBoard Account" with a balance of $16.82 of shipboard (S/B) credit from previous cruises.

We got room service breakfast at 7:05.

MT ‏‎7:09 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from our balcony of high-rises near freight terminal (telephoto 93 mm).

7:55 AM - Montego Bay: view from our balcony of the freight terminal pier where we docked, with red awning where we would disembark from the aft end of

Deck A.

7:55 AM - Montego Bay: view in the other direction from our balcony of the freight terminal pier where we docked, with the city across the bay.

8:22 AM - Montego Bay: view from our balcony of high-rises across the bay.

‏‎8:22 AM - Montego Bay: view from our balcony of freight terminal with one ship docked; written in German cursive on the side is "Sonnenuntergang" (Sunset),  "Faszination" (Fascination), and "Seeluft" (Sea Air) and in larger cursive "Mein Schiff" (My Ship); on the stern is "Mein Schiff 1" (the name of this ship) in bock letters.

TUI Cruises—a joint venture between Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and German shipping and travel giant TUI AG—christened its first ship, “Mein Schiff,” in 2009. The ship serves German-speaking cruise travelers. TUI held a contest to determine the ship’s name, and the winner was “Mein Schiff,” which translates to “My Ship.” TUI now owns 6 vessels of the “Mein Schiff” line (as of 2021), each of which carries up to 2,500 passengers and around 1,000 crew. The “Mein Schiff 1” carries around 1,900 passengers.

Mein Schiff 1 (By Alberto Pérez, Own Work at  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nuevo_Mein_Schiff_1.jpg).

8:22 AM - Montego Bay: view from our balcony of  high-rise across bay and speedboat in bay.

At 9:00, we went to the terminal for a 9:30 meeting with our driver/guide Jermaine Thomas, with 4x4 bus number 16, for the optional shore excursion "4x4 Safari Through the Tropics."

 

The My Viking Journey web site describes the shore excursion 4x4 Safari Through the Tropics (optional $99 Per Person) as follows:
4 Hours
An Intimate Look at Jamaica’s Colorful Canvas
Delve into real Jamaica and discover its rich culture on a 4x4 safari through unspoiled countryside. Meet your driver, climb on board and enjoy a scenic drive as you discover the diversity of the island’s history, culture and people. Stop at a former slave hospital and enjoy a tour as your guide explains the history of the building, and the story behind its conversion to a church in 1846. As you journey through the terrain, your driver will regale you with stories of his own life in Jamaica. Stop for an invigorating walk along the river, through tropical foliage and lush scenery. Depending on the time of year, you can marvel at a spectacular cascading waterfall and take time to sit and relax as you listen to the wonderful sound of exotic birds. After your walk, return to your 4x4 vehicle for the return journey back to your awaiting ship.
Moderate - Walking portions may be long and somewhat challenging with occasional step-ups, stairs and inclines.

MT 9:35 AM - Montego Bay: MT and Don aboard CHUKKA 4x4 bus, with driver/guide Jermaine behind us.

 

CHUKKA Caribbean Adventures, a tour company born in Jamaica, offers services at several places in and around the Caribbean Sea: Jamaica, Belize, Turks & Caicos, the Dominican Republic, and Barbados. It is the Caribbean’s largest nature-adventure tour operator. [We had encountered this company in Belize earlier in our cruise.]

9:36 AM - Montego Bay: view from bus window of aft end of Viking Star at dock in freight terminal.

Our guide said we were docked at the freight terminal because only one ship per day can dock at the main passenger terminal.

We passed a place our guide called a "free hotel with 3 meals a day without paying"; it was the jail.

MT 9:43 AM - Montego Bay: view from bus window of palm trees wrapped in colors of Jamaican flag, which our guide said is the only one in the Caribbean that has no colors from the US flag).

MT 9:47 AM - Montego Bay: view from bus window of "Welcome to Montego Bay" sign, near the pier.

9:53 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from bus window of sugar cane on former plantation.

9:53 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from bus window of sugar cane on former plantation.

At the Port Talk for Montego Bay the previous afternoon, the shore excursion manager Mahmoud had warned those who had selected the 4x4 Safari Through the Tropics shore excursion would experience a very bumpy bus ride and might want to reconsider. After his briefing, we spoke with him, and he said we could change to another optional excursion of the same price. We elected not to change, and his description of the ride proved to be quite correct.

9:55 AM - Near Montego Bay: very bumpy bus ride (VIDEO).

9:58 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from bus window of  "giant bamboo" trees; our guide said they grow 3 inches a day and are also called "suicide tree."

10:02 AM - Near Montego Bay: view, from second row of seats behind open-air window, ahead to cab of 4x4 bus, with our driver/guide Jermaine, who provided commentary we could hear through our QuietVox audio headsets.

10:03 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from bus window of small church; our guide said Jamaica has more churches per square mile than any other country.

10:04 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from bus of road ahead, a one-lane road with two-way traffic.

10:06 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from bus around curve with parked cars and two-way traffic; our driver/guide said you just have to honk your horn before the curve.

10:06 AM - Montego Bay: view across bus to sea.

10:07 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from bus of Mein Schiff 1 and smaller Viking Star back at freight terminal (telephoto 93 mm).

10:09 AM - Near Montego Bay: view of rear exit of "CHUKKA" 4x4 bus as we stopped for an overlook.

 

10:11 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from overlook back to freight terminal.

10:14 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from overlook of Mein Schiff 1 and smaller Viking Star back at freight terminal (telephoto 130 mm).

MT 10:13 AM - Near Montego Bay: Don and MT at overlook with view back to freight terminal.

MT 10:17 AM - Near Montego Bay: Don and MT at overlook with view back to freight terminal.

MT 10:17 AM - Near Montego Bay: gentleman we had met back at Ft. Lauderdale with Don and MT at overlook with view back to freight terminal.

Then we got back on our bus.

10:26 AM - Near Montego Bay: very bumpy bus ride continued, with the other Chukka 4x4 bus ahead of us (VIDEO).

MT 10:24 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from bus window of African Tulip tree with red flowers (mild telephoto 62 mm).

10:24 AM - Near Montego Bay: (blurred) view from moving bus of green bananas (telephoto 130 mm).

MT 10:27 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from bus of green bananas and a banana flower (telephoto 133 mm).

10:32 AM - Anchovy: view from moving bus of school with (blurred) sign for "Digicel Foundation - Anchovy Primary School."

 

Anchovy is a small town in the parish of St. James in northwestern Jamaica. It is 7 km (4.3 mi) south-southwest of Montego Bay. In 2022, the Anchovy Primary School in St. James Parish received information and communications technology (ICT) equipment, including a Smart-Computer Lab, from the Digicel Foundation.

10:34 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from moving bus of Anchovy, where our guide called attention to fancy houses on hill.

10:41 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from moving bus of African Tulip trees with red flowers.

10:42 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from moving bus of sign for "...ca Environmental Permit/License" for "[Chu]kka Caribbean Adventures Ltd."  for the area we were entering.

10:44 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from moving bus of more African Tulip trees.

10:45 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from moving bus of papaya trees with row of corn in foreground (mild telephoto 79 mm).

10:45 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from moving bus of papaya trees with green fruit (telephoto 130 mm).

MT 10:49 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from moving bus of papaya trees with green fruit (telephoto 133 mm).

MT 10:54 AM - Near Montego Bay: African Tulip flower our driver/guide stopped and picked from a tree by the road.

 

African Tulip Tree (By Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6118667).

 
The African Tulip Tree (spathodea campanulate) grows 7-25 m (23-82 ft) tall and is a native of North Africa. It was planted extensively as an ornamental tree throughout the tropics. However, it has become an invasive species in many tropical areas, including Jamaica, and has been nominated as among 100 of the “World’s Worst” invaders.
The tree produces large flamboyant reddish-orange flowers that have 5 petals and are 8-15 cm long. The flower has a yellow margin and throat.
 

Flower of African Tulip Tree (By J.M.Garg - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5636835).

 

10:55 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from moving bus of giant bamboo trees.

MT 10:59 AM - Near Montego Bay: view from moving bus of giant bamboo trees.

Around 11 am, we arrived at the Chukka Montpelier Jungle Outpost for restrooms and a nature walk along the river.

10:59 AM - Near Montego Bay: sign for "CHUKKA Montpelier Jungle Outpost Jamaica."

The Chukka Jungle Outpost at Montpelier is nestled deep in the rainforest of the Great River Valley, Jamaica’s longest river, which separates the parishes of St. James and Hanover. It sits on a 2,000-acre estate rich in history. In the 18th century, this was used by the British as a sugarcane plantation. Today, the estate is home to orange orchards, small picturesque bridges and an old sugar mill built in the early 1700s. A short hike on the estate leads to the hidden Montpelier waterfall. 

MT 11:03 AM - Near Montego Bay: Don with sign for "CHUKKA Montpelier Jungle Outpost Jamaica."

MT 11:03 AM - Near Montego Bay: MT with sign for "CHUKKA Montpelier Jungle Outpost Jamaica."

MT 11:03 AM - Near Montego Bay: MT and Don with sign for "CHUKKA Montpelier Jungle Outpost Jamaica."

MT 11:04 AM - Near Montego Bay: our driver/guide Jermaine and Don with sign for "CHUKKA Montpelier Jungle Outpost Jamaica."

11:02 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: our guide Jermaine showed us a ginger plant with red flowers; he said the spike part is just the root underground.

11:02 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: ginger plant.

11:02 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: closer view of flowers of ginger plant.

MT 11:19 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: even closer view of flowers of ginger plant (mild telephoto 47 mm).

12:03 PM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: interesting flowers nearby that Jermaine couldn't identify for us.

11:03 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: another view of (upper) flowers nearby that Jermaine couldn't identify for us.

11:15 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: another view of (lower) flower that Jermaine couldn't identify (mild telephoto 68 mm).

11:07 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: men's restroom labeled "Anaconda."

11:07 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: women's restroom labeled "Lady Bug."

11:08 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: Great River and man in charge of tubing adventure.

11:09 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: Great River and man resting in tube.

11:10 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: Great River.

11:15 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: African Tulip flowers on the ground.

11:16 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: Don holding African Tulip flower he had picked up from the ground; MT in background.

11:16 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: 4x4 Chukka bus "Viking Star 16" (on windshield), from front, with bus "Viking Star 17" in background; the Viking Star had two of these excursions going on simultaneously.

11:17 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: tall African Tulip tree, with red flowers at very top, beyond the two buses.

11:18 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: tall African Tulip tree, with red flowers at very top, beyond the two buses (mild telephoto 58 mm).

11:18 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: giant bamboo tree near buses.

The Bambusa vulgaris, also known as Common Bamboo, is a giant tropical and subtropical clumping bamboo native to southern China and Madagascar. This species is also cultivated extensively in many parts of the world, including Jamaica, where it is the most common bamboo species and is invasive. It is perhaps the most widely cultivated exotic species in the Caribbean region. It is most abundant on the islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, where it has become an important wood source for multiple uses. It forms moderately loose clumps with culms (stems) that grow 10-20 m (30-70 ft) high and 4-10 cm (2-4 in) thick.

 

10:20 AM - Near Montego Bay: giant bamboo tree, from bottom to top (but sideways in VIDEO).

Then we got back on the bus.

11:31PM - Near Montpelier Jungle Outpost: another very bumpy bus ride, with the other Chukka 4x4 bus ahead of us (VIDEO).

11:46 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: view from bus of stone ruins of slave master's house; Jermaine said it was overgrown by a banyan tree (mild telephoto 79 mm).

Our next stop was for the Montpelier Waterfall.

11:53 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: poinsettia-like flowers near Montpelier waterfall.

11:53 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: poinsettia-like flowers near Montpelier Waterfall.

MT 11:56 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: poinsettia-like flowers near Montpelier Waterfall (mild telephoto 51 mm).

11:58 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: Jermaine showing a plant to our group near Montpelier Waterfall.

 

11:58 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: Jermaine talking with MT and others of our group listening near Montpelier Waterfall.

11:59 AM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: Jermaine with MT holding the plant he had talked about near Montpelier Waterfall.

12:01 PM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: view of stream from wooden footbridge near Montpelier Waterfall.

MT 12:05 PM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: main part of Montpelier Waterfall (mild telephoto 66 mm).

MT 12:06 PM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: main part of Montpelier Waterfall (mild telephoto 66 mm).

MT 12:08 PM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: one palm tree curled around another near Montpelier Waterfall (mild telephoto 51 mm).

12:05 PM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: African Tulips on 3-foot tree near Montpelier Waterfall.

12:06 PM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: smaller waterfall to right of main Montpelier Waterfall.

12:06 PM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: main Montpelier Waterfall.

MT 12:07 PM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: MT and Don by main Montpelier Waterfall.

12:07 PM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: view back to wooden footbridge on way to Montpelier Waterfall.

12:08 PM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: view from wooden footbridge back to smaller waterfall.

12:12 PM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: MT and two gentlemen partners we had met back at Ft. Lauderdale, with fruit punch; guide with gallon jug of punch at far right.

12:13 PM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: MT holding rest of fruit punch, with two gentlemen in background.

MT 12:17 PM - Montpelier Jungle Outpost: Don holding two cups of fruit punch.

Then we got back on the 4x4 bus to continue our tour.

12:47 PM - Near Montego Bay: view from bus of (overexposed) sign for St. Mary's Church.

12:49 PM - Near Montego Bay: St. Mary's Church - façade, from road below.

St. Mary’s Anglican Church, in St. James Parish, is situated on the Montpelier Estate, which dates back to the days of slavery and was formerly a slave hospital. The cornerstone of the church is dated 1847. The church is a beautiful structure made of cut stone, and a pronounced pointed arch stone architrave defines the entrance. Along the sides of the building are pointed arch lancet windows, which are indicative of Gothic architecture. At the rear of the structure is an outstanding multi-partite pointed arch window. The site on which the church now stands was the scene of a noted slave uprising. Old Montpelier was one of the estates burned by slaves during the great slave rebellion in the western parishes of Jamaica in 1831-32. The church stands on a knoll overlooking the remains of a sugar factory, not far from the ruins of the Montpelier great house. After the slave rebellion, it served as a local church.

 

12:52 PM - Near Montego Bay: St. Mary's Church - apse, from below.

12:53 PM - Near Montego Bay: St. Mary's Church - cornerstone dated "A.D. 1847."

Jermaine said the stones were from ships' ballast, to make room for sugar and bananas homebound. The mortar was a mix of sand, limestone, and molasses (from sugar cane), which was good for building.

12:53 PM - Near Montego Bay: St. Mary's Church - interior, view from right rear to pulpit and altar.

12:54 PM - Near Montego Bay: St. Mary's Church - interior, baptismal font at rear (mild telephoto 68 mm).

12:55 PM - Near Montego Bay: St. Mary's Church - interior, near main door and baptismal font, guide from Viking Star 17 tour group talking about church bell, while holding the rope for ringing it.

12:56 PM - Near Montego Bay: St. Mary's Church - interior, view from rear to window at front right, with guide from Viking Star 17 tour group showing how the lower part of the window could be swiveled outward for air.

12:58 PM - Near Montego Bay: St. Mary's Church - view of St. Mary's School from near church façade.

12:59 PM - Near Montego Bay: St. Mary's Church - grave near door of church façade.

12:59 PM - Near Montego Bay: St. Mary's Church - headstone of that grave "In Loving Memory of George Alexander Brown - 35 years a priest in this diocese - Entered into rest 23rd Oct 1943."

1:01 PM - Near Montego Bay: St. Mary's Church - outside view of swivel-opened window of church apse, the same one the other bus driver/guide had showed us from the inside, still open.

Then we got back on the bus and arrived back in the town of Montego Bay.

1:29 PM - Montego Bay: view from bus window of larger-than-lifesize KFC bucket on top of street sign at corner of Alice Eldemire Dr.

We passed some buildings with a high fence, topped by barbed wire, around them, which our driver guide had earlier called a "jail." It may have been the Freeport Police Station on Alice Eldemire Dr.

1:31 PM - Montego Bay: view from bus window of police station/jail.

1:34 PM - Montego Bay: view from bus window of police station/jail.

Soon after that we arrived back at the Viking Star. We grabbed bottles of water from our stateroom and ran to catch the 2:00 shuttle bus.

Along with our Viking Daily newsletter the previous evening, we had received the "Montego Bay Shuttle Bus Schedule" for Nov 28. It showed the last bus departing the cruise port at 3:00 pm and the last bus returning to the Viking Star at 4:00 pm. Since the original bus for 2:00 had filled up, they were starting to load another "Chukka" bus, which left at 2:15. That bus took us to the "Doctor's Cave" beach club in the City Center.

Map of Montego Bay provided by Viking, showing "City Centre" in relation to the "Ship Docking Place."

Other side of Map of Montego Bay provided by Viking, showing "Doctors Cave."

Once in the City Center, we walked south for about 10 minutes, trying to find a place to get the beef patties, for which Jamaica is known. We stopped at a "Supermarket" and got a beef patty (for MT) and a chicken patty (for Don) for $4 each.

2:37 PM - Montego Bay: MT with her beef patty outside the "Supermarket" (sign below window) with a sign higher up that just said "Store."

Then we continued south to a place that said "kosher" but didn't have a potato knish or even know what that was. MT had wanted one because she remembered getting them in New York when she was a little girl.

Then we went back to Doctor's Cave to catch the 3:00 bus back to the ship. There was already a long line shortly before 3:00. People crammed that bus, even with pull-down seats in the aisle, and left at 3:15. We had to wait for the next bus, sheduled at 3:30.

We had a bit of time; so we ventured through the Doctor's Cave beach club to their beach.

2:59 PM - Montego Bay: white sand beach at Doctor's Cove.

MT 3:04 PM - Montego Bay: man with unicycle by bus line at Doctor's Cove.

We got back to the Viking Star about half an hour later.

The Viking Daily newsletter said that all passengers had to be back on board by 5:00 pm, as the Viking Star prepared to set sail for Fort Lauderdale, FL (799 nautical miles).

MT 5:39 PM - Viking Star: screenshot on MT's iPhone showing the rest of our itinerary for Montego Bay; we originally had reserved the Chef's Table for this evening, but had later changed it for Manfredi's, which we liked better. We would also eat at Manfredi's on Nov 29

7:02 PM - Montego Bay: Manfredi's dinner menu for Nov 29, addressed to MT; the note highlighted in yellow at the top says it's to be turned in at The Main Restaurant the next day before 9 am. We both had Insalata Caprese (Caprese Salad, from the Little Something list), Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta and Beans, from the Soups list), and Lasagna al Forno alle Bolognese (Lasagna from the Oven in Bolognese Style, from the Pasta & Risotto list); for the Secondi Piatti (Main Course), MT had the  Pescato del Giorno (Fish of the Day, from the Chef's Special[ty] list), and Don had Selezione di Scaloppine di Vitello (Selection of Veal Scaloppine, from the Secondi Piatti list).

Caprese is a salad of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil, seasoned with salt and olive oil. The salad is named after the island of Capri, where it is believed to have originated.
Saltimbocca is a traditional Italian dish with a textural contrast of the crispy Prosciutto, tender meat, and the silky white wine butter sauce. It is traditionally made with thin veal cutlets wrapped with prosciutto and sage and then marinated in wine, oil, or salt water, then cooked in dry white wine and butter. The Literal translation of Saltimbocca is “jump in your mouth,” which is probably a reference to the flavor that hits your palate on the first bite, so fast that it jumps in your mouth.