Pat and Norm's World Cruises and other adventures

June 23, 2019

Well, readers, I found out how fast things will post when I didn’t add the pictures yet!  Apologies for the Liverpool notification, I quickly deleted it and then added the photos.

I am catching up on three days of fun in the UK and Ireland. They have been very full days and I didn’t post each day.

On our last trip to Dublin, we did a fun pub day with 6 friends and a paid driver/guide, of course.  We did Guinness, Jameson and three of the Temple Bars.  Lots of fun.

Today we opted to take the hop on hop off bus to see more of the city, have lunch at a pub and do a bit of shopping. The forecast was for rain, but we only saw a sprinkle on our way back to the ship so again we lucked out on the weather.

Dublin is the capital city of Ireland and is a thriving city.  It has been redeveloped over the last few decades.  There are lots of cranes and new buildings but in the old city center there are lots of churches, monuments and pubs.

More than a third of the population of 4 1/2 million lives within the Greater Dublin area. They boast of 650 churches and 800 pubs, so in typical Irish fashion, our guide told us they have their priorities straight!

We docked on the River Liffey which divides the city into the Northside and the Southside. 

There is a bridge that looks like a harp – we could see it from the ship.

We also spotted the stadium.

We took the shuttle bus to the National Gallery area and boarded the hop on hop off bus there. 

Two spectacular churches are nearby – St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Christ Church Cathedral which are Protestant since the Reformation.

The Custom House is a huge and beautiful building.

Guinness is so much a part of Dublin – it is a must see for visitors. These cylinders each hold 750,000 pints and they export to 120 countries.

Their symbol, the harp, is interesting.  Ireland wanted it as their symbol, but Guinness already had it, so the country pictured it the opposite way and now each has a harp facing the opposite direction!

This is a memorial statue of Oscar Wilde, the Irish poet and playwright.

Trinity College is Ireland’s oldest college. It is located on a prime 40 acre tract of land in the center of Dublin.  The world famous Book of Kells is located here.

The beautiful Phoenix Park is a place we never visited before and it is huge.  For perspective, it is 2 1/2 times the size of Central Park in NY, and also the entire country of Monaco would fit inside the park.  There are polo and cricket fields, and we saw many people walking and running there.  The lamps are gaslights. There are also many deer here, but we didn’t spot any.

The US ambassador’s residence is in the park as is the home of the Irish President.  The residence looks quite a lot like the US White House.

The park also houses the Dublin Zoo.

Here are some other sights in the city.  The statue of Molly Malone is an icon as are many of the beautiful pubs with their flowers.

This hotel is owned by the band U2.

Until today we didn’t realize that the Euro coins are different from each country that uses the Euro.  Here in Ireland the harp is on their coins.

Now it is on to our last city on this side of the “pond”, Cork.  Then we will have the 4 day Atlantic Crossing to Canada.

June 22, 2019

Here we are in the furthest northern spot that we have been all this trip!  It stays light here until almost 11 PM.

Our tour to the Giants Causeway isn’t leaving until 1:15 PM today so we headed into the city of Belfast for the morning.

Belfast has a population of 270,000 in the inner city.  It was once rated one of the world’s 4 cities to avoid (Belfast, Beirut, Baghdad and Bosnia).  This is largely because of the “Troubles” that dominated Northern Ireland’s politics for almost three decades from the late 1960’s.  Due to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, in recent years it has undergone a remarkable transformation.

The docklands, where the Titanic was built, are undergoing massive redevelopment.  Where there used to be over 36,000 workers, there are now only about 500. The Harland and Wolff shipyard is an icon and these cranes can be seen for miles. Our guide said that one is named Samson and the other Goliath by the locals.

Last time we were here, we did the whole Titanic experience, including the great museum they have here.  Today we took the shuttle into the city and spent some time at the wonderful market here.  It opened at 9 AM so we came here first and we were glad we did.  This market has everything from prepared foods to fresh fish to beautiful crafts and jewelry.

We bought some of these delicious scones – couldn’t resist. And they were worth the calories for sure.

We also spent time in the beautiful City Hall where there are 14 different rooms of exhibits.  Very worth a visit.

We had lunch on the ship before leaving for Giants Causeway.  Guess what they were bringing on for our English Pub night dinner?

Our guide today was Adrian.  He was a lot of fun, and carried on with a whole string of stories about the superiority of the Irish over the Scots. 

The drive was about 2 hours through beautiful countryside. 

Then on to the Giants Causeway.  This is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1986 and is Northern Ireland’s most famous landmark.

It was formed between 50 and 60 million years ago by an ancient volcanic eruption, but it takes its name from the legends of the giant Finn MacCool.

There are over 40,000 basalt stones and we climbed up on many of them.  There are several unique formations.

The camel

The organ

the boot

and really just the interlocking columns that you see everywhere.

There is a relatively new visitors center that was built in 2012 and you can take a shuttle to the stones.  We walked both ways instead of taking the shuttle.  You get an audio guide to give you information at many of the numbered places along the trail next to the stones.

We had plenty of time to walk, take photos, and visit the center at the end.  Even time for a bit of refreshment.

On our way back, we passed the golf course – the Royal Portrush – where the British Open will take place next month.  They are very busy putting up stands, etc.  Hard to get good pictures.  Adrian said that this is the golfer,Graeme Mc Dowell’s home course.  The wind off of the Atlantic Ocean makes this quite a challenging course.

Adrian told us that Northern Ireland is the world’s most deforested country – only 0.8% is forested. This is due to the invasions in early days when Britain wanted to become a super naval power and knew that conquering Northern Ireland would give them plenty of wood to build more ships.  They cut down most of the trees and they have never been replanted.

Adrian had a lot to say about Scotch Whiskey vs Irish Whiskey and of course prefers Irish which stays in barrels to age for 3 years and 1 day.  He says the Scots were too impatient to do proper distilling and they roasted the barley too quickly, this is why Scotch Whiskey smells smoky.  It isn’t distilled three times like Irish Whiskey is!!He says that the Irish should have never told them how to make whiskey because they screwed it up!!

We had a photo stop for Dunluce Castle which is largely in ruins now. You can see how magnificent it once was though.

Our last stop was along the Antrim  Coast to Ballycastle.  The coastline is just gorgeous and people say it is one of the world’s most spectacular unspoiled sights. We had a view of the Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge that spans a chasm that is 98 feet deep. This was once a bridge that had only one rope because fishermen who were carrying their gear on their way to do salmon fishing had only one hand to hold on. Now that it is mostly a tourist destination, there are two ropes. Our tour didn’t include going across the bridge, we just viewed it from a distance. That is a lighthouse on the cliff.  Here the light is at the bottom because the fog often covers the top!

There was a woman in an ice cream truck (lovely soft serve vanilla). It is called a poke – an Irish slang term. Of course I sampled it!

Back to the ship for a very late dinner.  Again, still a little light at almost 11 PM!

We had the English dinner in Terrace Cafe tonight and really enjoyed it.

June 21, 2019

Welcome to the summer solstice.  Here in this area of the world, the sun comes up at 4:43 and sets at 9:44!  So at 10 PM it is still pretty light out.

This is the first time that the Insignia has come to Liverpool.  This is a big deal in these ports and the mayor of Liverpool will be coming on board and there will be a big ceremony. Ray says they might even do fireworks as we leave, but since we leave at 7 PM it will still be light out, and we aren’t counting on it.

They are really improving the port for cruise ships here and they intend to become an embarkation port like Southampton.

Our tour today was to North Wales and Conwy Castle.  We had never been to Wales before so were eager to go.

Our guide was Roberta and she was really wonderful. Very knowledgeable about Wales – she lives there – and she taught us a lot.

First of all, we sailed in on the River Mersey.  Remember the song – Ferry Cross the Mersey  by Gerry and the Pacemakers – well this is it.  She told us that Liverpool means muddy pool, and the color of the river is how the city got its name.

Three beautiful buildings are just inside the port, they are called the “Three Graces” and consist of the Cunard Building, the Royal Liver Building and the Port of Liverpool Building. They are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The liver birds – mythical birds that are the symbol of the city – adorn the top of the Royal Liver Building. They are named Bertie and Bella!

There are a huge number of wind turbines here – as far as the eye can see in many directions.  It is the largest wind farm in Europe and it provides electricity to 400,000 homes and businesses. The UK is very committed to alternative energy sources and wants to reduce the CO2 level by 2020.  They are working on wave power as well.

Our main destination was the Conwy Castle. We drove through the beautiful Welsh countryside and noted that there are huge numbers of sheep here. Roberta told us about the drovers who took money from the sale of livestock from place to place.  Because it was dangerous to carry money in those days, the drovers were the ones who came up with the banking system so that they could deposit money in one place and withdraw it from another.

Also the road signs and most other signs are in English and Welsh.  Good thing there is English because this Welsh language has us scratching our heads!

The castle was built in 1283 and is huge and impressive. It is one of the finest medieval fortifications in the United Kingdom and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.   Its two gateways and eight stone towers sit on a rocky outcrop making the castle look impenetrable.

It is in ruins now,  but it is still striking.  There are two bridges that bring the road and railway into town.  The covered one is the train bridge. 

From the castle runs the original medieval town wall which is 1400 yards long and has an average height of 30 feet. The wall is largely intact all around the town and has 21 towers and 3 gateways. We did climb up into the tower area and got some nice pictures of the area.

Here are some pictures of the castle, the wall, and the village.

The smallest house in Great Britain is here!

We also visited St. Mary’s Church which dates back to 1172 –  and spent some time with one of the volunteers who showed us around.  One distinctive feature of the church is the carved mice in two places in the church.  This was a signature of the artist – Robert “Mousey” “Mouseman” Thompson.

After our time at the castle and in the town of Conwy, we went on to the village of Betws-y-Coed where we had lunch at the Waterloo Hotel and then had time in the charming village.

The weather has been practically perfect this whole trip, and today was no exception.  Just over 60 degrees and sunny.  Everyone says how much rain they have had, but we didn’t encounter any at all!

Of course, Liverpool is all about the Beatles, so before we went back to the ship, we went to see the statue of the Fab Four.

June 19, 2019

Yesterday we were at sea and we had a cooking demonstration by 2 guest chefs – a Paul Bocuse chef, Francesco Santini  (on the right in the picture) and the corporate executive chef at Oceania, Franck Garanger.  They made a truffle and beef soup and a floating island dessert, both of which are served in the world famous Paul Bocuse restaurants in Lyon France.  Apparently the soup costs 80 euros in the restaurant, and the dessert costs 40 euros.  We had the dessert in the dining room last evening.  It was delicious, but not sure I would pay 40 Euros for it!!

And by the way, I always mean to take a picture of the Versace china that is used in the Grand Dining Room, so finally I remembered.  I love the pattern.

Our excursion today was to Salisbury and Stonehenge.  It is embarkation day for people on the eighth and last segment of this world cruise.  I have said it before, but it is so hard to believe the time went this quickly. When people ask how it is to be on the ship for 6 months, I say it is a lifestyle and we don’t treat it as a “vacation” but more an exploration of the world and its unique people and places.  We will be back to “real life” in just over 2 weeks. 

The day was cool and cloudy. We were hoping for no rain.

Our guide today was Richard Madden.  He was really terrific.  It turns out that he wrote a book in cooperation with the UK National Trust. It is a series of essays about travel including locations and experiences called the Great British Bucket List. 

He gave us a lot of information about Southampton, which is a big container port and also a cruise embarkation port.  There is a 16 hour double tide here which means that there is 7 – 8 hours of high tide and only 4 hours of low tide in each cycle. It happens because water comes in from both east and west. This makes it wonderful for the shipping industry.

We went to Salisbury first, traveling through the scenic countryside of southern England. Salisbury is a medieval town which is most known for its cathedral whose spire can be seen from many miles around.

The cathedral took only 38 years to build which was almost unheard of back in the 13th century.

We had a short walk to the cathedral – here were some of the sights along the way, including the medieval wall and the gate into the area of the cathedral.

The author of the Lord of the Flies, William Golding, taught in the brick building.

The cathedral is surrounded by a close, which is the term for a lawn next to a cathedral or a convent. It is the largest cathedral close and cloisters in Britain.  It is unusual to have a cloisters in a cathedral that doesn’t have a monastery associated with it.  The open green space is wonderful, and today they were mowing the lawn, but I managed to get pictures without the huge lawn mower in them.

The building is huge and just beautiful – built in the Gothic style. It is considered one of the finest medieval churches in Britain.

The building is made of 60,000 tons of stone, 2800 tons of oak and 420 tons of lead and is on a 4 foot foundation in a gravel bed. The bed must contain water for the cathedral to be supported.  More on that later!

Here are some pictures of the outside of this magnificent building.

The spire is the tallest in Britain at 404 feet and it weighs 6500 tons. We heard that it is the tallest because most of the others have collapsed!

The picture of the statues shows an old one on the right and then some of the newer replacements to the left of it. They are always doing renovation and one end of the cathedral is covered with scaffolding as you can see in the first picture above. There are 140 spaces for statues but only 81 have statues on them – it is unknown whether many were destroyed or the space never had a statue on it in the first place.

The first point of interest is the Chapter House which contains one of the 4 original copies of the Magna Carta and is the best preserved of the 4. The Magna Carta was written in Latin in 1215 with a quill pen on treated animal skin (parchment) and it is assumed that is why it is in such great shape. This exhibit was great and really inspiring.   The Magna Carta stressed that everyone, even the king, had to treat people fairly and that no one was above the law. Its clauses on social justice are as pertinent today as they were in 1215.  It has inspired the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the American Bill of Rights and the constitutions of many Democratic countries.  The 4 original Magna Carta were entered onto the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2009.

You could not take pictures of the Magna Carta, it was in a special secluded section of the exhibit, but you could write a message, which I did, and it was posted on the board with others.  The Chapter House is beautiful – it dates to 1266 and is probably modeled on that of Westminster Abbey.

We moved on to the main cathedral which is amazing. They are currently renovating the building and they have crafts men and women working all the time.  They demonstrate their work in an area of the cathedral.

This is the world’s oldest working mechanical clock.  It has ticked more than 4.4 billion times since it was built in 1386!

There are many monuments and tombs in the cathedral.

They have taken apart the Father Willis Organ to repair it and hopefully return it to its original sound.  There is a whole display with videos that share the story of the organ. Very impressive pipes!

Here are more pictures of the interior.

The weight of the tower and spire above has distorted the supporting columns and Christopher Wren visited in the year 1668 and designed some supporting internal columns which you can see in the picture below. You can also see the distortion at the top of the second picture.

We had the good luck to have a volunteer guide explain the water to us.  He demonstrated how the daily water check is done and gave us the description of why the water level is so important to the survival of the cathedral.  He explained that it is like wet sand vs dry sand.  The wet is hard and able to sustain weight, it is the same with the gravel base that the cathedral is built on.

The quire stalls are the earliest complete set in the country and the Salisbury Cathedral was the first Cathedral to found a girls’ choir in 1991.

They have volunteers who make these cushions for the chairs.  Beautiful work.

We could have spent even more time here.  I did take the time to request prayers for Nora’s recovery (my sister’s mother-in-law)

We had time to stroll around the lovely town of Salisbury.

Poundland is like our dollar store!

After a quick lunch in Salisbury, we went on to Stonehenge. I will try my  best to describe it.  It is one of the most famous landmarks in the UK. It consists of a ring of standing stones, 13 feet high, 7 feet wide and each weighing around 25 tons. They were erected around 5000 years ago! Tourists used to be allowed to go up to and even climb the stones, but in 1977 access was restricted due to erosion and damage by visitors.

A shuttle bus takes you from the parking area/visitor’s center to the site.  The area is fenced off and you can walk all around the site – you get an audio guide to explain it all as you walk. The picture below is what it looks like from above.

Here is the real thing.

It probably was a place of burial in early times as there are burial mounds all around it.  But no one really knows and it is a compelling mystery!

The summer and winter solstices are celebrated here, in fact the summer one is just days away.

The big rock is called the Heel Stone.  At summer solstice, an observer standing within the stone circle, looking northeast through the entrance, would see the sun rise in the approximate direction of the heel stone, and the sun has often been photographed over it.

There is an exhibit of the reconstructed Neolithic houses that show how the people might have lived and also one of the stones that you can try to pull. It is amazing how this was constructed so many years ago.

We saw one of the volunteers feeding these birds.

We  had time in the exhibition space and the gift shop before our trip back to the ship.

Our driver, Ian, took us through the New Forest National Park, one of the largest areas of open heathland and forest in the southeast of England.  There are 4000 wild ponies living here. It is said to be the former hunting grounds of William the Conqueror.

There are beautiful homes here, lots of them with thatched roofs.  Richard said that thatched roofed houses used to be for peasants years ago, but now they are highly desired and very expensive.  If something happens to the thatched roof, by law, you must replace it with the same.  And the people who do it are getting scarce.  One of his friends waited 2 years after a fire damaged his roof.

Here are a couple of pictures of the homes in the area and the ponies.

And here are some of the buildings in Southampton. These are taken from the bus, and as you can see, it had started to rain.  We were lucky that we encountered just a few sprinkles on our whole tour and the rain waited till we were on the bus.

Next stop – Liverpool where we will take a trip to Wales.