The Emerald Isle

Saturday August 4 sees us arriving in Dublin around noon. The morning consisted of sea day type activities and I went to a lecture about Dublin's history and how English influence in Ireland was exercised through their buildings and architecture. I now know what the neoclassical style is! Do any of you?

When we arrived we learned that Queen Elizabeth was in town. OK as you see from the picture it was the Cunard ship, not the person. After lunch there was a complimentary shuttle service in to the city and we took advantage of that. We were let off near Trinity College and jumped on to our previously arranged HOHO bus tour. We did the whole thing ,less than 2 hours, then walked around in the area. Lots of people and many pedestrian only streets.


When we first got on the bus we sat on the lower level but I convinced Deen to go upstairs on the open level for better pictures. No sooner were we there than we had a rain shower- she was somewhat annoyed with me. Go figure. There was a big parade of people and you could see the participants wandering about afterwards . One of them agreed to have her picture taken . Apparently it was Zombie Apocalypse Day and they were trying to set a Guinness record. Don't know if they succeeded.


Pictured here as well is the statue of Molly Malone as she wheeled her wheelbarrow through streets broad and narrow.... We also walked in the Temple Bar area filled it seems with lots of crowded pubs. We did find space in one for a pint and a glass of wine.

The evening was spent at a place called the Brazen Head Pub for dinner,drinks, Irish music and story telling,especially about fairies. The photo here shows Deen outside the pub, me enjoying a Guinness beer (and I don' t ever have a Guinness except tonight at the home of Guinness ) , the story teller Phillip, and the band. A truly enjoyable evening put together by one of the fellow passengers from the ship.


I had to buy a T-shirt in honour of the event. They even organized taxis to bring us all back to the ship. The story teller saw me taking notes and said he would send them to me via email. He also said "in Ireland it is not difficult to start a conversation".

We have most of a full day Sunday here and we expect to visit some more of the Dublin highlights.

Location:Dublin, Ireland

In the West Country

Friday finds us in Plymouth,England .Plymouth, among it's many claims to fame is most notable for being the launching point for the Mayflower in 1620 and the place where Sir Francis Drake left to battle the Spanish Armada. Local legend has it that Drake finished his game of bowls (lawn bowling ) before going out with his fleet.

We were docked at the pier used by the ferry service that goes to France. A shuttle service provided by the local authorities saved us all a half hour walk in to town and dropped us right in the city centre.





We walked a bit in the city centre getting photos of the Guild Hall and St Andrews Church. There was also a children's play area with some organized entertainment, an out door setup for Olympic Games viewing, some large pedestrian only outdoor shopping malls, and even some palm trees as this is the sunny south of England.

We then went to an old section of town called Barbican. Very scenic and it goes down to the waterfront.


The steps pictured here are the original steps from the Mayflower launch. We were told that the steps were originally located where the ladies room of the pub (Admiral MacBride) is now. Our hero enjoying a pint in this pub. Barbados friends will notice the name of another pub pictured here.

From fellow travelers we learned about a one hour bus tour around town so we took that. Excellent trip and one area we went to was called Royal William Yard. Now being gentrified and apartments there go for a measly £1M. The picture above showing the Bakery sign is part of this area. We also learned that there are 59 places around the world named "Plymouth " or some variation of it. After the bus trip we walked to an adjacent park are called Plymouth Hoe. There they have their own version of the London Eye, this one is somewhat smaller .


Returning to the ship on the same shuttle as some crew ,our favorite bar server Melanie was on the same bus. She had to hustle off to get ready for her 4pm shift start. We leisurely got ready for a formal night dinner that started for us of course in The Crows Nest. The main dining room was decorated as a casino and the waiters were dressed as croupiers.Lobster Thermidor and steak on my menu as well as our cake from the pervious night.

During dinner the sea was becoming increasingly rough and the ship started rocking somewhat. It made for interesting walking and I ended up taking some Gravol to settle a somewhat upset tummy. Sleeping with the rocking ship was also a vivid experience. Normally I write this blog before I go to bed but not this time. So Saturday morning it is. We arrive Dublin around noon and we have full days planned for Saturday and Sunday.

Location:Plymouth,England

A Typical English Summer Day

Thursday we landed in Southampton a big port city on the south coast of England not too far from London. As we had previously been to London and the Olympics taking place there now we had decided to stay locally. Now from the title of this entry most of my readers will know what a typical English summer day is like and that' s exactly what we had here today.

But first we awoke to celebrate our 44th wedding anniversary and our daughter Lisa's "Jack Benny" birthday. Deen gave me a very nice card and I had to admit that I had very cleverly left her card and gift at home in a drawer. She of course doesn't believe me so I'll have to prove it when we get home in about 2 weeks.

After breakfast we walked in to the City of Southampton and wandered for a couple of hours. Interesting place and I took some pictures of the early fortifications. A nice open mall and I was able to take some time to call my Aunt Daphne (she's 90) in Yorkshire . I also tried to call friends Bill and Mary in Lancashire but they're never home.


Southampton as a port city is famous for the Titanic and as a staging place for the D Day invasion of 1944. Many cruise ships pass through here.

Lunch time we returned to the ship for a fantastic pub lunch. Good question if you're wondering why we didn't stay in town for an actual pub lunch. However we were pressed for time as we had an excursion to the town of Winchester and it's beautiful Cathedral. Feel free now to start humming the old song about Winchester Cathedral. The cathedral was started in 1079 by William the Conquerer and Winchester was the capital of England for a time starting around 828.



They had two giant TV screens set up outside the cathedral showing the Games. Lots of people standing around cheering especially when Great Britain won two medals in mens pair slalom kayak.

Some of my more attentive readers will realize ,hey he hasn't been reporting on gasoline ( or petrol as it's known here) prices lately. Well fear no more. Here in this area petrol is going for a mere £1.34 per litre an equivalent of $C2.09 per liter. I never saw a gas station in Amsterdam ,probably because everyone rides bikes. I'm told that gasoline is about €2 per liter which is about $C2.47. Yikes!

Anyway I digress. When we returned to the ship quick showers and change of clothes then hurry up to the Crows Nest on deck 12 to meet our Happy Hour buddies. Much to our surprise the 4 of them (Phyllis ,Harry, Abra, and Shel) plus our bar steward Melanie had signed an anniversary card for us. See para. 2 above to guess at my guilt at this point. After drinks Deen and I had dinner in The Pinnacle Grill, the upscale restaurant on HAL ships. Excellent dinner - I had Steak Diane and you can see in the picture it's final stage of preparation. Deen had lobster mac and cheese which should not surprise anyone who really knows her.


They also presented us with a lovely cake that we are saving to share with our regular dinner companions Friday night. When we returned to our stateroom after dinner our two attendants here had left us the towel animal arrangement in the picture. Very nice and as Deen does not want it disturbed I have to sleep on the couch tonight.

Next up Friday ... Plymouth!

Location:Southampton and Winchester, England

Starting the Return Trip Home

Today marks the turnaround portion of this adventure. Several hundred people left the ship and several hundred more got on. We now start to head mostly west although some north and south will be thrown in for good measure. As we head to the UK tonight our clocks turn back an hour to UK time which is 5 hours ahead of Eastern Time.

It was a gorgeous day in Amsterdam ,hot and sunny and these seem few and far between in this part of the world. But we enjoyed it! My philosophy on weather is simple - it is what it is !

I mentioned yesterday about all the bikes here. I' m told most residents have 2 bikes- one is the "beater bike" for going to work and theft seems to be a common issue. For bike riding at home they also have much nicer bikes. Nobody seems to wear a helmet.

Deen and I walked in to the centre of town again. On our way we passed about a half dozen river cruise ships parked further up the quai. As my brothers ,their wives, and ourselves are considering a river cruise in 2 years I thought I' d include some pictures. Deen and I immensely enjoy the ocean cruises but these seem like a great alternative.


In town we made it as far as Dam Square and I have some pix from there.



We went in to a shopping mall pictured here called de Bijenkorf which I believe is Dutch for "very expensive stores". Gucci, Hermes, Armani etc. Where is my Kirkland brand?Costco apparently isn't one of the stores featured there.

We left shortly after noon from Amsterdam and were cleared on board by UK Border Officials- makes life a lot easier for our Thursday arrival in Southampton. From the City the ship went up the North Sea Canal to a lock entrance to the North Sea. The water in the canal is a mix of fresh and salt water with the fresh water on the top half. Different types of fish top and bottom. I've included here some photos of the lock the ship went through. We're used to the much smaller operation of the Rideau Canal locks at home.


I've mentioned previously some of the many new friends we've made on board. But the members of the crew we have met are all special too. When you're on something like this for 5 weeks you get to be very friendly with some of the crew. This includes the room attendants, the guys in the main dining room and the Lido, the bar stewards, and some of the entertainment staff. They are all a real pleasure to talk to.

New adventures in England on Thursday!

From RCD's iPad

Location:Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Amsterdam ,Day 1

We arrived Tuesday morning in the very interesting and stunning city of Amsterdam . With friends Alan and Barbara we set off in search of the canal cruise boats and found them over at the Central Station. We bought our 24 hour tickets and set off on the Blue Line.

However before that I must comment on all the bicycles... They are everywhere ! You have to be careful walking around as there are many bike lanes so not only are you watching out for cars,trucks, and trams but also silent bicycles. And they are not fancy bikes like you'd see at home but very utilitarian vehicles and people park them everywhere including a massive parking structure just for bikes- good luck finding your bike at the end of the day.


And then there are the canals. The city is a true network of canals and bridges. And the HOHO canal bus was an excellent way to see the principal ones. And the scenic views just kept on coming. There are over a 100 Kms of canals in the city and who knows how many bridges.



After our circuit on the Blue Line we wandered up a very busy main street near the famous old church Oude Kerk. After some lunch we went over to the Red Light District and wandered some more. A fascinating experience for a bunch of staid Canadians.


Some more wandering then we returned to the canal bus for some more travel.There are 2500 houseboats on the canal system and the City has now limited permits to moor. The canal system of Amsterdam sits 4-6 meters below sea level. The houses along the canal are generally limited to 6 meters in width (taxation reasons) but can be quite long, up to 40 meters deep.







And of course some interesting architecture.

We returned to the ship sometime before 7pm for a quick dinner in the Lido and a movie in the showroom. Now necessary to recharge the batteries before another morning of wandering. Departure is scheduled for 1pm.

From RCD's iPad

Location:Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Dodging Oil and Gas Platforms

So today (Monday) we were in the North Sea heading south to the Netherlands. When we passed the English coast we waved to our family members in Yorkshire - not sure if they saw us or not but I did send an email to Fiona and Delphine to let them know we were nearby.


My day started with a knock at the door and a bar steward delivering 6 cold Heinenken beer courtesy of our travel agent Brenda of Stittsville Travel. So for all your travel needs please contact Brenda or Jody there - they are part of Thomas Cook Travel.

In the morning Deen went to on a tour of the kitchen and then a cooking demonstration from the Executive Chef. I went for a 5km run on a treadmill in the gym. In the afternoon I went to a lecture on Lore and Legends of the the 7 Seas- does anyone out there know where the Sargasso Sea is? I also learned the origins of many maritime expressions. Later a talk about the upcoming ports. Finally a demonstration about the creation of the towel animals pictured here. There is a new one very night and my grand kids will remember our feeble yet funny attempts to make some at the cottage last summer.



The male in the picture is one of our stateroom stewards Nurdin and the female is the Party Planner Amber.Nurdin certainly put them together a lot faster than I did last year. Maybe this summer we'll be better.

Our arrival in Amsterdam on Tuesday also marks the end of the cruise for many people including two of our regulars in the Crows Nest. It will be sad to see John and Kathy from California leave. The rest of us will somehow have to soldier on.


As you can see from the way some of us are dressed it was also a formal night. Dinner included surf and turf . NB to Geof S, Matt, Geof W, and Peter: I had 2 lobster tails along with my filet mignon. My Dutch table mate Kees also told me how to order 2 beers so I'll be good to go in Amsterdam.
From RCD's iPad

Location:Cruising the North Sea

Running out of Superlatives

Another beautiful day in another beautiful Norwegian city, this time Bergen. I'm running out of ways to describe these places.

Bergen is Norway's second largest city with a population close to 400,000. It was founded in 1070 and is seen as the entrance to the fjords. Now today we were lucky with sun as Bergen has many rainy days exceeding over 200 days per year of rain.

We started the day with new friends Barbara and Alan from Toronto and we took the local HOHO bus tour. Lots of scenery in town some of which I tried to capture in this first set of pictures.


At one of the stops we got off the bus and took the funicular to the top of Mt. Floyer. In Norwegian the O in Floyer has a / through it to give a different pronunciation. As the next set of pictures show the views from Mt Floyer are spectacular.



After the mountain trip we wandered through the historic fish and flower market area. We had lunch in the fishmarket, and Barbados friends will be able to compare it to Oistins(except for the prices which in Norway are a lot higher).

Some more wandering including through the UNESCO World Heritage site of Bryggen. I had to purchase a sweat shirt there to mark the occasion and Deen has now pointed out to me how my purchases have greatly exceeded hers. I also had to include in this next photo set pictures of my two brothers or at least how I see them.



Eventually we ended up back on the ship in time for the ice cream social and the cruise critic (and we' re not really critics) Roll Call get together. Alan and I thought it was appropriate to dress for the occasion.



Following a couple of glasses of wine there and then another with US friends in the Crows Nest it was time for dinner. Deen said "I hope to sober up" and friend Phyllis from Texas replied " that's not important to me".

Tomorrow (Monday) will be a sea day as we go through the North Sea heading south to Amsterdam .

From RCD's iPad

Location:Bergen,Norway