mmmtravelmemories

Friday, June 14 – Kiss the Blarney Stone – Not

Today was our last port in Ireland and a short day. We didn’t arrive until 11:00 and all aboard was 5:30. We were able get up later, have a coffee from the Coffee Bar, and have a nice breakfast in the main dining room. All good.

Today we were meeting the group in the Ocean Bar at 11:00 for a tour that would take us to the Blarney Castle and grounds in Cork.

Cobh (formerly known as Queenstown) was a major embarkation port for men, women and children who were deported to penal colonies such as Australia. Later, the town was the departure point for 2.5 million of the six million Irish people who emigrated to North America between 1848 and 1950. On 11 April 1912, it was the final port of call for the RMS Titanic before she set out across the Atlantic on the last leg of her maiden voyage. Some stories suggest that a Titanic crew member, John Coffey, a native of Cobh, left the ship at this time, thereby saving his life. But, 123 passengers boarded at Cobh, with only 44 surviving the sinking. Today, it is home to Ireland’s only dedicated cruise terminal.

Because it is a cruise ship terminal and not an industrial terminal, we were allowed to walk off the ship, through the terminal, and out of the gates. Took a few minutes but we finally saw our guide holding a sign with our tour name. His name was Jerry and he had a very nice mini-bus for today.

Unlike the other two guides, Jerry talked almost non-stop giving us information about the area and answering questions. He had a different accent from other parts of Ireland. I thought he sounded like a leprechaun would sound. Very lilting.

The sun was out when we got to the Castle. We only had 2 hours here to explore the Castle, its grounds, and the small village. We knew the line to kiss the Blarney stone was too long for us to do it and I would not have done it even if I could have had the time.

According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with great eloquence or skill at flattery. The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446.

So you want to kiss the stone? First, you have to wait in line and then when you get to the front, start climbing 127 steps to reach the top. Then, with the help of an attendant you have to lie on your back with the edge of the platform mid-way in your back, 100 ft above the ground. You have to keep bending your back and neck to reach the iron bars next to the stone. Once you have grasped the bars, now you can kiss the stone. The attendant is supposed to have wiped the stone with disinfectant, and you can wear chap stick as a barrier. People have kissed the stone since the 1800’s. Just gross.

The line to the Blarney Castle looked long too so we just decided to concentrate on the grounds which had a lot of beautiful flowers and plants and then go across the street to the town. We admired the regular gardens and then decided to check out the Poison Garden. Back in the day, the garden would have been called the “physics garden” and the plants featured might have been used for medicinal purposes (or to get rid of your enemy). I recognized the mandrake which was featured in several Harry Potter books and films – I didn’t hear any roots screaming though.

We walked over to the town and looked through the Blarney Woolen Mill store. There actually was a mill that started in 1823 but it shut its doors in 1973. It re-opened as a store-only in 1975.

Once everyone arrived back at the mini-bus, we drove to the town of Kinsale. Again, you could either shop or eat. Chuck and I chose to eat. It was raining now and pretty hard so we made our way as fast as we could to a pub that Jerry recommended. Another couple came too but the rest decided to shop and/or take pictures of the town.

It was crowded but the service was quick. What did we have? Fish chowder and brown bread, of course. It was good but not as good as the other places. However, it was thick and hot and filled me up.

Kinsale is a pretty town and is said to be popular with the yachting crowd. We did see a number of high-end boats docked near where the bus parked. We also got to take a few pictures of what remains of Charles Fort. It and James Fort guarded the narrow sea entrance to Kinsale. Kinsale also begins/ends the Wild Atlantic Way at the southern-most tip.

Once we were back on the bus, we made our way back to Cobh. We had time for a short photo stop at Saint Colman’s Cathedral which was celebrating its 100^th anniversary. I thought it was the prettiest Cathedral we have seen all trip.

Construction started on this Cathedral in 1868 but it was not completely finished and consecrated until 1919. Its structure features a .062-mile spire and a tower that contains a 42-bell carillon, the largest in Ireland. We were lucky to get to hear it play at the top of the hour.

Jerry said that you cannot name your Church a Cathedral unless the Bishop lives in the same town. He pointed out the current Catholic Bishop’s house which was across the street from the Cathedral. It was a very large house.

It was time to get back to the ship. The last photo I was able to get was that of the statue of Annie Moore and her brothers. She is said to be the first person to be processed through the newly opened federal immigration office at Ellis Island in New York. She travelled to America on the ship Nevada in 1892. Her brothers, Anthony and Philip, who journeyed with her, had just turned 15 and 12.

Tonight was the last formal night and I just didn’t know if I was up to getting fixed up for the gala meal. Checked the menu and found out one of the choices for the main course would be steak and a lobster tail. Okay, I’ll put on my dress, and fix my make-up and hair. Doesn’t take much to twist my arm.

We played trivia with another couple. Did Ok but still didn’t win. Got a cute HAL lapel pin though.

It was a very good meal. I’m glad I went to the trouble. Tonight’s show was featuring the Prinsendam dancers which had been delayed when the waves were high. We didn’t go.

We had to turn in our disembarkation papers today. We also made a deposit on a future cruise. We didn’t have to specify a certain cruise. The deposit is good for 4 years. We already have 2 future cruises booked but I’m sure they won’t be the last ones with Holland America.

Tomorrow is St. Peter’s Port, Guernsey. We don’t arrive until noon but we stay until 9:00 pm. It is another tender port. Yippee.

Tonight’s towel animal is a swan.

Cork Trivia –

The first potato in Ireland was planted here by Sir Walter Raleigh, near his home in Youghal, Cork, around 1588.

The first factory that Ford Motor Company built outside of America was in Cork, where owner Henry Ford’s ancestors had lived.

Someone getting ready to kiss the stone.

Thursday, June 13 – Kids Love Chicken

The ship did rock and roll last night. Made getting to the bathroom an adventure. Nothing fell off the shelves though so that was a plus. This was a very early day as we had to meet the group in the Showroom at 7:30 so we could collect our tender tickets together to try and be on the first tender over to the dock in Foynes. Today there is another couple joining the group so I sure hoped the van would be bigger.

This port stop has changed numerous times. First, it was going to be 8:00 to 6:00 and we were going to dock. Then we get the letter indicating it would be a tender port from 7:30 to 4:30. Now we are being informed it is still a tender port but are times are 7:30 to 5:30. Wreaks havoc on the tours.

When we tendered over, the ramp leading from the dock to the port area was very steep. One of the dock workers said the ship timed the low tide wrong. Go figure. With all the changes, we still get it wrong. I don’t know how some of the people with walkers and canes made it up the ramp. I had to hold on to each side to help pull myself up.

We were met by our guide Gary at the top and he had a nice Mercedes van that even had small tables so at least we had more room than yesterday. We left the port village of Foynes headed to our first stop – the Bunratty Castle and its Folk Park. If we had known that it was going to be overrun with children on their end-of-the-school-year field trip, we probably would have said just skip it.

The Bunratty Castle site passed through several noble families. The present castle was built on the site in 1425. It passed through several more families until it was abandoned in 1804. It was bought by the Shannon Heritage Foundation in the 1950’s and was restored and opened to the public with the Folk Village in the 1960’s.

We were back on the Wild Atlantic Way today and the drive took about an hour and we got there just at opening time. We also got there as children were pouring out of school busses and being herded into lines by teachers and parents. Doesn’t matter where you come from, excited children squeal when they are happy – at ear piercing levels.

Even though we had printed out our passes, we had to wait in line to exchange those passes for tickets. We had to wait until the teacher in charge of the children got all of their tickets. Only one ticket-taker even though there were empty cashier booths. Couldn’t someone see that the line was getting longer and longer? Not a great start.

We walked toward the Castle looking through some of the cottages that represented the town – similar to what we saw yesterday except these all were from the time period of the castle. The doctor’s house was nice. The itinerant farmer’s house – not so much.

They also had sections of various farm animals and free roaming chickens. The children got really excited when they saw the chickens and would try to pet them — Ooooh! CHICKENS! Chickens can move pretty fast if they have to especially when pursued by eager children.

There was a long line of children at the entrance of the Castle so we decided to take an alternate entrance. Turned out to be the exit but with a little maneuvering we found ourselves in the Great Hall. I liked the tapestries. We climbed up a couple of the winding narrow staircases to the very top. The stairs were so narrow, Chuck’s shoulders rubbed the sides. The views were impressive at the top.

Once we looked around as much as we wanted to in the Castle, we explored the village a little more. Chuck got in trouble with the local constable. We even found the Fairy Walk. I really liked the Irish Wolfhound. I had never seen that breed except in a movie.

We spent a couple of hours at this site and now it was time to drive to the Cliffs of Mohr.

The cliffs run for about 9 miles. At their southern end, they rise 390 ft above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag’s Head, and, they reach their maximum height of 702 ft just north of O’Brien’s Tower, a round stone tower near the midpoint of the cliffs, built in 1835 by Sir Cornelius O’Brien. He was ridiculed when he built it but he said “people will come.” He was right. The Cliffs get over a million visitors per year. I was excited to see them because they were featured in the movie “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.”

It felt like a million people when we got there. We paid our 5 euros each (senior discount) and started making our way up the path. We chose to go left first. The path was paved for a while and that land and someone’s farm land were separated by a barbed wire fence (that said it was electrified – didn’t see anyone testing it) and some enormous bulls were lounging around oblivious to the people.

The “official” path ended at a gate and there were 2 unpaved paths. The paths were separated by a stone wall about knee high. I stayed on the path behind the wall “safe” – Chuck went on the path next to the cliff edge “unsafe.” There was even a sign that warned of crumbling cliff edges. I finally talked him into coming over to the safe side.

We later learned from the guide that several people have fallen over the Cliffs taking “selfies” and it is a popular place for suicides. Didn’t read about that in the brochures.

We then came back down and walked the path to the right to get a different view of the cliffs. We walked as far as the O’Brien’s Tower. It was under repair so nobody could go up into it. Again, the views were stunning. Again, lots and lots of people.

I had hoped to see Puffins but I didn’t. Missed them in Alaska. Missed them here. Disappointing. Did see a lot of sea gulls.

It was very windy and cold. We could have walked farther down the path but decided to go check out the Visitor Center. It was very nice and we watched a movie about the cliffs. It was one of those surround screen theaters that made you feel that you were flying like one of the cliff birds. I found out that Puffins are usually only seen in the mornings as they take off in search of food most of the day. I did like all the exhibits.

The café was crowded so we didn’t get anything to eat. That decision turned out to be a mistake. I did buy a Puffin Christmas ornament. I thought the stores were interesting as they were built into the hillside. Looked like Hobbit houses.

We were now on the way back and we didn’t have any other extended stop. Just a couple of photo opportunities in Limerick. I was glad I had a couple of granola bars for a snack. The first photo stop was a wall – the last remaining wall of the Bourke House which was built in 1168. The next stop was St. Mary’s Cathedral. Originally the Church was the Royal Palace for the Kings of Thomond and it was gifted to the Church in 1168. It is the oldest building in Limerick that is still in daily use.

We were back at the tender port by 4:15 and back to the ship by 4:45. I was glad because I was hungry. We decided we’d go back to the Lido for dinner. I had pizza. Chuck had a sampling from the dinner section. I also had to have some of the hand-dipped ice cream. The Ice Cream man is funny. He is always cracking jokes. Everyone always smiles when they are there. But, who doesn’t smile when getting ice cream?

I also discovered some days ago that in the afternoon, the Coffee bar has giant warm chocolate chip cookies (for free). I wonder why my pants are getting tight.

We went to the show tonight – the comedian Rikki Jay. He was pretty funny but he kept running from one side of the room to the other which was kind of annoying.

Tomorrow is another port day but at least we don’t arrive until 11:00 so we don’t have to get up as early as we have been. Thank goodness.

Tonight’s towel animal is a monkey.

Trivia –

The Irish Coffee was said to be invented in Foynes.

Limerick, Ireland’s third largest city, was founded by the Vikings in 812. It is the home of author Frank McCort who wrote Angela’s Ashes.

Killybegs – Extra

Trivia –

Donegal is famous for its history of linens, tweeds, and for its tapestries and carpets, some of which were produced on the biggest carpet loom in the world. The carpets, known as Donegals, are hand-knotted in the Turkish style.

Directional Sign for Allied Fighter Planes

Wednesday, June 12 – Wool, Wind, and Waves

Once again, up early with room service breakfast. Today we are meeting up with a group that I had been corresponding with for over a year regarding shore excursions for these ports. We toured with them on the WOW Scotland tour but haven’t been on a tour with them since, but have spoken with them in the Ocean Bar a few times. We are joining them for the next 3 tours.

Today we docked at Killybegs, a natural deep-water harbor, and home to all the largest Irish midwater trawlers, and a modest whitefish fleet. But it handles all shipping activities including cruise ships. In recent years Killybegs has become the favored port for the importation of wind turbines and is a service port for the offshore gas/oil drilling rigs.

Everyone arrived on time at the Ocean Bar and we left the ship as soon as the announcement said we could. Our driver/guide “Red” met us at the gate and we loaded up into his van. I was on the back seat in the middle. Chuck was in the middle row in the middle. It was a bouncy ride.

We would be traveling quite a bit today on the Wild Atlantic Way. It is 1600 miles long and is one of the longest defined coastal routes in the world. It winds its way all along the Irish west coast. There was a lot of nice scenery but sitting in the middle didn’t allow for many photos.

Our first stop was the Slieve League cliffs. You could consider these cliffs the less popular brother to the Cliffs of Mohr even though these cliffs reach almost three times higher. I guess they just need a better publicist.

I thought the scenery was gorgeous. The wind was fierce, almost making me fall down once and bobbled my camera. I was glad I was using my waterproof/shockproof one. We got there before any other people that morning so it was nice to have all the unobstructed views. I was surprised at the number of sheep roaming around on the cliffs but Red said they are allowed to help keep the grass mowed. They are rarely shorn so they can stay warm on the cliffs.

Eventually a truck pulled up that had a trailer with a sign that said wool sweaters, scarves, and hats for sale. I suspect they do a good business because the sunshine was deceptive. It looked warm but once you got into the wind, you were soon very cold. The other wagon that would soon be manned was a “Lobster Roll and Hot Dog” food trailer. I thought it was a funny combination. Once other tour vans started arriving, we were ready to move on.

As we were driving back down, we noticed a large sign made of rocks on the side of one of the mountains. He said it was a WWII marker that directed the allied fighter planes in the right direction. He said there are only a few left in Ireland.

From there, we drove to the Folk Village of Glencolmcille. Took about an hour to get there. I’m glad I had taken a Bonine that morning as it was again bouncy in the back seat.

The Folk Village Museum is a cluster of several small cottages, called a ‘clachan’, on a hillside overlooking Glen Bay Beach. Red said it was designed, built and maintained by the local people. Each cottage is an exact replica of a dwelling used by the local people in each of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries and had furniture, artifacts and utensils of its particular period. There was also a reconstructed school house, fisherman’s house and tiny pub-grocer. I thought it was interesting that the primary language of this area is Gaelic, not English.

Our guide who took us through the cottages was a young woman who had a very thick Gaelic accent but she was very enthusiastic. She explained the differences between each of the cottages and how the people would have lived. She also talked a lot about Father McDyer and there was even a video about him running in the school house. He is credited with dreaming up the Folk Village to try and increase tourism to the area and keep the local people employed. Though we didn’t buy any souvenirs, we bought some hot chocolate so we contributed some to their economy.

After touring the Village, we drove to the town of Donegal where we had an opportunity to eat lunch or shop. Six of us opted for lunch while one couple had brought sandwiches so they were going to shop and take more pictures. Chuck and I again chose the fish chowder and it was excellent as was the brown bread.

After lunch, we did have time for a photo op of the Donegal parish Church of Ireland and its old cemetery. I just can’t get over that multiple members of a family (up to 3) could be buried in the same plot – one on top of the other. They don’t practice that stacking anymore.

Since our time at this port had been cut short by one hour, we only had time for one more photo stop at a beach of Fintrah Bay. Red talked about how the tide in the area would go out so far that you could walk across the sand to the little island but you better know when the tide was going to rise or you’d be stuck over there until the next day. I could only see one small building on the island. There were several people walking with their dogs on the beach (on this side) but again, the wind was very strong.

We got back to the ship at 4:15. I am not used to cutting the time so close to “all aboard” but none of the others in the group seem to mind.

The Captain makes his official announcements at noon and at sail-away or 6:00, whichever comes first. As you can’t hear them in the stateroom (unless it is an emergency announcement), I have to open the door to the cabin to hear. He came on about 4:40 and I opened the door in time to hear him discussing the route to Foynes and reminding us that it will be a tender port. He also mentioned that the waves and wind would be the strongest we had experienced and to be cautious moving around tonight. Okay. We had gotten through the North Sea with little problem, would the Atlantic really be worse?

We were allowed to pick up our passports at 5:00 so we presented our receipt and got those back. Took them back to the safe. I was glad there was no issue.

As we headed to the Ocean Bar, which was one floor down from us, I noticed that the sea sickness bags had been hung on the rails of the stairway. Uh oh. Not a good sign at all. I think the Captain has underplayed the significance of what we were going to experience.

We met one of the couples from the tour in the Ocean Bar and they joined us for trivia. We did much better than last night but we didn’t win. They were going to the main dining room for dinner but we decided to go to the Lido. Just as we were leaving, the ship rolled and I heard glass breaking in the bar area. Another bad sign.

The Lido was deserted. Prime dinner time and there was no line at all. I don’t know how many times different waiters were asking if we needed water or anything. I think they were bored with so few customers.

We also heard that the entertainment tonight – a production by the ship’s dancers was cancelled and a singer was going to perform instead. I think people had decided their cabin was the place to hang out.

I love my Bonine. We each ate a steak dinner in the Lido and I was able to eat it and watch the waves outside without beating a hasty retreat to the cabin bathroom.

We decided to skip the singer as the front of the ship is always the rockiest. The waves didn’t bother the Casino so Chuck headed there and I came back to the cabin to work on photographs. I found that the cabin stewards had secured the glassware in the cabin so it wouldn’t break. Another not good sign but I appreciated it because nobody wants to cut their foot on broken glass trying to get to the bathroom.

Tonight’s towel animal is a bear. He has his arms folded like a gangsta. Should have some shades.

Tuesday, June 11 – The Tale of Two Giants

Our arrival was at 8:00 but our departure had been moved up from 6:00 to 5:30. I had been in touch with the tour company – Irish Tour Tickets about the change but had gotten reassurances that there would be no problem getting back in plenty of time. The printed information said the bus would be at the port by 8:15 with a departure at 8:30.

Again, up early, breakfast in the room, and we were off the ship at 8:10. There were several tour operators with signs letting the cruisers know their tours were ready. No sign for us. Uh oh. One of the operators asked us who we were waiting on. He was kind enough to call and the operator said that the bus was picking up others from the Princess ship that was docked not far from us and would be there shortly. By then, another couple who had been on the Inverness tour with us, showed up and said they were on this tour. A solo woman came up and said that she was taking a tour with Irish Tour Tickets but hers was one that was going to sites where Game of Thrones was filmed. Ours was going to the Giants Causeway.

Her bus arrived at 8:30. Her driver said the other bus was “right behind him.” Well, 15 minutes later (I guess “right behind” was in Irish time), our bus did arrive. I had all but given up. The bus was filled with Princess passengers, but we did luck out and there were two empty seats together near the front. The Princess was not scheduled to leave port until 7:30. I had to remind the driver that the Prinsendam was scheduled to leave at 5:30.

The driver/tour guide gave everyone a bottle of water, bag of crisps (potato chips), and a Game of Thrones refrigerator magnet.

He had a thick accent but kept up a steady narrative of what we were seeing as we drove towards the Giants Causeway. He talked about the number of “fill ums” that have been made in Northern Ireland. I didn’t know what a “fill um” was until he pointed out several spots where scenes from the Game of Thrones were filmed. Okay – “films.” He said that the cast spent so much time in Northern Ireland that some of them bought homes and many of his friends had been cast as extras in the crowd scenes. Irish Tours had been contracted for transport during much of the filming. He also talked about the actors/actresses from Northern Ireland. Two of the most famous – Kenneth Branagh and Liam Neeson. He said that Liam could be spotted around Belfast quite often but he was usually pretty scruffy so many didn’t recognize him.

He was also quite proud that more and more cruise ships were now stopping in Belfast. He said that Disney Cruises had recently signed a contract so that was kind of the icing on the cake because Disney didn’t go anywhere that might be a problem.

Our first stop was a photo stop to see the ruins of Dunluce Castle. It was supposed to be the site of “Castle Black” in Game of Thrones.

As we got nearer to the Giants Causeway, he talked about how the scientists say the area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns is the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. He asked if we had even seen a volcano around there. When we said “no,” he told us the real story of how the Giants Causeway was formed –

Finn McCool, an Irish Giant, is having trouble with someone across the water. The Scottish giant Benandonner is threatening Ireland. An enraged Finn grabs chunks of the Antrim coast and throws them into the sea. The rock forms a path for Finn to follow and teach Benandonner a lesson. Bad idea – Benandonner is terrifyingly massive. Finn beats a hasty retreat, followed by the giant, only to be saved by his quick-thinking wife who disguised him as a baby. The angry Scot saw the baby and decided if the child was that big, the daddy must be really huge and ran back across the path, tearing it up so McCool couldn’t follow.

He had to park the bus along the narrow drive and told us where the restrooms were. He also advised us just to go through the tunnel and either walk down to the Causeway or take the shuttle. He said the signs would make you think you had to go into the Visitor Center and pay but they were misleading. You had to pay for the Center, not the Causeway.

He gave us 2 hours at the Causeway. We opted to walk down the road to the stones. It was a long way but a paved sidewalk. The Causeway was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. The tops of the columns form the stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven or eight sides. The tallest are about 39 ft high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 92 ft thick in places. There were a lot of people already there. We marveled at the scenery and climbed all over the steps and columns. I’m not surprised that it is a UNESCO heritage site.

There were rangers there to try and keep the stupid people from climbing too close to the edges and falling. The stones were slippery and uneven. You had to watch where you were walking or you could break an ankle.

People had their dogs there and some ran loose. No fear of the rocks. Chuck made a new friend of a Pug who wanted to go home with him.

We stayed there a little over an hour and decided to pay the 1 pound each to ride the shuttle back. I was glad our time was almost up because more and more busses were bringing tourists.

We went to the little café called the Nook and Chuck had a beer and I had a hard strawberry/lime cider. I didn’t like it as much as apple. Everyone was prompt getting back to the bus. You never know when you are travelling with a group if there will be ones who always arrive back late and mess up the schedule.

We drove through the countryside with a photo stop of the rope bridge near Ballintoy known as the Carrick-a-Rede. The bridge is 20 meters long (about .012 miles) and 30 meters above (.018 miles) the sea and rocks below. This bridge links Northern Ireland to the small island of Carrickarede. If you have time, you can walk the bridge. Not sure I would have done it even if we had time as the wind was really whipping.

Next stop was the town of Ballycastle for lunch. He had called ahead so they knew we were coming. We were seated in the upper room. It was a limited choice menu but Chuck and I both had the fish chowder and again it was excellent – made with the catch of the day. Some people got the fish and chips and their plates had huge pieces of fish and fries.

On our way back to Belfast, we made a quick bathroom and photostop at the town of Carrickfergus. The town walls are purported to be the oldest town walls in Ulster (a province of Ireland made up of 9 counties – 6 in Northern Ireland, 3 in Republic of Ireland) and some of the best preserved town walls in all of Ireland. There was a life-sized bronze statue of King William overlooking the harbor. He is said to have really preferred being depicted on a horse because he was only approximately 5 ft. 2 inches. But since he was dead when they erected the statue, they didn’t have to spend money on a horse statue.

Once we got back to Belfast, he talked a lot about “The Troubles” and drove us through the Catholic section and the Protestant section. Even though there has been peace since 1998, the authorities can still shut down an entire section of city if needed. He recommended movies such as “The Outsider,” “Bloody Sunday,” and “Fifty Dead Men Walking.” He panned Brad Pitt’s Irish character and accent in “The Devil’s Own.” We were able to get out of the bus and get a close up look at the murals on the walls. He pointed out a recent one that had been painted honoring some Polish people who had helped the British and where some guys had try to start a fire on the sidewalk to burn it. The razors on a lot of the walls was also an indicator that some people may not have embraced the peace.

We passed by St. Anne’s Cathedral which has the largest Celtic Cross in Ireland. He also pointed out the large “Koreans” in the distance. Chuck and I looked at each other and said “large Koreans?” He went on to talk about all the new construction that was going on in Belfast. We both realized that he was saying “large cranes” as there were several huge cranes all over Belfast. Finally, someone asked him about the Koreans and we all got a laugh when others said “Cranes.”

As it was getting close to 5:00 and the Belfast traffic was getting worse, we reminded him that he had four people who had to get back to port by 5:30. We were not that far and he had us back there by 5:15, even with a fender bender that slowed traffic. I did feel bad for the people on the Princess because we did not have time to sign the Peace Wall and I could hear their grumbling. I am hoping that maybe he took them back and let them sign it.

So even though the tour started out rocky, it ended up being a good day.

After dropping off our stuff in the room, we went to the Ocean’s Bar and decided to take part in the Trivia that they have at 6:00 almost every evening. We had listened to some on earlier evenings but never got a sheet to write our answers. We had done pretty good. So, we got an answer sheet and were ready for the questions. We did so bad even with the Asst. Cruise Director, who was calling out the questions, trying to give us hints ex Question “What is it that cats cannot taste” – the Asst. Cruise director whispered to us “opposite of salt” – we wrote Pepper. The answer was “sweet.” He laughed so hard at our answers that he bought us each a drink. Glad we could make his day. Some of those teams take their trivia seriously.

Dinner was back in the main dining room and we ate with some of the same people that we had shared a table at the embarkation lunch on the first day of the cruise. Chuck had a chicken dish and I had a chef salad.

The show tonight was a British female magician. She was okay. Her tricks were pretty old fashioned – rings and rope tricks – but she did them well.

Tomorrow is Killybegs and we are joining a group of 6 others for a tour traveling on the Wild Atlantic Highway to the Sieve League cliffs, the Folk Village of Glencolmcille, the town of Donegal, and a beach . We have to meet the group in the Ocean’s Bar at 8:00 so we can all get off the ship together to meet the tour guide.

Tonight’s towel animal is a dinosaur.

Belfast Trivia –

Its location at the mouth of the River Lagan made Belfast an ideal location for the shipbuilding industry. Harland and Wolff had the largest shipyard in the world when it built the RMS Titanic during 1911-1912.

By the early 1800s Belfast was a major port. It played a key role in the Industrial Revolution, becoming the biggest linen producer in the world, earning it the nickname “Linenopolis”.

C.S Lewis was born here, and the nearby countryside helped inspire The Chronicles of Narnia.

Dublin extra –

Forgot to include my Dublin Trivia –

Dublin has the youngest population in all of Europe. Approximately 50-percent of the population is less than 25-years of age.

There are 10-million pints of Guinness produced daily in Dublin and over 600 pubs in Dublin.

Dublin was originally called Dubh Linn meaning Black Pool. The pool to which the name referred is the oldest known natural treacle lake in Northern Europe and currently forms the centerpiece of the penguin enclosure in Dublin Zoo.

Dublin’s O’Connell Bridge was originally made of rope and could only carry one man and a donkey at a time. It was replaced with a wooden structure in 1801. The current concrete bridge was built in 1863 and was first called “Carlisle Bridge”. It is the only traffic bridge in Europe, which is wider than it is long.

The Dawson Lounge – the smallest pub in Dublin. Can only have 15 patrons at a time.

Monday, June 10 – HOHO thru Dublin

Was up at 5:30 and breakfast was delivered at 7:00. Even though the menu is limited, the food has been very good and the service prompt. I always tip the delivery person. It is not required but I think it is a nice gesture. We always get a phone call about an hour after delivery to be sure we were pleased with everything. I think it is also their way of knowing that they can come and collect the dishes/tray. You cannot put them out in the hallway as they are a trip hazard.

We were ready to get off the ship at 8:30. A local person from the Dublin tourism office was stationed near the exit on our floor handing out maps and giving advice. I asked him about the Hop-On/Hop-Off bus station location. He said that we could get on one of their busses just around the corner from where HAL would be dropping us off or we could take a cab to the main station. He even mentioned there would be a free shuttle that would take us right outside the port gates where the majority of cabs would be waiting.

I already had the HOHO bus tickets as I purchased them online for a 10% discount. We had decided to ride the entire route first and then on the second loop decided where we wanted to get off.

Map in hand, we got off the ship and there were several representatives talking to people. Asked about the free shuttle out of the port. Nope – no free shuttle. Where are the cabs? Not here yet. When will they arrive? No idea. Want to get on the HAL shuttle for $15 each? Next one will be arriving shortly. Yes (sigh). I told them they should go tell the Dublin rep that his information was wrong.

Was a double-decker bus that would take us to downtown Dublin so we took the stairs to the top and sat in the front for the view. What a ride. Disconcerting to be on the wrong side of the road and Scotland and Ireland like their roundabouts. Cars cutting in and out. Then we got into Dublin where the streets are narrow to begin with and then the cars parked on them made it worse. Our driver took one road and a local person on a bike started waving his hands and pointing to the upcoming bridge. We were obviously too tall to go under the bridge. The driver had to make a 3 point turn to go back. Couldn’t believe he made the turn without hitting any of the cars.

One thing the Dublin rep got right was that there were several HOHO bus representatives handing out brochures about their companies. I showed them I already had tickets and they pointed us in the right direction. We went around the corner and there was a bus. However, it was not the bus but a portable office that would exchange me online tickets for real tickets. Said the next bus would be there shortly.

We waited and waited. The traffic was very slow. One woman started yelling at the men saying she had been waiting over 30 minutes. She was very loud. She was American (sigh). They called their front office who told them to use that bus and they would send another office bus. We loaded just as another HOHO bus did pull up. She ended up getting off our bus and getting on that one. She wanted to use the headphones. Not sure why, as those busses were meant for people who didn’t speak English and could hear the commentary in their language through the headphones. Maybe she didn’t hear well and thought the headphones would help. I hope English was a choice on the headphones because she would not be happy.

Our driver spoke English (albeit with the thick Irish accent) and we could hear just fine upstairs. He was funny and informative. We began at Stop 10 which was across the street from the Oscar Wilde statue and National Gallery. There were 33 stops on this tour. We passed by sights such as Trinity College, Parliament, Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Guinness Storehouse, the US Ambassador’s residence, and the Dublin President’s residence. There were many statues throughout the city.

It had been raining off and on all morning. Sometimes just a drizzle but at other times pretty hard. It looked like it was going to stay that way all day.

When we got to Stop One, we had to get off as this driver would be on his lunch break. We could either get on another bus immediately or later. I had to go to the bathroom so we went inside the main bus office, but they directed us to the McDonald’s next door.

I noticed that when you see a McDonald’s, you will see a Burger King not far from it. And both are always crowded. Even with all the restaurants, take-away places (we call them take-out), and pubs, people were lined up at McDonald’s and BK. Go figure.

Got to the restroom and found a sign that said punch in your code from your receipt. (Clever – McD’s). Chuck went right on into the men’s room. Now, I really have to go. Other ladies come up behind me and they don’t have a receipt either. I wait for Chuck to come out and tell him to hold the door for me. He waits outside while I use the men’s room. He had to tell a couple of guys they had to wait. They were not too happy. Sorry. But desperate times calls for desperate measures. Not sure what happened to the ladies who were behind me.

On the way to the Stop One, I had spotted a chalkboard sign outside a pub that listed traditional Irish dishes. Of course, I didn’t see the name of the pub. We started walking back the way we came and finally, after a couple of wrong turns, found it – O’Connell’s Pub. It looked small from the outside but when you entered, you realized that it went way back and even had a downstairs. We sat at a table for 2 next to a Canadian man and his adult daughter who were in Ireland visiting his sister. We enjoyed chatting with them.

I ordered a Bulmer’s hard apple cider and the fish chowder and Chuck ordered a Guinness and the Beef and Guinness Casserole (looked like beef stew to me). Each order came with some thick, coarse, brown bread and real butter. It was all so good. I didn’t care for the Guinness but Chuck said it was so much better than what is bottled and sent to the States. We asked what fish was in the chowder and the waiter had to go ask the Chef what was caught that day – salmon and haddock.

Speaking of Guinness, you quickly learned that you do not disparage a Guinness in Dublin. The company practically built Dublin and is still a huge part of the economy. We heard many stories from the drivers involving Arthur Guinness who started brewing beer in 1759 and has a 9,999 year lease on the property. You see the Harp logo around the city quite a bit. The Guinness harp motif is modeled on the Trinity College Harp. It was adopted in 1862. Harps have been a symbol of Ireland at least since the reign of Henry VIII. Guinness registered their harp as a trademark shortly after the passing of the Trade Marks Registration Act of 1875. It faces right instead of left, and so can be distinguished from the Irish coat of arms.

We left there and decided to do some souvenir shopping since our tours for the next few days probably would not leave time for such. I found a Guinness Christmas ornament and Chuck found a Game of Thrones t-shirt “I drink and I know things” – Tyrion Lannister. For you Game of Thrones fans, you will understand why he had to buy that shirt.

We were ready to get back on the next HOHO bus to finish up stops 1 through 10. This driver was even funnier than the last one. When we got to Stop 10, we decided that the lines were too long and the crowds too many to go around again and get off at the stops. I had made some good pictures and the only thing I had really wanted to see was the “Book of Kells” at Trinity College.

From Wikipedia – The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created in a monastery in either Britain or Ireland. It is believed to have been created c. 800 AD. The text of the Gospels is largely drawn from the Vulgate, although it also includes several passages drawn from the earlier versions of the Bible known as the Vetus Latina. It is a masterwork of Western calligraphy and represents the pinnacle of Insular illumination. It is also widely regarded as Ireland’s finest national treasure.

To see it, you had to make a timed reservation online. Since I really didn’t know what time we would be arriving at Trinity College on the HOHO, I didn’t make one. If I had made it too soon, we would have missed it. If I made it later, we would have been standing around in the rain. I heard later that it was so crowded you didn’t really get to study it for very long. Maybe a future visit.

We got off at Stop 10 and walked around the corner to find several busses lined up along the street. We kept walking up the street until we found the one marked “Prinsendam shuttle.” We gave the driver our return tickets and found a seat, again on the top. The ride back was not as crazy as the ride to Dublin.

We definitely got a good overview of Dublin and enjoyed the tour.

Got back in time to go to the Ocean’s Bar and dance a little to the music played by the Ocean’s Trio. I looked at the main dining room dinner menu and didn’t see anything that I particularly wanted. The Lido was featuring “Irish Dinner” so we decided that we would eat there instead. We both enjoyed the Fish and Chips and the stone crab claws (until Chuck cut his thumb on one). I was surprised to see that the Lido was not crowded at all. Since we were not leaving port until 10:30, I guess many stayed ashore to eat in Dublin.

We went back to the Ocean’s Bar. We had decided that we were going to attend the Celtic Storm show. The ship was bringing a local group aboard for one show of traditional Irish music and dance. The show would be at 9:30 in the Showroom. At 8:00, we noticed that more and more people were heading to the Showroom.

It is a small Showroom but we have never had a problem getting seats at the 9:00 show. However, people who attend the 7:00 show, say that the Showroom is crowded. Since there was only going to be one show tonight, we decided to go ahead and see how crowded it was getting.

Good grief. I am glad we came on in. We found seats fairly near the front with a decent view. We talked with others around us as more and more people came in. By 9:30, it was standing-room only.

The group put on a great show. I was impressed with the teenagers in the band that could play so well. One girl had a wonderful voice and she got a solo. Another girl could play the violin, the accordion, and could dance the Irish dances (think a lot of Riverdancing). The show lasted an hour and was well worth attending. They received an enthusiastic standing ovation.

Tomorrow is Belfast and we have an early independent tour to the Giant’s Causeway. I hope the weather will be decent. It is calling for just partly cloudy skies. As the casino is closed all day/night today because of the long port hours, we both called it a night.

Tonight’s towel animal is an elephant.

English Lion, Scottish Unicorn, and the Irish Harp

Sunday, June 9 – Stay Calm and Cruise On

One thing about inside cabins that if you want to sleep, they are nice and dark. Most of the time they are quiet too but this one, we can hear the thrusters and anchor when we dock. I was shocked when I woke up and looked at the clock and it was after 8:00. After 4 mornings of getting up at 5:00 or 6:00, I guess I must have needed the sleep.

We got coffee from the Coffee Bar which was just a few steps down the hall from our room (Yay!). Decided to eat in the Lido since we would be having the Mariner’s Lunch at 1:00. Went outside and it was cool and looked like rain. Chuck decided to get in some hot tub time but I passed. I went back to the room and worked on my pictures and then got cleaned up for the reception and luncheon.

Once he got cleaned up, we met in the Showroom to drink free mimosas (not that good but better than the cheap champagne that is also handed out) and watch several cruisers get their bronze or silver medals. There were no gold or platinum medallion receivers today but there were several in the audience. Got my first look at the Captain. Very Dutch – very tall and very blonde.

We all headed to the back of the ship for the luncheon. We ran into the Dutch couple that we met on the Scrabster excursion. They wanted to share a table at lunch which was fine but she was in the midst of a full-blown cold. Nooooo! I flinched every time she coughed. The menu is limited to either soup or salad, beef, fish, or vegetarian, and a tart for dessert. Chuck and I each had the soup. He had the beef and I had the vegetarian. We also received the Holland America tiles (we use them as coasters) which are given out this luncheon. These tiles did have a picture of the Prinsendam on them instead of a just a generic Holland ship so that was nice. I know the people on board who are cruising her because they like the ship so much appreciated these tiles.

After the luncheon, Chuck went to get into the Blackjack tournament. He had one free entry ticket and then bought another for $20. Gives him two chances to make the finals. I don’t like to play in the Blackjack tournaments as you have to think about and watch what the other players bet. I end up playing regular Blackjack style and never place. I don’t mind Slot tournaments because all you have to do is hope you got a winning machine and press the button like crazy.

I got my book and found a nice comfy chair in the Coffee Bar lounge. Got another Latte and read for quite a while. This Coffee Bar lounge is usually very busy. People working on puzzles, reading, and/or playing board games. It also has a very nice library, but I didn’t see many people taking the hardback books. There have been complaints that HAL is reducing or removing the onboard libraries in their ships, but I am not surprised with the number of people that I see reading on tablets and/or paperbacks. I think they need to keep improving their Internet service more than stocking up on books.

I bought the Surf package for this trip which includes social media, emailing, and web-browsing. Most of the time the service has been pretty good but today it has been intermittent. I know satellite placement can be a problem on sea days but also there is a lot of use which affects the service. I like HAL’s app which reminds me of activities and lets me see the dining room menu. I should be able to see our account too but because this trip was booked under Chuck’s name, I can’t see the account. I would think when the two people in the same room have the same name, each person could see the total account. Chuck asked at Guest Services if they could fix it. They said they could but it would still only show my charges. Geez. Don’t bother. Chuck will continue to get print-outs (paper wasting – HAL) to keep track of the charges.

He has found some errors already. He has been charged for drinks that should have been covered by our Drink Package. Takes a trip to Guest Services but they have always gotten the charges removed.

We have been pleased with the laundry service. We have been sending out a bag at least every other day and it is always returned later that evening or the next day. All cleaned and pressed. So nice.

Time flew by and it was time to get ready for the second Gala night. I’ve seen a few long gowns and tuxes on this cruise but mostly it is suits for the men and dresses or pretty pants outfits for the men. We both had the crab cakes and the shrimp and steak dinner. Chuck thought his steak for tonight was much better than the one in the Pinnacle Grill.

Tonight’s show featured just the Prinsendam singers and it was called “Sessions”. The stage was made up to look like a sound studio and they did a number of songs from the 60’s and 70’s. They have good voices but I liked their first show better than this one.

Tomorrow is Dublin, our first port in Ireland. We are arriving at an industrial port so you cannot walk out of it. You have to have a transport. Holland America is offering round-trip shuttle service to downtown Dublin (for a fee of course) but the drop-off point seems far away from the Hop-on/Hop-off Bus station that we need. I am sure that cabs will be there too so we will probably just get one of those taxis. Ireland does not have Uber.

Glad I could relax today. Chuck is on the board as a possible contender for the tournament. There will be more chances for the rest of the trip so he will continue to check the board for his placement.

We have 6 port days in a row coming up and activities at each one. Whew.

Tonight’s towel animal is a puppy.

Saturday, June 8 – Glad I was not a Herring Girl

Today was a tender port which means that we could not pull up to the dock but had to anchor away from the port and ride in the lifeboats over to the dock. At tender ports, I typically either take a ship tour or we don’t have anything scheduled that requires us to be at the dock at a certain time. When you schedule an independent tour at a tender port, the chances of being delayed are increased because you never know what your tender number is going to be or if there is going to be a problem with the tender boats.

As 4 star mariners, we were given a letter that said we could go to a certain room and would be escorted to our tender whenever we wanted to go ashore. However, since we are on a Holland America tour – we are to go to the Showroom like yesterday. Today we had to be there at 8:15 for a 9:00 tour (to allow for the tender ride over). Today’s tour is Lews Castle Grounds on Foot which was a walking tour of the town of Stornoway, the Lews Castle, and its grounds.

Stornoway is actually on the Isle of Lewis which is the largest island on Scotland’s Outer Hebrides archipelago. Archeologists have found evidence of inhabitants of over 6,000 years. The Isle of Lewis was ceded by the Kingdom of Norway to Scotland in 1266.

I was worried about the weather because it was predicted a chance of rain and I was not looking forward to a 3.5 hour walk in a rain like we had in Inverness; however, it stayed cloudy and windy but no rain.

We had a group of 13 and we met our guide Ian at the dock. He was a 71-year-old retired schoolteacher who gave walking tours once or twice a week. He began his walk at a brisk pace, and I worried about some of the ones in our tour but we all kept up pretty good. The tour description did say that we would be going over some rough terrain and uphill.

At the dock, there were memorials to the maritime accident of the His Majesty’s Yacht Iolaire (Scottish Gaelic for “Eagle”). Ian explained that Iolaire was carrying sailors who had fought in the First World War back home. On January 1, 1919 at night, as the ship approached the port of Stornoway, a few yards offshore and a mile away from the safety of Stornoway Harbour, she hit the infamous rocks “The Beasts of Holm” and sank. Those on board would have been able to see the lights of Stornoway. The death toll was officially put at 205, of whom 181 men were representing almost an entire generation of young men from the Islands. He said the population has never really recovered.

So, on that happy note, we started on our walk. We first stopped at one of the statues dedicated to the “Herring Girls”. In 1914 a combined 20% of the Isle of Lewis’ population were involved in the herring industry. The ‘Herring Girls’, followed the herring fleet around the coast each year. The women worked in teams. There were three women in a team – two of them gutted the herrings, while the third – packed the herrings. The gutters were very adept and it only took one stroke of their knives to gut the herring. The girls worked very long hours – often 12 hours a day, always outside, and had to deal with the inevitable cuts on their hands and arms which were also being dunked in the salty water of the fish barrels. Ouch. By the Second World War, the herring industry had been overfished and the “Herring Girls” were no longer needed.

So now I am pretty depressed about Stornoway. It was a pretty port with numerous pleasure and fishing boats and even a New York billionaire’s yacht that he keeps docked there for his visits but the history is just sad. We stopped at a dockside fish stall that was displaying fish caught that day. I recognized the salmon but most I had no clue. Frankly, it didn’t look all that clean and I couldn’t see the refrigeration. Maybe there was a lot of ice beneath.

We next stopped at the Harris Tweed office. I had heard of Harris Tweed but I didn’t know it was such a big deal. Harris Tweed is a tweed cloth that is handwoven by islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides. This definition, quality standards and protection of the Harris Tweed name are protected by the government action – the Harris Tweed Act 1993. Don’t even think about calling yourself Harris Tweed if you are not.

There were several in our group that were anxious to purchase something made with Harris Tweed. Ian said if we wanted a traditional Scottish kilt and all its accessories, it would set us back about 1000 pounds (around $1300). Chuck and I passed on the Harris Tweed. Never did find out what others bought.

We walked on to the Lews Castle. It is a Victorian era castle built in the years 1844–51 as a country house for Sir James Matheson who had bought the whole island a few years previously with his fortune from the Chinese Opium trade. Yes, now he would be considered a major drug dealer. Back then, he was a successful entrepreneur.

In 1918, the Lewis Estate, including the castle, was bought by industrialist Lord Leverhulme from the Matheson family. He gave the castle to the people of Stornoway parish in 1923. I’m pretty sure he realized that it was a big albatross.

During the Second World War the Castle was taken over as accommodation for air and ground crew of 700 Naval Air Squadron.

After the war, the Castle was used for accommodation for students of Lews Castle College in the 1950s. After the accommodation closed, the building was left disused for several decades. The Castle College is still operating on the property and has about 2000 students studying everything from Information Technology to Gaelic History and Culture.

The building is now owned by the local council and was awarded £4.6 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund to enable it to be converted into a museum on the bottom and apartments for rent to tourists on the top. We were given time to tour the small museum and get a snack at the café. Many of the rooms are still being renovated and they have started hosting cultural events.

After looking at the museum, we started walking the paths on the grounds to the highest point on the property where we could have a nice view of the town and harbor. The paths had a lot of pretty flowers and plants. Nice and shady and most of the path was paved. At the top, we could even get a glimpse of the Scottish mainland in the distance.

Now we started our walk back. Once we got back to the town center, a number of the group decided to break off and go shopping (got to get that Tweed) or eating at one of the restaurants. It was nearing 1:00 and Chuck and I decided just to go back to the ship. Ian was going home to play with his grandchildren. I liked him.

We had a late lunch in the Lido, spent some time on the Sea View deck, and had a nap before getting ready for the evening. Tonight, we ate again in the main dining room. I had the shrimp and pasta and Chuck had the pork. We had a table of six – mix of Canadians, an Australian woman, and us.

Tonight’s performance was an encore performance of the singer Jo Little and the Chapman Twins. Since I hadn’t seen either one of them earlier, we went to the 9:00 show. They were good but I was glad that each had 20 minutes. I don’t think I could have sat through each of them for 45 minutes.

Got back to the room to find a letter about our upcoming Ireland ports. Because our arrivals and departures are somewhat dependent on the tides, our times have been adjusted and Foynes has been changed to a tender port. I am not happy about the new tender port because I have an independent tour that day. Luckily, I am not the one who organized this tour so I don’t have to worry about contacting the tour operator. I’ll just have to talk with him so we can decide what to do about tender tickets. I do need to contact the tour operator of the Belfast tour and let them know about the change in time. We are leaving 30 minutes earlier than planned. I hope it will still be OK with the tour as I am really looking forward to going to the Giant’s Causeway. I am beginning to hate getting letters in the mailbox.

Tomorrow is a welcome sea day. No alarm clock. No set schedule except for the luncheon that returning guests get to attend. We have also been invited to the award ceremony to see the recipients of the medals for their number of sea days. We have a bronze medal for 100 sea days. Will be a while, if ever, before we get a silver one for 300 sea days. I hope to get caught up on editing pictures. If I was a better photographer, I wouldn’t have to do so much cropping, shadowing, etc. Should go to the gym but that will probably be a hard no.

Tonight’s towel animal is a frog.

Stornoway trivia –

Stornoway black pudding is a gourmet black pudding, and was granted PGI (protected geographical indicator) status in 2013 by the European Commission to prevent inferior puddings produced elsewhere being marketed as “Stornoway” or “Stornoway Style”. – (black pudding is a type of blood sausage made from pork blood, with pork fat or beef suet, and a cereal, usually oatmeal, oats or barley and the use of certain herbs such as pennyroyal.) I wouldn’t eat it on a bet – gourmet or not.

The Lewis chessmen or Uig chessmen, named after the bay where they were found, are a group of distinctive 12th-century chess pieces, along with other game pieces, most of which are carved from walrus ivory. Discovered in 1831 on Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, they may constitute some of the few complete, surviving medieval chess sets, although it is not clear if a set as originally made can be assembled from the pieces. When found, the hoard contained 93 artifacts: 78 chess pieces, 14 tablemen and one belt buckle. Today, 82 pieces are owned and usually exhibited by the British Museum in London, and the remaining 11 are at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Some of the Lewis chessmen on loan from Edinburgh museum

Friday, June 7 – Time for a “Wee Dram”

The ship rocked and rolled last night as we made our way through the North Sea. I was happy that I slept through most of it. As poor as the weather was yesterday, it was a beautiful day today – sunny, breezy, and in the mid-50’s. Our tour today was a Holland America tour called “End of the Road: The Old Pulteney Distillery and John O’Groats.” I was up at 6:00 and breakfast was delivered at 7:00. Our tour was to meet in the Showroom at 8:45 with a departure at 9:00. The process went smoothly and we were on the coach bus a little after 9:00.

We docked at the port of Scrabster which is a harbor, ferry and fishing port and industrial business center near the town of Thurso in the far north of Scotland. Technically, we were still in the Highlands but the land much flatter than yesterday. As we drove toward the town of Wick, we could see large plots of land with thousands of sheep on them. The farmers have to mark their flock with a color as the sheep tend to wander away into other herds. Looks like a blotch of spray paint on them.

James was our driver and Donald was our tour guide. We had a representative from Holland America along to be sure we didn’t have any issues on the tour. It wouldn’t be Scotland if we could not see how Scotch Whisky is made. We were not allowed to take pictures in the facility but they did have a nice visitor center for pictures. We were divided into 2 groups and Chuck and I were in the group that would tour first and then have a “wee dram” to taste. The other group would taste first and then tour. Given the narrow steps and high places we walked, I was glad we were in the first group.

The distillery was established in 1826 in the name of Sir William Pulteney (who died in 1805). The distillery was the most northerly on the Scottish mainland and was quite inaccessible, except by sea, when established. Barley was brought in by sea, and the whisky was shipped out the same way. Characteristics of the whisky are attributed to exposure to sea air during maturation.

The distillery closed in 1930 due to declining trade after the local parish enforced prohibition laws but re-opened in 1951 when the vote was rescinded after the law was abolished. It is now owned by Inver House Distillers.

We saw the process from the grains used to make the whisky to the barrels where they age the whisky. The smells and heat from some of the areas could make you light-headed. I thought it was interesting that they get some of their used barrels from Kentucky distilleries. They don’t make a lot of whisky but the ones they make have won national and international awards. Its 21-year-old single malt was named World Whisky of the Year in 2012. I didn’t even know there was such a competition.

I did not care for their regular whisky but they had a sweeter version that I liked better. Erin was our tour guide through the plant. Her husband works there as an assistant manager. They have a small production staff but it functions with 3 shifts. One of their perks for working there is a bottle of whisky per month. And I thought having vision insurance was a nice perk. They tend not to lose employees – the one with the least number of years had 17 and the one with the most had 35.

We were told that in Scotland “whisky” does not have an “e” while in Ireland it does have an “e”. This difference in the spelling comes from the translations of the word from the Scottish and Irish Gaelic forms (they even pronounce Gaelic differently – Scotland – “Gal-ick”; – Ireland – “Gale-ick”). Whiskey with the extra ‘e’ is also used when referring to American whiskies. This ‘e’ was taken to the United States by the Irish immigrants in the 1700s and has been used ever since.

Erin was a talker and there were lots of questions so the tour lasted longer than our allotted time. We got back on the bus and our next stop was “John o’Groats.”

John o’ Groats is a village in the far north of Scotland. John o’ Groats lies on Great Britain’s northeastern tip and is popular with tourists as one end of the longest distance between two inhabited British points on the mainland, with Land’s End in Cornwall lying 876 miles to the southwest. Our tour guide said many people hike, bike, run, etc. the entire trail. Our guide did tell us that it is not really the most northerly point on the island of Britain as that distinction belongs to nearby Dunnet Head but Dunnet Head is not inhabited.

We got our picture by the obligatory signpost and enjoyed the unusual sculptures in the area. The big white building in the background of some of the pictures is The Inn at John o’Groats which was described as the reincarnation of the iconic former John O’Groats Hotel, originally built in 1875. Also watched the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea meet in the Pentland Firth – lots of wave action.

We ate lunch at Sea View hotel there. It was described as a light lunch which I think of as soup or salad and a sandwich. What we got was a big plate of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. I was dismayed because we had scheduled our Pinnacle Grill meal for tonight and I wanted to be really hungry for it. I ate about half of it. We were seated across from a very nice Dutch couple who both worked for the Dutch government in Rotterdam. They only had an hour drive to the port (jealous). I was seated next to Miss Emily, a very nice lady who is Chuck’s three card poker buddy on this trip. Her husband was not feeling well so he did not come on the tour.

We made a quick stop at a small Church of Scotland so we could see where the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth (Charles’s Grandmother) attended church when she was visiting Castle Mey, her home when in Scotland. The graveyard also held plots for pirates. They normally were not given a church burial.

Our next stop was the town of Thurso. It was a nice small village and we were given time to walk around and shop. We wanted to check out a store called Tesco which had been described to us as the European Wal-mart. The one we went in was more like a Wal-mart Neighborhood Market as it had mostly food. All the prices were in Pounds but Chuck said that the prices seemed good. It was a crowded store so I guess people like it. I understand that in the larger towns and cities that the Tesco’s are bigger with more of a variety of items.

On our way back to the ship, Donald gave us a list of Scottish/Gaelic Expressions that we practiced. Some that I particularly liked –

“Stooshie” – a big disagreement

“Guddle” – a disorganized mess

“Scunnered” – fed up with something

“Slainte Mhath” – good health

“Pure, dead, brilliant” – awesome

We got back to the ship around 4:00 and changed clothes to be ready for our Pinnacle Dinner at 6:30. We went to the Ocean’s Bar first and as we were getting ready to sailaway, we hear bagpipes. I went outside on the deck and watched a bagpipe band and dancers perform for us. They were all children and teens. It was sweet but I felt bad for them as it was cold and windy.

At 6:30, we went to the restaurant. I had the Shrimp Cocktail and the special “filet mignon and lobster ravioli.” I was disappointed that they were not offering the king crab legs. They were not on the menu so I am wondering if they have been discontinued because they got too pricey. My steak and lobster ravioli (two) were good. The Pinnacle is now charging extra for lobster tail. Chuck had the crab cakes and the rib eye. He was disappointed in his steak this time as it was fattier than the rib eye we had last time. He said he should have stayed with the cedar planked halibut. We shared the mushrooms and skipped dessert. The service at the Pinnacle is always very good.

The show tonight was the Chapman Twins – two singers from England. I was too tired and too full to go to the 9:00 show and Chuck wanted to go to the Casino so we skipped it.

Got back to the room to find a letter regarding our visit to Ireland. The ship has to collect the passports of all non-European guests and they will present the passports to the local immigration officials when we arrive. We are scheduled to bring our passports to Guest Services tomorrow from 5:00 – 5:20. I sure hate giving up the passports. Glad I have a paper copy.

Tomorrow is another early day. Tonight’s towel animal is a turkey.

Scrabster Trivia –

Surfing is a popular pastime among the locals. Competitions held at Thurso East, one of the beaches in the region, have attracted some of the best surfers in the world.

The town of Wick holds the claim to fame of once being the busiest herring port in Europe in the 19th century.