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Dublin’s O’Connell Bridge was originally made of rope and could only carry one man and a donkey at a time.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.
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.
Trinity CollegeSt. PatrickArthur Guinness House (now a museum)War memorialLabor Party FounderJust liked the fountainNever Forget the Potato FamineOscar WildeEnglish Lion, Scottish Unicorn, and the Irish HarpRespect the Guinness
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.
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.
Ian and the Herring Girl
Some of the Lewis chessmen on loan from Edinburgh museum
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.
So many sheepThe Whisky I LikedChuck w/ Miss EmilyQueen Mother’s Special Chair
Arriving at Invergordon port at 9:00 so I slept in until 6:00. We needed to be off the ship as soon as they cleared as we had a long tour with WOW Scotland tour company today. Already raining and the sky didn’t look like it would clear anytime soon. Today’s tour was going to concentrate on the Scottish Highlands. I like MC Beaton’s Hamish MacBeth books so I was looking forward to seeing sites that had been described in the book.
I had already contacted the Company about the change in pier
and in the change of time. We had been scheduled from 8:00 to 6:00 but had to
change to 9:00 to 7:00 and pier because of another ship arrival/departure. They
had already received that information but better to be safe. The larger ship –
the Balmoral – was already docked.
It was raining buckets and the shuttle busses had not come
yet. Some people had been let off the ship and were standing under the rain
shelter waiting for the first shuttle. They held the rest of us back. If the
weather had been good, we could have walked the pier even though it was long
but with the rain, we would have been pretty miserable.
Shuttles finally started running and we got the next one. We
met Rob, the tour company representative, at the end of the pier and he got us
checked in and directed to the 30 seater bus. There were 24 of us on this tour.
Rob was also our driver and narrator for the day. He was dressed the
traditional kilt.
Our first stop was the town of Beauly. As it was still raining pretty hard, we had a choice of touring the graveyard of the Priory Church of the Blessed Virgin and John the Baptist, founded in 1230. Some did choose to go, Chuck and I did not. Instead, we went to a local bakery. I got a chocolate éclair and hot chocolate. The hot chocolate was not what I was expecting. It was a dark chocolate taste – not as sweet as what I am used to having. I did enjoy it. Chuck got coffee and a chocolate éclair. I think we made a good choice. Others saw where we were headed and followed.
Our next stop was the city of Inverness. It is the Capital of the Highlands and it sits at the mouth of the River Ness which flows from Loch Ness. We had several options here. We could have walked across the river footbridge to the Inverness Castle. But, it is a working government building so you cannot go in just to look around. We could have strolled up and down the river walkway, or we could have gone shopping. As it was still raining, we decided to stay close and tour the Cathedral Church of St. Andrew. It is a Scottish Episcopal church finished in 1869. However, they ran out of money before they could build the big twin spires that was part of the original design so they have flat columns. It was very ornate inside. We contributed to the church funds by purchasing a sandwich and hot tea from their small café.
We drove up and down the hills of the moor and
he pointed out the peat bogs, the types of trees (a lot of pine), the heather,
and the flowering yellow bushes called Gorse. We saw a number of sheep, some
cows, including the hairy Highland cows (although they were too far away for a
picture), and even some alpacas.
Our next stop was at the bank of the Loch Ness. We met Steve, the Nessie Hunter. He was a successful stockbroker in London who gave it all up to search for Nessie for the last 27 years. He lives in an old converted camper and sells Nessie models (and takes donations). He has a website. He is either a genius or a kook. I think the jury is still out. We looked for Nessie but all we saw were ducks. It was a very peaceful setting so personally I am glad the scene wasn’t disrupted by a man-eating sea monster. However, I would have liked to have gotten a Nessie Christmas ornament.
We left Loch Ness and drove through some more interesting countryside and came to the Culloden Battlefield. Vast stretches of boggy flat land. During our tour of the Edinburgh Castle, we had heard about the Jacobite (supporters of the deposed James II and his descendants in their claim to the British throne after the Revolution of 1688) uprising and Bonnie Prince Charlie who wanted his Scottish family (the Stuarts) returned to the British throne. Now we were at the site of the final confrontation between the Jacobites and the British Army.
So you have some Scottish clansmen, who were mostly farmers, going to fight the British government forces. Didn’t turn out so well for the clansmen. The British waited for the Scotsmen to charge with their swords and bayonets and watched them getting bogged down in the soggy peat. The army then picked them off like birds. It is said the “battle” lasted about an hour and the Jacobites lost around 2000 men while the British lost about 300. The ones who made it back home were stripped of their land and had to leave. It is said that Prince Charlie escaped to France and died of a stroke at 61. The Stuarts never made it to the throne. Too bad they didn’t have a dragon to help in their Game of Thrones.
We also got to see a stone house with the
thatch roof that would have housed one family and their few animals. Had to
heat with smoking peat and the thatch soaked in and released the smoke to the
outside. I still think it must have been hard to breathe in there.
It was really raining by this time and even
with my rain gear, I was feeling damp and getting cold. I was ready to go back
to the ship but we had one more stop to make.
Last stop was to the Clava Cairns. No one really knows how these circular stone burial structures and various standing stones came to exist but they date back from the Bronze Age and the circular structure openings align with the winter solstice so that the inside of the Cairn lights up from the sun on that day – some think so that the souls can find their passage way. Or maybe the whole site was built by aliens. It’s a mystery.
The traffic was pretty heavy getting back to
the port. I’m glad I was not doing the driving because between the traffic, the
round-abouts, and being on the left side of the road, I would have caused a
major pile-up. But Rob got us back in plenty of time before the ship departed.
I am sorry it rained on us most of the day but Rob did a great job and I am
glad we chose WOW Scotland.
We were ready for some hot coffee and to get out of our damp clothes. Got changed and cleaned up in time to go to the Ocean’s Bar. Before we left port, a bagpipe and drum band came to play and some young women did some Scottish dances for us at the port. I felt bad for them as it was still so cold and windy even though the rain had stopped. We cheered them on from the decks.
We were delayed leaving by the same ship that made us change ports and time. We were supposed to follow it out but they had a medical emergency and were waiting for an ambulance to take someone to the hospital. Hope the person(s) was okay.
Dinner was a steak salad for me and roast
chicken for Chuck. We sat at a table for four with a nice couple. She was from
Australia and he was from England. They split their time between the two places
since they have opposite summers. Not a bad way to avoid winters.
The show tonight was called Silver Screen and
featured songs from various movies. Again, the Prinsendam singers and dancers
did a good job but I still preferred their first show.
Laundry was back so I got that put away. Tonight’s
towel animal is an elephant. Tomorrow we will arrive in Scrabster. I’m afraid
to look at the weather report.
Inverness Trivia
Mary Queen of Scots ordered the hanging of the Governor
of Inverness Castle because the Governor did not permit the Queen to enter the
Burgh.
Loch Ness is the second
largest loch in Scotland with depths reaching over 750 feet. It holds more
fresh water than all the lochs and lakes in England and Wales combined. It is
23 miles long, about a mile wide and never freezes.
Inverness CastleSt. Andrew’s Cathedral Church – No spiresChurch entranceAll kneeling cushions had some sort of designOriginal Stained GlassMarble Statue – “The Angel of Baptism”The AlterGorse in the foreground. Loch Ness in the background.Still Smiling Despite the RainLooking for NessieFound DucksStill SearchingHome Sweet CamperFlags Mark Spots where British Army lined up and shot the Jacobites mired up in the peat bogs. Rob Describing the BattleHome Sweet Home for Your Family and Your Farm AnimalsOne of the Burial Cairns with the Entrance Facing the Winter Solstice Light
We set our clocks back one hour last night so at least I got
an extra hour of sleep. Was up at 5:00 so I could be dressed and ready by the
time room service breakfast arrived. The announcement came at 7:45 that
Immigration was ready to start reviewing passports. Once you had your passport
reviewed, you were free to leave the ship. Our group number was called at 8:10.
The line moved pretty quickly. Two bored people at the table glanced at the
passports, glanced up at us, and told us to have a nice day. Didn’t even get a passport
stamp. Very anticlimactic. Wonder if we’ll have to do the same thing for
Ireland.
As the port of Rosyth is a working port, we had to wait for a bus to take us to the Inverkeithing train station. There were several people waiting for the bus so I felt better that we would be able to know what to do when we got there. Turns out we were all new to the process so we would all fail or succeed together. Got to the train station at about 8:40, walked in and bought 2 round-trip tickets to Edinburgh. Had to cross over the small bridge and wait at the platform. The train was on time but it was crowded as it was full of commuters going to work in Edinburgh. I was able to sit next to a very nice man from Inverness who told me just to ask at one of the Information Desks about which exit to use to be closest to the Castle. He was happy to hear that I was from Georgia as he said that his bucket list included playing golf at The Masters course in Augusta. Go figure. We arrived at the Waverly Station at 9:30 and found an information desk. She pointed us in the right direction.
Outside, it was drizzly and cool so I was glad we had our
rain gear. We could see the Castle in the distance but it was shrouded in fog
and clouds so it looked eerie. Even though we could see it, I turned on the
phone GPS so we could have step by step directions up to the Castle. And it was
an uphill climb so I didn’t want to make more steps than necessary. We arrived
at the Castle gates at 9:45. The signage was confusing as it wasn’t clear about
getting tickets. I knew I had to scan our paperwork for the tickets to print
but I wasn’t sure about where they would collect the tickets. After a couple of
missteps, we finally passed by William Wallace and Robert the Bruce guarding
the gates and were inside the Castle walls.
We decided to wait 10 minutes for the next guided tour of
the Castle instead of waiting in line for the audio headsets. Our guide was a
very nice woman and she took us all around the inside perimeter of the Castle
explaining the history of the Castle and how many times it had been under siege
between Scotland and England. The Castle sits on Castle Rock which is an extinct
volcano. She said the volcano last erupted 340 million years ago so I felt
pretty safe (although how do they know for sure?) The fog never lifted so we
could not see the town clearly at all but it definitely gave it a sense of
olden days.
We were able to go inside the Great Hall, St. Margaret’s
Chapel, the National War Museum, and the Royal Palace. We were not allowed to
take pictures in the National War Museum or the Royal Palace. I wish I could
have as the crown jewels and the Stone of Destiny (large sandstone rock that is
used in coronations) were really amazing to see. We were also not allowed to go
into New Barracks as it still houses an active military which still officially runs
the Castle. Every day at 1:00, they fire the cannon. We looked at Mons Meg, a
cannon that could fire 300 lb cannon balls and the dog cemetery where the
military dogs are buried.
It was very crowded at the Castle but the lines went quickly
while we were inside. When we finished up about 1:00, I bought a crown
Christmas ornament at the gift store. I was glad we came early as we did
because crowds were still coming in at 1:00. We started walking down the Royal
Mile through the Old Town. We went into a couple of stores, looked at the
different Closes (narrow alleys) and passed by St. Giles Cathedral with the national
animal of Scotland – the Unicorn. We stopped at a pub for a beer and a
hamburger. We could have walked all the way to the end of the Royal Mile to the
Hollyrood Castle but decided to take the Scotland Steps (each step is a
different color marble) at the halfway point and go back to Waverly. Saw a
couple from the ship that had taken the same train that morning and they were
also headed back so we followed them to the platform. The train going back was
not as full as the one that morning. Once we were back at the station, the bus
was waiting to take us back to the ship. All in all – a very smooth process all
day.
We left Royth at 6:00 and were going back down the Firth of
Forth (estuary of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth) under the
three bridges. We barely cleared the bridges much like going under the Sunshine
bridge in Tampa. I would have stayed out longer taking pictures but the wind
was really cold and it had started to rain again.
After some time spent in the Ocean’s Bar, we went to dinner.
I had the coconut shrimp salad and Chuck had the pork tenderloin. I was beat so
I went to the room to read but Chuck went to hear the comedian/singer – Jo Little
and then spend some time in the Casino. The laundry was back so I got it put
up. I tried to read several chapters but didn’t make it past one.
Tonight’s towel animal is a lobster. Tomorrow is Invergordon.
Edinburgh Trivia
Edinburgh was the
first city in the world to have its own fire service in 1703.
About 13 million
tourists visit Edinburgh
every year.
Scotland has the highest proportion of redheads in the
world. Around 13 per cent of the population has red hair.
The title of Duke of Edinburgh was first
created for Prince Frederick, son of George I, in 1726.
Edinburgh replaced Scone as the capital of
Scotland in 1437.
Edinburgh has 112 parks and more trees per head of
population than any other city in the UK.
Inverkeithing Train StationGuarding the Castle Gates for All EternitySt. Margaret’s Chapel and GardensGreat HallScotland Coat of ArmsCeiling of Great HallSample of Types of ArmorSo Many Weapons of WarMary Queen of ScotsMons Meg CanonRoyal Mile PiperTouch the Toes for WisdomSt. Giles CathedralThe National Animal of Scotland holding St. Andrews Cross Flag
One thing about inside cabins – there is very little light coming in and certainly not enough to wake you up. Since this was a sea day (one of only 3 in 14 days), we did not set the alarm. I don’t know why I was surprised when I woke up at 8:00. I had slept for more than 8 hours. Chuck woke up as I was getting out of the shower.
We had not placed the breakfast request on our door handle
the night before so we decided just to order by calling room service. Neither
of us was in the mood to brave the Lido and the Dining Room would be closing
soon. I was surprised that they were able to bring it in only 20 minutes.
By the time I was ready to leave the room it was time for the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet. I chat online with a group of cruisers from the same sailing. Questions are posted. People share ideas about excursions, etc. Great way to find information about your particular cruise. Some boards are very active while others are not. I was lucky that this one was a chatty group. Sometimes, one of the members of the group will arrange for a face to face meeting of the group. Depending on what is happening on the ship, I will either attend or not. I wanted to go to this one specifically to meet the people I will be sharing some tours in Ireland. There were probably 60 people at this meeting. Many people were repeat cruisers on the Prinsendam and were on the ship to say good-bye. I was glad that I went.
Met Chuck up on the Sea View deck. I thought it was chilly though it was not raining. He found it pleasant enough to get into the hot tub. I would have been fine getting in but I would not have wanted to get out. We sat outside enjoying the sun until we felt like getting some lunch. While we were sitting there admiring the view, a pigeon suddenly landed on the deck. I leaned forward to look at him more closely and realized he had bands around his legs. Carrier pigeon? Homing pigeon? He certainly wasn’t frightened of people because he just stood still as people walked by him. Nobody bothered him.
We at lunch in the Lido area. The Prinsendam set-up of the Lido
is a pretty old-fashioned cafeteria style. They have a long serving line on
each side of the ship. I prefer the set-up on the newer ships that have all the
different stations scattered throughout the Lido area so you are not waiting
for your food so long.
After lunch, Chuck went to enter the first round of the
Black Jack tournament and I went to get a seat to hear the Excursion Guide give
information on the Scotland ports. I was mostly interested in what he would tell
us about getting to the train station if we wanted to go to Edinburgh by
ourselves and not through a HAL tour. The other 3 stops, I have tours booked so
I wasn’t worried about them. I’ve got entry tickets to the Edinburgh Castle that
are only good from 9:30 – 11:00. If you arrive after 11:00, too bad so sad.
So, HAL would provide a shuttle to the nearest train
station. Purchase your round trip tickets, get on the right train (it comes
every 20 – 30 minutes), and get off at the Edinburgh Waverly station. Make your
way out of the station and up the road to the Castle. Sounded easy enough. I
just had to make sure that we were off the ship as soon as we could disembark.
Got back to the room feeling pretty confident and find a letter from Guest Services informing all of us that we have to present ourselves to Scottish immigration once we dock. What? It would start at around 8:00 and we were supposed to come to the Library when our number was called with our passport and our room card. It should be over at 9:30. Our number was Group 4. Oh great. What kind of monkey wrench was this issue going to be?
I took myself back upstairs to talk to the Excursion Guide
and ask if we had any chance of making it to the Castle by 11:00 given this
immigration check. “You’ll be fine,” he assured me. Okay, we’ll see tomorrow.
Back in the room, I got our first bag of laundry ready to
send out. I had to leave a note to ask for a 2nd bag because I couldn’t
get everything in there. Now that we are 4 star HAL Mariners, we get free
laundry as a perk. So very nice. They picked it up when they cleaned the room
and left me another bag.
Tonight was Gala night so we got dressed up and had a drink
at the Ocean’s Bar. Went to dinner and sat with a solo woman from Australia and
a couple from Hawaii. That couple had been on several world cruises. Really
knowledgeable. We both had shrimp cocktail and a salad. I had the yellowfin
sole and he had the pork tenderloin. The only issue was that we had to wait
longer than usual for someone to come take our order. I’m not sure what the
problem was but at least we had a nice table conversation.
Since tomorrow is such an early day, after dinner I went
back to the room to organize my backpack, paperwork, and clothes so I wouldn’t
be running around in the morning. Once that chore was done, I found Chuck at
the Casino and we went to watch the Prinsendam Singers and Dancers perform “Atlantic
Crossing.” You never know what you are going to get when you have a cast
production but this group of young singers and dancers were phenomenal. The guy
who could sing Elton John and the woman who could sing Adele had uncanny
voices. Thoroughly entertaining.
We called it a night after the show. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 50’s and raining. Tonight’s towel animal is a hermit crab.
Slept fairly well last night even though I was excited about embarkation day. Got up around 6:30. Breakfast again very good. I had a pancake this morning. Don’t know how they can make them so thin.
Called for an Uber Black since we had large luggage and I knew an Uber X would be too small. Driver showed up in a Mercedes. Fancy 15 minute ride to the cruise terminal.
Young man met us at the car and took our luggage and pointed us in the direction of the escalators. We moved through both security and getting our key cards quickly. We were handed Group 5 and I asked what Group was boarding next? Group 4. We barely sat down and we were called to board. From the time he dropped us off to the time we boarded the ship – 15 minutes. Unbelievable.
As I mentioned the Prinsendam is an old ship – built in the
early 80’s. We walked in our room and couldn’t believe the large size of it.
Lots of wasted space. We could do ballroom dancing in the middle. They have
learned from the past- smaller rooms mean more rooms. More rooms mean more money. We also have a
bathtub instead of a walk-in shower. Good and bad. Good if you like to take
baths. Bad if you like to take showers and you have to step high over the tub
and your head barely misses the ceiling. You also have to step up and down into
the bathroom itself which can be dangerous, especially in the dark. Those
issues have been eliminated in the newer ships.
I love the location. We are toward the back of the ship and we can step outside to an area that is almost like a private balcony (if you ignore the steps going to the upper and lower decks). We are right below the sea view pool so I hope it doesn’t spring a leak. If we were cruising the Caribbean I would be worried about the noise from people in the pool – not so much in the British Isles. We are on the same floor as the casino, the coffee shop, and the main showroom and only one floor above the main dining room. It is a very quiet room.
After eating a lunch in the main dining room which is always more relaxing than the Lido, we went to the Mariner’s Reception. I don’t know why we go. I keep thinking they are going to have speakers but all it turns out to be is that you greet some officers on the way in and then sit with a cheap glass of champagne and some appetizers and talk to other people. I did meet a very nice woman from Australia.
Our luggage had arrived so I had time before the mandatory safety drill to start unpacking. I had to stop to attend the drill and then finished once it was over. Everyone was on time and paid attention so it was over very quickly. The sail-away was beautiful. The day had started out dreary, drizzly, and cool. But the sun popped out and though it was breezy, it was beautiful. Since this sailing is the 2nd to the last one, the crew was having a group picture taken as a memento. I took the opportunity to take their picture also. Know they shed a few tears. Took us a long time to sail down the canal, through the lock, and out into the Channel. We were finishing dinner when we finally reached the Channel. I had the fig, walnut, and goat cheese salad and the eggplant parmigiana. Chuck had the tomato soup and the beef short rib s.
I was amazed at all the wind turbines – not only on land but
big wind turbines out in the Channel. Certainly not the iconic windmills that
you think of when you hear “The Netherlands”. I had also forgotten that we
would see oil rigs but they were in abundance also.
Played a little blackjack after dinner but I didn’t have any
luck and I was getting tired. I left Chuck who was on a hot streak and came on
to the room. Tonight’s entertainment was the Welcome Aboard show and a movie –
The Green Book so I didn’t feel I missed anything.
Tomorrow is a sea day so no alarm needs to be set. Tonight’s towel animal is a crab.
Staff Group Photo as a Good-bye to the PrinsendamFerry PortOne of Many Oil RigsHarnessing the Ocean Wind
With the help of a couple of Tylenol PM to squelch the
beginnings of a headache and neck pain, I slept hard until 5:30 this morning.
The bed was very comfortable, no noise from the street, blackout curtains to
make it dark, and a very cool 21 degrees Celsius made this exhausted woman
happy.
Took me a few minutes to figure out the espresso machine in the room and the rain shower head for the shower. The breakfast area was very nice. A woman made us each an omelet. They had a machine that squeezed fresh orange juice. Had another area with various breads, cheeses, dried fish (salted herring?), salad, and fruit. Interesting items that people have for breakfast. We stayed with the traditional omelet, bacon, and fruit. The coffee machine ground beans for good-tasting coffee. The coffee cups were small so it took several cups.
I forgot to mention that we met several nice people sitting
outside the café – a young couple from Milan, a couple from Israel, and another
couple – he was from Amsterdam and she was from Scotland. He had very
interesting tattoos all over his neck, shoulder, and on his bald head. I wanted
to take a picture but I figured he would think it was rude.
Today was another beautiful day – sunny with a very nice
breeze. Using Google map directions, we walked 30 minutes to the meet up point
for our first walking tour of the day. Our guide was Robbert (spelling is
correct) from The Dam Guides. I found the company on TripAdvisor and Cruise
Critic. Surprisingly, we were the only people on the tour today so it was nice
being able to have a conversation with him as we visited the various points of
interest. We learned a lot of history about Amsterdam – how the city was
formed, the different religious influences, the rise and fall of tuplip
commodities, Napolean’s occupation, the Nazi occupation, and how Amsterdam has become
known for its inclusiveness and tolerance. It was a 3 hour tour and even though
we stayed in a few block area, we walked a lot from point to point. The tour
ended near the Anne Frank house (tours are a 2 month waiting list) and Robbert
pointed us in the general direction of the Banks Mansion.
I tried using Google maps but I couldn’t get my data to work
and I had a weak WIFI signal. We were hungry so we found a sandwich shop and
ate some lunch. I was frustrated with the data signal because I had signed up
for TravelPass through Verizon which was supposed to allow me to use data when
I didn’t have WIFI. Finally found an information store and used their WIFI to
map us back to Banks Mansion. We followed the canal and were back in about 15
minutes.
I got on the phone and called Verizon. Embarrassingly
enough, it was operator error. I failed to change a setting on the phone from “block
roaming” to “allow roaming.” Once I had changed that setting, the data worked
fine.
We rested and enjoyed the wine and cheese offerings again. I
had signed us up for the Red Light District tour that evening beginning at 8:30.
The meeting point was the same so we had another 30 minute walk to the spot. This
tour was led by Mark, the owner of The Dam Guides. Again, we were the only 2
people. He has a law degree and also works as an advocate for the sex workers
(the term they prefer to use). The Red Light District was much larger than I
had anticipated. I thought it was one street. No, it was several streets. There
were stores, live theaters, peep shows, and, of course, the main draw – women (or
men dressed as women) in the windows. (Think Bourbon Street on steroids). Many
of the women Mark knew because of the legal aid work he does. They waved to
him. We never saw anyone in front of the windows negotiating a price with the
women. Mark said had we been there on Saturday night, we would have seen a lot
of buyers.
We learned that the sex workers are unionized and they do
not own the shop windows where they work. They rent the space from a
corporation that owns the buildings and the corporation provides security, etc.
They work either the day shift or the night shift and the rent is based on
which shift it is – night, of course, being the most expensive. Our guide said
that the current government is working to reduce the Red Light District. Tour
groups going through will be banned beginning January 2020 and some buildings
are being bought for other uses. There was a strong police presence and Mark
said there were also a number of police in plain clothes. In addition, there
are a number of round structures on the sidewalk. They were walk-in urinals so
men (and women) would not pee in the canal and possibly fall in. Eeew.
It was an interesting tour. In retrospect, we should have waited
and done this tour when we got back from the cruise. Two walking tours in one
day was too much. Had I known how big the RLD was, I definitely wouldn’t have
booked it. The walk back in the dark was somewhat spooky although a number of
restaurants were still open so the streets weren’t deserted. We had a rain
shower earlier but we were inside and luckily it didn’t rain on us walking back.
We would have taken a taxi but the taxi drivers said the distance was too short
for them to bother. Really? No money is better than some money? Okay, we will
keep our Euros.
We were back to the hotel a little after 11:00. Embarkation
morning was going to come early.
Random Facts about Amsterdam:
Dutch are the tallest people in the world.
The height of Dutch man is around 6 ft and 5.6 ft for Dutch
women.
The cleanest and safest tap water is located in
Amsterdam. They have the best water in Europe.
Amsterdam is a city which is built on poles – eleven
million poles. The city is a placed a meter or so below sea-level. The train
station of Amsterdam Centraal alone needs 9000 poles to be supported whereas a
normal house needs only 10. These wooden poles of 15-20 meters are placed in a
sandy layer which is around 11 meters deep.
There are 1281 bridges in Amsterdam, 80 can be found within the canal ring. The most famous bridge is the Magere Brug or Skinny Bridge. When you’re standing on the corner of the Reguliersgracht and Herengracht you can see 15 bridges at the same time. You do have to stand on the side of the non-even numbers and count the bridge where you’re standing on as well.
Amsterdam has more canals than Venice and more bridges than Paris. The canals are not stagnant like the ones in Venice so they do not have a smell.
Most canal houses are very small at the entrance, the reason for this is that they only had to pay taxes for the size of the facade of the house. That’s why everyone built high and long houses. You can find the smallest facade in the world at Het Singel 7. It is only 1 meter wide and barely wider than the front door. As the house goes back it rapidly increases in width.
Amsterdam has the highest concentration of museums per square meter of all cities in the world.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is the only airport in the world that has a museum.
You can find more than 4000 parakeets in the Vondelpark. They are not native to The Netherlands but were brought here as pets. A few escaped and decided that they liked the parks of Amsterdam.
Napoleon’s Castle – Still Used TodayHouses are CrookedAll lampposts have crowns. Robbert and Chuck admiring the painting while Goliath looks on.Buildings too narrow to move furniture inside. Must use outside pulleys. Look at top of middle buildingRe house is narrowest house in Amsterdam. Occupied by 2 adults and 3 dogs.Statue honoring sex workers.One of the tamer establishments. (Pictures of women in windows prohibited- union rules).
