There is no place like home

Gosh, I wish I was Dorothy with ruby red New Balance tennis shoes and could click my rubber heels together and go home without having to spend 3.5 hours on a train, 3.5 hours in Cabs and 3 hours in an international airport, 10.5 hours on a plane and 2 hours in a Customs/renew your Global Entry card line...not to mention the 70 pounds of luggage/2 suitcases I will be rolling, lifting and otherwise messing with...and then there is Thurston, the Admiral.   This is the downside/cleanup committee of international travel.  The party is over, you have to go home, with your clothing and luggage in not the same well packed and organized state as it was 28 days ago...not to mention all the rat holes we have jammed dirty clothes into.  

So, to conclude my travel journey for this adventure, I thought I would go Houston Chronicle and do the By the Numbers recap of our travels..

We have been gone 29 days and traveled a combine total of 12,478 land and nautical miles (I did the math), with an additional 935 land miles in tour travels (also known as butt in bucket miles).  We have walked over 110 miles and climbed over 2,500 steps both on ships, hotels, in churches, gardens and you name it,  we have travel on 12 different modes of transportation (including a 15 gauge tiny steam engine antique railroad) We have made over 1236 pictures, with 250 that are destined for the highlight reel.   Together, we have read 24 books....Eddie’s are Pulitzer material, I read trashy murder books with the exception of one Iceland historical novel based on a true story (Thanks for my homework assignment, Linnie P).  We have visited 4 different countries, with a total of 9 ports.  We have switched in and out of 4 different currencies, dollar, euro, krona, British pound sterling-almost a daily thing.   We have a pound ziplock of  mixed coinage, which I keep a little of since,it comes in handy for restroom stops that are not part of the beer for bathroom program. The rest of this heavy metal is in Eddie’s dress shoes in a ziplock bag.  

Of the 29 days, 24 were spent on ship board, 4 in an unaircondtioned Hotel in the Lake District, 1 in a Hilton with AC.  Eddie has had a cough, cold, ear infection for 27 days, and sleeping without Snuffy for 19 days.  (I will let you guess how many nights of sleep I have enjoyed). There were no guns used on ship or hotel stays....tempting, but no guns. We have slept in 4 different beds, and/or on 3 sofas...three guess who did sofa time.   We had 7 separate trips to various drugs stores in 4 countries.  Only one stinging insect due to open window (see part about  no AC and sofa sleeping).  

We have seen/driven by/observed in the distance 72 churches, cathedrals or buildings that were previously centuries old churches but have been repurposed.  We have visited 9, and lit candles/given thanks and prayers for others in the Catholic Churches, plain old prayers in the Anglican ones, ‘cause we speak Anglican prayer book...interesting fact, here in the Lake District most of the Anglican churches are named for Catholic Saints, with only 2 what are called “Jesus” Churches, with Jesus in the name.  We have seen 7 different wedding in various stages...the Brits do know how to dress for an occasion.  The ladies in their best, with hats and such cocked on their heads, uncomfortable shoes and a wide range of tats on foot tools, calf muscle, upper arms...everyone sports one.  The gentlemen dress nicely, and the kids all look as if they were out of magazines.  Brides are brides, beautiful regardless of where in the world they are from.

As for foods and drink.  We have enjoyed 247 cups of cappuccino, 37 cups of random restaurant coffee, 7 cups of hot chocolate with whipped cream,  (Iceland) 6 French press pots of coffee with none from Starbucks.  Of the 247 cups of cappuccino, I went and retrieved 198 of them from the various coffee bars..on board ship, in hotels, or wherever.  Room service did not arrive hot enough for the Admiral.  As we are in England and all, we have had  6 spots of tea to include the English favorites, green and chamomile.  We have consumed a lot less liquor than one would have assumed, being there was no driving or charge (liquor package)...same for wine for most of our travels.  Funny, how little you drink when you don’t have to pay (point of purchase) for it.  We even left an expensive bottle of champagne, and 2 bottles of Chopin vodka unopened in our suite when we left. What,  you left 7 pounds of liquor behind!  Outrageous boarding on treason, I know, but with full baggage, and breakable bottles, we decided to cut our losses...the cost of dry cleaning and new suitcases was the deal breaker.  While here in the Lake District, we get the love of the pint of beer, it is about $6.50, with a mixed drink along about $15, wine falling somewhere in between...oh yeah, dram pours and all...no long pour tall glass, you pay heavily for the privilege of drinking.  Oh yeah, brits do not drink fast...unlike us Americans...we be Viking/Cajun/Frat boy drinkers.  We have visited 16 pubs (Beer for Bathroom Program)  for Real/Traditional Ale (not pasteurized-which is a real thing here), bitters, Porter, stouts, lager and a cider or two...which brings us to the grand total of 47 public restrooms we have visited, not including those on ship or in hotels...When in Rome, do as the Romans...we have sampled the local food ranging from oysters, mussels, fish and chips, salmon smoked or grilled, Cumbria sausage, bacon roll, lots of lamb, beef and ale pie, mushy peas and ploughman’s plates.  Eddie draws the line at Indian food-he only likes a couple of curries and naan...hummus...maybe.  The English breakfast of English bacon, baked beans, black pudding  and fried bread will never catch on at House Pickle.  Cumberland sausage—-is simply not as good as Texas sausage.  Eddie  being man sick and all has managed to lose 2 belt notches (7-10 pounds) while I have probably added 5...pounds not notches.  So, Net -2, I can only hope.  

We brought along our brollies, and rain jackets  daily with threatening skies, but only saw rain on us one day...whale watching, of course.  Irish Pickle luck.  We have experienced two full moons, 18+ hours of daylight, and no northern lights....only the flash just at sundown when we are on the ship....you have to watch carefully as it is just at the exact moment that the sun drops totally into the sea.  The weather has been cooler than most crossings, with weather that we had no clothing for-not even at home in the upstairs closet ...snow and wind in Iceland, to partly sunny and partly humid...so with windows open...fan on.  The packing gurus tell you, only bring half of what you laid out...did not listen, so that would be part of the 140 pound issue...of course, there is a number of things that will have to be washed without being worn as they suffer from ship funk.  As this Lake District is Home to a wide variety of outdoor sports...fell (it is a rocky hill that can be climbed without equipment in a race) running/climbing, mountain biking, marathon (ran into 2—did not participate, but applaud those at hours 7),  road biking, motorcycling, kayaking, beck fishing (beck is a stream) General all purpose hiking, or just old people with the collapsable fancy walking poles to take advantage of handicapped queues....the dress is very Colorado.   Thurston does not have any of that style apparel, and probably will not acquire it anytime sone.  As for me, the stretch yoga/athletic look and racing back top....no....sack of potatoes comes to mind.  So, we will continue to be the fashion trend setters we always have been...expect no change.  Tropical shirts with and without bold print..regardless of time of year...or weather.  

We have had 7 confirmed (no Eddie upgrade) sightings of whales and dolphins, along with hundreds of sea birds. We have attempted countless (243 to be exact) pictures, but have on about 10 that are any good.  We have seen gaggles of geese, swans and just a few mallards -we have more of those dumb quacks at home.  We have seen probably 50,000 sheep, along 10,000 cows-dairy and beef—(no mad cow-if you don’t count Eddie) while touring the various countrysides. There have been no goats-hillside, yoga or farm.  We have seen 4 bunnies while here in Beatrix Potter Land, none had the little blue jacket on, so no Peter sightings.  There have been 493 dogs, with 78 of them sheep herders working the hills.  There is even a cute sheep and dog logo shop called Herdy.  The dogs  all have been welcomed into all the pubs, stores and restaurants.  There were no support animals on board ship for the first time in a long time.  There have been only 2 cats that we have seen here while strolling....so, one would surmise that the U.K.—England and Ireland is more of a dog nation.  RIP Grumpy Cat.  For you military wonks, there have been 4 RAF fighter jet lake fly overs while we have be in the area.  No base is close by, but we are only a stone’s throw from the Irish Sea, which you can see from most of the mountain tops...keeping the oceans safe.

We have watched a total of 5 hours of TV or movies...a zombie apocalypse World War II movie-guess who picked that! And another part of two different movies that we deemed even more stupid than WWII/Zombie edition...there was virtually no news watched, however, I did read the Chronicle online every couple of days to keep up with news at home.  Did not really miss anything, however, we will binge watch the rest of GofT when we return....since the scenery is fresh in our brains and camera chip.  Internet has been a really early morning thing regardless where we are as the sheer volume of folks holding a device is truly amazing.  While I do bring my phone when we are out, more for pictures, I don’t mess with it when experiencing new things.  Seriously, if you want to look at your phone, stay home.  The over 60’s are as bad as the 20 somethings.  As power/plugs vary from country to country, I have used an assortment of 3 different/3 of each type adapter, along with 2 iplugs/cords and a camera battery charger.  The power brick weighs 4 of the 140 pounds of stuff we have brought along.  Gee, I miss my chair with the power cord attached!  

This last paragraph is from high in the Sky.  We are clicking our ruby red sneakers aboard United Flight 879 from Heathrow to IAH....there is no place like home, there is not place like home, there is not place like home....is it working?

Music of the Night

Just one more for the road...before we head for the train station I thought I would share one last story.  While I can spin a good yarn, sometimes the truth is actually more humorous than anything I might make up or embellish.  After a day of walking around the lakeside of Windermere, we spent a quiet evening organizing our things to leave this morning, and reading.  We turned in about 9:30.  The windows are open, door locked.  Oh yeah, little detail, this is a 175 year old huge manor house with 12 foot ceilings, 8 foot doors, and thick plaster walls....no flimsy dry wall here.  Knowing from past travels, these older places can be lovely but impossibly smallish when it comes to room size, I booked a family suite, which has a small living room area with a separate bedroom...I am typically up early and like a sofa where I can sleep if I get restless...I could go on about the furnishings and the need for a ceiling fan, but it would not add to this story.  About 12:30 AM the telephone in the room sharply rings.  It takes me a few minutes to figure out it is not a fire alarm nor door bell.  I answer with a sleepy, “Hello”.  

The gentleman on the line  begins “Madame, it is after midnight and your simply must turn the volume on your television down.”  

“Pardon, our television is not on”, I answer.

“I have just completed my security rounds, and after going below you and listening closely to the various doors, I have determined that the loud noise in originating from your room.”  “I actually went down stairs to the room below, which is empty to have a listen.”  “It is definitely coming from your room.” He was pretty insistent that he was right.

Still a little dazed, I answered that our 3 windows to the back were open, and we had heard noise in the early evenings.  The property has staff quarters for the people who work here. Fashioned from old stable, garages and 19th century support staff part, it houses the East Europeans that have immigrated here to work.  Kinda like a cruise ship as we can watch the in and outs of the 20’s something’s.  They like to party on Saturday nights...but this was Sunday.  He asked me to give a listen to our two adjoining walls to see if I heard anything.  I did.  I reported back that I heard nothing.  He seem to not believe me. By this time I was awake...never good.  Even the Admiral knows better than to wake me in the middle of night without good reason.  This was a standoff.  There was nothing on in the room....if you don’t count Eddie’s snoring and coughing fits.  Hmmm... then the gentleman apologized for waking me and hung up.  

As I worked to get back to sleep for  the next two hours, I realized that Eddie’s snoring and coughing through a door, floor or wall while not a TV was a source of considerable sound/noise. There are stories of his epic snore fests that predate marriage...his current head cold and non snuffy nights have been noisy for sure, but a call from hotel security...this is one for the books.  Now, how do I turn the volume down/off on Eddie?

The Lake District of England

We stepped off the boat in Dublin before 6:45 on Thursday morning...always a fun event since Eddie’s best hours are after 10:00 in morning...do the math.  As I had eluded to in my last post, Thursday would be a long day of multiple types of transportation.  After a drive to Dublin’s ultra modern airport...everything from the Burger King to the baggage checking/weighting at AerLingus was totally automated.  Thank goodness the signs were in English with pictures and red/green lights...we waited for our Gate assignment over breakfast, then followed the signs.  Kinda like parts of old Terminal B at IAH, where you go to a central boarding area then shuttle to the tarmac and climb the steps...no jet way.  You purchase your seat assignment (up charge) and checked baggage (huge upcharge unless you prepay via a call center in Mumbai-never my favorite way to spend 45 minutes).  Being aware of the Admiral’s aversion to long lines and waiting, I selected Seat 2A &C, front of the bus kinda of thing.  Imagine my surprise/horror when we arrived on the tarmac next to our plane, with the rear steps down (so much for preplanning)  and not jet engines, but extremely old school propellers.  Yikes!  I guess I won’t have to worry about Max8 issues....coastal birds...you betcha.  I am trying to remember the last time I was on a true prop plane...I think it was in Mississippi, with two kids in diapers...so at least 33 years...Eddie’s eyes even bugged a little and he muttered 40-50 years old....and he likes to fly.  I know the English/Irish/Scots tend to hang on to things, but really?  So, with prop noises, and me praying continually for the 45 minutes flight to Manchester, it was a no talking kind of morning. Did I mention I am a white knuckle flyer.... Off the plane, boogie bus to terminal, random passport check by the local agents (no formal customs checking),retrieve the bags and find the next car and driver.  Found the driver, lost the Man Child.  He had not heard the “stay here”.  So, driver and Karen locate man Child and we are off for a 90 minute drive to the Northwestern corner/district of England.  In 1951, the 900 miles and 5,500 miles (real number, not my upgrade) of stone fences, the fells, valleys and mountains of this area were declare a National Park.  While that designation in this area does not mean totally frozen in time,  it means that it is preserved in a way that does not wipe out a way of life that has existed since the Stone Age.  Yeah, there are lots of circles of rock (Stonehenge, like), Roman Forts, roads, walls (Hadrian is a big one), pubs, homes and farms that look pretty much as they did in the 15th century...all surrounded by some of the most picturesque mountains, lakes, grass lands and landscape.  It is like we stepped back in time for sure.  We have visited our share of quaint English town and villages in past travel, but this is like a country of its own that is totally that way....More sheep than people, a couple of castles and cows or two thrown in for good measure.  We spent Friday exploring the highlands (mountain tops and valleys) and today we see the rest of the Lakes.  We are staying at a lovely hotel/former big home on Lake Windermere-The Belfeld.  Unlike Lake Houston, it is 220 feet deep and carved in between mountains.  Unlike Iceland there are trees, grasslands and flowers galore.  The roads are narrow and extremely winding, so I have given my butt muscles a good work out.  I am sure we will complete our pub crawl before leaving...without the car.  

Doubling down

It is a double down.  When you cruise for 3-4 weeks, or a b2b Cruise, there is a good possibility that you will arrive in one or more ports with a been here done that attitude.  As we are in our last few days of our time at sea, we have done just that.  We have come back to Cobh/Cork.  Cobh is pronounced “Cove”...as the Admiral has been corrected...more than once on our return trip.  Cork County is a happening place....it is located in the southwest corner of Ireland and is known as “rebel country”...historically and ale wise.  One assumes that this is all Guinness country, no, those Cork folks only drink Murphy’s, as it is local.  (Btw Murphy’s did not pass Michael “rings of cream” test for those beer snobs). The county is more the size of Harris, Montgomery, Walker, Grime, Fort Bend all together, but only has about 1/2 million folks...so there lots of quaint towns, villages, with Cork as the largest city.  As I said before Pfizer is here as are 7 or the 10 major drug companies.  Dell and Apple are here, too.  So, according to our very Irish driver/guide traffic is bad.  Seriously, with 500,000 people, huge county area, great roads built by the EU, and staggered shift times—-come to Houston, we will teach you about traffic...did we mention blinding Texas rainstorms with a chance of flooding?  When I booked this driver/guide company, I asked not to do Blarney Castle, City of Cork or Cobh, Ring of Kerry (Kerry County is next door), Tipperary (as in it is a long way to Tipperary), Waterford, or anything that was more than a 35-40 minute drive out from the ship port....Yeah, with the various trips, we have seen most everything and were more interested in a slower pace...and possible seafood —-mussels and oysters are big here.  So, we opted for a trip into the countryside and working along the coastline (the beginning of what is called the Atlantic Wild Way). As we had seen the Northern reaches of the Ireland coast and the end of the Atlantic Wild Way, we felt that it would be good way to use our repeat day in Cobh.  Our very Irish driver, Jim O’Shea, was quite the chatter and used our car times to discuss British, Irish and US politics.  Let’s just say we know how he feel as about a whole range of issues from immigrants, Brexit, Trump, social welfare, and just about anything else...after our time in Ireland with various of the guides, i don’t think they are a lot of diplomats born in Ireland...a touch of the Blarney blabbermouth bite me, for sure.  

The highlight of our day was a stop at the Old Head Golf Course.  Old Head is the point at with the German U boat sank the Lusitania after it left Cobh.  (FYI for you WWI history folk The Lusitania wreck was owned for many decades by a US gentleman/salvager/historian-a week ago he signed the rights,and ownership back over to the Irish—-in a Bar called the Spectacle Door—-in case it comes up in conversation, or something)  As it is a private club with a gated and guarded (read century old stone keep) area, Jim went full Irish/Gaelic to explain that Eddie was a renown golfer from River Oaks in Houston that was wanted to visit the clubhouse and pay his respects...Have you got your Wellies on as the blarney was getting pretty deep?  The links course is so different from St Andrews in Scotland....at St. A’s hitting a tourists with a tee shot is a distinct possibility even for my renown golfer.  With its unique location on the Head (as in head of the coastline ridge) you could see all eighteen holes... My resident renown golfer said that the stiff wind could present some issues.  Don’t think the pro shop had enough golf balls in stock for that.  Water hazard and Atlantic Ocean...same diff.  

Down the hill to the charming coast town of Kinsdale for a bite to eat.  A narrow street charming town with fishing boats and plenty of shops and restaurants, it is where the professionals from Cork, get away for the weekend.  Seriously, it is a 45 minute drive and Cork is pretty picturesque.  We selected a popular place, with a temperamental chef/owner FishyFishy.  How can one pretend Gordon Ramsey with a name like FishyFishy?  Jim said we would only stay if the owner was not in a foul mood....there is that blarney, again.  Well, the owner/chef met us at the door and seemed to be receptive to Americans eating their lunch there...so we had a pint, oysters and fish and chips.  Oysters were up to the Admiral’s standards, so life was good.  

As it was close to 4:00 in the afternoon, it was time to return to our ship...45 minutes away, with plenty of time for traffic issues and delays before sail away.  Like Michael, Jim’s company has had the unfortunate luck to not return passengers before the ship sailed 7 times in the last 12 years.  If it is private, it is out of the driver’s pocket, so we always make the all aboard.  

Speaking of double down, we are dding on man sick.  The renown golfer has a head cold...with an ear infection.  Something tells me that our next excursion will be to the medical center on board.  Next stop England Lake District...there are ships, cars, planes, and trains involved on the final leg of our trip.  Stay tuned as we get our sea legs back.  

66 Degrees North and Snow!

News Flash!  Eddie and I are a wee bit anal, Type A, driven kinda of folks.  Well, duh, who did not see that coming?   While they say opposites attract, we are more of a YingYang that complete each other.  While our styles vary- since retirement, Eddie’s hobbies, goals, objectives if given a specific deadline-he can be pretty driven....see Harvey rebuild for details.  He gets low marks on the everyday stuff that is not on his list—-but that is typical Man behavior...I.e. trash days are Tuesday and Friday...for 14 years at this address, trash must be taken to street (after 25 years of garage door service in Bear Branch) and even with reminders he gets a D...same goes for the return trip up the driveway.  For me, I have projects....it is a Lyle trait..mother, sister and I are best when we have a defined project, we organize, execute, clean up and move on.  We all three agree it is the thrill of the something new, the exploration, the planning, the list making, we all hate the clean up committee, but we git r done, cause that is how we roll...Labor/management in our house.  (Happy Mother’s Day, Mom, we miss you) So, when putting together our travel bucket list for international destinations prior to retirement, we had to have a deadline in mind...Eddie being Eddie and all.  I am all about the planning and research portion.  We determined that we would like to have the bulk of our international goals met by the time Eddie turns 70...a mere 18 months from now.  After 20 years or more of cruising, we had/have observed our shipmates...after the age of 70-the zest and zeal for the destination is/was waxing and waning, the mobility issues, health issues, crabby old men, wild gray hair, ear hairs, hearing issues, ugly feet  and gnarly toes in sandals, the whole thing.  We refuse to be those passengers/travelers.  We have noted that as we are coming closer to our bucket list completion, we are becoming less impressed with the random churches, works of art, and cities around the world than we were 20 years ago.  What makes us excited is the natural beauty and wonder of this world...things that once was only in books, then TV, movies, now You Tube and vblogs are available and accessible for all...even people in wheelchairs, walkers and canes.  So, at this point it takes lots to impress us...God made or Man Made.  That brings us to our third day on Iceland...Akureyri

When I researched and planned this trip, the tour group we used was offering a combo package of their tours in Reykjavik and Akureyri...yeah, that would be me and my save a couple of Krona.  I signed us up. Iceland Guided Tours is a smallish (they have 8 Mercedes 15 passenger vans and a couple of big buses) family/teacher run company.  As the cost of living is so high in Iceland, everybody has a second job.  All of their guides are teachers, as the summer season is their high season, it works great for a second job.  Teachers make great guides as they are accustomed to lecturing and herding children (see previous post for older children).  In Reykjavik, our driver, Anna, was one of the owners, as well as a Kindergarten teacher...at the end of our tour, she said she would see us in A.  Huh?  Yeah, they drive the fleet north 5 hours to 66 degrees North to continue the tour.  Like I said, smallish company.  

During our Blue Lagoon experience in Reykjavik, Eddie asked what we would be doing in Akureyri .  I responded (not having my phone or red travel notebook with me—see naked part) that it was more water falls, rocks, geysers and a lake.  “Oh”, responds the Admiral.  Guess it takes just a little more to impress the boy these day.  So, just when we thought we had seen it all, the wonder arrived in the form of a blizzard at sea.  Snow!  Not the snow that we see in Texas, but a bonafide blizzard of snow, at sea!  As Akureyri is located down one of the longest Fjords in the world (yeah, Alaska, Norway and southern Chile), we sailed is to a granite rock mountain ocean canyon with snow covered walls and peaks.  It was snowing so heavily that visibility was tough, but standing at the window in our room was the best...it was too snowy/freezing outside to stand on the balcony.  As we did not dock until 10:30 in the morning, it was magical to see the snow through ship crew’s eyes.  Some of the crew members from the Caribbean islands and Indonesia had never seen snow.  They were past giddy—-cameras, snow balls, laughter, huge grins, no coats...it reminds us to seek and celebrate the wonder in the everyday, the common...and give thanks for it.  It can be a renewing experience for sure.  

Of course, I was concerned that the roads would be all Texas like, icy and closed, but a quick text to Anna, said, nope, they are use to it.  Sure enough, when we snaked our way off the ship, there was the company’s fleet of vehicles.  We hopped on board and were off explore this territory 60 miles from the arctic circle.  Just as the rains came and went in Ireland, so did the snow fall.  What was left behind was a snow covered landscape that followed us and changed the waterfalls and mountains into a magical wonderland.  Cold, you betcha, windy, yup!  Michelin man attire—-3 layers, heavy sweater, wind and rain jacket, hat and gloves...snotty noses and watering eyes, but it really changed the hohum, meh of another waterfall and mountain.  The Godafoss waterfall was probably the biggest, but the snow made it spectacular.  The landscape was covered with tons of salmon and trout streams, which have the iridescent blue glacier/mineral rich waters made us think of Drew and his fly fishing in unspoiled areas.  We were told folklore stores of the Elves and Trolls that inhabit various areas of the land....Eli would have been enthralled.  We explored the Dark City where the 13 Christmas trolls are said to live.  It was not so dark as the snow made it bright and less scary.  The moonscape that surrounds these areas has been used for space moves, astronaut training, and of course, Game of Thrones.  We explored the sulfur fields...which required booties as snow and sulfur will ruin your leather or mesh tennis shoes.  It reminded me of the landscape in Yellowstone and the sulfur pits.  The cold, crisp steamy air had a big sulfur smell...my nose and hair carried that away as the souvenir of the day.  If there are steam vents, there must be hot springs and bath.  Our last stop was at Lake Myvatn Natural Bath. For the purists aboard, meaning not a man made Lagoon, that wanted a bath experience, this was your chance.  It was also a place where N-A-K-E-D showers were not required....While similar, it is the poor relation to the Blue Lagoon...but 1/3 the cost.  The folks aboard that wanted to could spend an hour taking in the really sulfurous water and the rest of us could walk the lake area...in theory...did I mention a blinding snowstorm?  The Natural Bath over looks the Lake, but we could not see a thing, so we did what Pickles do—-grabbed a couple of beers and sat down in the warmth of the restaurant.  As we had learned from the previous days, food is crazy expensive then add a 14% VAT and not always up to the Admiral’s liking...and they don’t have many options.  I did the Girl Scout thing of being prepared and packed some Karen made sandwiches and apples for our lunch...banging two rocks together in the Buffet at breakfast time.  User tip-I always bring ziplock bags.  

By the time we were crossing back over the mountain towards our ship, the skies were blue, and the snow covered town of Akureyri had thawed...it is the black lava rocks, 20 hours of sunlight, totally bright pure sunshine...Eddie thinking he has a sunburn...no, I think your cheeks are just wind burned...pass the hand/face/body cream, and chap stick, please.  

Interesting Icelandic fact...the language is interesting, but your name is even more interesting, and  probably would  lead to lots of questions when you travel.  A person has a first name, but their last name is the Father’s first name with the ending of son or daughter.  So I would be Karen Hughdaughter.  Ed would be Ed Georgeson.  George would be George Edson, Lauren would be eddaughter...and so on.  So, just thinking out loud and all, if a person was born a son and became a daughter (as that seems so popular these days), would they need change their last name?  And how about their children?  Would K & K Jenner, previously know as K & K Brucedaughters become K & K Caitlindaughter?  How would that affect their branding?  Just sayin’

N-A-K-E-D

No trip to Iceland would be complete without a dip into the famous Blue Lagoon.  It makes all the lists for “must do” “unique experiences” “bucket “...so, of course, it would be in ours.   My initial research found that is was a very control entry system and about 40 minutes drive from the pier.  Our ship would be departing just after lunch time, so we determined that we would take the ship’s excursion to the Blue Lagoon at 7:45 AM on our second day in Reykjavik.  Can I tell you how thrilled Eddie was to be on a bus to go to a hot springs after getting up early?  

For all ship board excursions, you are issued a ticket, with meeting place, meeting time, what to bring, and any last minute instructions.  These tickets said to bring a shipboard towel and that you would be expected to shower

 N-A-K-E-D.  Hang on to that word while I elaborate further on the Lagoon.  We have taken in the waters as several hot springs in the US, which were natural in nature.  This is a little different.  This is actual a man made Lagoon that uses the mineral water that is a byproduct of a geothermal plant near by.  The water is 98-99 degrees, and contains lots of minerals and silica.  When you arrive you are given a plastic bracelet that is chipped to lock your locker, to receive your drink, to rent a bathing suit (yeah, some fellow read his ticket of NAKED, and assume we would all be naked in the Lagoon, so he did not bring one) and count you in and out.  Pretty sophisticated if you ask me.  You grab your slightly small white towel and are led to the appropriate sex dressing/locker room.  If you have paid attention to the written instructions, you should have a shipboard towel in your bag and your swimsuit in that same bag...as you are going to have to undress, shower and then put on your swimsuit....in that order, please.  No showering with your suit on...that does not pass inspection by the dressing room attendant—-The dressing room attendant then proceeds to tell you to remove all your jewelry as the mineral content will cause it to discolor.   Additionally, eyeglasses should not be worn in the Lagoon as the silica will scratch the lens.  And finally, the all important don’t put your  hair in the water because it will dry it completely out....yes, I would like one of those shower caps.  You say that putting lots of the provided conditioning goo on prior to putting on the cap helps avoid damage-I will goo up in the shower.  So the 20 women-young and old- that were a bunch of strangers on a tour bus were now faced with the disrobing, showering (yes, it was an individual shower with door), then getting into a swimsuit.  Since no one has a nationality stamp on their foreheads, you did not know where people were from until this moment.  The American  & Asian (that one was obvious) women  were the most reluctant, and that white towel they gave you upon arrival could only cover so much.  The European and South American are far less inhibited...however, there were several that should consider being a little more modest...but like I say, the towel can cover only do so much. It was a pretty interesting/comical 15 minutes...tick, tick, tick, time is wasting...Needless to say, the men have no problems like this and were is the water, without shower caps long before the ladies were on deck.  So, into the Lagoon....Steam is rising all around, but you can see lots of shower capped q-tips (gray haired folks) walking in the chest deep water.  Obviously, we have a lot of people that can’t connect the dots about the whole mineral bad for jewelry and eye ware and hair...while not specified, I am sure that the circuit board in your cell phone and go pro will be adversely affected by it coming along in the Lagoon.  They even sell the water tight phone bags (I-condoms) when you enter.  So, two days from now that device that you are using in the water will sudden develop issues...along with a self stick that no long extends quite right...imagine that.  Can’t fix stupid....and there was lots of stupid in the Lagoon.  

On to our soak...it was marvelous.  There are two swim up bars.  One for your drink-beer, wine, champagne, soda pop, smoothie or kid friendly slushees called Krap.  The second was a mask bar.  You are given a generous ladle of a facial or back mask to complete your experience....just don’t get it in your hair or beard. So, now you have a sea of folks walking around in the steam with white facial masks, a few that used their wrist band to up grade to a green seaweed masks, shower caps, drinks, and cell phones.  Talk about WhiteWalkers (GofT reference).  I don’t think I have snickered that much in a hot tub-ever.  The 2 hours went by quickly so we re-showered and dressed.  I discovered that there were tons of unused dressing rooms further back in the facility, so I used my much larger shipboard pool towel to dry off and dress with...virtually alone.  I think the staff gets a kick out of putting large groups on women in small areas and telling them to get naked and shower.  Can it Icelandic humor.  I also discovered a hair dryer “bar”, but I did not have a comb or brush, so it was a blow job for sure...my hair on this trip has been a vision for sure.  

We were back on board for lunch and sail away.  As it was just above freezing with a bitter wind I decided that the Helipad sail away for Suite guests was not on my dance card.  Eddie just wanted a nap after getting up early and a hot water soaking.  I took my deck blanket and sat with hot chocolate, binoculars and camera (which did not see the lagoon water)  looking for whales and puffins.  Brrrrr...

The Land of Fire and Ice

There is a saying that we enter life as an helpless child and we leave life as the same...helpless children....so, we have a lot of helpless children when it comes to being on a ship of older folks and frankly,  some 20-30 year olds chasing the GofT in the middle of the Greenland Sea/Iceland.  Good Grief.  While us Houston folks don’t know much about it, I remember from my childhood in North Alabama before Global Warming was a thing, bundling up.  My mother would dress us to go out in snow or cold weather.  After the scarves, tights, gloves, red (so she could spot us in a crowd) car coats, double pairs of corduroy pants had all been layered, we would announce that we had to go to the bathroom or decided not to go outside. Yup, it is kinda like that getting on and off the ship here in Iceland.  Don’t even get me started about the need to have your Sea Pass card ready to scan. So, disembarking in really cold weather is a thing...be prepared for long waits, in your multiple layers...getting warm while waiting...BTW the Admiral is wearing a short sleeved tropical shirt, with his fleece jacket...he is freezing but won’t admit that I was right when we packed that he might want a couple of his turtlenecks.  He did however buy a pair of gloves in Reykjavik...

Having done Alaska, Norway and the southern tip of South America, we thought we had seen it all when it came to cold climate natural beauty...until we arrived in Iceland.  It is a volcanic island, with more than 30 still active volcanos.  When the Vikings hit town in the 11th Century they used all the wood that was on the island (25% of the island coverage) to build houses and keep warm...cause, baby, it is cold outside.  So, you have miles of volcanic rocks covered in moss, snow capped mountains, glaciers, clear air and not much vegetation.  The country’s long range goal is to reforest 4% of the island...our guide said it is not near that number yet.  It is a stark beauty for sure...which made this area perfect for the North Wall and home of the Wildings of Game of Thrones.  While the actual scenery has some color to it, the show use a blue/gray/black filter to make it seem colder than it actual is...but stark, barren, they got that right.  There are glacier fed water falls, lakes and geysers galore.  As this island is volcanic, the geothermal energy is a major source of energy to heat...you see steam vents everywhere.  With the abundance of water, hydroelectric power makes this a perfect place for inexpensive power...but that is it...everything else is imported.  Yeah, they have some green houses for veggies, fishing, sheep but almost,everything else is tightly regulated as they do not want to introduce any pest or non organic to the mix.  This is organic in the extreme as there are not pest, bugs, spiders, snakes or diseases on the Iceland...too dang cold.  They are even fussy about the Icelandic horses—-they can be purchased here and taken off the island, never to return.  They have 80,000 horses, which on an island with a total population of 350,000 (humans not horses) suggest that you will see lots of horses when driving about...we did.  

Sometimes you have to work hard to figure out what to see and do in a port that is not looking at the City from a bus window.  Reykjavik was simple...the Golden Circle.  A 200 mile, 6 hour tour of the highlights of the region.  I booked a small group tour, as everything here is expensive, private tour was kinda a Hamilton in NYC ticket price thing.  As tourism is the number one industry here, (between bankruptcy, volcanos messing with European air traffic and cheap air fares from major cities) there are loads of small bus/vans along with tons of the big buses all marked with Golden Circle tours to choose from.  The Admiral likes 12 instead of 48 when waiting to get on and off, go to bathroom or hear what the guide is saying....herding cats...old cats.  

From early afternoon to 8:30 pm we drove through the country side...with spectacular right views of fire and ice...volcanic rocks, glaciers and such...freezing our undressed Texas butts off.  Our last stop was the Tingvellir National Park...it reminded us of the volcanic landscape of The Canary Islands, but in a cold climate.  The highlight was the split of the Tectonic plates...one of the two places in the world where there is a split between the two that you can see and walk on and between.  The NorthAmerican plate and the Eurasia Plate run the length of the island, but the big split is here.  The North American Plate face in the canyon is actual what was used for the North Wall on Game of Thrones.  

By the time we returned to the ship, (repeat of disembark drill, only the water was down, calf stretches uphill and children looking for sea pass card-24 degrees and stiff wind) had a stiff drink to warm up and grabbed a bite to eat in the buffet, as the restaurants were no longer serving, we watched sundown at 11:30 pm.  Yeah, we are almost at summer time, and 24 hours of sunlight this far north.  

House Pickle

If I could add the Cello and stringed opening  Game of Thrones’ music to this posting I would, it just seems ever so appropriate for our visit to the Northern shores of Ireland.  As we were on the Irish Sea, a mere 17 miles from the Scottish Coast on what the guide called an  unusually clear day, we could see for miles.  It was a spectacular day!  Except for my hair part which with the wind looked more like Cersei’s hair after her walk of atonement...for those of you non GofT folks...read really bad short hair day.  The opening shows all the lands of the Seven Kingdoms of the fantasy land created by George Martin and brought to life by HBO.  If you look at that fantasy land of the seven kingdoms’ map in its entirety, the largest country area is actually Ireland if you rotate it 1/4 to the right.  As loads of the action from the various years have been filmed in the winter here in the Belfast area, it has spawned a tourist industry that makes the centuries old natural landscape a Star performer.  When I booked this trip sometime back I was vaguely aware, but as my research and touring plan materialized, I realized  I planning a Game of Thrones Cruise.  While not billed as such (dumb on part of cruise lines if they want to capture a younger market) it did not take long for me to realize that I better get up to speed on the show.  George and Ed have read the original books of Martin and been fans since the beginning.  George has helped us keep up with the characters (you almost need a genealogical spreadsheet as that can be difficult to keep up with-date of death should have number footnotes as it is always grizzly) , and parallels to some historical events that the fantasy is based on so unlike a lot of folks in our age  group on board, we can speak GofT.  However, we did not bring the appropriate attire to go full on...the heavy pelt coats would feel pretty good right now as it is barely above freezing.

When I vet my touring company, I typically go Best..as in Good-Better-Best.  I have found that less than 5 stars on any reviewers website (and there are now so many) results in less than a memorable day.  I contacted my Belfast touring selection and booked about a year ago.  When I corresponded my list to the company, she shot back a note that said I would be taking the Game of Throne set tour.  No, I explained I wanted to see these natural coastal places, not some hokey movie set.  She explained that these places were the real movie sets. Okay, private car for two, deposit paid, GBP balance upon completion of tour.  Got it.  Oh yeah, please attempt to be first off the ship.  Got it.  

First off the ship, you say, with 3,000 people leaving the ship at same time of 11:00.  Not a big problem, but know the whole Cork/Rinkaskiddy and lines into the Casino thing, we were in position at 10:00 and were rewarded by being the absolutely the first off the ship-after the water trolley was taken off at 10:35.   That is how House Pickle rolls.  We met our driver, Micheal-a very Irish blue eyed bloat, with a heavy Irish accent.  The Northern Irish have a touch of Scottish brogue as the Scots came over the 17 miles of water and took lots of land back in the day (1600’s) much to the dismay of the Irish...but the Scots have influenced the dialect, for sure.  Eddie is already hearing impaired, never mind a strong accent...and there is no close captioning for our tours, so I am the translator.  Belfast and the Northern portion of Ireland (read Church of England) are  separate from the other parts (read Irish Catholic).  While the tensions of the old are not as visible now, the division still exist.  Micheal was disowned by his family 22 years ago for marrying a Catholic...not even allow to attend his mother’s recent  funeral.  Micheal shared (with a great deal of pride, I might add) that he had served during the entire Belfast filming process (9 years of winter time, not touristy time) as a driver for the “individual” stars.  As this was cast and support crews of literally thousands of people, almost every driver-bus, car or taxi- is able to make that claim.  All were in Belfast, about a 75 minute drive south of this North Coastline.  So, yeah, we picked Best...good call.

The heavy grey clouds, chilling wind in the Belfast port gave way to a pretty good rain storm....not like you all are having in Kingwood.  Yeah, even with time difference, I am keeping up.  10 inches...wow.  Michael said that Belfast can get rain, and the coast be dry...let’s hope so...I have already had wet underwear on this trip.  The northern coast line is called the  Coastal Causeway-think Pacific Coast Highway/Natchez Trace Parkway in Ireland.  Lots of historical and natural sites, surround by the most beautiful hills of green grass pastures, small white stucco villages and farm houses, dairy cows (yeah, Kerrygold Irish butter and cheese-we are looking at you), sheep/lamb as it is spring and all, yellow gorse bushes, white May flowers (Hawthorne), Horse Chestnuts with white candle flower stems.  The air here is “country fresh” as in manure and mown grass...takes some getting use to.  It was as if someone flipped a switch, the rain stopped as we approached our first stop.  This was the 18th century road to the home of James Stuart (not of Stuart of history, just farmer Stuart) with Beech trees planted by him that over the centuries have grown to form a tree tunnel...aka Dark Hedges or Kings Road.  Michael dropped us off on one end and retrieved us in the other.  The road has become so popular that it is now only for pedestrian, no buses allowed, along with no parking available.  This is very similar to Oak Alley in the Mississippi River plantations, only Beech trees.  Being a less committed fan than George or Ed, I was glad that Michael provided us with color photos of the scenes,being shot with who, when and where.  Interesting comparing the real scenery with the film footage....as some of the trees have fallen and been knocked over in storms, the open spaces where digitally enhanced for the show.  While the actual road is unchanged, there are “Game of Thrones” experiences around ever edge...there was a Dark Hedge Hotel, Bar and Experience just beyond, we had a Throne experience, but not the type they are charging for.  Beer for Bathroom anyone?

From there to the Causeway, stopping along the beautifully roughed coast line, cliffs, dramatic rock formations, the Irish Sea, Scotland in the distance.  It was a very memorable afternoon.  The crowned jewel of the coastline  is the Giants Causeway.  Part of the National Historical Trust, the mile long hike rewards you with rocks formations that looked as if they had been formed by a stone mason...thousands of steps, columns of wave formed stone...like a pipe organ...only much bigger.  While not part of the GofT, it was the big one on my list...and everyone else’s.  Not as crowded as one would think, but still more like Yellowstone and Yosemite with number and nationalities of the folks coming to visit...read selfie sticks, Asian tourists.  Here, Michael, who is a wee bit of a gossip had time to talk to the other drivers (bus, car, etc) that  grabbing a coffee waiting for their guests...apparently Belfast drivers had lots of time to be chummy during the filming as they were on call for 15 hour days...not much to do but grab a cup of coffee...no beer during work hours....and gossip.  Apparently, of all the buses that were gathered on the dock when we departed this morning, there were 4 buses from a company that had arranged to do a “private” not ship tour for 200 passengers.  Well, turns out that bus company did not have the proper forms and paperwork to be on the dock for pick up...oops.  So, that left 200 folks scrambling for plan B...and the Port Authorities voted the four buses off the island.  Again, Good Better Best.  That was a “good” plan that at last minute probably had to pay Best Pricing to correct.  If you start with Best, you save the cost of good.  Pickle logic.

During our day, we stopped at an Irish Pub that was gifted one of the carved wooden doors from the set.  There are apparently 10, and they grace pubs and restaurants all over the coastline...there is a tour based in getting all those stamps...no opportunity is wasted here.  Yes, they has the campy Game of Thrones pub area, but Michael taught us how to determine if we have had a “good draft beer”...it is all about the cream foam rings on the glass-similar to the wine legs,of red wine-and how to convert a lager drinker to a Guinness drinker.  Kinda like a Black and Tan, but not more than a jigger of Guinness in with a lager, increasing the mixture each time.  Hmmm, after a couple, my taste buds were numb...so I take a 1/2 pint of Guinness, please.  Michael also shared the history behind Black and Tan—-and why you never order that in Ireland, call it a Half and Half.  It is considered derogatory....look it up...I did.  

As we drove at 90 mph back toward the ship, we were told that the tour companies of Belfast have an unwritten agreement to have all ship board guest returned to the docks by 4:30, or 3 hours prior to all aboard.  Apparently, in an effort to “one up” each other, they would push the timeline...so...one day there was a Belfast moment...kinda a Houston traffic moment only in an area with 450,000 people and fewer roadways.  Or a Kingwood moment yesterday, as friends have shared horror stories of trying to get down Northpark and Kingwood Drive yesterday!  Yikes...Long story short, 300 passengers on the private/nonship tours missed the boat...and all the operators at their expense had to drive the 300 people to Dublin (97 miles south)...after that, they private operators take no chances.  Good to know.

Know that current weekend forecast for Kingwood/Atascocita/Houston is not that good....I am thinking of you all, please be safe...don’t take risk with street flooding.  

We are sailing to Iceland, there is a glaze of ice in the deck, winds have picked up and the outside doors have been closed to passengers...we are  headed to the North Wall-Winter is Coming! More whales and possibly puffins...and Night Walkers.

Sleet on Sunday

A chilly, sleet filled Sunday in Liverpool—-yes, we did a switch back and crossed the channel between Ireland and England...changing our money from Euros to British Pound Sterling, and prepared for a b-u-s ship board excursion.  This is what happens when one finally gives in due to the changes in itineraries and decides to press the easy button and book an on board tour.  Before leaving home, we had reviewed our options.  A bus highlights tour of Liverpool-no, Eddie hates driving in traffic on a bus and looking at the exterior of buildings.  It is Sunday so close by churches will not be open for lookey-loos.  Forgot to mention, the dock area here in Liverpool is reclaimed land, meaning the actual city is a couple of blocks/miles in...so walking, more difficult.  Good call considering the sleet and wind.  The Beatles tour-too campy for the Admiral...even if it included a visit to the Fine Arts College started by and endowed by Paul McCartney.   So, the Medieval Town of Chester —-that is his History Channel Brain remembering Chester as part of Alfred the Great’s favorite areas (yes, this is why he rules Trivial Pursuit) —-was our choice for today’s adventure.  Well, there were three buses headed to Chester.  Usually the 46 passenger buses only have 30 on board, so we can spread out in the back and have a row to ourselves and pass the camera back and forth.  Nope, not on these 3 buses, remember the part about a crowded ship, well, the buses were filled to capacity...no cruiser was told no, so off we go.  So, back of bus, behind 44 others...and a tour guide that was an old school teacher and it showed.  During our 60 minute drive—-each way—-we were told how the Highway was constructed-not the history of why, but how, in painful detail along with the flora, fauna and wildlife roll call.  We even were educated on how the charming hedges are groomed on roadways.  It was an in depth tour...can I tell you how pleased The Admiral was by the time we left the bus in Chester?  Our schooling was not complete, as the 46 of us strained to listen to her presentation off the bus.  Remember that we have 40% with mobility issues, and 50% with hearing aides.  So once My Boy Scout got his orientation of where the bus would meet us and where the shops and churches were, we struck out on our own.  The Chester Cathedral is classic Church of England/Anglican  cross shaped styling, in red sandstone blackened with age, pollution and probably coal fired chimneys...as sandstone tends to be soft, annual power washing is not a thing.  While not offered as part of the bus tour, as it is Sunday and all, we decided it was worth a stop.  Catholic Cathedrals tend to be open and free, beautifully adored.  As for the Church of England, they have no problem is requesting/suggesting a donation for visiting, with a cash register...no offering plates.  However, During church services all request that you refrain from picture taking, whether you paid or not...so no pictures but we managed a Christmas ornament for the collection.  There were Tapestries (like wallsized) available for purchase, I almost fainted when Eddie the stitcher asked if there were kits available that were to be completed.  Holy crap, Batman....an entire wall tapestry...did not see that one coming.  Thankfully, that is not something they offer.  Btw we do not have a wall to devote to a tapestry..medieval or otherwise....just saying.  Why is this not a surprise, Eddie is always about go big or go home...guess he wanted to bring big home. 

As this is the last night on board for some, a comma for others...394 others to be exact, we spent the afternoon assembling our toys (read support equipment) while leaving our clothes on hangers, so that we/they (room steward, Shaun and Alex, our butler, that we have nicknamed Lurch—-you rang) can change our rooms tomorrow in Dublin and start our GofT adventure in Northern Ireland and Iceland.  We also said goodbye to our cruising friends from Portland, Ed and Betsy.  They are setting out on a two week driving tour of Ireland...with Ed2 driving..wrong side of road, 75 year old less than flexible guy...glad we are staying on board!  Yikes!  I will take my chances with the White Walkers and the Night King from beyond the Wall.

Sunny Saturday

After the early evening sail across the channel to the Town of Cobh...the voyage lasted only 10 minutes, it was the de-camping and re-pitching of the Celebrity gangways, security check points, mooring ropes, and all that made it a two hour process, we settled that an early Saturday morning visit to Cobh would be just fine....however, there were a fair number of Irish Pubs to be had in this little village.  As this is an overnight, the crew was jonesing for a pint or two after very few days/hours off.  Funny, we have seen more of the staff and crew doing the mating dance this trip than we normally do.  Again, Gilligan and Gilligan, Captain (or fill in staff rank of your choice) and Mary Ann, MaryAnn and Mary Ann...there are no Thurstons,Loveys or Ginger among the staff and crew as the work has long hours, interesting living conditions, with limited contact from home...high maintenance folks need not apply.  We continue to marvel at the energy and grace that it takes to put up with the cruisers and their requests/demands...yeah, we looking at you Admiral.

Saturday found the air cold and crisp, but finally a blue sky without clouds.  This port is very easily walkable, with all the major things to see and do within a 3 mile round trip loop on foot.  By 9:00 I was laced and ready to roll.  From our window I could see the Cathedral (St. Coleman’s) high on the hill as most are with the dock areas, shops and homes flanking the streets below.  The Heritage Center is directly in front of the ship, along with the Train station should you wish to return to Cork.  The Heritage Center tells of the town history-the Lusitania sinking, Titanic, as this was its last stop before heading across the Atlantic, the immigrants that departed from here and arrived at Ellis Island and other US ports of entry.  The town has a Titanic museum which was created from the original White Star Cruise line terminal, the original Cunard ship terminal (now an escape room adventure-want to bet it is a ship sinking theme?), lots of shops and a good number of pubs.  Despite all the quaint and charm, Eddie voted to stay aboard....as the remedies from the last few green cross visits have not worked magic on the cough and sleep issues.  

I struck out on my own, climbing the hill with considerable ease...perhaps an optical illusion as the other folks were part of the 40% with mobility issues.  I felt positively empowered....St Coleman’s was everything you want in an Irish Catholic Church.  It was a lovely centuries old church with Flying Buttresses, Rose And stained glass windows, a golden altar area, massive pipe organ and alive with more than a dozen girls and boys making their first communion.  Girls in white princess dresses, white patent leather shoes, tiaras and boys in coats and ties, slicked up hair and a ton of parents, Grandparents and assorted relatives dressed for the occasion to look on.  So, an old church alive with the faith and hope for the future...without Eddie I could sit in a back pew (so Episcopal of me) and watch.

From church I made my way back down by discovering short cuts and stairs walks that probably have been around for centuries.  Without Eddie I skipped the pub crawl and opted for shops and the Heritage Center. The Center has the history but also two souvenir shops.  On the right are the hand woolen items, blankets, Irish crystal, and local (read expensive) artisan works...with  a flat rate of 29 Euro shipping to anywhere.  The Crowds were small, lines even less....to the left was Irish Buckees-shamrock, leprechaun, lambies, linen, Guinness, t-shirts, keychains, magnets, all things green and white proudly labeled From Ireland/made in China/India/Vietnam, etc.  and just like Buckees-long lines to the cash register and shoulder to shoulder folks from the ship with  lots of stuff for the friends back home.  Can you say Irish Luck?

Irish Pubs

Irish pubs are a real thing...as well as the colorful blokes that inhabit them.  After the shell game of ports, we finally had our 36 hour adventure in the Town of Cork and the Port of Cobh.  Ireland’s ports are ruled by the ebb And flow of the tides...if you are a Mussel lover (or the garlicky broth), you should be doing a happy dance.  So, our arrival at the industrial port of Rinkaskiddy(hello, home of Pfizer Drug Manufacturing) we were meet with low tides.  Guess that we were there, as it was a Deep Water Berth (according to Frank’s Channel 2 weather GPS)...and the drug business must be good, as they were dredging and placing piling for another berth...bang, bang, bang...quite the alarm clock as the pile driver started at first light.  The Admiral was not amused. 

As first shuttles started at 8:00, Eddie and I decided to be lazy and wait until 10:00 to get the shuttle into Cork...guess that was not the most original idea he has had.  Math problem of the day...physics can also be applied.  How long does it take to get 3,000 passengers and assorted crew members off a ship when there is one (as uno-happy Cinco De Mayo, y’all) gangplank at a 45 degree angle, uphill, two-three deck levels when more than 40% had medical assistance issues-walkers, wheel chairs, scooters, canes, oxygen tanks or bad knees.  Your answer?  Well, we waited in a line that started in the Martini bar, circled through the casino-needless to say there were no powder puffs available for fast track of Suite people.  Powder puff squad was busy carrying the various folks uphill.  A side bar, not related to the math problem -  we are not sure of if it was the seaweed, the dredging operation, drug company waste, or ship sewer issues, but Eddie look one sniff and declared this a Phee U port...as the smell was not the green grasses of Ireland and was two steps below the methane from the cows.  So, at 10:30 we boarded the bus, 35 minute to Cork ride and by 11:05, we set off for our self guided, walking tour of Cork.  Easy right?  In the Good ole days of cruising, before cell phones, app crap, and all, the paper fairy would visit you at night and delivery the daily activity sheet and a information guide to the port with a walking map and points of interest.  Nope, not even if you ask...and the local Rinkaskiddy Chamber of Commerce or Pfizer employees were not on deck to hand out maps. Since I had previously inquired, I had downloaded a walking guide on my cell phone the night before.  As we set off, I opened the app to a “Sorry, your cell company does not play well with our cell company” statement.  No text about additional charges will apply, just a No Service scrolling on the upper left hand corner of my phone.  Guess Verizon is not everywhere you want to be.  So, our self guided map/appless tour became an Admiral Eddie special-historian and never in doubt kind of guy that he is.  We did what the early pre-Viking settlers did, follow the River Lee.  Yup, good old Celtic/Viking common sense.  Build your town/churches on the river edges.  So, for 3-4 miles we made our way through town exploring the churches (3 old ones) lighting candles and praying for a dear friend who is a cancer warrior continuing her battle  along with Lauren and Drew’s dog, Cali who is in the sunset season.  

By this time, the Admiral was jonesing for a pint of Guinness....as there were far more pubs than churches, it was not a difficult task.  The Admiral is always waxing poetically about the Irish pub mystic, so I let him pick as there were lots to choose from....on Sober Lane...seriously, pubs on Sober Lane...there is that witty Irish humor and all.  He selected the Charles Pub with an exterior that said “I have been a pub longer than the US has existed”...the Europeans always seem to have such attitude about us young upstarts in the US when speaking of history and tradition.  So, we opened the door to Charles and found it was only slightly larger than our suite on board.  The bar area was covered in old church pews, and an assortment of chairs and tables were in the window and what little floor space there was.  We saddled up to be bar, and were promptly offered friendship with James/Jimmy the resident Pub Fly.  James was already several pints into the day, he flattered the ladies, sang Irish pub songs and basically was waiting for the next tourist to buy him yet another pint.  As we watched him reel in his mark, the wife of said mark (also a cruiser) shared that this bar, small and “historical” (read grimy) as it may be...it is considered Trip Advisor’s 4.5 star #1 Pub in Cork...really?  Apparently, on Friday and Saturday nights this 350 sq ft becomes the number one place to be because of bands that are booked....and there are over 100 people crammed in....smoking, drinking, dancing...Fire Marshall, anyone?  And I thought our ship was crowded, particularly at the bars.  Go figure...the Admiral went to the bathroom before we departed and remarked that it has probably not seen a mop or cleaning for decades as there was a fine patina of bodily fluids.  Despite James best effort for pictures and songs with us, The Admiral decided not to be featured on James Facebook page.  We gathered our things and made the slow trek back on board ship...As they say, what goes down must come back up.  The math problem still held and we were as long getting back on as off only the ramp went downhill..  Guess we won’t be going back for the band at Charles Bar later tonight even if we are here overnight.  

Deja Poo Or Groundhog Day

It is Friday, Day 10 on our cruise to Ireland and we have finally arrived in the land of leprechaun, rolling green hills dotted with sheep or content dairy cows, rocky wild Coast line and cabin toilets that don’t work properly.

Hmmm, I seem to remember another cruise that had toilet issues....China 2018.  Then it was just our toilet that didn’t give butt hickeys, but today’s problem appears to be more wide spread, like the entire port side of the vessel.  Guest services suggests that it maybe sometime before they have the problem in hand.  Let’s hope so as the Admiral will become quite cranky if the throne room is not able to accommodate his royalness.  Thankful, we are on the top of the ship with the Sky Lounge bathroom a short walk away.  Who knew I would get my 10,000 steps in between here and there before disembarking for Cork.

We have been to the town of Cobb/Cork before, however we did not actual see Cork, we toured the Ring of Kerry.  So, as we are in Cork on both legs of this journey I had set out to correct that as Cork has a long history as a port town-even before the Vikings. It also has some great churches to visit.   When planning our days, I do lots of research and book pretty far (300 days out) in advance for private touring options.  We were originally here tomorrow, Saturday, but after three different itinerary changes , our original Whiskey walking tour was not available on the days that we were scheduled to be in port.  As we are not the only ship in port, the other options had been snapped up.  Plan B as we have a private tour for part 2 in Cork, Kinsdale, Charles Fort in 10 days, we decided on a Ship Board excursion.  A cooking class, with market shopping, and seaweed collecting. Yeah, I know, but we are kitchen nerds.  Four days ago that was cancelled due to lack of interest among our fellow passengers...imagine that, of the 3,000 other folks on board, there are no aspiring chefs.  So, on to the Plan C.  We decided to take ship board tour to Cork, which included the Jameson Irish Whiskey tour...in the afternoon, so Sleeping Beauty did not have to get up early.  But not before we had another onboard change of locations for the Port of Cobh.  Celebrity was kicked out of the quaint Cobh cruise terminal.  Yeah, 5,900 big boat cruisers + 3,000 medium boat cruisers = 8,900 cruisers, plus crews in a quaint Irish town.  We are currently docked 35 minutes away in the less than charming Rindaskiddy industrial port, where nothing is close...but they will have buses (at Celebrity’s expense) to take us to Cork and back.  When that happened, Plan C promptly feel apart as most all that had booked for $79.95 a head bus tour  determined free was better.  Collapse of Plan C.  Oh yeah, as part of our 36 hour overnight in Cobh, they will move the ship this evening at 6:30-8:30, so the remaining hours will be in the quaint Cobh port.  So, we have downloaded a walking map of Cork, grabbed our brolly and jackets as it is cold and damp with a good chance of rain...and will be bus bound for the town of Cork.  

Gee, I hope the rest of our stops are not as adventure filled as this one has been...I guess I am getting too old for fire drills....or potty drills.  

 L