LeHavre France - September 1, 2010

The day finally arrives!  We arrive in France at the port of LeHavre.  Since I had started this entire vacation by wanting to spend my birthday in Paris, we decided to disembark here and head to Paris for 3 more nights.  What a great decision!

We left the ship around 8:00am.  Princess had taken care of everything with customs.  All we had to do was pick up our passport in the morning and wave goodbye.  We got a cab (with the help of a local) and made our way to the train station. 

France is not like America in that they don't try to make everyone happy.  Street signs are in French.  Period.  Announcements on trains, buses are in French.  They make no excuses and make no apologies.  What we found though were wonderful people who are very proud to be French and will welcome you into their country.  We hear all the time how unfriendly French people are and how they don't like Americans.   Our experience was the total opposite.

While waiting for the train we met up with a couple from Canada.  An adventuresome twosome who made the two hour trip very entertaining.  Right off the bat, we didn't know that as you boarded the train you had to scan your tickets through this machine off the tracks.  We were following our French speaking Canadians who had a different type of ticket (found that out later on the train) so we just boarded the train with them.  As announcements proceeded and the couple translated, we had the "uh oh" moment.  The gentleman took Alan and our tickets to find a conductor, explain what happen and get everything squared away.

The French countryside that we went through on our way to Paris was beautiful.  Wonderful farms, houses and views.  You do move at a rapid pace so no pictures came out.  We had a few stops along the way, but we safely arrived at the train station in Paris.  It was so exciting!  Again, thanks to our friends on the train, they led us out of the train station into a beautiful sunny Parisian day.  There was stood with all our luggage thinking "Oh my goodness!  How will we ever get around!"

Let me say that in our travels (New York, Chicago, Rome) we've never come across such an easy (and clean) subway system.  Again, before the trip I had read Rick Steves Paris 2010 book and understood the symbols on the signs so we found the subway station and found our train to our hotel.  After the initial subway ride, we were golden. 

Edinburgh Scotland - August 31, 2010

Our last port of call from the ship.  We're back in Edinburgh for the day.  Since we are not on a tour today, we decided to just wake up and go when we were ready.  Sadly I must say we were still up at 7:30 and off the ship by 9:00. 

We wanted to take the train into Edinburgh today instead of a shuttle.  Well worth the effort.  European trains are fast and clean.  People are fun to watch and talk to.  Like in Italy, people are just as interested in where we are from as we are in them.  You learn alot.  To get to the station you had to climb up 130 steps.  It seems that we spent alot of this trip going up hill.

The train station in Edinburgh was like what you see on Harry Potter.  They look just like that except with modern boards telling you where to go and where your train is located. 

In Edinburgh you walk the Royal Mile.  At the top of "the rock" is Edinburgh Castle which I've previously mentioned in another blog.  Again, straight up hill from the train station.  The train station is midway of the mile.

It's a beautiful and working castle as the Royal Regiment is still posted here.  Also here are the Scottish Crown Jewels (sceptre, crown and sword).  Magnificent!  and of course no pictures allowed.  The view was unbelievable and we enjoyed touring the grounds. 

We then started the mile trip to the other end where Holyrood Palace is located.  Holyrood is the Scottish house of the Queen.  It too is a working palace, and like Buckingham Palace you can tour certain parts.  The Palace was beautiful.  The history here of Mary Queen of Scots was better explained than anywhere.  (She was a doll I had and was intrigued by as a little girl.) 

The grounds were beautiful, but again I was struck at the lack of color.  Many, many bushes, trees, but all the plants are not in bloom.  It is our understanding that we missed the full bloom season here of July.

After the palace, we decided we were done with palaces and castles and headed back to the ship.  Back up hill we go!!!  Made a pitstop at the Fudge Shop for that extra needed burst of energy.  It was a beautiful day.  Warm and sunny.  I'm not sure if anyone has noticed but the only time we've seen rain this entire trip was at the Edinburgh Tattoo when some brief drops hit us.  We couldn't have been luckier and we know it!  I hope it holds off for Paris.

Tomorrow is a day at sea.  We have our Cruise Critic lunch with new friends and then just enjoy the day.  Maybe watch a movie outside.  Lots of packing to do as we will be getting off the ship tomorrow morning and heading into Paris. 

I can't wait!

Invergordon Scotland - August 30, 2010

We docked in a small town called Invergordon.  Inver means Nose or Mouth, so the Mouth of Gordon.  We were on a 12 person tour, but in a 50 seater bus.  Lots of room to spread out. 

We headed off to the Highland Country.  The mountains here (called Bens) are no more than 3000 feet, but they are beautiful.  Like our time in Greenock, the area going through the highlands is piney, green and beautiful.  Throughout are lakes that are so clear and look so refreshing.  Again, many sheep and cattle.  Sheep up here are for there wool though mainly so that made it a wee bit better. 

We headed To what is called the Million Dollar View.  A beautiful view over the northern part of Scotland and the North Sea.  Funny thing today is that we can't get anymore north in Scotland, however it's by far the warmest day we've had yet and no wind.  Only needed a light weight coat. 

After the View, we headed to a waterfall (Falls of Shin) where the salmon are trying to swim upstream to spawn.  Unfortunately, we seemed to have gotten there too early and we saw no salmon, but we did see a beautiful waterfall. 

We left the waterfall for Dunrobin Castle.  Dunrobin is not really a castle at all, but a residence for the Duke of Sutherland.  They still reside here but open parts of the house for tour.  The most amazing part of this house is the gardens and the falconry display.  On property they house many hurt falcons and other birds and train them to go back to the wild.  For some, they figure out quickly that they have an easy food source where they are so they never leave. 

There were falcons, eagles, and vultures.  He had them flying directly over our heads.  There was also an owl who was very personable.  It's interesting how they don't fly away, but as he told us, why would they?


This castle is what I would have dreamt one should be like.  A beautiful home with gardens and the North Sea on the other side of my fence. 

We left the castle and did a tour of the Clynelish Whiskey Distillery.  This was an actual tour with a tasting at the end of course!  I understand why people take a small drink in the winter.  It warms you all the way down to the tummy.

Lunch was then in the Royal Burgh of Dornoch, a town of 3,000 people.  There are only around 5 million people in all of Scotland with 41% of the population living in the capital of Glasgow. 

These little towns like Dornoch are just wonderful places of quiet peaceful living.  All farmers by trade.  Very little industry, however in Invergordon they do maintenance on oil rigs.  Pretty interesting  The church here is where Madonna and Guy Ritchie had their child baptized. 

After lunch we were heading back.  We went through a few more towns with lots of history given to us.  Then to the Nigg Old Church which holds a stone made by the Picts, a name given to the people of the area in Roman times.  The Picts didn't have a written language so they made stone tablets which have been found throughout Scotland.  One resides in this tiny church. 

All in all it was very nice day.  The scenary in Scotland is beautiful, although I have to say my favorite country visited (so far) is Ireland with the green green grass.  Tomorrow is our last day in Scotland in Edinburgh for the day. 



Thanks Lauren for the update!!!  We're trying to stay up with ESPN whenever we get it.  GO REDS!!!!  Tell Grandpa we love him!!!!!

Day At Sea - August 29, 2010

Today is a day at sea.  Given all the activity we've done in the past week we need the break.  Nothing exciting to write about.  We got up, ate, napped, ate, watched a movie outside..(little chilly, but very sunny), then off to eat again.  We had an enjoyable and relaxing day.  Off to Invergordon Scotland (Highland country) tomorrow.

Greenock/Glasgow Scotland - August 28, 2010

Tattoo Day!!  I've been looking foward to this day for about a year.  We've heard such wonderful things about the Edinburgh Tattoo and can't wait to see it.  But before we get there we have a whole day of sightseeing and traveling.

Our driver David picks us up promptly at 8:30.  There are 6 of us today heading off from the port of Greenock to Edinburgh.  West side of Scotland over to the East.  First stop we make is to Loch Lomond (Loch = Lake).  I'm sure you've all heard the song about Loch Lomond.  It's a beautiful sight setting on a quaint town.  There is a church here dating back to the 12th Century including a Viking grave.  The town surrounding is beautiful and the air is crisp.  That's been on of the nicest things is the fresh air.  No wonder the Irish and Scots always look so fresh. 

I also was finally able to get a picture of the hydrangea's that I've seen throughout the trip. 

We left Loch Lomond on our way to Stirling Castle.  To get there we go past the waterway known as the Lake Katrine (Lady of the Lake).  It reminds me of Colorado in this area.  Very mountainous with pine trees.  We also pass the castle that the Monty Python was filmed at.  Today there was a wedding going on there so I only got a shot from the outside.

We stopped for a bit of lunch and then headed onto Stirling Castle.  Stirling Castle sits mid Scotland so it was a critical castle in the early wars.  It's where William Wallace fought as well as Queen Mary of Scots reigned from.  There are so many queens and kings and family's I'm not sure how everyone over here keeps them straight!  This castle is being restored to it's glory and by next year there will be tours and period costumes to give everyone a look back into history. 

There were 7 tapestries that hung in the great hall that are now being remade by hand.  The pictures of the tapestries reside in New York's Met Museum and the lady weavers go take pictures and are recreating them from them.  One tapestry takes well over a year. 

We now have to head onto Edinburgh.  The drive is beautiful and scenic.  We're not worried about spending time here as we are back for a whole day near the end of our trip.  Edinburgh, in addition to the Tattoo has numerous festivals going on so there are thousands of people in the street.  A little overwhelming, but we get through it.  We have dinner with our group and then head up to the Tattoo.  By the way, everything is straight up...up steps, uphill climbs....just up. 

We are lucky today also at the Tattoo as the cadets from the Citadel in South Carolina are part of the performance.  It displays all types of the military bands here as well as others such as the Citidel.  It was beautiful and the tributes to all the current men and women serving is moving. 
It's 10:00 pm by now and we are going to head back to the ship.  It's been a long day with lots of information.  We have a Day at Sea tomorrow so hopefully I can get all the pictures uploaded at some point.

Belfast Ireland - August 27, 2010

We arrived into Belfast this morning around 10:00...docking at 11:00.  Most of the ports on this trip have us docking in small channels of some sort, this being no exception.  It's an amazing sight to see a ship this size turned around and backed into a slip.  We struggle parallel parking with a car!  The dock was just that, but take a look around and oh my!!!  The green is everywhere.

We disembarked and got on a bus with Belfast City Tours.  There were about 50 of us, this being our only large bus tour.  Nigel, the tour guide, came recommended from CC and Trip Advisor and he didn't disappoint. 

The drive to the North Antrium coast took a little over an hour and was beautiful.  Agriculture is the main industry in Belfast and we saw why.  The sheep, the cows, the farms.  Made me a little sad.  The sheep here are not used for the wool, but for dining.  :(  During this trip, Nigel began giving us the history of Belfast back into the 1200's. 

On the coast we went to the Giant's Causeway.  (Lauren, it was just amazing!).  It's hard to fathom how this was created, but I can only guess that God has his purpose.  The stones are almost all 6 sided and make an incredible site.  There is one that is the side of the mountain which is called the Organ as it resembles organ pipes.  Words just don't express the scenary and beauty here.  You have to close your eyes and smell the salt air with the green grass blowing in the wind.  And that's not even close. 

This is the area also where the Irish Sea meets the English Channel and the North Atlantic.  Lots of wave activity up here. 

We left here to have lunch at the Smuggler's Inn.  We had pre-ordered our lunch on the bus so it was there when we arrived.  Lunch was good and relaxing.  Quaint place by the Causeway.

Next stop was the Bushmill Distillery where we did a quick group tour and sampled the wares.  Never liked whiskey, but this is different.  It smells the same, but when you drink it (after the initial burn), it has a very smooth flavor.  Not harsh like what I anticipated. 

We next went to the Rope Bridge where a handful of us were brave/daring enough to make the climb and cross the rope bridge.  Keep in mind through all these activities what the landscape around us looked like.  Hopefully my pictures will give you a hint.  Trust me that I have tons more to show everyone.

It was then time to start the drive back to Belfast.  Nigel continued on with the history of Belfast up to current day.  Unbeknownst to me, Bill Clinton is well loved here as is was instrumental in getting the IRA to put down their weapons after the treaty was signed.  We continued back to Belfast for a quick tour through the city.  First through the Protestant area and then through a gate into the Catholic area.  We saw the Peace Wall in between.  On the Catholic side are still many wall paintings to remind them of what they are fighting for and yes, it seems that while there is no outward fighting right now, the war still silently continues.  The fact that there is still gates that are shut down at night between the two areas is somewhat disturbing.  Once fall comes even the gate that we went through will be closed early in the evening to try and prevent any issues. 

We learned alot about Belfast and the people there.  It makes you think about your home and how lucky we really are to live in the USA. 
Miss you all and can't wait to hear about kindergarten Adi!!!

Liverpool England - August 26, 2010

We arrived at Liverpool early in the morning.  We had not joined a tour as Liverpool is a walking city and we wanted a day off a bus/taxi.

We started the day by walking down the waterfront.  We've noticed in all the cities that we've been that they take great care to make their waterfronts into a place for gathering and remembrance.  Lots of statutes to the soldiers of WWI and WWII.  We walked down to the Mersey Maritime Museum.  It seems Liverpool is connected to the sinking of all three major cruise lines that have sank in the past.  Titanic, Lusitania and Empress of Ireland.  All three sank within a 3 year period.  The museum was quite impressive.  We went through 2 exhibits which took about 2 hours. 

Next we headed out to town.  They have a large shopping area that allows no cars.  It has a carousel and street venders....in addition to the shops such as Armani.  We strolled thru this part of town, enjoying the people and listening to the everyday conversations.  The accents are so much fun.  When the people start talking fast it is almost like a language of their own.  You can't understand anything!  The children though remind me of those on Mary Poppins.  The other item we noticed was hair here.  Children, mainly young boys are 99% red heads.  Just adorable....Josh would fit right in here and in Ireland.  Then there are the older girls (15-25) who dye their hair some bright shade of red/magenta.  Streaks or whole heads, it doesn't seem to matter.  And on a fashion note, if our trends come from over here we will see the tights with long shirts.  No heels.  I think in an 8 hour time period, we saw about 5 women with heels.

Enough of that, next we went off to Cavern Club area where the Beatles performed as well as many other bands.  Those that perform there have a brick in the wall.  During the day it's a nice place to tour, but they say at night it's shoulder to shoulder because of the large number of pubs and bands playing.

I want one of these street benches.  How cool!

We then headed up from the river some more to St. George's Hall.  In the pre-Victorian era this was where justice was dispensed.  Children in this area were subjected to the same treatment as adults including Hangings.  It wasn't until Queen Victoria came to power that children were treated differently including Reform schools.  The gardens here were beautiful as well.

We ended our day on the Mersey River Cruise.  We sat inside and just listened to the history as told by the pilot.  It was a nice place to just relax a bit before we headed back to the ship.  The ship is very impressive to see in these ports.  Locals come from around to see us off everytime. 

Again, beautiful weather, albeit a little chilly today.  The locals that we talk with ask us to leave the weather but we're hoping it follows us every day!

Belfast Ireland tomorrow.

Dublin Ireland - August 26, 2010

We arrived in Dublin in the wee hours of the night (little Irish there for ya!) so when we awoke we were free to go ashore.  Since nothing opened until 9:00 there was not a rush.  We took the ships shuttle into town as it was a 40-50 minute walk and we were already cut back by one hour here.  Evidently something to do with the tides, but we had to be back on ship at 2:00 instead of 3:00.  Oh well....take what you can get.

Our first stop was to Trinity College.  It is Ireland's oldest college and is home to the Book of Kells.  The Book of Kells is the oldest known book of the 4 gospels.  The journey to them takes you through artifacts dating back to before 800 AD.  Amazing what people found in their fields.  It's always amazing to me to stand before something of that age.  In addition, there were many 16th-18th century books and artifacts on display in the Long Room.  The Long Room holds 200,000 of the oldest books.  It was at least 3 storys high.  A person can actually still check these books out with permission, but they are roped off to the general public.  Sorry but no pictures inside were allowed.  Here is the outside.  Beautiful old college.

We left the college and hopped on the HOHO (Hop On Hop Off) bus.  The day was sunny and crisp so we rode on top. 

We toured on the bus before we got off at our next critical location....the Guiness Brewery.  Since we were a little rushed for time, we didn't probably see everything here we wanted to, but we did do the most important class....how to draw your own pint.  Just to note, the Guiness Draught here tastes nothing like what we drink in America.  It is very dark, ruby red is what they call it, but it's not bitter and was mighty tasty.  Alan found what he wants to do in retirement!

They say ours is different due to shipping and time spent in the barrel.  What we had here is no more than 10 days old.  The 60 acres this brewery sits on belongs to the Guinness family under a 9000 year lease (yep, not a typo) for something like 45 Euros a year.  This includes sole access to the water supply coming from the mountain.  No other water is used in the beer.  The lease has 8000 years to go.  Really like to know who negotiated that one!

After a few hours here, we were starting to get short on time.  We left and got back on the HOHO but after talking to the driver realized we weren't going to make it back to the shuttle in time for the last one.  The HOHO driver kindly pulled up next to a taxi and let us out and we took the taxi back to port. 

All in all a wonderful day.  The HOHO drivers are extremely entertaining and I would look forward to riding the entire circle with them.

Tomorrow we are in Liverpool until 9:00 pm.  Hoping for the same fine weather we have had so far this trip.

Cork/Cobh, Ireland - August 24, 2010

What a beautiful day!  The weather couldn't be better today.  Sunny and around 72 degrees for most of the day.  It's very windy here, but nothing that doesn't just add to the atmosphere of being in Ireland.  Today's tour is with 5 other couples.  We had Maggie and Tom as our tour guides and driver respectively.  They were great.  Lots of history along the way. 



We started the day with a trip to the Blarney Castle where, yes Shannon, I kissed the Blarney Stone.  Legend has it that those who kiss the stone receive the gift of eloquence....also known as the gift of gab.  Like I needed that kind of help!  We walked around the castle grounds and through the Poison Garden.  Lots of plants there that are supposedly poisonous to humans and animals.  This picture is of the Blarney House, however it's owners only allow it to be toured in May as they still reside there.

We left the Castle and headed into the town of Cork where we toured by bus.  The town is very colorful as their was a strong Dutch presence at one time.  Maggie tells that they have around 260 days of rain there, so the paint is used to add color to their gray days. 

The land is every bit as beautiful as you think of when you think of Ireland.  On our way to the town of Kinsale we got out at Charles Fort where the views of the sea were fabulous.  The shades of green were amazing.  Ireland is known as the Emerald Isles and you realize why.  In addition to the color and rolling hills the Hydrangea and Fushias are just unbelievable.  The bushes of blooms of both line the roads (called hedges).  I can't describe the amount of color there is here.

In Kinsale we had lunch at the "An Seanachai", an Irish pub where we enjoyed fish and chips and our first Irish beers.  Alan had a Murphy's Stout (looked like coffee) and I had a Smithwicks (pronounced Smiticks).  Irish music played in the background and we met up with some of the tour people and just had a nice time. 

They are known for woolen goods here and I purchased a beautiful cashmere scarf.  The lambswool was just too rough for my liking! 

We left Kinsale to head back to Cobh where the ship was docked.  We enjoyed again the rolling hills/countryside and some Irish music in the van.  We stopped for a breathtaking view of the ship and channel as well as St. Mary's church.  This is the last site you see as you leave port from Cobh. 

All in all a wonderful day and a great way to spend my birthday!  Off to Dublin!

Guernsey England - August 23, 2010

I sadly must report today that we were unable to get to the island this morning.  The tides are too strong to get us into port.  I had read the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society book prior to the trip and had so looked forward to the stop.  It's supposed to be a lovely island with alot of history from the German occupation during WWII. 

Off to a relaxing day at sea.  Time to get some reading done.

London to Southhampton - August 22, 2010

We left today around 11:00 to get to the port of Southampton.  Through new friends from Cruise Critic we joined a group of 49 for the trip in.  It was great to start meeting all the people we had corresponded with over the last year in planning this trip.  Looks like a good group. 

It was raining today and overcast.  No pictures to be taken even from the bus.  We got on the ship in quick fashion (benefit of having sailed with Princess before) and off to our room where all our luggage was awaiting us.  We were totally amazed.  For anyone who has cruised before you know that you sometimes wait until the last minute for your luggage.  Next stop was to the buffet.  Alan now feels like he's on vacation.  Nothing better to relax him then the first buffet of the trip. 

The Welcome Aboard show had potentially one of the worst comedians we've ever seen.  After that we grabbed dinner, made some more new friends (Cardinals fans, but we forgave each other) and then just called it a night. 

Tomorrow Guernsey.

London - August 21, 2010

2nd day in London.  We got up this morning anticipating rain, however I'm happy to report that it never came.  Late in the day we had a mild spritzing, but that was it.  Still cool and windy, but very comfortable.  Saw people in fall/winter type jackets.  We were in shorts and tshirts.  I guess it's just what you are used to.

First stop today was Buckingham Palace.  Sorry to say that no pictures are allowed within the walls.  You aren't even allowed to carry your camera on you..had to go in a bag.  I did take a few from the outside.  As you can imagine, it's a very large place.  Some 700 employees within the walls to serve the Royal Family.  Wandering through the 14 rooms accessible you have to wonder if their living quarters are anything like these rooms.  They show you the rooms that are used for entertaining.  Saw the room where Prince William was baptized.  Very beautiful...lots of gold overlays.  There was a special exhibit of the life of the Queen including a beautiful diamond/pearl tiara wore by Her Majesty on some royal occasion. 

As you exit the palace you stroll over an acre of the 30 acre garden and lake.  Again, beautiful although I have to say not nearly as colorful as other parks we've seen here.

We tried to see the changing of the guard, but since we were in the palace when it started we couldn't get close enough to the festivities to even snap a good picture.  That's on the ToDo list for next time. 

Our next stop was to be the Tower of London, however the "tube" (subway) line we needed didn't today so we decided to walk. Not sure if that was a good idea or bad. In total it's about 4 miles to the Tower. We took a detour and went to St. Paul's Cathedral (where Princess Diana and Prince Charles were married). The church is beautiful. A highlight of the church is the 530 step climb to the top. The view of London is beautiful. I'm constantly amazed at the old and new architecture and how they co-exist. In the crypt of the church we also saw where Florence Nightingale is buried as well as Horatio Nelson.

The climb to the top of the Church was very tight and very claustrophobic, but yes I made it!  Well worth the climb.

View from St. Paul's Cathedral

Off we then went to the Tower of London.  Since we had spent more time than anticipated traveling here, we were short on time to experience it.  We got through 3 towers with many, many more to see including the Crown Jewels.   A definite on the next trip.  The Tower was constructed over time beginning somewhere around 1100.  It's quite the combination of materials, stones, bricks, tudor wood.  We probably could have spent at least a half day here if not more.  Very interesting stuff including executions done there as recent as WW1.  Again, there was an entire tower dedicated to the prison/executions but we didn't make it through there....this time. 

Big Ben Parliament from London Eye

Next stop was the London Eye.  Essentially a very large ferris wheel that allows you to see London from even a higher vantage point.  The sights were beautiful and again the amazing part to me is the old and new buildings together.  I've taken many pictures of Big Ben and Parliament.  While it's no where near the largest or biggest building here, it is an impressive sight, especially from the air. 

We walked back to the hotel area and found a pub for dinner.  Had to have some traditional fish and chips for dinner.  It was fun to sit and watch/listen to the locals.  Young and old alike hanging out here.  Pubs are on just about every corner around here also.  This one was the Bag O Nails. 

Tomorrow we are off to the ship.  We leave here at 11:00 to arrive around 1:00 at Southhampton.  Can't wait to see the Crown Princess again.  Alan is looking forward to his cruise food.  I haven't heard great things about internet access on ship, but again I will do my best.  Hope this finds all our friends and family well at home!