Jersey

Alas, our fairy tale is coming to an end. Today was our last day on the cruise. We spent it on the sunny Channel Island of Jersey. Eric and I took a tour of the island and visited a lavender farm. The island is only 3 miles by 5 miles so we had no trouble circumnavigating it. The beaches are pristine, swept every day by the tides. Jersey has the 2nd greatest difference between high and low tide in the world. When the water sweeps back in, it does it at a rate of 3" a minute! Because of the ease of travel these days, tourism has fallen about 47% in the last few years. It is now so easy for Europeans to get to the U.S. or Canada. The lavender farm was a small, family run business. They grow a couple of varieties, some being better to dry and others being better to distill the oils for perfumes, etc. Although the last tender back to the ship was supposed to be at 1 o'clock, there were so many people ashore on tours, we weren't picked up until 2. Needless to say, we were a little late leaving port. It has been a wonderful cruise. We have met people from all over and the crew couldn't have been nicer. Early tomorrow morning (7:45) we will leave the ship for our drive back to London and Heathrow Airport. Although I will miss cruising, I can't wait to see and talk to my family and friends.

Wonderful Wales

Today was a wonderful day. There was actually blue sky and sunshine. After all the grey skies I had almost forgotten what sunshine looks like. Eric and I took a tour to a love spoon carver and the town of Tenby.

Love spoons go back 100s of years. Because the population was so spread out, the only place a young man could see a girl was at church but they weren't allowed to talk there. So if a young man liked a girl, he would carve a love spoon and give it to her. If she took it, it meant she was interested in him, too. He could then go to her parents. Various symbols would be carved into them. Hearts, of course, meant love; an anchor signified he was steady, etc. Love spoons became more and more elaborate. They are carved out of a single block of wood, even though some of them look like links in a chain or balls floating in a cage. The ones being carved today range from the very simple to extremely complex.


After leaving the carvers, we drove to the Welch resort town of Tenby. It is ancient and was originally a walled city. Most of those walls still stand. I'd you enter the old city, it has those very narrow, winding cobbled streets lined with shops. Apparently, it is a very popular beach resort here.
   

Dublin

Today, Eric and I parted ways. My brother and I went on a tour that included Dublin Castle and the Book of Kells, and Eric went off to check out Guiness. The city, which began in the 8th or 9th century, is divided in two by the River Liffey (pronounced with a short i sound, as in "if"). One side of the River is mostly very old, with cobbled streets and on the other side of the river, there are both old and very interesting looking new buildings.

We went to Dublin Castle which dates back to the very beginnings of the city. Over the centuries, the original stone and mostly wooden structure was replaced by stone. It was a large rectangle with a huge round tower in each corner.

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This is the only remains of the castle. There was a fire in the mid 1600s and in order to stop the fire from spreading, they blew up parts of the castle. Between the fire and the blowing up, there wasn't much left. At that point, it was rebuilt and looked as it does today.

Inside, there are very grand rooms with spectacular chandeliers that are used today by the government for ceremonial purposes. One room, used for state dinners, must be 70 feet long at least! 

   

The chandeliers here are all Waterford crystal.

After we left the castle, we drove to Trinity College. It is extremely old as it was started in 1592 by Elizabeth I. The long room in the old library, which is huge, is older than our country!!! It was begun in1712. The Long Room is almost 200 feet long and houses the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is the 4 gospels and was created by monks over 1,000 years ago.

Food Fun

Today was a quiet, at sea day. I played trivia with a team this morning but we lost badly. These questions were REALLY HARD! We only got 5 points as opposed to yesterday's 18. Oh, well, maybe next time.

Later in the morning, there was a demo by the executive chef and the maître d'hôtel. Carlos, the
matre d', was histerical.  He had the poor chef and all of us in stitches. He could barely do the cooking demo.


They really should take their act on the road.

In the afternoon, I went up to the Internet cafe to speak with Andrea, the on board tech wiz. She worked with me and my iPad for almost an hour, trying EVERYTHING to get my pictures to work properly with this blog. No luck. Then it dawned on me. What if I just went to my pix, copied and then tried to paste it into the blog? Would you believe it actually worked?! Sometimes the easiest solutions are the best.

This evening was the Captain's reception for Captain's Circle Members (people who have sailed with Princess before). They award the three couples/individuals who have the most number of days sailing on the line. One woman had almost 900 days!!! That is a lot of cruising.

Edinburgh, Day II

The plans for today changed. Originally, we were going to get up and go into the city again. Eric was tired and I decided to forgo the trip in. The cost of both of us making the round trip (using a shuttle to get to the train and then taking the train) would have been about 76 pounds or close to $100. All that just so we could spend more money in town! I decided to make it a day of rest instead.

We had a late breakfast and then I played trivia ( a very popular activity on board). We were playing for a Princess lanyard. Each time trivia is played, usually twice a day, the prize varies. My team got 18 out of 20 correct, many of them because I know a lot of  useless stuff. Any way, it's a good way to meet new people.

From what I understand, we have been very lucky with the weather here. Although it is more grey than sunny most days, we haven't had a ton of rain. Yesterday, our tour guide told us how lucky we were. The day before, while leading a tour at Edinburgh Castle, it was pouring and the wind was so strong it literally blew her off her feet! I'm glad we weren't there that day.

Scotland, Part I

Early this morning, we docked in Rosyth, Scotland. It is just a few miles across the River Forth from Edinburgh. Since we dock in a working ship yard, buses are used to take you to the nearest train station for a 10 minute ride into the city or you can take a taxi. We had a tour this morning so that will be our adventure tomorrow.

The River Forth is spanned by 2 bridges at the moment. The older one was built in 1895 and was an engineering marvel at the time. The newer bridge looks just like the George Washington Bridge. A third bridge is under construction and should be done in 2016.

The city of Edinburgh is very old. Edinburgh Castle, which was the start of the town, is purched high up on a hill top and was begun over a thousand years ago! Gradually, the town grew outside the gates and spread down the hill. The Old City is a rabbit warren of tiny winding cobbled streets. Some of them are barely wide enough to call alleys. The city was getting so crowded and dirty, they decided a New City was needed. That new city was built in1729.
   

The New City is Geogian in style, laid out on a grid with lovely open spaces for gardens and parks. It was required that 15% of the space had to be open. It is, to this day, a very expensive place to live.

While on the tour, we stopped at the queen's residence whenever she is in Scotland (Holyrood). It is a lovely palace from the outside (the only part we saw) and get to tour Edinburgh Castle. What a view from up there! We could look down on the whole city below and see the river as well. No wonder it was never conquered. Scotland has its own Crown Jewels (though not as many) and we got to see those, too. While driving around the city, we saw the ancient colleges, the famous medical college, and even the place that a penniless J.K. Rowlins wrote Harry Potter.

NOTE : Sorry about the lack of pictures but for some reason they won't transfer.

Treats

Today was all about rest, relaxation, and treats. Right after breakfast, I headed up to the on board spa. There I enjoyed (and I do mean ENJOYED) a relaxing facial and message of my neck, shoulders, scalp and arms. I really need to do this more often! When that was over, I had my hair done since tonight was one of the formal nights on the ship. I met Eric and it was just about time for lunch. We headed up to the buffet and ate there with the family who share our table in the dining room. They are from England and are traveling with their daughter (around 13 years of age). As we were eating and chatting, along came Gene and he joined us, too.

During the afternoon, we just sort of hung out and relaxed. I spent time working on some sashiko (Japanese needlework) I had with me and Eric wander up to a higher deck to do his thing. Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for the evening. We both got duded up. I even wore make up!

Besides being formal night, or because it was formal night, formal portraits of the guests were taken. We had a choice of 3 backgrounds. I chose the one that looked like we were in a traditional library. Dinner followed. It was soooo good!!! I started off with smoked duck breast as an appetizer. Yum. That was followed by French onion soup. Yum, yum. For my main course, I had medallions of beef tenderloin. And they certainly were tender. For dessert, I had bananas foster. What a meal!!!

Moving Day

Today was moving day. We were picked up at the hotel at 7:20 a.m. and headed for the airport to make connections with the people from Princess. They provide free transportation down to Dover and our ship. We were actually able to get on the first bus out, an hour before the scheduled second bus. The driver was funny, telling us all the ride was boring so we could all just go to sleep. Little did he (or we) know. The drive is about 3 hours of cows and huge corn fields. About 2 hours into the ride, the traffic came to a dead stop. The driver got a call saying there was some sort of accident causing an hour's delay. For 45 minutes we did not move an inch. Luckily, we were near a rest stop and he was able to get us there. After a half hour rest and stretch, we were back on the bus and able to move. Apparently a van of some sort was towing a trailer and the trailer over-turned, causing the road to be closed completely. We were told that there is no license necessary in the UK. Anyone can tow anything! From that point on, we moved quickly on to Dover.

From what I could see, Dover is not very large but the view coming down to it is beautiful. And those cliffs really are very white!


We are now on board and moving gently through the water. I have already booked myself a facial in the spa for tomorrow morning. Ah, I love cruises!!!

Last Day in London

We woke this morning to quite a downpour. Well, it is London, after all. We have been lucky the last couple of days to have sunshine.

We hopped into another London cab and off to the Victoria and Albert Museum we went. When we first entered, there was an incredible blown glass chandelier.

We started our explorations with medieval Europe. It somehow seemed appropriate. Most pieces were church related, which is to be expected. Pieces were so finely carved in wood, ivory and gold it is hard to believe they were done hundreds of years ago with the tools they had available at that time!

There was a tapestry  done of a hunt that had to be at least 40 feet long and 15 feet high. It showed detailed figures of both men and woman which allows us to see what their costumes were like. Few articles of clothing are left from that period. In the collection was an all white quilt, heavily needled and trapuntoed (stuffed work).

From those galleries, we wondered through Asia and on to Costume. There are some really lovely dresses. I was born on the wrong century. There was also a special exhibit of weddings gowns from the 1700s to today. Unfortunately, we did not get to see it. We would have had to wait over an hour to get in. Too bad.  It would have been nice to see.

One of the nice things about the V&A is the hands-on things they offer along the way. They had an area where you could do a pencil rubbing or try on a reproduction of an old costume. There were also artifacts with Braille plaques for the blind. Some exhibits had benches with headphones so you could sit and listen to a narration and/or books in large print explaining the exhibits for the visually impaired.

Picture Update

I have finally figured out how to add the pictures. If you have already read the previous blogs, go back and check out my photos. I've added a couple to each.

Tower of London

After an English breakfast at the hotel, the three of us took the Underground (subway) to the Tower of London. They have an interesting system. You buy a ticket. It is used both to enter the system and leave it. I guess if you lose the ticket you are stuck forever like Charlie on the MTA.

The name Tower of London is really a misnomer. It is not a single tower at all but an entire fortification that was started way back in the 11th century and has been added to many times. Prisoners were held in the tower over the centuries (most notably many of the Tutors), and it is the home of the Crown Jewels. The assorted crowns, going back to Charles II, (after the English Civil War) are really something to see but that is not what impressed me the most. There is a ceremonial sword that is used during coronations that is indescribable. The scabbard is jewel encrusted gold with designs in relief in the gold as well. The blade is beautifully engraved from tip to hilt and the gold work and jewels on the handle are equally spectacular! The collection also includes other items used by the royals including a gold baptismal font and a punch owl, completely in gold, that is large enough to hold 144 bottles of wine! It is over 3 feet wide.

After exploring the site for a few hours, we headed back to the hotel. Eric and I stopped for dinner at a funny (quirky, that is, not haha) little restaurant called Bill's. Some tables had large candles in glass jars while others had silver candelabras. The food was very good. For starters, we had rosemary bread, cut in chunks and served with a humus dip. I had the best lamb ever! It was melt in your mouth tender. Eric had fish pie. It was cod, salmon, tiger prawns and scallops served a la shepards pie (wish a thick layer of mashed potatoes on top).

Day One, Part Duex

This exhausting day is almost over. At any rate, I am certainly over! After a brief rest, Eric and I went up to see Stonehenge. The bus ride up was about 1 1/2 hours, giving us almost 2 hours to explore. It is certainly impressive. No one knows how those enormous stones were placed there or by whom between 3,000 and 2200 BC. One of the stones was actually from Wales, over 250 miles away! Stonehenge is not the only stone monument in the islands but it is the only one with lintels ( stones across the top of others). The trip back to London was endless- over 2 1/2 hours.

A note about my lack of pictures: for some reason, the blog won't find pics on my iPad. It seems to think I'm using a phone. I am working diligently to correct the problem.

Tomorrow- the Victoria and Albert Museum and then Harrods!

Endless Day

We are finally here in London. Eric, my brother and I arrived at JFK around 3 in the afternoon Thursday for our 6:30 flight on Virgin Atlantic. I've never had it so easy. We walked right up to the counter- no waiting in  an endless line! While at the counter I made some comment about having a problem standing in one place and she asked if I would like assistance getting to the gate. She told us that especially in Heathrow, it is a very long walk and using an assist would mean I would ride and not have to wait in line at security here or immigration there. How could we pass that up?

The flight was good. When we boarded the plane each seat had a lovely blanket, a pillow, head phones and a goody bag that contained socks, an eye shade, ear plugs a tooth brush and tooth paste. The food was good and hot. They also have an extensive entertainment system that is all free. Even alcoholic beverages are complimentary.

By the time we got to the Kensington Close Hotel we were all bushed. It may have been around 8:30 or 9 in London, but for us it was 3:30! Despite that, we wondered out of the hotel to get some breakfast and explored a little of the neighborhood. This afternoon, Eric and I are off to Stonehenge.

Important Info

Just under the title above, there is a box that asks for an e-mail. If you put your address there and submit it, you should get an e-mail when I post something new.  I hope it works! 

Anticipation

Sunday. Three days to go before we leave and so much to do. I've been pulling together clothes and accessories to take but haven't actually started to pack yet. Tomorrow, I will run (well, actually drive) down to Paramus and pick up my dress that was altered. Tuesday, there is a mani-pedi to be had and Wednesday, my hair and packing.

On Thursday, we are off to London for a 3 day stay and then we will be driven down to Dover to board our Princess cruise ship for a sail around Great Britain. First stop, an overnight in Scotland. Then we will sail north around the top of the island and stop in Ireland. After that, it's down to Wales and the Isle of Jersey before returning to Dover for our trip back up to Heathrow and our flight back home.

My biggest worry is Max, our 9 year old Shi Tzu. We have never left him for 12 days before. He is with me constantly at home. He is not used to being boarded for more than a few days, usually just 2. When I have gone away before, even though my husband was home, he didn't eat for a couple of days. He really is a people dog. I'm sure he will be okay. One thing is sure: I will get an incredible greeting when I return!