Here and There Blog

Having the spare time to waste on looking forward to watching "Sharknado 2" to join in the love to make fun of this movie! I know it's not going to be great and even the Syfy team knows that but it is going to be exactly what it's billed as. So the last Wednesday in July when nothing else is going on, is the perfect time to be part of the fun!

I got home on Friday evening and it's now Monday afternoon. Where did the weekend go and how did I end up back at work? It's actually okay to be working since I was on sight-seeing overload. Right now I'm in that state of shock where I open the fridge to see very small quantities of food and I'm wondering what happened to the extensive buffet? I'm all caught up on TV shows, I even saw "Lucy" over the weekend. Liked it but didn't love it, and it's not for everyone. Well back to work to knock out the rest of the day.

The cruise is over and it was a fun time. I feel rested and ready for work and ready for the weekend at home. Now starts the hard part, dealing with the airport lines, security, and crowds. Highlight of the last two weeks was going to Normandy and Omaha Beach, and lowlight is going to be paying the post cruise credit card bill. Too bad the spa on board the ship isn't free!

Last port of the trip is Holyhead. The town is less than 12,000 people and serves as a gateway to Dublin. Instead of spending the day on a tour bus, I walked around the town. The town's name is pronounced Holly-head and went through various incarnations of this name for about 200 years before this version stuck in 1573.  One of the entrances to the town center  St. Cybi Church dates from the 13th century. It is built up next to the remains of a Roman fort.  Pipe organ inside the church

Greenock is the port that leads to Glasgow or Edinbourgh. I stayed in Greenock to walk around and avoid long bus rides to/from other cities. While there is not much to do here, Greenock is a pleasant place to walk around.  The museum has gardens and art, plus the ever present war reminders.  Churches and old buildings that were not destroyed in wars.  A nice seafront  And the usual towers.

It's 7 am, the sun is already up in the sky and the ship is either by North England or South Scotland at this point. Today will be another casual wandering about day, no power sight-seeing involved. At least, nothing is planned. This is the point where the cruise starts to wind down, only two days left after this before the ship is back in London and it's time to head home. I'm vacationed and pretty much ready to see my house, drink Starbucks coffee, and even work.

Liverpool isn't the best place for a two day stay. One is fine and all the sites are within walking distance. I wandered about, saw a movie, and hung out on the ship. Here are some of the buildings from around town.      

While it was a rainy day, the upper hills of County Wicklow offer up the famous Irish Green. I was able to wander about for a short time before the bus had to move on.

The Monastery of St. Kevin was founded in the 6th century as a place for seekers to find God in somewhat solitude. The large tower was the structure of the day and outer buildings made up the kitchen and the chapel. People wanted to be buried where Saints were buried and the cemetery is still in use today by the descendants of some of the old families. Nothing can be dug up or studied until the last descendant is buried and the cemetery is out of use. That may be a long time.  The chapel of St. Mary above and a view of the round tower below.  Looking at the round tower and St. Kevin's kitchen (also a chapel)  Everything from Celtic cross to simple headstone

The ship sailed into the port of Cobh and the gateway to Cork. The first thing that strikes you in the port are all the houses to brighten up the day.  Looking from the port to the cathedral, the houses seem all stacked in rows so that everyone can have a water view.  Taking the bus into Cork, there are more churches than you can count. This one is the Cathedral of St. Fin Barre, who founded a monastery in Cork and is regarded as the first bishop of Cork. It's old.  Inside the cathedral has a "stacked" pipe organ. I don't think I've ever seen one like this before.  Outside the usual cemetery. The markers are too old to read.  One of the harbors as you enter into the area. The ship was too far away for me to get a good zoom.

Guernsey and the Channel Islands have been inhabited for many years. In 1066 they ended up as part of British rule when William of Normandy became King of Britain.Today they are a good port for cruise ships, with a mix of old and new places to explore. The harbor has all the boats and colorful buildings to entice photographers.   The castle is worth a good two hours of your time to wander about. My castle pictures somehow didn't look that good but here's a castle wall.  I'm in the Prisoner's Walk area of the castle. You can't see the door to the left but I'm ready to escape!

The ship set sail to a sunny afternoon sky and we floated by the small boats. No one was waving at the the ship as we went by. After eating away everyone headed to get ready for early morning trips in France. LJ and I met up with Mr. & Mrs. OB, who happened to be in France vacationing. We went to Normandy to visit the WWII sites. The museum had a good overview of the events of July 6, 1944 to Liberation of France.  We had lunch in Bayeux, a flower filled city in the heart of Normandy.  The American Cemetery at Omaha Beach.  Monument to the Brave - Omaha Beach.

Hampton Court is so large it has multiple gardens and paths long enough to warrant travel by horse drawn coach. The Clydesdales were as large as you'd expect.  Lots of greenery and fountains  And every royal garden has statues  And flowers and cherubs Looking back at the palace from the garden.

Oxford was a fun side trip. From the college history, to the drinking tradition of college students, it was a great place to walk around. There was the oldest library in Britain, museums, and cafes.  We were there early in the day and the pub was closed but this is the historical drinking spot of Oxford.   Summer has brought out the best of the English gardens  On of the many colleges that make up Oxford University Right in town is one of the older cemetaries

At night the crowds are gone and you can get close enough to the gates to see the detail in the iron work. It doesn't show in these photos but the sun was hitting the gold at the right angle to set off the golden shine. Crown & Country  Looking across from the palace  And up to to the statue in the center of the plaza