Rare RachelG Posted June 2, 2019 Author #126 Share Posted June 2, 2019 June 2, 2019–Ramsgate, England We sailed beside a huge number of electrical generating windmills on our way into the very tiny port at Ramsgate. It was a tight entrance into the port area, but the captain and crew handled it perfectly. There is no dock large enough for the ship, so zodiacs were lowered for the very short trip from ship to dock inside the port. It was a pleasant day with temps in the 70s and a pretty good breeze. Our plan for the day was to hike along the white cliffs of Dover, a place we have seen from ships previously but never visited on land. A large number of passengers were going to Canterbury Cathedral, but we have visited previously and preferred a hike anyway. Landing was delayed by about an hour, no idea why. The zodiacs weaved through the maze of sailboats and motor boats to a small dock. Ramsgate is a holiday town, and it was buzzing today. We boarded a bus which took us past Leeds Castle to the cliffs of Dover. The cliffs are chalk, made from layers of the remains of sea creatures, a really long time ago. There is a good path along the top with great views. We hiked to a lighthouse, then down a very steep path to St Margaret’s Bay which is right on the water. You could just barely see the coast of France 21 miles away. It was really beautiful with great views . This hike was harder than yesterday, because it was very steep up and down though flat on top. A lot of people had trouble with it. I tumbled down and got covered with chalk, but that was on the flat part because my shoe toe caught on a rock. On the bus back to the ship, we got stuck in a huge traffic jam, which delayed our return to the ship by an hour. Which made George miss his massage. I am not sure how that it will work since he had booked the 3 package. Hopefully he will get his discount and not have to pay for the one he missed through no fault of his own. And then, getting back on the ship from the zodiac, George’s hat flew off and sunk almost immediately. Impossible to retrieve it. We had had a late breakfast, and by the time we returned every dining venue was closed. George ordered a couple of room service items to be delivered to the pool deck. One was a corn cake with guacamole which was excellent, the other some very nice spring rolls. The final trivia game was again 4th place, so no points. They had a showing of the trip video, then we were off to the grill where we cooked our own food. But it was really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RachelG Posted June 3, 2019 Author #127 Share Posted June 3, 2019 June 2, 2019–Ramsgate, England We sailed beside a huge number of electrical generating windmills on our way into the very tiny port at Ramsgate. It was a tight entrance into the port area, but the captain and crew handled it perfectly. There is no dock large enough for the ship, so zodiacs were lowered for the very short trip from ship to dock inside the port. It was a pleasant day with temps in the 70s and a pretty good breeze. Our plan for the day was to hike along the white cliffs of Dover, a place we have seen from ships previously but never visited on land. A large number of passengers were going to Canterbury Cathedral, but we have visited previously and preferred a hike anyway. Landing was delayed by about an hour, no idea why. The zodiacs weaved through the maze of sailboats and motor boats to a small dock. Ramsgate is a holiday town, and it was buzzing today. We boarded a bus which took us past Leeds Castle to the cliffs of Dover. The cliffs are chalk, made from layers of the remains of sea creatures, a really long time ago. There is a good path along the top with great views. We hiked to a lighthouse, then down a very steep path to St Margaret’s Bay which is right on the water. You could just barely see the coast of France 21 miles away. It was really beautiful with great views . This hike was harder than yesterday, because it was very steep up and down though flat on top. A lot of people had trouble with it. I tumbled down and got covered with chalk, but that was on the flat part because my shoe toe caught on a rock. On the bus back to the ship, we got stuck in a huge traffic jam, which delayed our return to the ship by an hour. Which made George miss his massage. I am not sure how that it will work since he had booked the 3 package. Hopefully he will get his discount and not have to pay for the one he missed through no fault of his own. And then, getting back on the ship from the zodiac, George’s hat flew off and sunk almost immediately. Impossible to retrieve it. We had had a late breakfast, and by the time we returned every dining venue was closed. George ordered a couple of room service items to be delivered to the pool deck. One was a corn cake with guacamole which was excellent, the other some very nice spring rolls. The final trivia game was again 4th place, so no points. They had a showing of the trip video, then we were off to the grill where we cooked our own food. But it was really good. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RachelG Posted June 3, 2019 Author #128 Share Posted June 3, 2019 June 2, 2019–Ramsgate, England We sailed beside a huge number of electrical generating windmills on our way into the very tiny port at Ramsgate. It was a tight entrance into the port area, but the captain and crew handled it perfectly. There is no dock large enough for the ship, so zodiacs were lowered for the very short trip from ship to dock inside the port. It was a pleasant day with temps in the 70s and a pretty good breeze. Our plan for the day was to hike along the white cliffs of Dover, a place we have seen from ships previously but never visited on land. A large number of passengers were going to Canterbury Cathedral, but we have visited previously and preferred a hike anyway. Landing was delayed by about an hour, no idea why. The zodiacs weaved through the maze of sailboats and motor boats to a small dock. Ramsgate is a holiday town, and it was buzzing today. We boarded a bus which took us past Leeds Castle to the cliffs of Dover. The cliffs are chalk, made from layers of the remains of sea creatures, a really long time ago. There is a good path along the top with great views. We hiked to a lighthouse, then down a very steep path to St Margaret’s Bay which is right on the water. You could just barely see the coast of France 21 miles away. It was really beautiful with great views . This hike was harder than yesterday, because it was very steep up and down though flat on top. A lot of people had trouble with it. I tumbled down and got covered with chalk, but that was on the flat part because my shoe toe caught on a rock. On the bus back to the ship, we got stuck in a huge traffic jam, which delayed our return to the ship by an hour. Which made George miss his massage. I am not sure how that it will work since he had booked the 3 package. Hopefully he will get his discount and not have to pay for the one he missed through no fault of his own. And then, getting back on the ship from the zodiac, George’s hat flew off and sunk almost immediately. Impossible to retrieve it. We had had a late breakfast, and by the time we returned every dining venue was closed. George ordered a couple of room service items to be delivered to the pool deck. One was a corn cake with guacamole which was excellent, the other some very nice spring rolls. The final trivia game was again 4th place, so no points. They had a showing of the trip video, then we were off to the grill where we cooked our own food. But it was really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RachelG Posted June 3, 2019 Author #129 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Internet is still very glitchy. Sorry about the triplicate post. And Stumblefoot, autocorrect is not my friend. Oslo bucco would probably involve herring of some sort! 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Fletcher Posted June 3, 2019 #130 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Hull, then Ramsgate. What a pity you missed Great Yarmouth. The Great British Trilogy of Grot. BTW, I doubt if it was Leeds Castle was on your route between Ramsgate and Dover. I've enjoyed these daily bulletins . . . thanks RachelG for taking the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
englishusa Posted June 3, 2019 #131 Share Posted June 3, 2019 (edited) 13 hours ago, RachelG said: And then, getting back on the ship from the zodiac, George’s hat flew off and sunk almost immediately. Impossible to retrieve it. Edited June 3, 2019 by englishusa crop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
englishusa Posted June 3, 2019 #132 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Oh No! George's hat is now "Ocean Pollution"! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jollyjones Posted June 3, 2019 #133 Share Posted June 3, 2019 3 hours ago, Fletcher said: BTW, I doubt if it was Leeds Castle was on your route between Ramsgate and Dover. Maybe Deal Castle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCCruiser57 Posted June 3, 2019 #134 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Rachel - quick question 0 what brand of waterproof pants do you and George use as we are headed to Antarctica next January? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stumblefoot Posted June 3, 2019 #135 Share Posted June 3, 2019 2 hours ago, DCCruiser57 said: ...we are headed to Antarctica next January? DCCruiser, will you be on the Cloud’s early January voyage? If so, I hope you’ll join us, RachelG, JPAlbany, and PetLover for a Meet & Mingle. Spyder, North Face, and Mountain Hardware make some great waterproof gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
englishusa Posted June 3, 2019 #136 Share Posted June 3, 2019 3 hours ago, jollyjones said: Maybe Deal Castle. Leeds Castle is in Kent but not on way to Dover. Perhaps Deal Castle, Walmer Castle or Dover Castle itself. (or Ashford Bouncy Castle!) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RachelG Posted June 3, 2019 Author #137 Share Posted June 3, 2019 3 hours ago, DCCruiser57 said: Rachel - quick question 0 what brand of waterproof pants do you and George use as we are headed to Antarctica next January? Thanks We got our new ones last year while in Alaska. George’s are some really expensive brand that fishermen wear, but mine are not expensive at all. They work just fine. Everything is packed up now, so can’t tell you the brand, but my previous waterproof pants and jacket lasted 15 years and worked great. I got those from REI. The current ones work well but aren’t as breathable.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RachelG Posted June 3, 2019 Author #138 Share Posted June 3, 2019 54 minutes ago, englishusa said: Leeds Castle is in Kent but not on way to Dover. Perhaps Deal Castle, Walmer Castle or Dover Castle itself. (or Ashford Bouncy Castle!) It was a big HUGE castle. Near the cliffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
englishusa Posted June 3, 2019 #139 Share Posted June 3, 2019 (edited) 27 minutes ago, RachelG said: It was a big HUGE castle. Near the cliffs. Almost certainly Dover Castle. 27 minutes ago, RachelG said: Edited June 3, 2019 by englishusa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCCruiser57 Posted June 3, 2019 #140 Share Posted June 3, 2019 1 hour ago, Stumblefoot said: DCCruiser, will you be on the Cloud’s early January voyage? If so, I hope you’ll join us, RachelG, JPAlbany, and PetLover for a Meet & Mingle. Spyder, North Face, and Mountain Hardware make some great waterproof gear. Stumblefoot - thanks for the recommendation. Unfortunately, we are doing Antarctica as part of WC 2020. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RachelG Posted June 3, 2019 Author #141 Share Posted June 3, 2019 June 3, 2019–London England One of the things I was really looking forward to when I first booked this trip was sailing up the Thames and under the Tower Bridge. A couple of months ago, after final payment of course, I learned that this would happen in the middle of the night. We would enter the Thames after midnight and arrive to dock beside the HMS Belfast sometime between 3 and 4 am. Very disappointing! I slept right though it. When I awoke, it was bright and sunny, a little cooler than yesterday with temps in the 60s but comfortable. Our tour wasn’t until the afternoon, so we took the ferry over to the north bank of the Thames, then ubered to the British Museum. This is one of George’s favorite places. If they would let him live here, he would be happy. We only had a few hours,so just scratched the surface. But we got to the mummy rooms, the clock collection, and a bunch of historical stuff. Our excursion was to the Chelsea Physic Gardens, the second oldest gardens in the UK, made to cultivate medicinal herbs. It was a great excursion. This is an educational gardens, with everything arranged according to botanical classification in some areas, and according to medicinal use in others. I loved it. And we had a really good knowledgeable guide. I could have spent all day there. Traffic was a bit congested getting back due to road closures related to President Trump’s visit. Once onboard, I packed (very sad). We had dinner reservations in La Dame for our farewell. It was great with what George declare as the best lobster he has ever had on a ship. My sea bass was excellent as well. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mysty Posted June 3, 2019 #142 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Safe Travels home RachelG! And thanks for your excellent colour commentary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stumblefoot Posted June 3, 2019 #143 Share Posted June 3, 2019 3 hours ago, DCCruiser57 said: Unfortunately, we are doing Antarctica as part of WC 2020. Sounds fantastic! And, super cool that you get to visit on the Whisper. She should make for an even smoother ride across the Drake passage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daveywavey70 Posted June 3, 2019 #144 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Thank you so much for your wonderful commentary Rachel. Safe journey home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnGinPBG Posted June 4, 2019 #145 Share Posted June 4, 2019 2 hours ago, Daveywavey70 said: Thank you so much for your wonderful commentary Rachel. Safe journey home I second this, Rachel. Thanks for taking so much time to describe this wonderful cruise. All the best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les37b Posted June 4, 2019 #146 Share Posted June 4, 2019 (edited) Welcome home https://www.theviewfromtheshard.com/live-camera/east-view/#the-shard-london-1 Edited June 4, 2019 by les37b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RachelG Posted June 4, 2019 Author #147 Share Posted June 4, 2019 34 minutes ago, les37b said: Welcome home https://www.theviewfromtheshard.com/live-camera/east-view/#the-shard-london-1 I see us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RachelG Posted June 4, 2019 Author #148 Share Posted June 4, 2019 Back in the land of decent WiFi. Here are some pics from Crathes Castle 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RachelG Posted June 4, 2019 Author #149 Share Posted June 4, 2019 (edited) A Scottish piper Edited June 4, 2019 by RachelG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare RachelG Posted June 4, 2019 Author #150 Share Posted June 4, 2019 The highland cattle loved George 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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