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Dublin to London aboard the Cloud—live—May 23, 2019 to June 4, 2019


RachelG
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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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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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. 

 

 

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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 by englishusa
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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.

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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..

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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