Rare YVRteacher Posted July 28 Author #1476 Share Posted July 28 (edited) It turns out my treat for the day was being in Ireland! Edited July 28 by YVRteacher 15 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samkitty1 Posted July 28 #1477 Share Posted July 28 I’m enjoying your review…I have sailed the British Isles cruise on the Regal twice and enjoyed it both times…agree that the Piazza can get loud at times, but the noise level tended to vary depending on what was going on…we enjoyed some of the live music on board, particularly the Static party Band which has 2 wonderful lead singers. I’m glad that the issues with your cabin have been resolved and that Princess made amends. I also love books and libraries. When we stopped on DunLoghair we took the train to Dublin and walked up to Trinity College to see the Library and Book of Kells, then walked up to the Chester Beatty museum near Dublin Castle to see the collection of ancient manuscripts. When we stopped in Cobh, we took the train to Cork and walked into town and explored the Shandon Historical District where my family lived before they immigrated to the US and then took a bus to Blarney and back before taking the train back to Cobh. There is so much more to see and do I might just need a land based trip next time. The best Irish specialty for us was fish and chips at Dino’s in Kinsale (this year)but I know that won’t be helpful for a vegetarian. If you eat dairy you might like to try Cashel Rock blue cheese. It’s creamy and delicious. When we go back to Cork some day, the plan is to visit the English Market, which just didn’t fit into the timeframe that we had. I hope that the rest of the cruise smooths out for you…I have a good sense that it will. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare YVRteacher Posted July 28 Author #1478 Share Posted July 28 @Samkitty1 thank you for writing! I really appreciate the time you took to share your experiences In Ireland. I knew within moments I would need to return to this beautiful country. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare YVRteacher Posted July 28 Author #1479 Share Posted July 28 I booked this cruise for Ireland and Wales. Gosh, I’m glad I did. You know I don’t hold back feelings: today was spectacular and I loved every moment. Cobh to Cork John Kelly is our guide. The Kelly surname is a very special one to me so I liked him immediately. To get from Cobb to Cork we crossed the Island of Fota. Tour guide John either talked about Jesus or cheeses but then he mentioned Labrador so I had no context. Cork has the second largest natural sea harbour in the world. Do you know where the world’s largest natural harbour resides? Our guide talked fast and furious and he wanted to share everything with us. He went from topic to random fact to history within seconds and I thrived on this because this is how my brain goes too. In one of the reviews I read for this excursion someone said the countryside was uninspiring. I disagree. My neck got a workout today looking from side to side, taking in the golden fields of barley, the waterways brimming with life, the vibrant shades of green surrounding us. 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare YVRteacher Posted July 28 Author #1480 Share Posted July 28 It may seem odd to describe a video about whiskey as inspiring but it brought me to tears with the story of near distinction to revival and revolution. Plus it felt like we were in a giant glass of the golden elixer. 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kb4683 Posted July 28 #1481 Share Posted July 28 4 hours ago, Muckyduckway said: If you haven't already, definitely have a real Irish Coffee - many places in the world, even sometimes in Ireland use whipped cream or some travesty that masquerades as cream.🤢 Real Irish Coffee has cream poured over the back of a spoon to allow it to settle on top of the coffee-whiskey mix. Yum. 👍👍 I wholeheartedly agree (emoji above inserted by me) 😉 Another Irish treasure we discovered last year during our tour of Ireland was Smithwicks Irish Ale. 😋 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare YVRteacher Posted July 28 Author #1482 Share Posted July 28 (edited) I had a whole long, informative, absolutely riveting post written about the distillery and when I went to add photos it disappeared, much like my waistline while cruising on Princess! I’ll come back to Midleton another day but wanted to share some photos of Cork and Cobh. Our excursion included a driving tour of Cork. I would call this an amuse bouche and I definitely will return for the full meal. When I was sorting through my photos I was struck by the “out and about enjoying the town and the day” vibes. People being people on a sunny Sunday in Ireland. I will always remember the joy of today. The British Embassy I missed an opportunity! Don’t you love it when the locals get all dressed up to welcome the cruise ships? Edited July 28 by YVRteacher 7 19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare YVRteacher Posted July 28 Author #1483 Share Posted July 28 Our coach dropped us off at the pier at 4:50pm and boarding time was 5:30pm so I zipped through Cobh on foot. Imagine my sheer delight to discover a waterfront festival! The feisty Irish music was so fun! This guy and his owner looked remarkably similar. 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare YVRteacher Posted July 28 Author #1484 Share Posted July 28 Cobh needs no words. The photos reflect the vibrant joy that emanated from the city. Not my glass. I’ve never had Guinness. (Why yes, I did hear your collective gasp of disappointment.) 22 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare YVRteacher Posted July 28 Author #1485 Share Posted July 28 I was so focused on trying to cross the street safely that I didn’t take a photo of the outside of the sweet shop. The inside was a kaleidoscope of sugar! I asked permission to take photos. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maleficent's Dad Posted July 28 #1486 Share Posted July 28 Largest Natural Harbor? I had many guesses come to mind, but if memory serves, Sydney, Australia is supposed to be it. Shocked that Cork is second! With all the "busy ports" on earth, Cork doesn't come to mind... I'm a former mariner, and have sailed to most commercial ports around the globe, so I'm especially intrigued by Cork being this large! I of course thought of places like Rotterdam, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the San Francisco Bay. Thanks for enlightening me! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare JIMESOPUS Posted July 28 #1487 Share Posted July 28 Those are the same ladies we saw 5 years ago, It seems every time we visit Cobh / Cork it's Sunday, you experience a very small sample of Ireland and need to go back. Thanks for the memories 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare YVRteacher Posted July 28 Author #1488 Share Posted July 28 It happened. I tried colcannon. Tonight the theme in Horizon Court was Irish Dinner. What would you choose? Vegetarian section. The kidney bean curry was rich in wow! Soooooo yummy! They featured Irish apple pie for dessert. It was hot and tart and very neatly sliced. My problem is that I don’t like pie. 13 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare YVRteacher Posted July 28 Author #1489 Share Posted July 28 5 minutes ago, Maleficent's Dad said: Largest Natural Harbor? I had many guesses come to mind, but if memory serves, Sydney, Australia is supposed to be it. Shocked that Cork is second! With all the "busy ports" on earth, Cork doesn't come to mind... I'm a former mariner, and have sailed to most commercial ports around the globe, so I'm especially intrigued by Cork being this large! I of course thought of places like Rotterdam, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the San Francisco Bay. Thanks for enlightening me! You get a gold star! ⭐️ 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samkitty1 Posted July 29 #1490 Share Posted July 29 12 hours ago, YVRteacher said: I just googled Colcannon. Why would you ruin delicious mashed potatoes by adding cabbage? (I try not to be judgy about foods but I like my mashed potatoes without the addition of cruciferous vegetables.) I know, right? One of the dining room menus on the Regal has a dish made of mashed potatoes, cabbage and cheese...they call it Rumplethumps....(Some of the menu's and dishes in the dining room were very good, but some nights we found the menu selections odd) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muckyduckway Posted July 29 #1491 Share Posted July 29 8 hours ago, YVRteacher said: I had a whole long, informative, absolutely riveting post written about the distillery and when I went to add photos it disappeared The whiskey may have been involved..... 😉 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muckyduckway Posted July 29 #1492 Share Posted July 29 (edited) Easons is an Irish book/stationery shop chain. As someone mentioned above, cheese is a big deal in Ireland. So many types, if you find yourself near a market you might get to try some samples. I haven't tried it myself, but you can get dulse flavoured cheese - two Irish foodstuffs for the price of one. Avoca is a shop that features a wide range of Irish goods, and usually has a tea room or cafe. Their products can be expensive, but the quality is good and their snacks and food are mostly very good and reflect Irish produce and tastes. Not too many of them around but if you see one, at least pop in. Edited July 29 by Muckyduckway 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmoopie17 Posted July 29 #1493 Share Posted July 29 16 hours ago, YVRteacher said: They featured Irish apple pie for dessert. It was hot and tart and very neatly sliced. My problem is that I don’t like pie. You don't like apple pie? That's un-American. Oh wait...never mind. 😜 In that case you must hate March 14th... 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesah Posted July 29 #1494 Share Posted July 29 Teacher, you've captured the Irish Magic so well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare YVRteacher Posted July 29 Author #1495 Share Posted July 29 1 hour ago, treesah said: Teacher, you've captured the Irish Magic so well. I haven’t even told you all about the whiskey yet 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare YVRteacher Posted July 29 Author #1496 Share Posted July 29 (edited) 9 hours ago, Muckyduckway said: Easons is an Irish book/stationery shop chain. As someone mentioned above, cheese is a big deal in Ireland. So many types, if you find yourself near a market you might get to try some samples. I haven't tried it myself, but you can get dulse flavoured cheese - two Irish foodstuffs for the price of one. Avoca is a shop that features a wide range of Irish goods, and usually has a tea room or cafe. Their products can be expensive, but the quality is good and their snacks and food are mostly very good and reflect Irish produce and tastes. Not too many of them around but if you see one, at least pop in. I didn’t see your post until retuning from Dublin. The two stores I loved were Eason and Avoca! A woman on our tour bought 5 cashmere blankets from Avoca today: one for each of her grandchildren. When we arrived at Powerscourt there was a large Avoca there too and she bought one more blanket for herself. I have bookmarked their website and will likely order a blanket and have it shipped. Gorgeous blanket photos coming later tonight! Edited July 29 by YVRteacher 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare YVRteacher Posted July 29 Author #1497 Share Posted July 29 11 hours ago, Muckyduckway said: The whiskey may have been involved..... 😉 You are not wrong… 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muckyduckway Posted July 29 #1498 Share Posted July 29 19 minutes ago, YVRteacher said: I didn’t see your post until retuning from Dublin. The two stores I loved were Eason and Avoca! A woman on our tour bought 5 cashmere blankets from Avoca today: one for each of her grandchildren. When we arrived at Powerscourt there was a large Avoca there too and she bought one more blanket for herself. I have bookmarked their website and will likely order a blanket and have it shipped. Gorgeous blanket photos coming later tonight! That's a lot of blankets! Looking forward to hearing about your day. Hope it was as successful as Cobh. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muckyduckway Posted July 29 #1499 Share Posted July 29 2 hours ago, YVRteacher said: I didn’t see your post until retuning from Dublin. The two stores I loved were Eason and Avoca I was extremely tardy with my suggestions, so very glad you found them yourself. Hope you got time to find a nice snack today - in solid or liquid form 😀 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlf1 Posted July 29 #1500 Share Posted July 29 6 hours ago, schmoopie17 said: You don't like apple pie? That's un-American. Oh wait...never mind. 😜 In that case you must hate March 14th... What is so American about March 14th? Disclosure....I'm Canadian. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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