Live from the Land of Princess

[YVRteacher]

It turns out my treat for the day was being in Ireland!

Edited July 28 by YVRteacher

[Samkitty1]

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.

 

[YVRteacher]

@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.

[YVRteacher]

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

 

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.

 

[kb4683]

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. 😋

[YVRteacher]

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

[YVRteacher]

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.

 

 

[YVRteacher]

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.)

 

 

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

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.

[Maleficent's Dad]

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!

[JIMESOPUS]

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

[YVRteacher]

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.

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

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! 
⭐️

[Samkitty1]

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) 

[Muckyduckway]

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..... 😉 

[Muckyduckway]

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

[schmoopie17]

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...

[treesah]

Teacher, you've captured the Irish Magic so well.

[YVRteacher]

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 

[YVRteacher]

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

[YVRteacher]

11 hours ago, Muckyduckway said:

The whiskey may have been involved..... 😉 

You are not wrong…

[Muckyduckway]

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.

[Muckyduckway]

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 😀

[jlf1]

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.