Good Day and greetings from Cobh - which is pronounced 'Cove'.
Cobh lies on the great island, one of three islands in
Cork harbour all linked by roads and bridges. Cobh commands one of the world's largest natural harbours, which has made it a major port of call for all sorts of sea going vessels. Cobh is the gateway for Cork, and the harbour is dominated by a most majestic Cathedral. From Cobh you can visit Blarney Castle and the beautiful town of Kinsale. Now we all know about the kissing the Blarney stone..............!! Personally I would have loved to have had the time to visit the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School run by Ireland's world acclaimed Darina Allan. Rachel Allan the well known TV presenter is married to Darina's son. Perhaps I will get to visit one day soon.?
This was the last port of call for the ill fated Titanic, to think that this was the last sight of land for many of the passengers and crew before the disaster. We had glorious sunshine for arrival today and the decks were all lined with people excited to be arriving at Cobh on the great white liner that is ARCADIA! Lots of the locals and tourists came out to welcome us. By late afternoon there were a few thunder plumps however it all cleared away in no time - typical Irish weather.
I heard a lot of talk on Sky News this evening about the Met Office getting the long range forecast wrong! A friend of mine ( the Flintstones!!) who travelled on the Grand Voyage with us said that there was no such thing as bad weather - you can only be ill prepared!
Passengers not on organised excursions were soon up the road sampling the local refreshments.
I am always fascinated by the 'hive of activity' on the dockside.
The Jameson Distillery at Middletown where the famous Irish Whiskey gets the name.
The 'Master Blender's Cottage' which has 22 rooms located in the heart of the Distillery. The building first used to start up the Distillery was a woolen mill and this 'Cottage' was built by the then owner.
One of the old Vats on display in the carefully manicured grounds.
Yesterday we enjoyed a clear sky sail into Ireland's Capital City Dublin. The shuttle bus service and all the tours ran without a hitch and the feedback we have received from our passengers has been fantastic. You can do anything from exploring the delights of the Georgian Architecture to learning how to bake Irish Soda bread! Powerscourt Gardens, Malahide and Howth seem to be the place to go. Many enjoyed a visit to the Guinness Brewery and sampling this world famous stout. I did not get to the Brewery but I did manage a glass of Guinness in O'Neill's Pub with live music - the performers had been with U2 the previous evening!! I had a great chat with a couple who were on the last night of their three week tour of Ireland. Their home was in the countryside outside Amsterdam. The more adventurous enjoyed the Ghostly walking tour - visiting the scenes of great escapes,murders, mythical happenings withing the medieval city with the blind leading the ageing Zozimus as their storyteller.
Dublin is a special place where tradition and cultural heritage have merged seamlessly over the centuries to create an atmosphere that is unique. It is a good number of years since I was last in Dublin - I was impressed just how smart and clean the streets were - many of which have been pedestrianised. On a sadder note there were a few tramps sleeping in doorsteps which I guess every City has if you look closely enough. Hopefully I will get some photographs from Katrina and post them on this blog in due course.
Must sign off now before I say something I shouldn't - good job I am not on twitter...............!
We have a sea day tomorrow and arrive in our home port Southampton on the 31st July. The best part of my job is seeing our passengers leave having enjoyed a refreshing and inspirational holiday with us on board Arcadia with all the fun and laughter and memories that will last a lifetime.
Best wishes meantime,
James.
'When Irish eyes are smiling'..........
A colourful street scene with the buskers!
No introduction required here!
Everywhere you go the people are very friendly and welcoming.
There are many sculptures to been seen around the city centre.
Moments like these..........WOW!
You never know who you bump into down town in Akureyri.....
Morning Coffee time with the locals.
The Airport landing strip viewed from the port side as we sailed out of Akureyri.
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