British Isles 2018

Liverpool, England Cruise arrives at 9 am, departs 7:45 pm In the Steps of the Beatles 9:30 am - 1:15 (Princess tour) https://www.princess.com/excursion/exDetails.page?t=E&exType=S&tourCode=LPL-205 Leisure start to our morning it's very cool sndcwingy in Liverpool!  Although Robert did get brave and headed outside for a morning hot tub.   Just before noon we headed out for our Beatles tour. We started at the museum which was  incredibility interested and full of memorabilia. Next was a stop on Penny Lane, where we were able to take a picture, then Strawberry Fields for another photo opp. We then drove past John Lennons home, we weren't able to stop as tour buses aren't able to unload!  We then drove back to the port, and back on the ship for an early supper, we were hungry as we missed lunch again!  But we were able to catch the show, the Mersey Beatles tribute show at the theatre!  They did the 60's version of the Beatles with their blac...

Dublin Ireland Cruise arrives at 11 am, departs at 10 pm Dublin City, Hop on, Hop off (Expedia Tours) 9 am - 7 pm https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/tour/sightseeing-bus-dublin-city/EUDBCSONOFF Quiet morning, we had our breakfast and Robert went for a dip in the pool,  while Tracee watched cirque du Soleil on the big screen!  Just before lunch we got off the ship and stood in line for a taxi, which we shared with a sweet retired couple from the US!  We headed to downtown Dublin where we had booked a "hop on hop off"  tour!  Our first stop was Trinity college. We just walked around the grounds and went into the gift shop. It was a crazy line to see the Book of Kells, so we carried on, looking for the whiskey museum, which turned out just to be a bar with a display lol. Lots of walking for not much!  Back on the bus to St. Patrick's cathedral. Beautiful beautiful beautiful!!!!!  I had a little moment where I was quite overwhelmed!  Said a fe...

Cork, Ireland Cruise arrives at 9 am, departs at 7 pm Excursion :Exclusive Kinsale, Cobh City and Blarney - 9:30 am (Expedia Excursion) https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/tour/kinsale-blarney-cork-city/EUCRSTSKINBLR A 9 am start and the ship is docked in Cobh, we took our excursion tight off the boat.  Our guide Kevin, has turned us around the countryside including the small town of Kinsale, where. We picked up a few souvenirs.  And we are having lunch at a small typical pub - Larry Tompkin's.  We walked around St. Patrick Street area then back on the bus and heading to Blarney. We weren't able to.go.up and kiss the Blarney Stone as the line up was too long, but we enjoyed the grounds, gardens- including the poisonous garden!!!  Back on the bus and back to the ship...it was nice to message Kate, Carinne and Jean-Luc!  We were able to watch the ship depart, where we were entertained by a band on the dock. They played a collection of Irish Times and Disney ...

Guernsy (St. Peter Port)  Arrive at 6 am, cruise departs at 5 pm Completing the Herm Island Walk - Princess Cruise excursion 8 am - 1 pm. https://www.princess.com/excursion/exDetails.page?tourCode=GCI-385&t=F&exType= S We were up early and ready to disembark off the cruise ship by 7:15, we took a tender boat to Guernsey, and then a ferry boat to the island of Herm, it's a small island of 65 permanent residents, with many more in the summer. If you live on the island, you are employed by the island. Our tour guide reminded us so much of Carmen our sister in law!!!  We walked along the paths, no vehicles except ATVs/quads and Cushmans. We saw the burial pods/caves in rocks, when a body had decomposed to bones, the bones were removed. Dating back 300 years  before Christ  We walked to a beautiful beach, where Robert was able to dip his toes in the water and we collected some seashells to take home. Our guide shared more info about the island itself - includi...

Paris Holiday Inn Express at the airport. https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/roissy-en-france/pardg/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-EX-_-FR-_-PARDG Packed up this morning and left our luggage at the front desk and walking to the Louvre!!! We waited in line for about 40 minutes which wasn't too bad...it's a security thing!!  Once we were in, it was quite overwhelming. We found the kiosk to buy our tickets and the audio guides...took a bit for us to figure them on, they were interactive on a Nintendo DS. Where was my son when I needed him? We looked at some of the ancient Egyptian artifacts, then on to some Greek statues, including Venus. Then onto French paintings... finishing up with some African artifacts.  It was very busy and warm...we were a little sweaty! It also took us awhile to find our way out lol, Robert was looking forward to a smoke...we had a little break in the court yard...after almost 6 hours if standing and walking. We headed bad towards...

Paris

Paris We started our morning walking to the Eiffel tower....it took us about an hour to get there!!  We walked along the Seine on the pathways!! We rode to the top of the tower...it was about a 45 min wait, so not so bad!!!  The view was amazing; I thought I might be a little freaked out by the height, bit it's almost surreal!! We did take the elevator up and down..I really didn't want to blow my knee out!! We had lunch there...and then started the walk back to our hotel....and it's hot!!!! Time for a very cold shower and a short nap!  And a change of clothes and we set off to see St. Sulpice church which is quite close to our hotel, then a salad on a terrace!  Back to the hotel where we videoed with family and off to bed...after another cool.shower!  Lol.

Arrive at Southampton  Train to  Paris staying at Hotel Oden Saint Germain.   https://hotelparisodeonsaintgermain.com/en/ We were off the cruise at 8:30, with not much to do. After we got our bearings we started to walk into town, which wasn't actually too far.  We were able to find the hotel Dolphin we had stayed at --there was a small courtyard there, so we sat in the shade and used their wifi for awhile. Lol. Then we made our way to the tapas restaurant we had been to before. We had a leisurely snack then got an Uber to the airport!  We were plenty early and Robert found the outside bar for a few beers and a few smokes...the plane was 20 minutes late or so but the flight was only 55 minutes!  Once we landed we had to take a shuttle bus to the terminal lol. It's huge!!  Once we found our baggage, I needed a bathroom break....20 minutes of standing in line later!  Robert was ready to send out a search party. We found information, and ultimat...

Le Havre Cruise arrives 7 am, departs 8 pm A Taste of Normandy 1:30 - 7 (Princess) https://www.princess.com/excursion/exDetails.page?t=&exType=S&tourCode=LEH-300 We have landed in France!!  We had a quiet morning, packed most of our bags as they will be picked up tonight. Robert had some swim time while I read my book, a small lunch and we were in our way to our last excursion of the trip. We were a little late leaving but we weren't sure what the holdup was. We got on our bus and headed to Honfleur, where our guide chatted about the artist community, and lead us on a short walking tour. We were then on our own for a bit...Robert and I sat and hat a drink...$26 CA for two... yikes. I had a mojito and it was very strong and not very good!  Back on the bus and I could barely stay awake, and we drove to a distillery Busnell - Calvados that makes liquor from apples. We had a taste of some cheese with the liquor and an apple cider. I liked the cider the Calvados was a...

At sea We had to turn our clocks ahead last night due to landing in France tomorrow, gave us a bit of a sleep in.  We had breakfast, then we went for a session with the chef and maitre de of the ship...they cooked a few dishes for the audience to see, with some humor etc. One was Italian and the other Indian, a little hard to understand at times lol. Then we had a tour of one of the many kitchens on the ship!  Lots of stainless steel, and most refrigerators were on wheels, so they are moved where they are needed!  The ship goes through 19 tons of food per day for 4000 passengers and 1500 crew!  It's crazy!  Our afternoon was spent by the pool soaking in the sun and watching a movie of the big screen !!

Edinburgh Cruise arrives at 7 am, departs 7 pm Highlights of Edinburgh (Expedia Tours) 10 am https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/tour/on-off-bus-edinburgh/EUEDCSONOFF Off the boat this morning on the tenders again, the boat was too big to go under a bridge to get to the docks.   There were buses waiting for us to take us into Edinburgh for £6 each - we are running low on pounds. Good thing we had enough. Lol. Robert was smart enough to ask our bus driver about our stop for our tour- Usher Hall and he let us off quite close.   As we waited for Stewart, our guide, we met the other couples - very nice couple our age from Washington state, older couple from Minnesota (reminded me of mom and dad), couple from Toronto, and last couple from Israel. The walking tour was good, our guide had to be 70 if he was a day!  But he was quite knowledgeable.  We saw sites off the beaten path....and learned the origin of "Georgie, Georgie, puddin pie" lol. Ask me ab...

Invergordon Cruise arrives at 7 am, departs 6 pm No excursions booked We had a quiet day to day, a little sleep in, and then we headed off into the town of Invergordon...we went to the museum, and walked around town. Back to the ship for the afternoon for lunch and  to see the end of the Peter Gabriel concert on the big screen!! We had a quiet afternoon watching Jumanji, then some of Dr Strange...then watched and listened to some Piper's as we left port. Then ready to go to the comedian, who was quite funny!!  And then off to supper with our table.

At sea! Had a bit of a sleep in, and went to the event for first time princess cruisers!  Then off for a very late breakfast. We had a quiet afternoon reading for Tracee , doing a puzzle for Robert, then a light afternoon snack as we missed lunch. Back to our room, where Robert watched the show about our next port and Tracee had a nap!  In order to get some fresh air, we headed up to the top deck where we had a little mini putt game, Robert beat me by one....darn it!  Then a walk around the track and we tried out a few of the exercise machines. Back to our room to get organized to go to the evening show. We have skipped formal night...a little too fancy for us!  Lol. We will have a bite after the show, The Secret Silk! The show was wonderful, even Robert enjoyed it!!

Glasgow - Greenoch Cruise ship arrives7 am, departs 6 pm Glasgow, Hop on Hop off (Expedia Tours) 9:30-4:30 https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/tour/glasgow-bus-greenock/EUGRCSONOFF We landed up not doing this tour...instead we did a morning walk around the small town of Greenock!  By noon my knees had had it, so I headed back to the ship for some r&r while Robert continued his exploration. Which included a few pubs!!  I spent the afternoon on the deck with my book and watched a few concerts on the big screen - EL0, Lady Antebellum, and Crowded House. We joined our dinner mates for a very yummy supper- we had missed a few dinners due to ports. We had a little catch up..the scallops were amazing!!! Back to our room and we watched Lara Croft Tomb Raider... Happy birthday Dad, hope it was a great day!!

Belfast, Northern Ireland Cruise arrives at 8 am, leaves 6 pm Game of Thrones Tour (Expedia Tours) https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/tour/game-of-thrones-location-tour/EUBFGAMETHRON Well that tour didn't happen as our ship was very late into port as there wasn't enough water for the ship!  We had to wait for the tide to come in.  So hopefully we will get a refund!  We booked onto another tour of the Giant Causeway!! Getting off the ship was quite the nightmare this morning- getting over 3000 people to shore is quite the issue when we were so late!! The tour turned out to be quite good, we got to see the Dark Hedges, which were magnificent, along with the great Causeway, and a few other stops!  The pictures definitely won't due the sea scape justice. Quiet supper on board, and we watched a bit of the Mersey Beatles again, they put on a little concert in the main area. And back to watch a movie and relax. Our days are long, I think I will need a holiday from o...

Boarding the cruise ship, leaving Southampton at 5 pm Nice sleep at the Dolphin Hotel!  Lots of steps and interesting floor plan. We walked a little bit in the morning, and decided to book a flight to Paris I stead of a train. We were having some difficulty getting through, which stressed me out a little. We took an Uber to the port, only about 5 minutes away  and there the cattle call started.  I have to hand it to Princess that they do have an amazing organized system to get passengers on board. It seemed like no time at all and we had our cards,. Had our pictures taken and we were on the ship!!! And holy Ship!!!!  It's huge !  We did a bit of walking around to get our bearings, (and find the smoking deck lol) and luckily enough Robert had thought to pack his swimsuit in his backpack. So he was able to have a quick dip.  We found our way to our room, and quickly unpacked everything. We then made our way to deck 16 for the sail away party!  Lots o...

Leaving Doncaster to Southampton staying at the Mecure Southampton Dolphin Hotel Not a very busy exciting day, we Haddad bit of a sleep in, said teary eyed good bye to Jackie, and took a taxi to the train station!  We caught our train to Sheffield, and then had to complete a bit of a run to catch our connection, but thankfully it was late and we made it!!  It was a long 5 hours train ride after that, and our car list air conditioning---we were a little sweaty! During the ride we were entertained by a granny and her two grandchildren-. Whew!  A little spoiled!! We arrived at our hotel by Uber-- best thing ever!  Robert and I promptly went for a drink, then for a walk to find some supper which was at a tapas restaurant!  Yummy. And back to our room for a few min of R and R- and a few Facebook chats. Tomorrow is cruise day!!

Doncaster for the day. This morning was very relaxing- we had our breakfast, then a little walk to find a bank machine!  At noon Stuart picked us up and we headed over to their house for the afternoon.  We experienced our first garden tea, with sandwiches, treats and scones!  Added to the wine, beer for Robert and proscesso, it was all delicious! We met Jackie's twin sister Jennifer, her husband Phil, their daughter Keeley, and her two daughters, as well as Stuart and Jackie's daughter Jessica and her 11 month old son Connor!  He's quite the cutie, but very shy and a momma's boy!  I tried to hold him, but he was too shy, the big lip came out!!  We videoed with JL, Carinne and mom...Carinne commented that I have too many spelling errors in my blog lol. Sorry people, writing on my phone isn't quite my thing lol. But I will try to be better!  Off on the train to Southampton tomorrow!!

Doncaster We had breakfast at the pub next door, and Jackie and Stuart picked us up at 10am and we headed to York!  We are certainly glad neither one of us is driving. We went to a mall parking and took a bus into York. Been awhile since I was in a city bus!  We had a wonderful time walking through the centre of York, walking on the city wall, and siteseeing. I even managed to find a Christmas store and pick up a few ornaments. Back to the hotel for a little break and then off to supper!! We went to a traditional English restaurant, the decor was quaint and just what you would think!!  Seafood was their specialty, Robert had yummy mussels, and I had scampi!  Yummy.

Taking the 5 o'clock train to Doncaster to meet up with penpal Jackie. Staying at the Olive Bar and Grill. Friday morning was quite laid back. Corisa left in the morning to have some time with her friends.  We checked out around noon, it was kind of sad to leave our lovely little apartment.  Colin, Robert and I took an Uber to their previous hotel, as Corisa had forgotten something. We were able to leave our luggage there as well which was awesome. We went for a short walk and found a little pub to have lunch. I was so nervous my tummy had been upset all morning, I only had soup- carrot and leek- yummy!!  We sat in the pub for a good while - insert grin- didn't hurt that the boys were feeling a little worse for wear!  Lol. We took another Uber(I like Uber) to the train station and were able to get our tickets and find our platform with out too much stress!  We said good bye to Colin and started our way to Doncaster. Travelling in first class on the train is ...

A little of a late start again this morning, but heading off to Edinburgh Castle shortly. Colin and Carissa are making breakfast with mimosas. Not quite as much walking today, but we did your the castle, afterwards found an actual beer garden to have a rest and drink at. Robert and I headed back to the apartment, while Colin and Corissa ran an errand. Robert and I stopped in a few little stores on the Royal Mile...home for a little rest and FaceTime with Carinne, Matt and Lincoln! Then off to supper with Corissa's friends!  We had a wonderful night, and time for bed!!

Robert and Colin went to Carnustie for the British Open- they had a really early morning, whereas I had a good sleep in!  Carissa and I headed off walking around Edinburgh!  Lots of lovely sights and sounds!  Definitely places I would never have found in my own, and off the beaten path!!  We had lunch at Ryan's where we sat outside with our Prosecco, and watched the people go by!!  More walking and a little backtracking but beautiful!  It never did rain, tried a few times, but didn't!  A little stop and visit at the Jolly Botinist where we had Prosecco and raspberry gin. More walking and back to the apartment by 6, where we waited for the boys and then found a little pub for supper. My internal clock is still a little messed up as I didn't go to sleep until 4 and up at 9:45 this morning!!

Day 1 July 16th Leaving Calgary  at 1:30 pm, arriving in Halifax at 9:18, an hour and a half wait, then leaving for Glasgow at 10:50. We had a great flight to Halifax, a little stiff, but Robert did have time to go out and have a smoke- he has to go out through security again!  It stresses me a little lol. We met another young couple travelling with an 18 month old - little boy-- from Red Deer  They were headed to Edinburgh as well! Super baby never heard him cry. We had a snack and boarded to plane- people were wired! Lol. Took awhile for us to settle down - they lady behind me was watching a movie with no head phones....free but I was able to take a sleep aid and got 3-4 hours of sleep in!!!  Day one complete. 

Arriving in Glasgow at 8:12 am...and we will hit the ground running...heading to Edinburgh to meet Colin and Corissa! Our plane arrived on time, we were able to quickly get a cab to our hotel. Now we knew we weren't going to stay there- but it was booked and paid for- so we pretended- lol and they were able to keep our bags. Robert and I walked up to see Glasgow University and just wandered around - the buildings were amazing - very Harry Potter. We did a short walk through a museum and decided to head back. On our way we found a lovely bistro and had bacon, brie and cranberry paninis. Back to the hotel, grabbed our luggage and down to the train station. A "short" walk according to Robert. Lol. Not fun with suitcases. Anyway we bought our tickets, took a shuttle to the other train station, and away we went to Edinburgh. Both of us were really tired, but didn't want to sleep with our suitcases sitting there!! A bit of a gong show, trying to find our apartment - ver...

We are down to our last few days with Carinne and Lincoln, then the serious packing will begin!  We have waited, planned and organized for so long, it's hard to believe we are almost there!  This is my test to see if the blog is working, let me know if you can see what I've got so far !!  Saturday - hair done, toe nails a pretty purple...blog sorted out, and drafts made...laundry and packing tomorrow!