Reflections

Best Ice Cream:  Guernsey.  We enjoyed the London version of soft ice cream with the chocolate bar in the middle but for old fashioned ice cream those cows in Wales do a great job.  The Orkney Islands ran a close second.

Weirdest Thing:  There are sheep everywhere.  Sometimes they wander close enough to the fence line to see their precious little faces.  Locals are not above yelling “mint sauce” at them when it happens. 

Longest Word:  Llanfairwllgwyngllgogerychwyrndrobwlllantysiliogogogoch.  The last part of the word is pronounced “gogogahitch” if it helps.  Also, “ll” in Welsh is pronounced “kull” if that assists.  Roughly translated the word tells the story about a little church in the valley. 

Best Fish and Chips:  Robinson’s pub in Belfast.  I know it’s supposed to be an English thing but the Irish version was far tastier.  It was one of the best meals.

Best Dinner:  Sabatini’s on the Crown Princess.  Excellent food and service.  From the 16^th floor it also provided excellent views of the ocean and sunset.

Most Tragic Setting:  West Belfast where a 40 foot high wall of brick, fencing and barbed wire separates Catholics and Protestants and there are gates between the two sections that are locked every night.  Petrol bombs (Molotov cocktails) still come over the wall on a regular basis.

Best Thing:  All of our shore excursions were outstanding thanks to Jan.  All of the prep work and research she did gave us a wonderful look at all of our tour stops.  Thanks, wife.

Worst Thing:  The screaming baby for five and a half hours on the plane ride across the pond.  I hope she is already home!!!!

Best Public Bathrooms:  London.  They were the cleanest.  I really like that stalls are floor to ceiling and doors really work and latch in the UK.  No graffiti!!!  Not sure if that’s true everywhere after last week but it was during our visit.

Best Send Off:  Holyhead in Wales.  Having someone sing to all of the passengers on their balconies as the ship departed AND having all of the dock workers wave to us was a very nice touch.  We tried to imagine all of the dock workers at the Port of New York doing the same thing and what kind of hand gesture they might employ but it started to ruin the moment.

Best Jewelry Store:  The Tower of London.  Of course you cannot purchase any of the Crown Jewels but Jan certainly enjoyed window shopping.

Biggest Guilty Pleasure:  All of the Harry Potter trivia we encountered, which included a church with a floating staircase used in the movie, the coffee shop where the first book was written, Charing Cross and King’s Cross stations.

Biggest Surprise:  The weather!  We came prepared to battle with rain and cold for most of the trip.  We needed summer wear in London.  It only rained a brief moment in Scotland.  I used up most of my bottle of sun block.

Most Ironic Discovery:  The English don’t like the Scottish or the Irish.  Wales is mostly ignored.  The Irish don’t like the Scotts or the Brits.  The Scotts feel the same about the Irish and the Brits, but they all hate the French.  Why did they spend billions building a tunnel to connect their two countries together?

Most Surprising Name:  The United Kingdom.  Northern Ireland and Scotland want their independence, though I personally doubt if they can afford to run their countries.  Scotland is much closer to it than Northern Ireland but if it happens for the Scotts it will happen for the Irish.

Best Tour Guides:  Susie in Belfast and Tony in Invergordon tie.  They were the most knowledgeable and had the best deliveries.

Worst Tour Guide:  Over the Top Tours in Dublin.  Not showing up basically ruined a promising business.  Live by Cruise Critic and die by it too.

Most Solemn Tour:  Omaha and Utah beaches and the American Cemetery nearby.  ‘Nough said.

Best Strategy:  Figuring out the best days to do our laundry.  Princess Cruises has “launderettes” on the passenger floors.  Sea Days brings out the worst in human nature as families fight over the washers and driers.  We learned to pick days well away from those and to put our laundry in immediately on returning to the ship, during the first dinner seating.

Most Important Scientific Discovery:  The Loch Ness Monster is a sturgeon.  Tony, the tour guide and Loch Ness expert contends the myth will never die because it is too important to the economy in the region.  In fact, when the fish dies or is caught local officials will proclaim they now know what Nessie eats.

Best Travel Tip:  Given to us by our dinner companions this voyage, take older underwear on your trip and toss it away before packing to go home.  It lightens up the suitcase to help fit in souvenirs and presents and will aid in making sure you aren’t over the airline luggage weight limit.

We could easily stay on board another two weeks if it weren’t for schedules and the checkbook balance.

Who are these people?  I assume you know who Jan and I are.  The two in the middle are the Waiter and Jr. Waiter for our table area, Dennis and Olyssea.  She pronounces it Alcia.  The couple on the end are Tony and Madeleine who sat next to us most every dinner at a separate table about 4 inches away.

Olyssea shows off with a Baked Alaska.  It's a Princess Cruises tradition to serve that on the last night.