I guess you are all thinking I am lost at sea. Actually I have been home in Tucson for just over a week now and finally finding some time to continue with the blog since my last major posting about Foynes and Limerick, Ireland. So I hope you will continue to keep up with my adventures as my trip rounds out in Plymouth, UK; St Peter Port, Channel Islands; Zeebrugge, Belgium; and the trip home from Amsterdam via Dusseldorf and New York City. I did keep notes and I will be consulting them to aid my memory.



 

Last night (Wednesday, leaving Cobh) on the Prinsendam for dinner I enjoyed beef carpaccio, roasted rack of veal, and a chocolate and whisky gateau for dessert. I also started the last bottle of my five-bottle package deal: a very nice Pinot Noir from 2011 (Leboure-Roi).

 

Thursday 15 August 2013

Plymouth, UK

 

This morning's arrival in Plymouth requires tendering because the only pier large enough for cruise ships is occupied by ferries running to the Channel Islands and to France. And, as the Captain says in his daily address, the ferries bring in steady income while the occasional cruise ship provides only small change.

There is much of historical interest in Plymouth, especially related to Britain’s (and America’s) relationship with the sea.  Although the tender lands at some distance from the center of the city, free shuttle buses take Holland America passengers into town, stopping in the heart of the shopping district.  This area is also the site of St Andrew’s Church, heavily bombed during WWII, but now fully restored with interesting modern stained glass.  Quite nearby, The Hoe, the largest urban green space in southern England, overlooks the harbor and coast on one side and the city center on the other.  A cultivated garden walkway on the seaside is home, on the western end, to a large public bathing area and a series of monuments connected to maritime history, honoring the defeat of the Spanish Armada and the explorers of the New World.  On the eastern end, the large stone Citadel is part of the original defenses of the city.  From here, the Barbican Wall (now a busy street) extends around the historic port, with shops, inns, and restaurants.  Of primary interest to Americans is The Mayflower Steps, the original embarkation point for many ships sailing across the Atlantic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The large crowd of tourists and shoppers are happily eating take-away platters of fish and chips, so I stop at a small restaurant with outside tables and watch the crowds as I attempt to finish a huge portion of fish, chips, and peas. Fully fortified I visit a large souvenir and gift shop, not really expecting to find much of interest. It turns out to be, however, an outlet for Pringle Sweaters of Scotland, and there is a truly remarkable sale on men’s cashmere sweaters. At last I have found a gift for Will—and naturally I pick up one for myself as well.

 

 

After a short walk back to the city center (guided by the landmark tower of the Plymouth Gin Distillery), I ride the shuttle back to the tender port and then motor over the water to the Prinsendam. 

  

Although I have been enjoying my private table in the La Fontaine Dining Room each night, I have also been made quite welcome by the folks at the large table (for ten) next to mine.  One couple happens to be from Richmond and has connections with VCU.  The others are from California, Iowa, and Wisconsin.  None of these folks, with the exception of their spouses and travel mates, knew each other before the cruise; but they are enjoying each other’s company immensely.  They have made me welcome to join them for drinks before going into the dining room and invite me to their table at dinner every night.  I generally decline, but tonight two couples are eating in the Pinnacle Grill Specialty Restaurant, so I don’t feel badly about squeezing in when I accept the invitation for a delightful dinner and interesting conversation.

 

It turns out that the passenger who had a fainting spell during the lifeboat drill on the day we left Amsterdam is a former school principal, Carol, who. now lives in California and has done a great deal of travelling around the world.  In fact, she and her fellow traveler, Karen, are continuing on the Prinsendam for two more works as it sails through the Baltic to St Petersburg.

 

Before bedtime I send out my last load of laundry.  I have taken full advantage of the “Unlimited Laundry and Dry Cleaning Service” for $98.00 for the 14-day cruise.  Had I sent the laundry out on a per piece basis, it would have cost me over $300.00.

 

Tomorrow we sail to Port St Peter on the Isle of Guernsey in the semi-independent Channel Islands.  The Captain has predicted rain and if he is right it will be the first day of bad weather I’ve had since leaving New York on 27 July.