ClairesTravel

We had breakfast in the room since we had an early excursion plus Susan had to get to medical center early to get her stiches out. Our first excursion was the included one that we finally got confirmed on yesterday. The tour drove through the countryside and we saw many sheep and cattle but no trees. The baby lambs were so cute. I could see them jumping and playing. The countryside was very green with rock fences but there were no trees since the winds can get near 100MPH often. The hills had large patches of brown and the guide said that heather grew there in the fall. I can just imagine the blue and purples on the hills. We saw some burial mounds that were several thousand years old and then we came to ... read more

Thursday, we went to our next new country Northern Ireland. We woke up in Belfast. Our tour was supposed to be later that day. We went down to the shore excursion check-in and got on an earlier excursion. The guide for our tour was very knowledgeable and explained the history and unrest of the area. There is still unrest today but it’s more between the people that want a united Ireland vs the people that are loyalist to the crown. Sections of town have peace walls separating the neighborhoods to keep others out. In some areas there are gates that are closed in the evening and sometimes on weekends with a no-mans land in between. He explained how the murals seen on many walls show the political leanings of the area. We heard about when Queen ... read more

We woke up, ate breakfast and Susan headed to the medical center for her bandage change. She also got them to evaluate her for her cold. She came back with cough syrup, lozenges, and a z pack. We then decided to take the shuttle from the ship to the port terminal. I’m glad we didn’t try to walk as it was a LONG way but also had many turns that we would not have known which way to go. Once at the terminal, we got a city map and walked into the town. There was not much going on and no cute little shops to go into. At least we got some steps. After a bit, we headed back to the ship, settled in then went to lunch. We took several pictures from the deck of ... read more

The sick women woke up this morning after sleeping a bit better. Claire slept the best she had in 2 plus weeks. That probably helped Susan because Claire wasn’t coughing all night long. We ate at the World Café for the first time instead of ordering room service. Today was a day at sea. We’re heading to Dublin and needed to go thru the English Channel and head up the Western coast of England. Susan headed to the medical center before 9 to get her bandage changed. All looks well. She goes back again in 2 days. We then took the disembarkation form to the desk and noticed there was shopping. We acted like we had money and pursued expensive jewelry. We then returned to our cabin to start a movie. A bit later we headed ... read more

We sound horrible. Susan started her antibiotics last night and I started mine when we woke up today. This was my twelfth day of not feeling great. Oh well, we had to make the best of it. After breakfast we wrote and posted the blog then headed into Greenwich. The ferry to the dock was relatively empty. The village was quiet and there wasn’t a lot to see. We did see the market; it was more like a flea market with some food vendors. The old sailing ship was located by the pier, and we got pictures of it. There is also the entrance to a tunnel built in 1903 that goes under the Thames. All the while on the trip, we’ve seen the old red British phone booths. They aren’t still in use. Some have ... read more