IRELAND
Port: Cobh (Pronounced “Cove”)
Nearest Major City: Cork
Other Nearby Interests: Blarney & Kinsale
We woke up around 7:30am (11:30pm LA time) and hurried outside to take pictures of Ireland as we approached. “Dry Land!!!” It was windy and rainy and we could hardly see the shore. The rain started coming down so hard that we had to retreat back inside. We ate a quick breakfast and ran into Elizabeth and Captian Bob (two of The Elders) who we found out were going on the same tour we were signed up for. So, together, we headed out into the cold, rain and wind to find our tour bus. We walked back and forth without seeing our bus, all the while getting soaked from the rain. The wind was blowing so hard that our umbrellas were being turned inside out and Bebe even broke a spoke! Did I mention that it was COLD and RAINY and WINDY… and WINDY?! Just as we spotted our bus, the driver decided to put a sign up in the window (we had already walked past it twice). Once on our nice dry bus, we headed out on a 45 minutes drive to Blarney. Once the bus dropped us off, we went straight for the castle. It seemed like we were the very first ones there, so we took our time exploring all the room and taking tons of photos. Before we knew it, lots and lots of people began showing up and lines started to form. So we booked it up to the top to kiss the Blarney stone. The stone was at the very top of the castle where we had the most beautiful 360-degree view of the countryside. It was incredible… And so green! Bebe was first to kiss the stone and I followed. We had to lay down on our backs with our heads hanging off the side of the castle. There was a man there to hold us and lower us down into a very precarious position, where we then kissed the stone. And now, as legend has it, we have the “gift of gab”. On our way out, we realized that we had gotten there just in time, as the line to kiss the stone had grown all the way down the stairs and out of the castle. (WHEW!)
We left the castle and walked back to town where we did a bit of souvenir shopping before it was time to get back on the bus and head to Kinsale. On the way, we stopped by Charles Fort. Us and another man were the only ones brave enough to get off the bus and snap some quick photos. The wind was blowing so hard that we were literally being blown over and our umbrellas could not stay concave. And Bebe broke another spoke on his umbrella. We then got back on the bus and we made our way to Kinsale. Once there, we had about an hour and a half to explore the city. It was supposed to be more, but the driver had agreed to bring us back to the ship early because all the old people were complaining that they were going to miss the “Irish Dancers” that were performing that night on the ship. We were pissed and wanted to shout at the old people that they could watch Lord of the Dance anytime they wanted, but how often were they actually IN Ireland??? Instead, we kept our mouths shut after realizing we were outnumbered 25 to 1. Oh well. So, we made the most of it. We explored the city for a while before ducking into an Irish Pub right out of the movies. There were men wearing hats with little brims, they all had big scruffy sideburns and were wearing long fishermen’s coats… The perfect stereotypes! We both ordered toasted ham and cheese sandwiches (recommended by Mark), Bebe ordered an Irish Coffee and I ordered a pint of Guinness. Our toasted sandwiches were TO DIE FOR! Corey liked his Irish Coffee and, at first sip, I hated my Guinness.
But the more I drank, the more I liked it. And by the time my pint was finished, I was ready to order another one. Bebe urged me not to, for it was almost time to get back on the bus. So we headed out and as we did, Bebe broke another spoke on his umbrella, leaving him only half an umbrella to shelter him from the rain. Finally, our bus arrived and it was time to head back to the ship. Our driver dropped us off at the port and because we had plenty of time before we had to be back onboard, we headed over to the Cobh Heritage Center. We bought a few souvenirs before heading back to the ship.
Cold and wet, we stripped off our clothes and got into our warm bed for a nap. Two hours later we woke up just in time to get ready for dinner. At the table that night
was just ourselves and Juan. We had a great time exchanging our Ireland stories, as we had completely different adventures. We were a bit disappointed that Mark wasn't there because we were excited to tell him that we had tried the toasted ham and cheese sandwiches! Oh well. After dinner we went right back to our rooms, exhausted. We found a little frog waiting for us with mints for eyes. So cute! Then it was straight to bed, knowing we had another big day ahead of us.
Tuesday April 24th, 2007
ENGLAND
Port: Falmouth, County Cornwall
Major City: Falmouth
Other Nearby Interests: Land’s End & Lizard Point
We woke up before our alarm today, got dressed and went to the buffet for breakfast. Because Falmouth doesn’t have a port large enough to accommodate the ship, we had to park about 3 miles from shore. Then we would have to be “tendered” to shore. Little boat, after little boat would have to take us, about 100 people at a time, to shore. So after breakfast, we got our tender tickets and waited in the Centrum for about an hour before our number was called. From there, we headed down to board our rocky little tender boat. It was about a 20 minutes ride to shore and we used that time to take photos of the approaching land and distancing ship. Once off the tender, a nice British woman helped us with some suggestions of what to do and what to eat. Ever heard of a Cornish Pasty? We were determined to try one. She also told us that we could walk to the town in about 5 minutes, so we headed that way.
After walking for about 3 minutes, Bebe was too hot and was cursing the fact that I insisted on him bringing his jacket and now he had to walk around with it tied around his waist. We continued walking, taking pictures and checking out all the little shops. We found a convenience store that carried all different kinds of candy and packaging that we had never seen before. We came across a chocolate bar called a “Yorkie”. Its slogan is, “It’s Not For Girls!” We cracked up and decided to buy three. More walking. More picture taking. The weather was absolutely beautiful. (Quite the contrast to the previous day in Ireland!) As it was getting close to the end of our day, we decided to go in search of some traditional English food. We grabbed a Pasty from Oggy Oggy Bakery for “take-away” (YUMMY) and shared it on our way to a sit-down restaurant. We sat down and ordered some Fish & Chips. Bebe ordered a Cider Beer and I ordered a Cornish Ale. (when in Cornwall…) The Cider beer was great and the Cornish Ale was pretty gross. The Fish & Chips were just okay. When we finished we headed back to the tender boats.
The last tender was scheduled to leave at 3:30pm. We arrived in plenty of time at 2:45 to find a huge line of about 800 people, all waiting to be tendered back to the ship. And just when we got in line, about 6 shuttle buses let out another 800 or so people. 45 minutes to bring back 1600 people? 4 boats at about 100 people per boat with a 50 minute turnaround time? 3:30pm our asses!! So we waited. And as we were standing in line, it started to rain and it soon became VERY cold! (You have no idea the strength it took me not to tell Bebe, “I told you so”!) We had to wait for about 45 minutes in the cold and rain, finally getting back onboard around 5pm. The ship finally loaded up all it’s passengers and set sail around 6pm (2 hours late!) and we were already sound asleep.
Tuesday April 24th, 2007
ENGLAND
Port: Falmouth, County Cornwall
Major City: Falmouth
Other Nearby Interests: Land’s End & Lizard Point
We woke up before our alarm today, got dressed and went to the buffet for breakfast. Because Falmouth doesn’t have a port large enough to accommodate the ship, we had to park about 3 miles from shore. Then we would have to be “tendered” to shore. Little boat, after little boat would have to take us, about 100 people at a time, to shore. So after breakfast, we got our tender tickets and waited in the Centrum for about an hour before our number was called. From there, we headed down to board our rocky little tender boat. It was about a 20 minutes ride to shore and we used that time to take photos of the approaching land and distancing ship. Once off the tender, a nice British woman helped us with some suggestions of what to do and what to eat. Ever heard of a Cornish Pasty? We were determined to try one. She also told us that we could walk to the town in about 5 minutes, so we headed that way.
After walking for about 3 minutes, Bebe was too hot and was cursing the fact that I insisted on him bringing his jacket and now he had to walk around with it tied around his waist. We continued walking, taking pictures and checking out all the little shops. We found a convenience store that carried all different kinds of candy and packaging that we had never seen before. We came across a chocolate bar called a “Yorkie”. Its slogan is, “It’s Not For Girls!” We cracked up and decided to buy three. More walking. More picture taking. The weather was absolutely beautiful. (Quite the contrast to the previous day in Ireland!) As it was getting close to the end of our day, we decided to go in search of some traditional English food. We grabbed a Pasty from Oggy Oggy Bakery for “take-away” (YUMMY) and shared it on our way to a sit-down restaurant. We sat down and ordered some Fish & Chips. Bebe ordered a Cider Beer and I ordered a Cornish Ale. (when in Cornwall…) The Cider beer was great and the Cornish Ale was pretty gross. The Fish & Chips were just okay. When we finished we headed back to the tender boats.
The last tender was scheduled to leave at 3:30pm. We arrived in plenty of time at 2:45 to find a huge line of about 800 people, all waiting to be tendered back to the ship. And just when we got in line, about 6 shuttle buses let out another 800 or so people. 45 minutes to bring back 1600 people? 4 boats at about 100 people per boat with a 50 minute turnaround time? 3:30pm our asses!! So we waited. And as we were standing in line, it started to rain and it soon became VERY cold! (You have no idea the strength it took me not to tell Bebe, “I told you so”!) We had to wait for about 45 minutes in the cold and rain, finally getting back onboard around 5pm. The ship finally loaded up all it’s passengers and set sail around 6pm (2 hours late!) and we were already sound asleep.
We woke up just in time for dinner. Neither of us wanted to go, but neither of us spoke up, so off we went. Everyone was there! We had a great time and we were the last group to leave the dining room. We went back to our room where there was a bat waiting for us. And we CRASHED!
Wednesday April 25th, 2007
FRANCE
Port: Le Havre
Nearest Major City: Paris
Other Nearby Interests: Beaches of Normandy & Rouen
OUR TWO WEEK ANNIVERSARY
Wednesday April 25th, 2007
FRANCE
Port: Le Havre
Nearest Major City: Paris
Other Nearby Interests: Beaches of Normandy & Rouen
OUR TWO WEEK ANNIVERSARY
We woke up around 8am and headed upstairs for our usual buffet breakfast. Afterwards it was to the Theater to meet with our “Paris On Your Own” tour guide. And, as a group, we went out to our shuttle bus. It was a two and a half hour ride into Paris; I slept most of the way there and Bebe stayed up doing crossword puzzles. Bebe woke me up as soon as he could see that we were approaching Paris. We could see the Eiffel Tower getting bigger and bigger. Once there, the bus let us off at 11:45am with instructions to be back on the bus at 4:45pm. We immediately started taking photos of the Eiffel Tower and then wandered around a bit before heading over to the Jules Verne Restaurant at 12:45pm. We gave them our name and they took us right up to the second level via a private elevator. This was great, considering that the line to go up the tower was a few hours long! Reservations for this restaurant had to be made months in advance, and it was worth it, even if just for the quick ride up the tower. Plus, today was our two-week anniversary and on our wedding night, we had eaten at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Vegas. So it seemed appropriate that we eat at the restaurant in the REAL Eiffel Tower!!
We were seated at a tiny table with a nice view of the city. We both ordered the three-course luncheon meal at 65 Euro per person, 2 cokes at 8 Euro each and a bottle of water at 10 Euro. (Keep in mind, 1 Euro = approximately $1.40) We were both served a small appetizer salad of mixed veggies and lobster. Our first course was an appetizer plate with two squa
re pieces of chicken and two square pieces of fois gras. We also had the same entrée, a “fattened” chicken dish consisting of three chicken thighs that were the shape and size of large marshmallows. The chicken was topped with two crayfish, asparagus and pea pods in a tasty sauce on the bottom of the plate. For dessert, I had a Rum Savarin (a small glazed donut formed like a shortcake that you pour rum into the reservoir on top, allowing it to soak into the shortcake, then topped with heavy cream). The waiter told me to “pour in a little rum and top it with lots of cream… Or the other way around works too.” I ended up using a lot of both! Bebe had a caramel coconut bar, a crunchy cookie bar with hard caramel and chocolate on top, served alongside a line of tangy orange marmalade and a scoop of caramel ice cream. And after dessert, we got a small tray of six cookies. And then, along with the check, they delivered a bowl of espresso chocolates. It was pricey (-$220) but VERY YUMMY!
After lunch we decided to go on an hour-long river cruise that took us up and back on the Seine River. We saw quite a few old and beautiful buildings. But, the most interesting part of the cruise was all the people watching! We took so many pictures that both Bebe and I drained our camera batteries and I filled up a 1GB memory card. We both agreed that we would have to come back and spend at least a week in order to be able to see all that we wanted to see.
The river cruise was over at 4:30pm and we hurried back to the bus, deciding that we didn’t have time to stop for the ice cream that we had been talking about all day. We arrived at the bus just in time but found that a few groups of people were missing. We ended up having to wait about 45 minutes before everyone showed up. (We should have gotten the ice cream!) We finally left Paris and we both slept all the way back to Le Havre.
We finally made our way out of the shop and into the city center to do more shopping. We had Belgian Chocolates on the brain, and we found plenty of tasty selections! We also got some Frites (fries), some ice cream and a Belgian Hot Chocolate with Rum. Mmmmmmmm… Before we knew it, it was time to make our way back to the ship. Again, not nearly enough time to do and see all that we wanted to! We caught the bus back to the train station and took some pictures of tulips while we waited for the train. Bebe
bought a Jupiler Beer from a vending machine and drank it on the train. Once we were back in Blankenberg, we had about an hour to kill before our shuttle bus to the ship would arrive. So we walked around, took some photos, saw a Belgian Pug Dog that barked at us in Flemish and Bebe finally found the Belgian waffle he had been searching for. (From a place called Australian Ice Cream, strangely enough.) Bebe offered me a bite of his waffle and he almost had to buy another one, cause I didn’t want to give it back. It was sooooooooo yummy!!!
Eventually, it was time to head back to the shuttle bus where we met our driver. He looked like a younger version of Fabio before the steroids. As the bus was filling up, the passengers all started talking about Belgian beer when our driver whipped out a Jupiler Beer from a cooler at the front of the bus. And, before we knew it, everyone on the bus was buying beers from our driver for 1 Euro each. It was at this point that we dubbed ourselves the “Party Bus.” Once the Party Bus was full it was time to head back to the ship, and by the way that Fabio was driving, we were convinced that he had one too many Jupilers and that we were all going to die! But we made it back safe and boarded the Jewel for the last time.
Once back onboard, we had some time before dinner, so we decided to visit the photo gallery to pick out our favorites to bring home. We had decided ahead of time that we would choose only three 8x10s and one 5x7, as they were pretty expensive. We had to narrow it down from about forty to fifty portraits, and it was hard to part with any of them! We bought eight. So, with our empty pockets, we went back to our stateroom to pack up a few last-minutes things. We put our luggage outside our door and headed to our last dinner onboard the Jewel of the Seas. Everyone except Mark was there that night and we all talked about what a fantastic trip we had and how much we enjoyed each other’s company! We disbursed our tips to the wait staff, exchanged
emails and said our goodbyes. It was hugs and kisses all around! And again, we were the last group to leave the dining room. We then headed back to our stateroom, found two towel swans waiting for us and we kissed goodnight.
We were seated at a tiny table with a nice view of the city. We both ordered the three-course luncheon meal at 65 Euro per person, 2 cokes at 8 Euro each and a bottle of water at 10 Euro. (Keep in mind, 1 Euro = approximately $1.40) We were both served a small appetizer salad of mixed veggies and lobster. Our first course was an appetizer plate with two squa
re pieces of chicken and two square pieces of fois gras. We also had the same entrée, a “fattened” chicken dish consisting of three chicken thighs that were the shape and size of large marshmallows. The chicken was topped with two crayfish, asparagus and pea pods in a tasty sauce on the bottom of the plate. For dessert, I had a Rum Savarin (a small glazed donut formed like a shortcake that you pour rum into the reservoir on top, allowing it to soak into the shortcake, then topped with heavy cream). The waiter told me to “pour in a little rum and top it with lots of cream… Or the other way around works too.” I ended up using a lot of both! Bebe had a caramel coconut bar, a crunchy cookie bar with hard caramel and chocolate on top, served alongside a line of tangy orange marmalade and a scoop of caramel ice cream. And after dessert, we got a small tray of six cookies. And then, along with the check, they delivered a bowl of espresso chocolates. It was pricey (-$220) but VERY YUMMY!
After lunch we decided to go on an hour-long river cruise that took us up and back on the Seine River. We saw quite a few old and beautiful buildings. But, the most interesting part of the cruise was all the people watching! We took so many pictures that both Bebe and I drained our camera batteries and I filled up a 1GB memory card. We both agreed that we would have to come back and spend at least a week in order to be able to see all that we wanted to see.
The river cruise was over at 4:30pm and we hurried back to the bus, deciding that we didn’t have time to stop for the ice cream that we had been talking about all day. We arrived at the bus just in time but found that a few groups of people were missing. We ended up having to wait about 45 minutes before everyone showed up. (We should have gotten the ice cream!) We finally left Paris and we both slept all the way back to Le Havre.
Once back at the dock, we had about two hours before we had to be back onboard. We did a little souvenir shopping before coming up with a brilliant idea! We asked a local woman where we could find a McDonald’s (so that we could see the 
infamous “Royal with Cheese”) but she said the closest one was about a half hour walk away. And by this time, we only had about an hour before we had to board. We just didn’t have enough time to walk. We waited briefly for a taxi to come by, but it was getting cold and it was almost time for dinner, so we gave up and boarded the ship. (We’ll just have to wait for our return trip to Paris to see the “Royal with Cheese”.) Once onboard, we headed straight to the dining room. Everyone was there except for Juan. It was another good night but we ended up leaving a bit early (10:15pm) because we were so tired. (I was practically falling asleep at the table!) We said “goodnight” to our towel monkey and fell right to sleep.
infamous “Royal with Cheese”) but she said the closest one was about a half hour walk away. And by this time, we only had about an hour before we had to board. We just didn’t have enough time to walk. We waited briefly for a taxi to come by, but it was getting cold and it was almost time for dinner, so we gave up and boarded the ship. (We’ll just have to wait for our return trip to Paris to see the “Royal with Cheese”.) Once onboard, we headed straight to the dining room. Everyone was there except for Juan. It was another good night but we ended up leaving a bit early (10:15pm) because we were so tired. (I was practically falling asleep at the table!) We said “goodnight” to our towel monkey and fell right to sleep.Thursday April 26th, 2007
BELGIUM
Port: Zeebrugge
Nearest Major City: Brussels
Other Nearby Interests: Blankenberg & Bruges
I woke up WAY before my alarm this morning, and after tossing and turning for a bit, I woke Bebe at 6am (10pm LA time) to tell him that I couldn’t sleep and that I was going to the computer area to check my emails. A short time later, Bebe met me there saying he couldn’t sleep either. So, we were both up and awake with not much to do, so we headed to the buffet for a nice leisurely breakfast. Then we went back to our stateroom to pack all our bags. We were suppose to put our bags outside of our door the night before departure so that the porters could have our bags waiting for us when we left the ship. We knew that we would be tired later that night, so it was nice to get it our of the way early.
At 10am it was time to head out and grab a shuttle bus to take us from Zeebrugge to Blankenberg. Once in Blankenberg, we took a train to Bruges. From the train station in Bruges, we hopped on a bus that took us to the city center. We got off the bus a few stops before the city center so that we could explore a bit. Bruges is a very old, medieval town full of castles type buildings and churches along cobblestone roads and beautiful canals. They call it the “Venice of the North”. It’s such a charming little city. We fell in 
love immediately! As we were wandering around, we came across the coolest little wooden toy store. We were lured in by the “Jumpers,” little wooden animals and people on slinkys, bouncing up and down from the ceiling. It was the coolest shop we have ever seen and we spent way too much time and money there. It was one of those moments when you wish you could just pack up the store and bring it home with you to show all your friends. Way too cool to describe.
BELGIUM
Port: Zeebrugge
Nearest Major City: Brussels
Other Nearby Interests: Blankenberg & Bruges
I woke up WAY before my alarm this morning, and after tossing and turning for a bit, I woke Bebe at 6am (10pm LA time) to tell him that I couldn’t sleep and that I was going to the computer area to check my emails. A short time later, Bebe met me there saying he couldn’t sleep either. So, we were both up and awake with not much to do, so we headed to the buffet for a nice leisurely breakfast. Then we went back to our stateroom to pack all our bags. We were suppose to put our bags outside of our door the night before departure so that the porters could have our bags waiting for us when we left the ship. We knew that we would be tired later that night, so it was nice to get it our of the way early.
At 10am it was time to head out and grab a shuttle bus to take us from Zeebrugge to Blankenberg. Once in Blankenberg, we took a train to Bruges. From the train station in Bruges, we hopped on a bus that took us to the city center. We got off the bus a few stops before the city center so that we could explore a bit. Bruges is a very old, medieval town full of castles type buildings and churches along cobblestone roads and beautiful canals. They call it the “Venice of the North”. It’s such a charming little city. We fell in 
love immediately! As we were wandering around, we came across the coolest little wooden toy store. We were lured in by the “Jumpers,” little wooden animals and people on slinkys, bouncing up and down from the ceiling. It was the coolest shop we have ever seen and we spent way too much time and money there. It was one of those moments when you wish you could just pack up the store and bring it home with you to show all your friends. Way too cool to describe.We finally made our way out of the shop and into the city center to do more shopping. We had Belgian Chocolates on the brain, and we found plenty of tasty selections! We also got some Frites (fries), some ice cream and a Belgian Hot Chocolate with Rum. Mmmmmmmm… Before we knew it, it was time to make our way back to the ship. Again, not nearly enough time to do and see all that we wanted to! We caught the bus back to the train station and took some pictures of tulips while we waited for the train. Bebe
bought a Jupiler Beer from a vending machine and drank it on the train. Once we were back in Blankenberg, we had about an hour to kill before our shuttle bus to the ship would arrive. So we walked around, took some photos, saw a Belgian Pug Dog that barked at us in Flemish and Bebe finally found the Belgian waffle he had been searching for. (From a place called Australian Ice Cream, strangely enough.) Bebe offered me a bite of his waffle and he almost had to buy another one, cause I didn’t want to give it back. It was sooooooooo yummy!!!
Eventually, it was time to head back to the shuttle bus where we met our driver. He looked like a younger version of Fabio before the steroids. As the bus was filling up, the passengers all started talking about Belgian beer when our driver whipped out a Jupiler Beer from a cooler at the front of the bus. And, before we knew it, everyone on the bus was buying beers from our driver for 1 Euro each. It was at this point that we dubbed ourselves the “Party Bus.” Once the Party Bus was full it was time to head back to the ship, and by the way that Fabio was driving, we were convinced that he had one too many Jupilers and that we were all going to die! But we made it back safe and boarded the Jewel for the last time.Once back onboard, we had some time before dinner, so we decided to visit the photo gallery to pick out our favorites to bring home. We had decided ahead of time that we would choose only three 8x10s and one 5x7, as they were pretty expensive. We had to narrow it down from about forty to fifty portraits, and it was hard to part with any of them! We bought eight. So, with our empty pockets, we went back to our stateroom to pack up a few last-minutes things. We put our luggage outside our door and headed to our last dinner onboard the Jewel of the Seas. Everyone except Mark was there that night and we all talked about what a fantastic trip we had and how much we enjoyed each other’s company! We disbursed our tips to the wait staff, exchanged
emails and said our goodbyes. It was hugs and kisses all around! And again, we were the last group to leave the dining room. We then headed back to our stateroom, found two towel swans waiting for us and we kissed goodnight.
To be continued... In Amsterdam!
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