Dublin day off

TSH and Diva decided to cancel their planned excursion in Dublin. There was chaos in the theatre as the Shore Concierge attempted to group unruly guests into suitable numbers for the 20 minute tender ride. They decided that the whole operation would not run to time and they decided to opt out, have a quiet day on board and enjoy a relaxed lunch in an almost empty restaurant. Some of the menus have changed quite a lot from when they were last on board but it is still possible to eat very well. Diva had an excellent duck for dinner and Tamarind prawns for lunch. The crew are as charming and hard-working as ever – several remember TSH and Diva from previous voyages.

Ireland

In Dublin, TSH and Diva went to the excellent EPIC (Every person is connected) exhibition about the history of Ireland and the achievements of its people around the world. There were separate exhibitions for sport, music, politics etc and the scale of the influence is both huge and impressive.  We all know about Terry Wogan and Bono but Rihanna, whose real name is Fenty, was something of a surprise. The one where they were claiming influence on Israel because a politician there was related to a former Chief Rabbi of Eire was maybe a bit more tenuous.

Eire, like everywhere else, is struggling with the volume of traffic in its cities. In Cork, Diva and TSH walked around the city and found that the pedestrian crossings only allowed a short time to cross and then it was a long wait for the next chance. In Dublin, by contrast , it felt as if the pedestrians were given priority, as the coach seemed to spend as much time at crossings as touring the city.

In Belfast, the excursion was to the impressive World Heritage site at the Giant’s Causeway. The visitor centre explains the geology, natural history and mythology very effectively. This was a really good excursion, with a drive along the very scenic coast road. The weather was mostly clear, but the mist came down just at the right time to prevent viewing of the fisherman’s rope bridge. After preparing for the cooler weather (as forecast) for the Giant’s Causeway it actually turned out to be quite warm and outer clothing had to be removed. Diva & TSH were surprised that people were allowed to walk on the Giants Causeway and one individual was even flying a drone over it to take photographs.

Leaving Belfast lough, TSH and Diva waved to friends in Port Patrick (Scotland). They couldn’t see the friends but the friends reported that they saw the Silver Spirit.

It was very evident in the three Irish ports that people are united in not wanting a border between north and south and that they are very concerned about what might happen after Brexit. They were also anxious to remain neutral about Irish history and succeeded to a much greater extent than did the  journalist on board who claims to be neutral about the Trump presidency. TSH and Diva are picking up his anti-Trump bias loud and clear and they agree with what he is saying, so the Trump supporters must be furious. There was one difference in the narrative between Northern Ireland and Eire and that was in the account of the nineteenth century Irish potato famine. The extent to which the Westminster government did or did not help was told differently. Both accounts were probably accurate but there was a difference in emphasis.

A very scenic morning cruise through the Scottish islands followed.

Overheard in dining room: ‘Can I have the meat without the marinade?’

Overheard when looking out to sea at Northern Ireland small islands and off-shore rocky outcrops: ‘Which one is Iceland?’

St Emilion and Belle-ile

The tour to St Emilion was the best Silversea tour this cruise. It took TSH and Diva to a medieval stone village which is a world heritage site. On the way, they passed many famous vineyards, such as Pomeron and Cheval blanc, whose produce is way beyond TSH’s wine budget. One of the highlights of the village was the stone church which had been carved out of the rock. During WW2, it was used to store the stained glass windows of the northern France cathedrals to save them from the bombing. Back in Bordeaux, they had a good external view of the new wine museum, open for just a few days, which is designed to look like wine swirling into a decanter. The inside seems to be a bit like the Guinness museum in Dublin, with tasting in the panoramic view bar at the end.

The Silversea boutique had a sale of venetian glass jewellery, so after a couple of glasses of port, Diva added to her collection.

The excursion to Belle-ile has two narratives. TSH thought it was interesting and scenic and he had a good time. Except when Diva was complaining. Because the walking in the heat up hills and over cobbles was far more than she had expected. And everybody walks faster than she does. It felt like games class at school. Parts of the coast were very wild and rocky, like Cornwall but the interior was mainly rolling small hills. The views on the coast were very dramatic – in one place, it was totally clear and in just a few moments the mist rolled in. TSH took so many pics that his SD card ran out of space.

An unscheduled stop next so that the Silver Wind can officially exit the Schengen area.

TSH photographed gannets following the Silver Wind and on Belle-ile he spotted a few lizards of varying sizes. Also special breeds of cows and sheep.

The executive chef is providing special food most evenings. Mostly cheese but sometimes antipasti, such as olives or oysters. Diva ate the oyster but TSH passed. He had eaten shellfish earlier in the day when he did not wear his specs to visit the buffet and he ended up with seafood pizza.

Getting started

The Silver Whisper waiters remember TSH and Diva and the new maître d’ already knows them by name, so it’s a good start. Food as good as ever.  On the other hand, the butler service requires refinement. The actual butler was away training, so the greeting was by two eager but obviously inexperienced room stewards. The requests were for champagne, shiraz, warm water for Diva’s interdental gadget and plenty of still water. The first two arrived OK. Eventually boiling water arrived complete with a cup for drinking it, which was perhaps an understandable misunderstanding.  Even later, a large bottle of distilled water arrived. No idea what they thought it was for or where they got it, but top marks for effort.

At the safety drill, Diva always tests the light on the lifejacket. They specifically tell you not to do that but how else do you know it works? But now they have some new lights which allegedly come on when in contact with water. How would that work? And how would you know it was working? TSH suggested  a test involving wearing the lifejacket in the shower but that seemed a bit drastic and the test did not take place.

A bracing walk along the waterfront and through the town in Falmouth, with the weather just the same as when TSH and Diva were last here – grey and drizzly but no actual heavy rain.  TSH took lots of pics.

The rumour on board is that a massive storm is heading for Stornoway and that as we are possibly due to anchor and tender so it won’t be safe and we will miss out the port. Bad news in itself but what does this mean in sea sickness terms?

The Whisper was in Dublin until the evening, so TSH and Diva were able to go around the city on their own, taking in the Guinness Storehouse, O’Connell St, the Post Office and Trinity College, with views of Dublin Castle and the Cathedral en route.

On the crowded bus to Guinness, a friendly Irishman who helped with finding the right bus stood up from his aisle seat to allow Diva to sit on the empty window seat, as he was getting off first. Before he could get his seat back, TSH (oblivious to what was going on), took the elderly man’s seat, forcing him to look elsewhere for a scarce seat. Diva did not recover from the mortification for some hours.

Diva drank her first ever Guinness. Not a whole pint – just the little taster. In spite of much tuition, involving clouds of vapour, a white room and a transfer to a dark ‘velvet’ room, she didn’t really get it and will be sticking with cab sauv rouge.

The other Guinness fact is that 14 tankers of it were lined up on the quayside when we arrived. (Information courtesy of TSH)

The most interesting part of Trinity College was the stunning library, with an exhibition of the Book of Kells.

La Terrazza for dinner.