After visiting London and Paris in previous years, Ray and Traci decided to expand their exploration of the region by taking a British Isles cruise aboard the Crown Princess. The ship’s September itinerary fit the bill in duration and dates. Before sailing, Traci became quite a fan of Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey which added to the interest of exploring the area.
The travelers left Seattle on Virgin Atlantic Airlines and were both quite impressed with the excellent service provided inflight. The Boeing 787 airplane left Seattle on time at 3:20 pm and arrived at Heathrow 30 minutes early just after 8AM (London time). After speeding through customs, they had to wait for their pre-arranged car service driver to transport them into the city. Traffic on a Saturday morning was reasonably light and 45 minutes later the London adventure started. Due to its central location, Ray made a reservation at the Conrad Hotel St James to spend their three pre-cruise days. Fortunately, their room was ready for an early check in time.
Ray and Traci previously visited London in 2009 (http://rayandtraci.blogspot.com/2009/04/first-visit-to-london-part-1.html) and visited many of the most popular attractions so they sought out new ones for this short stay. After settling into their hotel room, Ray and Traci headed to the Churchill War Rooms, a 20 minute walk from the Conrad Hotel. This historical site housed the UK government during the London bombings of World War II. It was a popular attraction with Ray and Traci waiting about 20 minutes to enter – admission was included in their London Pass cards. After showing their passes they began their tour aided by very interesting narration on handheld audio guides. Life underground was difficult and one cannot forget the bombing that held London hostage for much of the war.
The next stop for the two rapidly tiring tourists was Kensington Palace, better known as William and Kate’s home.
The palace is located inside a large park area complete with a pond. Ray first noted the fearless wildlife in the park – squirrels that jumped on benches and approached people for food. At the pond, huge swans sat on the concrete with little concern for humans approaching them. Ray and Traci toured the public areas of Kensington Palace which provided a glimpse of Victorian London and the life of a monarch. Unfortunately, Kate was busy that day and couldn’t meet Traci so the travelers walked back to the subway station, picked up some takeout food at one of the ubiquitous Pret shops, and retired for the evening.
Ray was initially lukewarm about visiting, but surprisingly found great interest after the tour. Their guide Tony brought much history and previous performances to life with his stories. Ray was amused that Henry Cole, the chief organizer on the project, funded it by selling 999 year seat licenses much like deals funding most newly constructed NBA, MLB and NFL stadiums in America (although with significantly less generous terms!) The widely celebrated venue has hosted an amazing variety of events including music, theater, award shows, an annual tennis tournament, and even a Sumo wrestling tournament.
The London Shard, a newly constructed building with a 72nd floor observation deck was the last stop of the day. Fortunately the beautiful weather enhanced the wonderful views and many London attractions along the Thames River such as Tower Bridge were easily seen. Afterwards, Ray and Traci went to a Japanese restaurant Itsu which is a chain that celebrates its healthy ingredients. While Ray’s teriyaki chicken rice bowl and Traci’s chicken bento salad may have good things for their bodies, the chocolate cupcake from London’s Lola’s did not. The beautiful Sunday closed with watching the Seahawks Bengals NFL game courtesy of the internet with Seattle winning by 1 point well after midnight London time.
Despite the rainy conditions, the Monday morning crowd was astonishing large but Ray and Traci managed to station themselves at the palace gates. The new troops marched in followed by their own marching band. When inside the gates, the various soldiers made changes with their departing counterparts. The band played a collection of contemporary music – theme from Rocky, music from Games of Thrones, and the common college football halftime song Birdland. When the troops neared the fence where Ray and Traci were watching one of the usually silent soldiers said “Hi” to a waiting child. Compared to their visit 10 years ago, it did appear the event was becoming less traditional and more crowd friendly. Maybe next they will add VIP bleacher seating and floats like the Rose Parade! From Buckingham Palace, Ray and Traci used the excellent train system to get to Windsor Castle. 1 hour after leaving St. James’ station, requiring 3 different but easily accessed trains, they arrived at Windsor. The rain was increasing but fortunately the first stop was indoor at St. George’s Chapel where many Royal tombs were located. The choir area displayed the crests and banners of the most honored knights (Order of the Garter). The rain magically subsided for their next stop which was climbing 200 steps to the top of Windsor Castle’s Round Tower (now shaped more like a D after reconstruction.) The optional Conquer the Tower tour gave participants the best views over Windsor.
After the climb down, Ray and Traci completed their exploration with the State Apartments. These rooms were decorated ornately and are still used for official State visits (such as one by President Obama) and special royal events such as charity fund raisers and awards ceremonies. Ray thought the apartments were furnished more luxuriously than France’s Versailles. No photos were allowed indoors at Windsor. Exhausted from another busy travel day, Ray and Traci retraced the route home and picked up food before retiring for the evening.
However, astronomers have found the placement of keystones highlight the summer and winter solstice along with other astronomical correlates. Many bodies were buried in the area along with worldly possessions – sadly, their security measures were much less effective than the Egyptian pharaohs so much of their treasures have been looted. Now sheep make their home around the site where a million visitors annually wonder what its purpose was. A landing pad for aliens? A spiritual mecca? Legos for dinosaurs? Fifty years ago there was no visitor center selling all sorts of memorabilia and visitors just walked among the stones. Now it is a UNESCO Cultural Landmark and one of Great Britain’s most popular destinations. Perhaps it is simply a case study in great marketing. While Ray and Traci were glad to participate in the great puzzle that is Stonehenge, they recommend combining a visit to Stonehenge with other area attractions (or perhaps a cruise ship boarding) in case others don’t feel its calling.
Cannons from the distant past decorate the seawalls, and visitors are treated to an actual cannon firing at noon daily. German bunkers built into the walls bearing traditional German female names once housed anti-aircraft guns. The complex now houses several museums dedicated to the castle’s history, militia and infantry battles, and a Royal Air Force squadron once stationed on Guernsey. If that wasn’t enough, 16th century herb and pleasure gardens are also seen. To finish off the visit, Ray and Traci listened to a resident who was in Guernsey as a child during the German occupation and brought the era to life with his stories. Castle Cornet was one of the very few attractions that Ray and Traci have visited with what seemed like an extraordinarily low price (10 pounds to enter). Having spent much of their limited time at Castle Cornet, they returned to the tender line for the ride back to the ship.
On Thursday, the Crown Princess stopped at Cobh (pronounced Cove) in Ireland. The tour leader Mike from Paddywagon tours brought Ray and Traci’s group to the famous Blarney Castle.
The site included the castle with its Blarney Stone, a kiss of the stone according to lore, leads to 7 years of eloquent speaking. Neither traveler thought risking transmittable infection from thousands of fellow travelers was worth the purported gift of gab. Now, granting a wish like a 2020 World Series in Seattle would be a different story. In addition, the signs warned visitors that the line was 90 minutes long to get into the castle and see the stone, so Ray and Traci explored the other areas of the grounds. Pretty waterfalls, and areas of rock and wood were accompanied by signs alerting visitors to legends about past inhabitants like witches and druids. An interesting area of the complex was the poison garden where there was a large variety of plants that could be harmful and even deadly to humans. Everything from marijuana, poppy (opium), foxglove (digitalis) to poison ivy could be found growing in a well maintained garden. After leaving Blarney, the tour group headed to Kinsale, a small waterfront town with many pubs and shops. It seemed that pubs were more ubiquitous than Starbucks are in Seattle! Before returning to the ship, the bus stopped at St. Colman Cathedral – a most impressive church rising above the Cobh waterfront, signifying the importance of the Roman Catholic faith to the inhabitants of this small town.
Cobh was the Titanic’s last stop before sinking, and Ray and Traci hoped history wouldn’t repeat itself with their ship.
Beautiful weather welcomed the Crown Princess to Dublin, the capital of Ireland. Due to the tides schedule, the ship could not dock until 11AM, limiting the time available to see some of the attractions. Making matters worse, Dublin has terrible traffic and the shuttle bus journey took 1 hour to the heart of downtown (3 mile distance). Taxis would face the same delays and cost significantly extra due to the traffic. Once downtown, Ray and Traci walked to Trinity University to see the Book of Kells. The famed book is a Latin manuscript with illustrations of the four New Testament gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) created by monks around the year 800. The stop at Trinity began with a guided tour of the historic campus led by a psychology student. After some very interesting insight about student life in Ireland, the group entered the Book of Kells Exhibit. The background about the books and how they were produced was interesting, and the two sections being displayed were quite impressive in condition and artistic quality – 1000 year old inks making pictures that appeared to be recently printed. The calligraphy also was masterfully done. From Trinity, Ray and Traci walked to Dublin Castle which primarily houses government offices today. With time being limited, they decided to skip a tour of the castle and headed toward St. Patrick’s – a church constructed in 1220. It was interesting to see a large portion of the church occupied by a gift shop to satisfy the wishes of the long line of tourists waiting outside. Leaving the impressive Anglican church, Ray and Traci walked back to the shuttle pick up area and endured the Friday afternoon traffic back to the ship.
A short distance away, Ray and Traci found the much different Catholic church, the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.
Shaped like Disney’s Space Mountain, the structure was quite different than any other Roman Catholic Church either traveler has seen. The history was also very unique. Fundraising and initial construction started with the crypt below ground. This area was quite immense and included many different areas for events and performances. The initial plan was to build an immaculate traditional church – the model rests in the Liverpool museum. Unfortunately, the war and lack of finances prevented the execution of their plan and in 1962, this spaceship looking church was built next to the original crypt. The inside of the cathedral matches the modern appearing outside. From there, Ray and Traci wandered back to the waterfront along the streets of Chinatown. Many Chinese restaurants and shops lined the streets although surprisingly most were closed on a Saturday afternoon. Back at the waterfront, a statue of these local residents seemed to attract a lot of attention:
Before returning to the ship, Ray and Traci made a stop at the Liverpool Museum. A special exhibit dedicated to the memory of John Lennon made a bittersweet ending to their Liverpool adventure.
Next, the tour went to the famous Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World heritage site. The causeway, according to Irish lore, was created by a giant named Finn McCool making a pathway to Scotland. Ray and Traci didn’t get to see Finn, but did hear his booming steps at a distance. The site’s curiosity stems from the hexagonal columns at varying heights. For the scientific purists, volcanic drying during solidification results in formation of the columns.
At Paul’s advice, Ray and Traci skipped the visitor’s center charging 12.5 pounds to enter a glorified gift shop. Instead, they walked past the causeway (infested with hundreds of visitors) to an uphill path leading to the amphitheater, an enormous concave rock structure. They returned to the bus by walking back along the cliffs. Few site visitors made this added journey and missed out on some spectacular seaside geography.
Downtown Belfast looked like many American downtown areas with shopping, restaurants, and many people milling around. Before returning to the ship, the Paddywagon bus took passengers to a street along the safety fence that splits much of Belfast. A somber Paul, discussed the long history of conflict between the Royalists (Protestants) and Nationalists (Catholics) which lives on today. While violence has subsided for nearly 20 years, neighborhoods, families, schools and the country remains quite divided. Safety fences which are locked at 7pm daily inhibit tensions from flaring. Although violence has subsided along with international media attention, tensions are still ongoing. Colorful and thoughtful murals impart the sadness and loss of the conflict and memorialize the events of the past. Paul thought his Paddywagon bus, despite being full of Americans would be at risk for rock throwers should the tour venture into Protestant neighborhoods. So called ‘black cab tours’ are a much better options to tour both Belfast neighborhoods.
The final stop was at the Titanic Museum (and adjacent Titanic Studios – the producer for Game of Thrones). Unfortunately, the museum was closed at the time of the Paddywagon visit, so only exterior photos could be taken from this attraction.
Ray and Traci returned for the night with new perspectives thanks to their excellent tour guide.
Ray and Traci returned for the night with new perspectives thanks to their excellent tour guide.
The castle has been strategically located on top of a steep hill and overlooked the River Forth crossing. Originally built around 1100, it was mostly destroyed around 1300 and then rebuilt – it was an active British Army training facility until 1965 at which time it was restored and now serves as a popular tourist attraction, concert venue, and even television set. At first, Ray was a bit lukewarm on visiting another castle, but after taking the 60 minute free tour given by castle staff, he was disappointed they only had 90 minutes total to see the site. The architecture was quite interesting with limewashed stonework on the outside giving it a golden appearance due to iron content of the sealant. Inside, regal furnishings gave the feel of its past life.
One key difference between Stirling Castle and others is the extensive restoration required due to centuries of use as an active military facility – much of the tapestry and furniture are reproductions so not tarnished by age and available for visitors to use.
Due to limited time, Ray and Traci didn’t get a chance to play king and queen by sitting on the dining hall thrones.
Reluctantly, the travelers returned to the bus without getting to explore more of the exhibits at the castle.
Lunch in the quaint village of Aberfoyle was next, Ray and Traci found an excellent (and unbelievably inexpensive) restaurant called Liz MacGregors. Traci enjoyed a lentil soup and roll, while Ray had a very tasty grilled ham and cheese sandwich – called a toasty made with very thin bread. They also explored some of the shops and found a grocery store with unexpectedly cheap prices of American goods at least when British pounds are converted to US dollars. The last stop was at Loch Lomond, a large lake in the Trossachs National Park. Like many tours, the bus stopped at this shopping mall located along the lake. While the view was nice, Ray wishes they spent 5 minutes at the lake (mall) and an hour more at Stirling Castle. The tour guides James and David did a good job, and shouldn’t be blamed for the misallocation of time. Ray did some research after the excursion and could not find a tour that just went to Stirling Castle – something he would recommend for future travelers. Before the Crown Princess left, a Scottish bagpipe band serenaded the departing ship with traditional music from the shore.
During tour season, the estate is a busy destination of many visitors looking at the castle, the extensive grounds complete with a hedge maze and even a 9 hole golf course open to the public, and a glimpse into the life of today’s aristocracy. The castle complex includes a drawbridge, ornate yet impractical bedrooms due to their lack of nearby bathrooms, and even a small dungeon for unwanted houseguests.
Of course, since the castle is a residence during the off season, a kitchen well equipped with computer controlled ovens mixes in with much older furnishings. After exploring Cawdor Castle, the group moved on to Culloden Battlefield. The site of a major battle between British soldiers and rebels called Jacobites who were trying to restore the Stuart monarchy to the throne. Tragically, the battle ended as a massacre with the British monarchy reigning over the Scots. The television show Outlander has used the site for many scenes. After wandering around the sacred site, Ray enjoyed some macaroni and cheese, while Traci had a ham and chicken pie at the visitor center café. From Culloden, the tour group drove thru Inverness before reaching the famed Loch Ness.
While Nessie, the legendary Loch Ness Monster has been in hiding recently, the legend lives on – in fact a whole Nessieland complex complete with hotel, restaurant, playground, gift shop and, of course, replicas of Nessie are found nearby. Another site made famous from Outlander, Urquhart Castle sits on a perch above Loch Ness which was seen as the tour bus headed back to the cruise port. Limited time prevented the group from stopping at the ruins of Urqhart castle (it was mostly destroyed in 1692 during battle between Royalists and Jacobite groups.) The bus passed through the town of Beauly, another site seen in Outlander, before dropping off passengers back at Invergordon.
Arriving shortly after 10am, Ray and Traci were fortunate to miss the huge crowds which later appeared even on a weekday off season visit. They joined one of the walking tours and learned about its rich history. The oldest existing structure at the castle – St. Margaret’s Chapel was originally built in the 1100s. Over the years, the castle expanded, parts demolished, and extensive renovations took place. Even today, the Royal Regiment of Scotland is garrisoned at the castle. A small cemetery for pets of soldiers is found within the walls.
The large complex contains several museums housing the Crown Jewels of Scotland, War Memorial, and detailed exhibits of castle inhabitants and areas used as prisons for captured soldiers. While the complex has many replica cannons, a modern Howitzer is used to fire a 1pm charge daily. The crowds continued to grow as Ray and Traci left the castle and headed east on the Royal Mile. Nearby, they decided to stop at Camera Obscura – a tall building housing many types of illusions. On the top floor, a special periscope displays a 360 view of surrounding Edinburgh. Outside, balconies allowed visitors to appreciate the beautiful landscape on a sunny day. On the next four floors, tourists were treated to all sorts of optical illusions, electronic images, a disorienting light tunnel, and a maze built of mirrors. Camera Obscura was a nice diversion from the mostly historical sites visited during this trip. Ray and Traci walked further down the Royal Mile, stopping at Café Nero, Europe’s answer to Starbucks, and shared a toasted ham and cheese sandwich. Their last stop in Edinburgh was at Holyrood, the Queen’s official residence while in Scotland.
Fortunately, crowds were light at the end of the day, so Ray and Traci could appreciate the history and beauty of Holyrood. The tour featured great reception halls, offices, and dining areas used today for official visits but unfortunately no photos were allowed. This policy was sternly explained to Ray after he inadvertently photographed the elegant dining room!
The surrounding grounds were immaculately maintained. Traci especially enjoyed the special exhibition of Harry and Meghan’s Royal wedding which displayed the wedding gown, veil and tiara. As is the case with many ship stops, time grew short and Ray and Traci had to take the reverse route on the bus and tender boat back to the Crown Princess. A Scottish band provided music for the ship's departure.
The surrounding grounds were immaculately maintained. Traci especially enjoyed the special exhibition of Harry and Meghan’s Royal wedding which displayed the wedding gown, veil and tiara. As is the case with many ship stops, time grew short and Ray and Traci had to take the reverse route on the bus and tender boat back to the Crown Princess. A Scottish band provided music for the ship's departure.
Friday found the Crown Princess at sea sailing toward France where warmer temperatures and sunshine greeted the passengers. Ray and Traci’s final stop on their European journey was Saturday in Le Havre, a port on the northern coast of France. Unfortunately, many of the popular tours involved long bus rides from Le Havre – some travelers went to Paris, some to Normandy, others avoided the 2-3 hour bus rides and explored nearby. Ray and Traci used their day to visit Mont St. Michel, a stunning island with a monastery and village built in the 9th century.
In its rich history, the island has hosted religious orders as well as prisoners. Today it still hosts a small colony of 10 monks, but mainly serves as an amazing tourist destination. Its remote location discourages many from making the trip but Ray and Traci endured 2 ½ hours on the bus each way and appreciated the beautiful and unique location. A shuttle bus system brings tourists from the parking area across the bridge to the island. Their guide provided some relief from the crowds by using a route that bypassed the Mont St. Michel village before beginning the tour. When walking off the bridge toward the monastery, visitors can reach the ticket office / entrance by turning left under the arch flying a French flag. The normal route to the entrance requires visitors to traverse the extremely crowded village with its narrow and steep pathway shared by those coming and those leaving. After a 90 minute tour of the facility which included chapels, dining areas, work areas, cloisters and formal ceremony rooms, visitors descended into the village below with dozens of shops and restaurants. While the crowds were impressive when the tour began, Ray was overwhelmed with the onslaught of tourists arriving later in the afternoon. Ray and Traci decided to use their free time in the area to share a ham and cheese baguette from Le Brioche Doree, a French bakery chain. Surprisingly, all 31 people on the tour made it back to the bus early for the long journey back to the ship.
