Review and Travel Journal of Our Regal Cruise to England/Guernsey/Ireland/Scotland and Wales-A Crowning Achievement

[JimmyVWine]

Day 3-Guernsey (Continued)

The reason why I wanted to address the next two stops on our tour in a separate post is because you will note a distinct change in writing style.  While I generally prefer a lighthearted, Erma Bombeck style of writing when doing my travel journals, there is nothing lighthearted about the subject matter of German Army (I can't even spell out the "other" word) war tunnels or the most comprehensive museum of occupation artifacts found anywhere on the planet.  My typical irreverence would be misplaced and tone deaf.  That said, the stop at the German Underground Hospital was fascinating.  It makes all too real the story of the complete occupation of this island during the war and both the physical and emotional scarring that this occupation imprinted on the landscape and the people.  Thankfully the effect on the people has largely faded, but the change to the landscape is evident everywhere.   I have been to other German war tunnels before, most notably at Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden.  But this system of tunnels and storage facilities left me speechless.  The tour takes you far underground, (as far as about 80-90 feet)  to cold, damp, dark but intricately constructed and maintained tunnels and storage rooms, most left exactly as they had been abandoned on May 9, 1945.  According to Soo, after the German surrender, the de-occupation of Guernsey was negotiated on May 8 and by May 9, the Germans began (and largely concluded) their departure from the island in one day. So much of what the occupying forces had constructed was left in place, torn down or converted at the discretion of the people who resided or returned there after the war.  These tunnels were largely forgotten about until construction and curiosity brought them back to the metaphoric surface many years later.  The tunnel system is so vast that one would surely get lost in them without a guide.  Indeed, a non-tour visitor had to beseech Soo for some directions our of the system and back to the entrance/exit as she had gotten terribly turned around.

 

The tunnels themselves are mostly poured concrete, held in place by wooden boards until the concrete set so that the boards could be pried off and reused.  In this photo you can see a “wooden” texture to the walls which are just concrete, with the lines you see formed by the wood planks. When you get close enough, you can actually see the graining of the wood imprinted into the concrete.  In the second photo you can better see puddling on the concrete floor.  Many of these puddles for in clearly discernable boot prints that were left by either the tunnel builders, (forced labor, obviously) or German soldiers themselves.  The third photo provides a perspective of the length and vastness of the system.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the name of the museum implies, there was a hospital aspect to the facility and that can be seen here.  The beds are replicas of what would have been found during the time of its use, but everything else including the whitewashed brick is original.

 

 

 

 

From here we were taken to the German Occupation Museum.  This is a small in size, but huge in content private collection of one man’s obsession of collecting everything he could from within the island that the Germans had left behind.  The artifacts are in “as if used yesterday” condition and present some of the best war artifacts found anywhere.  We could have spent a full day here, but the 90 minutes gave us ample time to get the overall sense and scope of what we were seeing.  If there is one single “don’t miss” site in Guernsey, this is it. With that said, I did not take any pictures inside of the museum.  It was not that they were prohibited, but emotionally I just did not think that it was right to fill my camera with swastika-laden objects and German Army guns, uniforms and paraphernalia.  I have my memories, but “tourist photos” just didn’t seem right.

 

When this part of the tour ended, we were driven back to the tender dock where some people opted to get back on the ship for a late lunch, but we honored a previously made 1:30 reservation at a lovely restaurant about four blocks away along the waterfront.  Lunch and our time back onboard the ship will be covered in a subsequent post.

Edited May 14, 2023 by JimmyVWine

[Kay S]

Wow.  Intense photos.

[azbirdmom]

So happy to read your review of the tour with Tours of Guernsey.  We are going on the same tour with them next month.  I know what you mean about filling your camera with remnants of the war not seeming right.  We felt the same while viewing some of the remnants of the Vietnam war while on an excursion in Ho Chi Minh City.  Will have to brace myself for reminders of the horrors of WWII but it's history and cannot be forgotten.

[Lady Arwen]

What?  That’s it for today?  What the heck will I do until tomorrow’s update!  Your story is so darn intriguing and entertaining and informative and all those other adjectives that mean “really, really, good”.  Thank you for bringing us along!

[SDZoogirl]

We were on this cruise too. Love reading your review! We did the Tours of Guernsey as well but were in Susie’s group.

[sunviking90]

Really enjoyed your very detailed reporting of your day in Guernsey. My dad was from Jersey (neighbour island) and lived through the German occupation from age 7-13 and it shaped him forever. I haven’t been to Guernsey but to Jersey many times and there are also the remnants of the German occupation from the underground “hospital” to the bunkers, etc, all built by imported slave labour. Very sobering reminders everywhere in such a very beautiful place. 

[nini]

Thank you for sharing your day's visit to Guernsey. We also had a fabulous tour, and if we visit again, I think we may book the one you were on. Les Miserables is one of my very favorite books and I am so fortunate it was required reading in high school.

[JimmyVWine]

Day 3-Guernsey (Continued)

From the dock area we walked north along the waterfront esplanade a few blocks, made a u-turn onto The Pollet (one of the main shopping streets) and arrived at Christie’s Brasserie in time for our 1:30 booking.  The last tender was scheduled for 3:00 but we assumed correctly that we could complete a nice lunch in the time allotted.  As the name “Brasserie” suggests, Guernsey’s closer proximity to France than to England becomes most evident when looking at street names and restaurant menus.  We shared an escargot appetizer, not certain if that old favorite would make its way onto to the current ship’s menu, while I had the Octopus and Baby Squid Casserole, K had the Salmon Niçoise, and S had the Pan Roasted Skate.  While up to this point of our cruise the weather had been fair to good, by the time the afternoon rolled around in St. Peter Port, it was downright sunny and warm.  We were seated indoors, but right beside fully accordioned doors that were wide open facing the waterfront below.  We had a wonderful lunch of fine dining and service with time enough to walk back to the ship…if we could find it!  You see, an odd coastal phenomenon occurred while we dined, which was a perfect corridor of fog rolling in from the sea that enveloped the port area and the place where Regal was anchored.  Where one minute we could see the beautiful ship from our second story table, a minute later the ship was gone and the fog continued to roll in as if pumped from a theatrical fog machine.  It was quite a site to see.  Or not see, as the case may be.

 

We walked back to the dock area, confident that David Copperfield had not made the ship disappear, boarded a tender and made our way back to the ship.  A trivia competition was scheduled to begin at 4:00 in Club 6 and S insisted that we get there in time to participate.  She and her mates in Edinburgh enjoy pub trivia frequently and she also enjoys ship trivia with her parents.  We ordered cocktails at Club 6, crossing that venue off of our BINGO card, both as an entertainment venue and as a cocktail venue, got settled, and lo and behold, won our very first every game of Princess trivia.  We took home the life-changing prize of three rubberized Regal Princess coaster, one of which is destined to be converted into a Christmas ornament which we can hang low on our tree where we put the ornaments that the cats cannot destroy.  Afterwards it was back to the cabin to shower and dress for our first Formal Night.

 

Ah, Formal Night.  Two simple words that engender countless words of debate and debacle.  I am not going to use this space to discuss what one is allowed to wear.  I will not use this space to opine as to what one should wear.  Rather, I will simply (he says with a grin and a chuckle) tell you what we actually witnessed people wearing, with some candid photos to boot.  The photos were snapped quicky and inconspicuously with my phone so forgive the horrid quality.  And let me begin by noting that the Cruise Director made an announcement after all were back on board welcoming everyone back, reminding folks that tonight was Formal Night, encouraging folks to put on their finest attire, and comforting those who wished to remain casual that the buffet was open to all with no formality expected.  Now, people can fuss over whether that was a “rule”, or a “suggestion” or whether it was meaningless drivel.  It really doesn’t matter.  This is not the place for debating the rules.  As noted, I will simply tell you what we witnessed, and where we witnessed it. 

 

On our walk back to our cabin after trivia, there were already people dressed for dinner making their way to one of the MDRs.  We saw far more tuxedos than I was expecting, and lots of sparkly, sequined dresses.  We say suits and ties.  Blazers and ties. Blazers without ties.  Some long-sleeved shirts with no ties, and a handful of Polo shirts.  What we did not see was a single pair of shorts or a single pair of jeans.  Small sample size in the hallways and elevators, but still.  Our standing reservation at Concerto was for 7:30. The Captain’s welcome and Champagne event was scheduled to begin at 6:45.  We have been there and done that, but were dressed in time to make our way to the railing above the Piazza by around 7:10 and took some time to enjoy the music, look around and soak in the atmosphere.  It was here on Deck 7 at just after 7:00 that I took the following photos.  And I know that there will be some who will insist that I purposefully sought out the most dressed-up people on the ship, but I assure you that I did not.  I just snapped off photos twisting this way and that to capture what was in out and about at that time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As was our custom, we headed to Vines to load up on some wine before dinner, (three glasses of the South African “Chocolate Block” and while there I fired off another candid.

 

 

And once seated at our table, surrounded by the same cast of diners that we had been with on the first two nights, all of whom, like us, were enjoying the same table at the same time each night, I took a visual survey of the men in my field of vision.  16 in all.  Four of whom wore tuxedos, three in suits and ties, four with blazers and ties, three with blazers and no ties, and two with long sleeved shirts and no ties.  For people who want to make the claim that people simply don’t dress up for Formal Night any more can not use this evening as evidence.  Perhaps it was the UK itinerary or the moderate temperatures.  I don’t know the reason.  But what I do know is this was as a dressy a crowd and as if I need to mention it, while I provide only the statistics for the men, the accompanying women were equal to the task.

 

After dinner we went back to the Vista Lounge for more fun with AJ Clarke, and while there I snapped off one last photo as discreetly as I could.

 

 

So no more from about attire and no debating it here.  I was not in all places at all times so I cannot make any comment about the 3,000 people whom I did not lay eyes on that night.  I comment only on the light that passed through my own rods and cones.

 

As for dinner, the menu for a Formal Night was not what we were used to.  Perhaps it was because we still had another “Dress to Impress” night as well as a “Coronation Night” dinner coming our way. But the menu was pretty standard.  That does not mean that we did not enjoy it.  But it could have been any night on any Princess cruise.  For Starters I had the Seared Pepper Duck Breast and K had the Sunchoke Cream Soup and we were both satisfied.  S had the Lump Crab Cake and one would have needed to send for a search party to find any evidence of a lump of crab, only the search party apparently got lost in the fog.  We agreed that we would not order that dish again.  For Mains, I had the Beef Tenderloin, K had the Halibut with Proscuitto, and S had the Duck a la Orange.  I enjoyed my beef, having ordered it medium rare and receiving it “rare+” which is actually what I prefer.  But the portion was quite a bit smaller than I recall from the past.  S enjoyed her duck as well.  K’s halibut was a bit overcooked and the “Proscuitto” appeared to be just regular sliced ham, similar to what Alfredo’s uses on its pizza.

 

For dessert I was happy to see the Chocolate Hazelnut Bar still on the menu.  In our household it is referred to as the Chocolate Viking Ship given its shape.  While Norman Love’s name is no longer attached to this dessert, it remains faithful to his original recipe and was as good as ever.  K and S each enjoyed their Caramel Pecan Turtle Cheesecake.

 

As for wines, after we finished our first glasses brought in from Vines, K and I each had a glass of Belle Glos Pinot Noir and S had a glass of the Silverado Cabernet.  I finished dinner with a glass of Port and K and S split a glass of Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel from the MDR list which was priced $2 over the $15 allowance.    While we were at the Vista Lounge we stuck to cocktails, all of which were under the $15 limit.  We got one round at the Princess Live bar, checking that venue off of our BINGO card, and ordered another through the app which came quickly and accurately.  Our total for the day was 9 glasses of wine and 6 cocktails.  Our out-of-pocket cost would have been $304.44.  With Plus we paid $16.52, and with Premier we would have paid $0.  We closed down the Vista Lounge and from there it was time for bed with Cobh/Cork to come the next day.   

 

 

 

 

Edited May 14, 2023 by JimmyVWine

[Lady Meer]

JimmyVWine - thank you for taking the time to write this excellent review. We are on a similar itinerary on 1 June and wondered if you could tell me roughly where the tender dock is in Guernsey.

 

Thanks.

[JimmyVWine]

41 minutes ago, Lady Meer said:

JimmyVWine - thank you for taking the time to write this excellent review. We are on a similar itinerary on 1 June and wondered if you could tell me roughly where the tender dock is in Guernsey.

 

Thanks.

Sure.  If you look at Google Maps and zoom in to St. Peter Port Harbour area, you will see a several distinct piers.  When you zoom in close enough you will see their names. Our tenders came in at Albert Pier.  At the city end of the pier is a statue to Prince Albert and at the water end of the pier is a restaurant called Pier 17.  The tenders docked here and the walkway up from the water level takes you right to the Pier 17 restaurant and the outdoor seating area of the restaurant served as the meeting place for our tour.  Here is a map that will help you get oriented.  

Guernsey Harbour(1034329.1).pdf

[JimmyVWine]

I neglected to post the Patter from Day 3.  Here it is.

Patter Day 3.pdf

[Lady Meer]

1 hour ago, JimmyVWine said:

Guernsey info and map

 

Thank you so much, that’s really useful information.

 

Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip.

 

 

Edited May 15, 2023 by Lady Meer

[JimmyVWine]

Day 4-Cohb/Cork Ireland

Two consecutive days of long, organized tours started to take its toll.  Cadence-wise, this seemed to be the perfect slot for a Sea Day. I can’t recall when, or if we have ever taken a cruise where the first three days are all port stops without a Sea Day built in there somewhere.  But here it was, Day 4 of our cruise, and there would be no rest for the wicked or weary.  Thankfully, we had planned ahead by not planning ahead, meaning that our agenda for the day included little more than taking the train from the dock at Cohb to Cork where we would see some sights on our own with only a modest number of items to check off from our must-do list.  The Princess excursions (and most of the private tours that we investigated) seemed to focus on going out to Blaney Castle, or the Jameson’s Distillery.  Neither of those things interested us all that much and based on the way we all felt when we woke up, we were glad that we had decided to take a day for ourselves.  Kissing the Blarney Stone to receive the “gift of gab” did not seem to be something that I much needed!

 

Taking the train from Cohb to Cork could not be simpler.  As we opened the curtains in or Port-side cabin in the morning we were staring directly at the train station so if you are wondering about the logistics of this first step of finding the train station, put that concern to bed.  S used one of her public transportation apps to confirm that trains would be running every thirty minutes on the top and bottom of each hour.  This was to be a long port stop with an All-Aboard time published as 9:30 in our Patter.  However, this was the day to which we moved our Sabatini’s reservation, and we were locked in at 7:10.  So while the ship could hang around the dock until 9:30, we could not.  Working backwards based on when we wanted to be back on the ship and what we wanted to do in Cork, we concluded that catching an 11:00 train would do us just fine.  So we enjoyed a more leisurely pace this morning, took our time getting ready and had a light breakfast on board the ship until it was time to leave the cabin at around 10:45.

 

We walked off the ship and headed straight to the train station and the ticket vending machines.  Some helpful “greeters” were there to help clueless Americans navigate the payment system, as the UK and European guests seemed to have no difficulty whatsoever.  S is a seasoned European traveler when it comes to things like trains, buses, Air BnB’s, ferries, etc., so we left her in charge of buying the tickets.  It was now 10:55 and the train we were to board was in the station, gearing up for its run to Cork.  As S took her turn buying our tickets, the “helpful” greeter insisted on working the machine for us and retrieving our tickets from the dispensing area as they were spit out, clutching them in his hands as he offered us all sorts of advice for the day.  Well, I now have a firm understanding of the phrase “gift for gab” as this guy must have planted a kiss on the Blarney Stone the likes of Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr.  “You must do this, and be sure to do that.  And when you get to this place, make sure that you blah, blah, blah…”  We did our best to smile and converse politely, but we now had about 90 seconds to catch our train.  We thanked him for all of his help and walked briskly to the awaiting train and were lucky to find three seats together for the 25 minute ride to Cork that follows a beautiful coastal/tidal river route with some nice scenery especially on the left hand side of the forward moving train.  And while not as grand as Blarney Castle, there are some castle ruins that can be spotted along the way.

 

While on the train I went over our agenda with our “Amazing Race” team. We are big fans of the show and fancy ourselves as being contestants on the show when we have adventure days like this one.  Silly, but fun.  The goals for the day were to visit the English Market and score some local vittles for lunch; find dad a new mid-weight weatherproof jacket so that he could retire the well-worn one he has been traveling with for the past 17 years; see a cathedral; drink a pint in a very old pub with some history and charm; and get a Christmas Ornament and some other souvenirs to commemorate our visit to a brand-new country.  (Well, the country isn’t brand new.  But it was the first time visiting it for either of us, so it was new to us.)  Anything else that we wanted to add to that itinerary would be gravy.  The first item on the list was easy.  From the train station we walked about 15 minutes, crossing the River Lee and following Oliver Plunkett Street most of the way, and entered the English Market through one of its many entrances, this one on Oliver Plunkett.  For those who do not know, the English Market is an indoor market with stall after stall of local produce, meats, cheeses, prepared foods, spices, and pretty much anything else that you can think of that you might find at a Farmer’s Market.  It is pretty much Cork’s version of the Mercato Centrale in Florence.  We knew that we would find a nice local lunch here, along with some cheeses and other goodies to bring back with us on the ship.  The Market was as advertised, and we ate well and could have spent many hours there.  Our family has an oversized appreciation for markets like this and whereas others might not give it a second thought, a place like this can be a whole day’s adventure for us. 

 

 

 

But we had other items on our Amazing Race list to check off before we could meet Phil at the Pit Stop, so we had to press on.

When I told a friend that I was in the market for a new coat to take with me on our UK Cruise, she gave me the obvious advice that I simply had not thought of on my own.  “Why not bring your old coat with you and buy a new one while on vacation, and leave the old coat behind?  You are going to the part of the world where mid-weight weatherproof jackets are mandatory attire.”  She was right, of course.  And when S asked me to describe the type of coat I was looking for, after giving her the description she said: “Dad.  You just described a Barbour Waxed Coat.”  I said: “Yeah, probably.  But I wasn’t looking to spend that much.”  She said that her flatmate just bought one in Edinburgh and that prices in this part of the world would be lower than what I was used to in the upper-end boutiques where Barbour is sold in the U.S.  She did some quick research and found a men’s clothing store (Fitzgerald’s—can you get more out of Central Casting than that?) that allegedly carried Barbour clothing and which was just two blocks from the English Market.  So that become our next stop and lo and behold, Fitzgerald’s had exactly what I was looking for, in my size, and at a price that was considerably less than what I expected to pay.  Still more than I thought I should pay, but K and S said that if I liked the jacket, it would be my Father’s Day present.  And so it is.

 

Two tasks down, and still a few more to go.  Next on our list was a visit to a cathedral. After all, what is a European vacation without a visit to a cathedral, (or 4 or 5)?  This was really our only opportunity for such a visit, so we made it a priority to walk to Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral, a Gothic Revival structure built in 1870 and named for Finbarr of Cork who I am embarrassed to say I know little of but who lived in the 6^th C.  It is a striking edifice in good condition with turrets, gargoyles and lost of other Gothic iconography.

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sky became more threatening, and a spot of rain began to fall from the sky, so we decided to press on and thought that this might be a good time for a pub visit to see if the  clouds would blow over.  In my pre-trip research I made up a list of half a dozen or so pubs that would fit the bill for checking off our must-do pint.  But oddly, what I forgot to do is check for the operating hours of each establishment.  I am just so used to cities, towns and ports adjusting their schedules to cruise ship visits that I neglected to take into account that Cork is a “real” city that does not live and die by the cruise ship calendar or shift is operations to accommodate the likes of us.  So two of the prime candidates for a visit, situated right next to each other and within minutes of the Cathedral had to be stricken from the list as they did not open until after we were scheduled to be back on the train.  With an “all aboard” time of 9:30, it would be possible to visit either or both of these establishments, but we did not plan to hang around that long.  “An Spailpin Fanac”  opened at 7:00 p.m. and “The Oval” opened at 4:00.

 

 

 

 

 

To avoid further disappointment, I consulted my handy-dandy list of pubs and looked up the hours of each.  Luckily, there were a few civilized ones that would serve up pints in the early afternoon.  So we continued our self-guided walking tour of Cork enjoying the old buildings and overall atmosphere of the place.  Two things struck me as we walked around.  First was the inordinate number of barber shops around town.  Not sure why that caught my attention, but it did.  The other was the signage of the shops around town.  Instead of a city full of chain, international shops and stores, Cork is replete with small, one-off shops that have interesting names and even more interesting signs.  I made a little photo-journal of some of these signs and share some of them with you here.

 

A Tailor Shop

 

 

A Bakery

 

 

A Clothing Store

 

 

And in the same vein, this one made me laugh out loud

 

 

Before long we were at Mutton Lane which is both an alley and a pub.  Reported to be one of the oldest and most admired pubs in Cork, it had all of the attributes we were looking for, including an opening time of 10:30 a.m.  It is dark with nary a single right angle in its construction.  S absolutely forbade me from taking any flash photos, (she was right), so is set my ISO at 3200, set the cameral for a long exposure time to try to capture “movement”, and hoped for the best.  A tripod would have helped, but that would probably gotten me thrown out on my keester.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You have to love the portrait of Jack and Jackie over the bar!  K and S had each had a pint of Guinness and I rounded out the order with a pint of local brew from Rising Sons Brewery which seems to be all the rage in Cork.  The pints were great, the bartender friendly and the atmosphere pretty darn perfect.  Check and check!  All that was left was to do some souvenir shopping.  We were certain that if we walked far enough along St. Patrick’s Street we would find a store that would suit our needs, and sure enough, Carroll’s Irish Gifts was exactly what we were looking for.  We found our Christmas ornament, bought some sweatshirts, and some gifts for the cat sitter, along with some other stuff that we wanted, but none that we needed.

 

With all boxes checked, it was time to head back to the train station to catch a 5:00 train that would get us back to the ship around 5:30.  Dinner at Sabatini’s and ship activities to be covered in the next post.

[JimmyVWine]

Day 4-Cohb/Cork Ireland (Contiuned)

Tonight was Sabatini’s night which we were looking forward to very much.  We have eaten at Sabatini’s on every cruise we’ve been on, and have largely given up on the Crown Grill.  We find that there is usually enough red meat on the MDR menu throughout the cruise to make paying almost $40 per person for another meal of red meat an unnecessary extra expense.  The menu at Sabatini’s has changed a number of times since we started visiting that venue, and here again we were confronted with a menu that differed from our last one in October.  I’d say that of the past three menus, this one had us commenting that we could eat here a second time in a week and not repeat a single dish given the wide range of tasty looking offerings.  Before walking into the restaurant we stopped in to Vines and loaded up on three glasses of Chocolate Block so that we had something in our glasses as we looked over the menu.  When those glasses were drained we moved over to a the Nero d’Avola from Donnafugata which was priced within the Plus allowance.  Nero d’Avola is a lesser-known wine unique to Sicily (though some U.S. producers are starting to dabble in it.)  It is a value play in restaurants because its lack of prominence on dinner tables outside of Sicily means that it can still be had at a reasonable price.  It is a dry-vinted wine that can stand in the shoes of a Cabernet, Merlot or Syrah, often at a fraction of the cost.  Donnafugata is one of the more reliable producer names to look for, along with Planeta and my new favorite, Cantine Colosi.  So when we saw the Donnafugata on the menu within the Plus range, we decided to give it a go.  Jump on board the Nero d’Avola bandwagon while bottles are still priced under $20.  It’s going to be the next “trendy” wine in my opinion and when it makes the big time, prices will jump.  When the Nero was gone we switched over to the glass of Barolo offered on the wine list at a cost of $2.36 extra over the Plus allowance.

 

On to the food.  As you probably know, Sabatini’s is a set coursed menu where they keep bringing out courses until you surrender.  K and S surrendered before dessert, and I surrendered mid-way through dessert.  The first course offers only two choices, so there was no way for the three of us to order three different things which is our typical way of dining.  That way everyone can try as many different dishes as possible.  But here, there had to be overlap and both K and S ordered the Salad and I had the Ribollita soup.  Both dishes were very good and made nice partners with the bread and breadstick service that opened the show.  Next came a mid-course of Arancini.  No choices at this stage as the table is brought the correct number of crunchy risotto balls as there are diners at the table.  We all enjoyed this dish and the sauce served with it was very tasty.  For the Antipasti course there are six choices  and we selected the Fritto Misti, (K cannot resist fried seafood), the Burrata (which I think has been on every iteration of the Sabatini’s menu since inception) and the Piadana di Verdure, a version of flatbread.  Again, all were excellent but I could tell half-way through my Burrata that I was going to need to loosen my belt.  This portion was surely large enough for two, but other than the courtesy bites that K and S took from my plate, they “forced” be to down the whole thing!

 

Next came the pasta dish.  I had the Pappardelle Bolognese (another dish that I recall being on every menu).  It was very tasty, but here one could see the downsize in portion.  Not complaining as I surely did not need a bigger plate.  S had the Porcini Risotto, which we all agreed was far, far superior to the risotto that K had in the MDR a couple of nights ago—night and day, and K had the Spaghetti Polpette.  An oddly “pedestrian” choice for K as she usually orders more adventurous selections.  But I am glad that she did as this gave us all the opportunity to try a Princess meatball for the first time and I must say that we were all very impressed.  Not going to top my homemade version, but I would gladly eat one of these again.

 

For Secondi’s K had the Branzino which was excellent, S had the Veal Marsala which was very good, but fell short of excellent, and I ordered the “Ossobuco Milanese” not to be confused with the “Milanese di Vitello con Osso” which comes at a $10 surcharge.  Well, I didn’t confuse them, but perhaps the kitchen did.  Or perhaps the kitchen prepared enough of the latter that they needed to start serving them lest they go to waste because even though I purposefully ordered and pointed to the non-surcharge dish, I was served the bone-in version and never saw the $10 charge hit my account.  The dish was spectacular.  Easily the best main course that I have had at any visit to Sabatini’s.  As noted earlier, K and S punted on dessert and I had the chocolate concoction that defies description as well as gravity, with cake, gelato, a chocolate orb, and several other items all tossed in the bowl.  It is a great dessert but way more than I could handle after all the previous courses.  All in all we were very, very happy with our meal, paid for at the old price, but would gladly pay the new price the next time we have the chance.

 

The balance of the night was spent as before, listening to various music choices around the ship and making several requests to AJ Clarke, all of which he played, which made us happy.  We had a few more cocktails at the Princess Live bar and one at the Casino bar to cross that venue off of BINGO card and called it a night.  We totaled 9 glasses of wine and 9 cocktails.  Our out-of-pocket cost would have been $237.18.  With Plus we paid $7.08 and with Premier we would have paid $0.  Tomorrow is a Sea Day.    Patter Day 4.pdf

[JimmyVWine]

Day 5-Sea Day #1

After many consecutive days on the go, today was our first Sea Day giving us an opportunity to recharge our batteries.  The weather was pretty miserable, pretty much taking us out of play for any outdoor fun.  We were a little slow getting the day started, and found ourselves in the Horizon Court as Breakfast was winding down, but Lunch not yet ready for commencement.  We were able to secure a table by a window, not that there was anything to see, and made a meal of what was left from the Breakfast options, then waited a bit until the first of the Lunch offerings were unleashed.  Pretty much the very definition of a Brunch.  The food was generally diverse, plentiful and as one would expect.  I still find the pastries in the “Pastry” section of the buffet area to be a letdown, as I have fonder memories of offerings from years gone by.  And the Espresso/Coffee station in the Pastry area moved at a snail’s pace, understaffed, and seemingly under-motivated.  When K went there to get some espressos, S and I had almost finished the “Breakfast” stage of our Brunch before she returned.  Thankfully we were not in any rush.

 

The plan for the day was for K to get some laundry done, for K and S to head to the gym for a while, for me to take in one or more “Enrichment” lectures, and for us all to cross off a few more of the bars that we had not yet visited.  Man plans while God laughs, as the saying goes.  Up to this point we had not made it to any of the outdoor bars, and today was surely not the day to work on that part of the BINGO card.  Aside from the weather, one other event influenced our agenda, and that began to unfold just as we were getting ready to leave the Horizon Court around noon.  Two nights earlier we were awakened in the middle of the night by an emergency call to the Medical Staff to report to Deck 6 immediately for assistance.  Ordinarily when announcements are made over the PA system they can be heard in the hallways, but the speakers in the cabin do not receive the feed.  You often have to prop your cabin door open with a shoe to hear the Captain’s daily update or the Cruise Director’s announcements of upcoming events.  But when an emergency unfolds, the cabin speakers are activated for all to hear, and so it was a couple of nights earlier when assistance was needed on Deck 6.  We never did learn what that was all about.  Well, shortly after the Captain had provided his noon update which we listened to while in the Horizon Court area, another emergency call went out to the Medical Staff to again report to Deck 6.  We could not tell if this was a Sea Day Drill or a real emergency.  We soon found out.  As we made our way out of the Horizon Court to the mid-ship elevator bank, three Officers were in that general area making sure that people were heading downward, and not allowing them to go out to the deck, or up to a higher Deck.  One of the Officers said that the outside decks must be cleared for a passenger evacuation, and that it would be best if we returned to our cabin.  We were headed there anyway, so no issue there, and it was clear that this was not a drill.

 

Shortly after we returned to our cabin, we again heard an announcement over the loudspeaker, including the speaker from within our cabin.  We were told that there was to be a helicopter evacuation of a passenger in distress and that we should remain inside, were not to go out to our balcony, and were to avoid the upper decks at all costs.  I wish that I could provide more details, but we followed the Captain’s orders to the letter, and witnessed only what we could from the Bridge Cam on the TV, and from our sliding door leading to the balcony, never going out to the balcony itself.  But from what we could see, a helicopter did indeed arrive from the UK Coast Guard, braving heavy wind and rain along the way, took two passes to lower a Paramedic onto the deck, circled the ship a few times while the Paramedic stabilized the passenger, and then returned to hoist the passenger onto the helicopter for transit to Wales.  The whole thing took about 45 minutes but soon after we saw the helicopter swoop away from the ship the third time, we could see on the Bridge Cam that it was departing for good.  And then the Captain announced through the loudspeaker that the passenger had successfully been transferred and was on the way to a more appropriate medical facility.  I have no update on the status of the passenger, as we were not given one, and were not entitled to one.  But I hope that it all ended well.  And kudos to the helicopter team.  The seas were rough and the weather miserable, and it was obvious from the circling and number of passes that the helicopter made around the ship that connecting with the ship on this day was a real test of skill.  It honestly looked like what one occasionally sees on the show “Deadliest Catch.”  And before anyone asks, no, I did not take any photos or video.  I did find one blurb about the incident on the internet, but it provides no more information than I have relayed here, and in an “Incident Report” from the same website.

https://www.cruisemapper.com/news/11814-passenger-medevaced-regal-princess

 

Incident Report:

On May 4, 2023, a male passenger was medevaced by an Air Ambulance/helicopter. The patient was winched/airlifted from the ship (navigating in the Iris Sea) and transported to Newport (Wales). The operation was supervised by RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution).

The information provided to the passengers was scarce and mentioned only that the "casualty" would be winched. All glass doors and windows were reportedly taped up. The medical evacuation was conducted in rough sea conditions (strong winds and waves).

The incident occurred during the 8-day "Ireland and Scotland Cruise" (itinerary Apr 30 - May 8, roundtrip from Southampton) with call ports in England (Isle of Portland/May 1), the Channel Islands (St Peter Port/Guernsey Island/May 2), Ireland (Cobh-Cork/May 3), Scotland (Greenock-Glasgow/May 5) and Wales (Holyhead/Anglesey Island/May 6).

 

 Once that episode was over, we caught our breath and got back to our original agenda, albeit about an hour later than planned.  K and S headed to the gym, and I got some exercise in a more cultural way.  Starting on Deck 16, I walked the inside perimeter or every passenger deck looking at all of the photos that are on display on the walls.  Given the rocking of the ship, by the time I completed my tour on Deck 8, I was feeling a bit woozy and headed back to the cabin.  I did make it to one of the Enrichment lectures, this one given by A.J. Clark who walked us through the history and philosophy of American songwriting “From Berlin to Bernstein”.  I noted earlier that AJ has an encyclopedic knowledge of music and he put together a presentation that was as informative as it was entertaining.

 

For a day without much of an agenda, the time was flying by and before we knew it, it was time to start getting ready for the evening, on this, our “Dress to Impress-White & Gold” night.  Dinner, drinks and entertainment to be covered in the next post.

[Rabbi-Reefer]

On 5/11/2023 at 9:04 AM, JimmyVWine said:

Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti

 

We sent back a bad bottle of this last Spring in Sabatini's on another ship. It apparently cooked on board in the heat of the shutdown. We opted for a Rosso di Montepulciano instead, and purchased several bottles at the next port so we wouldn't have to experience that again.

[LACruiser88]

 

17 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

When those glasses were drained we moved over to a the Nero d’Avola from Donnafugata which was priced within the Plus allowance.  Nero d’Avola is a lesser-known wine unique to Sicily (though some U.S. producers are starting to dabble in it.)  It is a value play in restaurants because its lack of prominence on dinner tables outside of Sicily means that it can still be had at a reasonable price.  It is a dry-vinted wine that can stand in the shoes of a Cabernet, Merlot or Syrah, often at a fraction of the cost. 

 

Great wine choices!  Nero d'Avola is one of our favorite Italian varietals, along with Aglianico from Campania.

[JimmyVWine]

Day 5-Sea Day #1 (Continued)

Tonight was “Dress to Impress-White & Gold” night, and the attire seemed to be a bit more relaxed than what we saw on Formal Night, and while there was some presences of White & Gold amongst the ladies, very little of that theme bled over to the men.  I’m not at all sure what Princess is striving for here with this theming, but it doesn’t seem to be taking hold.  What was supposed to be a rollicking good evening with deck parties and the like had to be moved entirely indoors due to the uncooperative weather.  As a result, the Piazza became the main hub of activity, and the party really was quite lively.  Despite the age grouping of this cruise trending toward the 45-75 slice of the pie chart, this was a very active crowd with lots of dancing and merrymaking.  I don’t think anyone who was a first-timer on board Princess for this cruise could complain that the ship or its guests were boring, dull or rolled up the sidewalks at 9:00.  Definitely not what we witnessed.

 

We got some wine at Vines and hung out there for the first part of the evening until it was time for dinner.  It had become apparent that the seats at the bar and at many of the tables at Vines had become home to certain guests the way “Cheers” was home to Cliff and Norm.  When it was time for dinner we walked to our reserved table and again made note of the fact that there wasn’t a single person in line waiting to be seated.  I cannot stress enough how smoothly the dining service operated on Regal in comparison to complaints I read here about the experiences of other posters.  As was the case with Formal Night, we were not blown away by the menu given that the “dressy” nights always tend to be when the Galley unleashes its heavy artillery.  I asked our Lead Server, John, about this and he said that the big guns would be coming out for the Coronation Night Dinner, including the Escargot which I asked about specifically.  This was John’s first week in his contract and when I asked him earlier about the possible presence of Escargot on the ship, he initially told me that he had seen the uni-tasking plates in the Galley, so presumably the dish would make an appearance.  No point keeping those divotted plates in storage if they weren’t going to be used.  And tonight he confirmed that fact as he took a peek at the Coronation Night Dinner and confirmed that Escargot, Filet, Lobster and Surf-n-Turf (with Lobster, not shrimp) would be making an appearance in honor of King Charles.  But for tonight we had to make due with a “regular” menu on what would have ordinarily been a more upscale evening.  For the record, the menu for this evening can be found here, which was a Smart Casual Night on the cruise that followed ours.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2935215-a-coronation-and-live-from-12-day-british-isles-on-the-regal/?do=findComment&comment=65367225

 

I had yet to try Mama’s Lasagna, so I gave that a try.  Not bad.  K tried the “Potted Shrimp” and for the second time this cruise, the shrimp served looked like those that one would find in an eggroll.  She said the flavor was fine.  I did not try it.  S tried the Chicken, Ham and Parmesan Croquette which was a bit like a “Hot Pocket.”  For the Mains, nothing jumped out at me, so I went with the Princess Favorite (but in actuality, “Available Every Night”) Strip Steak.  As others have reported, the quality of the beef isn’t what it used to be, and it really showed here.  Up to this point I had been satisfied with all of the red meat that I had been served, if not overwhelmed.  But this steak just wasn’t very good, sorry to say.  K got the “Double Pork Chop” but wondered how a chop could be “double” if it only had one rib.  It was slightly overcooked.  S was similarly underwhelmed with this menu and went with the old, reliable Fettuccini Alfredo as her main course.  Desserts fared better.  I had the Coconut Crème Brulé and aside from the fact that it was completely lacking in the crunchy sugar top layer, the balance of the dish was very tasty.  K had the Crusty Banana Tart which she enjoyed and S doubled down on the Caramel Pecan Turtle Cheesecake that she had had earlier in the cruise.  We all cleaned our plates. 

 

After dinner we enjoyed cocktails in the Piazza until it was time for another try at a life-changing trivia prize.  Tonight it was “Break-Up Songs” Music Trivia in Princess Live and we had a fun time coming in….second! DANG!  So close.  When that ended we went over to the Vista Lounge for another session of AJ Clarke and his human juke box repertoire.  And lest anyone thing that this would be too repetitive, AJ varies the themes of his performances so as not to play the same songs night after night (which we found can be an issue with the “house” pianists on cruises.)  One performance might be “Broadway Songs” and another might be “The Songbook of Billy Joel” and another might be “All Requests All The Time” where anything goes.  Well, I suppose Anything Goes could also qualify for “Broadway Songs”, but I digress.  After his last set we called it a night as our Private Tour in Scotland had an early casting call.  So we wobbled off to our cabin amid rather rough seas to hop into bed.  Our drinking tally for day was 7 glasses of wine and 6 cocktails.  Our out-of-pocket cost would have been $205.32.  With Plus we paid $10.62 and with Premier we would have paid $0.

 

Next up…Scotland and more photos.

 

Patter Day 5.pdf

Edited May 16, 2023 by JimmyVWine

[JimmyVWine]

Day 6-Greenock (For Glasgow and the Highlands)

After booking this cruise and beginning the process of figuring out what we would plan to do each day, this port sort of threw me a curve.  The port is listed in the itinerary as “Glasgow” with “Greenock” appearing in parentheses.  I suppose that suggests that when one ports here, the expectation is that a trip to the large city is anticipated.  As I researched further, consulting the Princess excursions for guidance, it became clear that a good number of people would use this port as a means to see Glasgow or Edinburgh, neither of which had any appeal for us.  S lives in Edinburgh and we have visited here there on a land-based vacation.  So what were we going to there?  Bring along some laundry to do at her flat?  Have lunch with her roommates?  No and no.  And her company’s headquarters is in Glasgow, and she goes there weekly, and K and I spent a day there on our prior land vacation.  So that was a no as well.  That really left us with more rural options which was fine with us, but oddly, all of the Princess rural excursions into the Highlands had sold out well in advance.  And I mean well in advance as I am usually an early-bird planner.   This left me to research the various private tour options, and there were many.  I forwarded a few potential itineraries to S, as I really wanted her input here so as to avoid repeating things that she had already done and to get her insight as to whether a particular sight or event was worthwhile or overly touristy.  She soon got back to me with her recommendation which thankfully still had some openings.  We booked the all-day “Loch Lomond, The Trossachs & Stirling Castle Shore Excursion" with an outfit called “Discover Scotland Tours.”  It sounded quite fun and entertaining, even if I had no idea who or what a Trossach was.  Sounded a bit to me like a band of marauders who fought against or alongside the Visigoths.  Turns out that it is the name of a National Park that holds within it some of the most breathtaking scenery in the Scottish Highlands.  William Wallace and Robert the Bruce territory.  S had been to Stirling Castle before but assured me that it was worth a second visit and she thought that the rest of the itinerary sounded like a good, full day.  Truly a full day.  The excursion posted start and end times of 8:00-4:30.  Another early morning rise for K, but at least we did not have to take a tender.

 

The Patter that arrived the night before confirmed our pre-cruise expectations that we would be arriving at port at 7:00 a.m. with an All Aboard time of 5:30.  So our 8:00 to 4:30 all-day tour would fit, but just barely.  We set our alarm the night before so that it would get us up in time to shower, dress, get a bite to eat, and walk off the ship in time to meet our tour guide at 7:45-7:50.  But when we opened our curtains that morning we were still moving.  A quick check of our position from the tv channel that tracks your progress in real time revealed that we were still quite a ways from Greenock.  At 7:00 Captain Aldo made an announcement over the loudspeaker (for which we needed to prop a shoe in the door to hear, as it was not broadcast in our room) that between our 2 hour slowdown/stop yesterday to evacuate the passenger and the stiff 45 mile an hour headwinds that we faced overnight, (which explained the rocking and rolling all night long) we were more than an hour behind schedule.  But he did impart some good news which was that he had secured permission for us to remain at port for an extra hour, so instead of a 7:00 to 5:30 day in Greenock, we would enjoy a time shift with an all aboard time of 6:30.  I hoped that Discover Scotland Tours would get word of this and adjust our itinerary thusly, as we had a lot of ground to cover and the loss of an hour would have been impactful.  And so it came to pass that this is exactly what happened.  Aside from the loss of an hour of sleep, all would end well, and we had a bit of extra time to eat breakfast as we coasted into Greenock and secured our lines.

 

After finishing breakfast we walked down to Deck 4 where one of the two gangways was set up for disembarking.  We could see from our cabin balcony that this gangway would take us closest to the port area exit where private tours would assemble.  While there and waiting for the all clear to depart, we saw some passengers with luggage waiting to get off and we assumed that they were the family members of the evacuated guest.  We did not ask, but the looks on their faces betrayed their situation.  At just around 8:30 we were able to walk off the ship, make our way outside of the gated, security-controlled area where we found representatives from Discover Scotland Tours waiting for us, right where they said they would be.  This outfit runs a number of different tours to various places, and we were soon paired up with our guide Dave, (“Always Dave!  Never David!”) and placed on a tour van that held around a dozen people.  Placed on each seat of the van was a bag of goodies for us to enjoy during the day including a bottle of water, a bottle of “Irn Bru”, a local soft drink that is apparently an acquired taste that I have so far not acquired—think bubble gum flavored soda, some local artisanal chocolates and a pack of cookies/biscuits.  This was already starting out to be a great day as Dave’s enthusiasm was obvious and the bag of goodies was a really nice touch.  The weather was a bit threatening and gray, but that is part of the charm of the Scottish Highlands I suppose. 

 

Our tour started with a drive out of the city Greenock which confirmed that when visiting this port, you really want to plan something outside of its confines, traveling along the M8 and crossing the River Clyde onto the A82 which heads northwest toward our first stop, Loch Lomond.  One of my original thoughts was to book a boat tour of the Loch as our activity for the day but S warned me that the weather might be dicey at that time of year and it could prove to be a miserable day.  Her warning proved true as this would have been a rough day to be on a tour boat and any planned trip might have been cancelled in any event.  After a short ride along the shoreline we made our first stop of the day in the town of Luss, a small village right on the banks of the Loch with an impressive church that includes a centuries-old cemetery including a few Viking burials that date from the 1200s.  And of course, the main event is the view of the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.  The weather made for some below average photos, but I was trying to capture memories more so than art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring was in full bloom here as well, and the church had an adorable little remembrance garden.

 

 

 

 

 

The church and cemetery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Viking Grave in the foreground, shaped like a loaf of bread

 

 

 

 

 

We followed a path from the cemetery down to a tributary that eventually led to the Loch and sat a spell to soak in the environment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then had just enough time for K to get some coffee and me to buy a beautiful wool sweater (which S reminded me is henceforth to be known as my “jumper”) and then it was time to get back in the van to continue our journey.  More to come.

Edited May 17, 2023 by JimmyVWine

[JimmyVWine]

Day 6-Greenock (For Glasgow and the Highlands) (Continued)

The next part of the journey was a long sightseeing drive through the Trossachs, around the southern tip of Loch Lomond and then north/northeast, making our way up to a very winding stretch of road known as Duke’s Pass.  All along the way, Dave, (“Always Dave, never David!”) regaled us with the “true” history of Scotland, explaining that virtually everything contained in the movie “Braveheart” is wildly inaccurate.  (I was waiting for him to tell me that everything in “Highlander” was also false, and there really can be more than one!)  Through his thick Scottish accent that S had to translate for us now and again, he gave us a real history and cultural lesson explaining the who, what, when and where of the historical events that took place around this region.  He was an absolute gem of a guide.  Which brings me to a point about private tours versus Princess excursions.  When doing your research of the latter, try to confirm that the excursion will be outsourced to local talent instead of led by Princess employees.  It really can make a difference.  Dave told us that the number of licensed bus guides (post Covid) in this area is shockingly small.  I don’t recall the exact number, but I want to say 50.  They all know one another, and Dave made a point of telling us the names of the drivers he passed along that way. “That one is James the Younger.  His dad, also James, was a guide as well.  And that one is Skinny Bob.  There are so many Bobs that they all have to have another name to avoid confusion.”  I asked him what the other drivers called him, since there had to be others who shared his name, and as one might guess, his answer was “Always Dave.”  The moral of the story is that if you can spend your time with a true professional who knows and is known by others in the industry, it can pay off.  Later in the day this proved to be the case.

 

Duke’s pass is a bit of an Alpine climb along switchbacks and sharp curves.  Dave wisely found a nice, scenic spot to stop to allow us to stretch our legs.  From the time stamp on my photos, it was about 90 minutes since we left Loch Lomond.  We were now on the shores of Loch Venachar, a much smaller Loch and not one that is the subject of any song that I know of.  The day was still misty, with signs of improvement, and there were many birds flying around the loch, hunting for an early lunch I suspect.

 

 

 

 

 

After a wee bit of a leg stretch, and photo ops with Dave taking photos of anyone interested posing along the waterfront, it was time to get back on the road. It was just about noon, and we were headed to the small town of Callander for “lunch on our own.”  But before we headed in to town, there was one last stop we had to make, and one that pleased S, our animal whisperer, immensely.  Just to the west of Callander sits a shop called the Trossachs Woollen Mill that serves as a shop of local wares (and “wears”), but more importantly, as home to a couple of Highland Coos that can be viewed up close and personal.  We exited the van and made our way straight to the coos, and as is always seems to happen, the animals took to  S right away and approached for their closeups.

 

 

 

I couldn’t get this guy to face the camera because he wouldn’t take his eyes off of S.

 

 

 

Dave went into the shop to buy some carrots and apples so that all who cared to could feed our new friends.  Along with the coos, there was a pasture with a number of sheep and lambs, and why not, since the place is called the “Woollen Mill.”  Spring lambs were everywhere on this trip, so cute as they hewed close to their mothers.

 

 

 

 

 

With Highland Coos and sheep checked off of our wildlife BINGO card, it was time to head into Callander for some sustenance.  Callander is a small village that is basically one road long by three blocks deep.  The main thoroughfare, (called “Main Street” if you can believe it) can be walked end to end in a mile.  It is made up of a series of boutiques, inns and “hotels”, though I cannot for the life of me begin to tell you where an “inn” stops and a “hotel” begins, as they all looked equal to my untrained eyes.  The town was adorable, and even had a Christmas Store (not to be confused with “The Christmas Tree Store” in America) where we were able to pick up another ornament for our tree.

 

 

 

Knowing that we would be stopping here for “lunch on our own” I did  some homework and three places that would check all the boxes, and we could just walk down Main Street and stop in the first of the three that we came to and looked as promising as what was shown on the internet.  Our van parked in a public lot behind the Dreadnought Hotel which is on the west edge of the one mile strip, and once we got to Main Street I got my bearings and headed us off in the direction of the Crown Hotel, an establishment with the highest rated restaurant of my three options according to a website that I do not know if I can name here, but that “Advises” people on their “Trips.”  No need to look any further as this place would do just fine.

 

 

 

Our meal was just what the doctor ordered, or perhaps just what William Wallace would have ordered.  I was still on my fish and chips tour, so I had that.  K had a sampler platter that she ordered if only because it had deep-fried haggis balls on it, and she cannot resist deep-fried haggis balls, and S ordered her personal favorite, “Haggis, Nips and Tatties”. (I think I go that right.)  We all got a beer to go along with lunch and enjoyed a casual meal whilst watching a cricket match on the telly.  Some day I am going to have to read up on the rules because what I saw on the screen confounded me.  The interior has sort of a coffee shop vibe, but with a striking, modern bar.  The service was prompt and friendly, and the bill was very reasonable.  With just enough time for a bit of shopping, we walked the opposite side of the street from whence we came and made our way back to the car park to rejoin Dave in the van.  More adventures to follow, mostly castles. 

[nini]

Thanks for your journal and photos. We also toured with the same company and actually had lunch at the same place. We now compare all Fish and Chips orders to the one that DH had. It was fabulous as was my burger.

[Lady Arwen]

4 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

Day 6-Greenock (For Glasgow and the Highlands) (Continued)

The next part of the journey was a long sightseeing drive through the Trossachs, around the southern tip of Loch Lomond and then north/northeast, making our way up to a very winding stretch of road known as Duke’s Pass.  All along the way, Dave, (“Always Dave, never David!”) regaled us with the “true” history of Scotland, explaining that virtually everything contained in the movie “Braveheart” is wildly inaccurate.  (I was waiting for him to tell me that everything in “Highlander” was also false, and there really can be more than one!)  Through his thick Scottish accent that S had to translate for us now and again, he gave us a real history and cultural lesson explaining the who, what, when and where of the historical events that took place around this region.  He was an absolute gem of a guide.  Which brings me to a point about private tours versus Princess excursions.  When doing your research of the latter, try to confirm that the excursion will be outsourced to local talent instead of led by Princess employees.  It really can make a difference.  Dave told us that the number of licensed bus guides (post Covid) in this area is shockingly small.  I don’t recall the exact number, but I want to say 50.  They all know one another, and Dave made a point of telling us the names of the drivers he passed along that way. “That one is James the Younger.  His dad, also James, was a guide as well.  And that one is Skinny Bob.  There are so many Bobs that they all have to have another name to avoid confusion.”  I asked him what the other drivers called him, since there had to be others who shared his name, and as one might guess, his answer was “Always Dave.”  The moral of the story is that if you can spend your time with a true professional who knows and is known by others in the industry, it can pay off.  Later in the day this proved to be the case.

 

Duke’s pass is a bit of an Alpine climb along switchbacks and sharp curves.  Dave wisely found a nice, scenic spot to stop to allow us to stretch our legs.  From the time stamp on my photos, it was about 90 minutes since we left Loch Lomond.  We were now on the shores of Loch Venachar, a much smaller Loch and not one that is the subject of any song that I know of.  The day was still misty, with signs of improvement, and there were many birds flying around the loch, hunting for an early lunch I suspect.

 

 

 

 

 

After a wee bit of a leg stretch, and photo ops with Dave taking photos of anyone interested posing along the waterfront, it was time to get back on the road. It was just about noon, and we were headed to the small town of Callander for “lunch on our own.”  But before we headed in to town, there was one last stop we had to make, and one that pleased S, our animal whisperer, immensely.  Just to the west of Callander sits a shop called the Trossachs Woollen Mill that serves as a shop of local wares (and “wears”), but more importantly, as home to a couple of Highland Coos that can be viewed up close and personal.  We exited the van and made our way straight to the coos, and as is always seems to happen, the animals took to  S right away and approached for their closeups.

 

 

 

I couldn’t get this guy to face the camera because he wouldn’t take his eyes off of S.

 

 

 

Dave went into the shop to buy some carrots and apples so that all who cared to could feed our new friends.  Along with the coos, there was a pasture with a number of sheep and lambs, and why not, since the place is called the “Woollen Mill.”  Spring lambs were everywhere on this trip, so cute as they hewed close to their mothers.

 

 

 

 

 

With Highland Coos and sheep checked off of our wildlife BINGO card, it was time to head into Callander for some sustenance.  Callander is a small village that is basically one road long by three blocks deep.  The main thoroughfare, (called “Main Street” if you can believe it) can be walked end to end in a mile.  It is made up of a series of boutiques, inns and “hotels”, though I cannot for the life of me begin to tell you where an “inn” stops and a “hotel” begins, as they all looked equal to my untrained eyes.  The town was adorable, and even had a Christmas Store (not to be confused with “The Christmas Tree Store” in America) where we were able to pick up another ornament for our tree.

 

 

 

Knowing that we would be stopping here for “lunch on our own” I did  some homework and three places that would check all the boxes, and we could just walk down Main Street and stop in the first of the three that we came to and looked as promising as what was shown on the internet.  Our van parked in a public lot behind the Dreadnought Hotel which is on the west edge of the one mile strip, and once we got to Main Street I got my bearings and headed us off in the direction of the Crown Hotel, an establishment with the highest rated restaurant of my three options according to a website that I do not know if I can name here, but that “Advises” people on their “Trips.”  No need to look any further as this place would do just fine.

 

 

 

Our meal was just what the doctor ordered, or perhaps just what William Wallace would have ordered.  I was still on my fish and chips tour, so I had that.  K had a sampler platter that she ordered if only because it had deep-fried haggis balls on it, and she cannot resist deep-fried haggis balls, and S ordered her personal favorite, “Haggis, Nips and Tatties”. (I think I go that right.)  We all got a beer to go along with lunch and enjoyed a casual meal whilst watching a cricket match on the telly.  Some day I am going to have to read up on the rules because what I saw on the screen confounded me.  The interior has sort of a coffee shop vibe, but with a striking, modern bar.  The service was prompt and friendly, and the bill was very reasonable.  With just enough time for a bit of shopping, we walked the opposite side of the street from whence we came and made our way back to the car park to rejoin Dave in the van.  More adventures to follow, mostly castles. 

It’s actually called “Haggis, Neeps and Tatties”.  Neeps are the veggies in Scotland that are swedes (what we call rutabaga).  I had no idea, but my DH explained it to me.  Loving your review….keep it coming!

[JimmyVWine]

11 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

It’s actually called “Haggis, Neeps and Tatties”.

Ah, yes.  I have heard her say it a number of times.  I just never paid attention to the spelling!  Hope to get the next installment up tomorrow.  Have to get to the Coronation Party décor on the ship!

[tobyt]

Very fun, thank you for letting me travel along!

[Crown Vic]

19 hours ago, Lady Arwen said:

It’s actually called “Haggis, Neeps and Tatties”.  Neeps are the veggies in Scotland that are swedes (what we call rutabaga).  I had no idea, but my DH explained it to me.  Loving your review….keep it coming!

Och aye! Don’t forget the turnips aka Nips or Neeps! Delicious with a wee dram! Cheers!