We missed the country!

We were so looking forward to our time in the Faroe Islands today. Our excursion was to visit Torshavn (Thor’s Harbor), the capital of the Faroe Islands. Unfortunately the 40 mph winds had other plans, making it unsafe for our ship to make port there. It was doubly disappointing after realizing last evening that we forgot (and therefore missed) an excursion we had booked in Glasgow. That excursion consisted of high tea at the Ardgowan Estate followed by a bagpipe workshop and performance. Double bummer!

 

Anyway, a few interesting facts about the Faroe Islands. They are a cluster of 18 small islands that lie between Scotland and Iceland. The total population of all the islands is only 54,000. They are now what we might call “a country within a country”. They were originally part of the Kingdom of Norway, later the Kingdom of Norway-Denmark and then with the Treaty of Kiel (1814), they became a country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Following WWII, they gained independent self-governance within the Kingdom of Denmark - thus, a country inside a country. 

However, the people of the Faroe Islands are not Danish. They have their own language, government, prime minister, telephone country code, currency and football team!

 

Torshavn, where we were scheduled to stop, is the largest of the 18 islands. The photo of Torshavn’s port on today’s Currents shows tall houses painted in many different colors lining the harbor and it would have been such fun to photograph. Thankfully, we did get to visit a different Faroe Island (Runavik) in 2023. It was very interesting but we both remember the extreme wind, rain and cold!

We are now so far in the North Atlantic that sunset and sunrise aren't many hours apart. The last few nights, it was still “daylight” when we went to bed. Here is a photo I took a few days ago at around 10:45 or so at night – the sun is finally setting. 

 

sunset - around 10:45 p.m.

 

Last night it was still light outside when I went to bed around 11 p.m. I woke during the night at 3:45 a.m. I could see light trying to peep around the edges of the curtains so I got up and (trying not to wake Ronnie) poked my phone through a slit in the curtain and took this picture. As we continue going north, the days will continue getting longer until we reach the summer solstice, the longest day and shortest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. 

 

3:45 a.m. (middle of the night!)

 

I just googled to see when the summer solstice is in the Faroe Islands - here's what I found out. It's today! Total daylight will be 19 hours and 45 minutes. The sun rose at 3:33 a.m. and will set at 11:18 p.m. It went on to say "Because the Faroe Islands are located so far north (around 62°N), it will not get completely dark at night during this time. Instead, the islands experience extended civil twilight—often called "white nights"—where the sun sits just below the horizon, keeping the night sky quite bright." 

Unfortunately, I was unable to go back to sleep so I worked on my computer until around 5:30 - 6 a.m. I knew our room service breakfast would arrive promptly at 7:30 but I managed to doze. After breakfast, we both went back to sleep and I slept a couple more hours! On days when the weather prevents making port, the ship's activities schedule has to be quickly revised. Ronnie was awake, but reading and trying to stay quiet so I could sleep. By the time I woke and he checked the schedule, he had already missed a lecture by guest speaker Skip Moen, Team Trivia and Mensa! (oops!)

Yes, it's Father's Day and also Sunday. Our church group met yesterday, anticipating being off the ship today. So today has turned into a lazy day of reading, napping, eating/snacking and perhaps a movie. We have dinner plans tonight with a couple from Iowa that we made friends with early on in the cruise (retired medical people). We're trying to have dinner with some of our favorite couples in the closing days of our trip together.

Glasgow (Greenock), UK

It's raining, it's pouring! And why are we in Greenock when our itinerary says Glasgow? I figured the fastest way to find out is....you guessed it....ask Google! So here's why. Oceania Cruises (and other major cruise lines) dock in Greenock instead of Glasgow primarily because the River Clyde becomes too shallow, narrow and winding for large, modern cruise ships as it reaches central Glasgow. Therefore, Greenock Ocean Terminal acts as Glasgow's deep water port on the coast. Glasgow is 27 miles from Greenock.

 

Greenock Ocean Terminal

So because we hadn't booked an excursion for today and had planned to explore around town on our own, our day was somewhat of a bust! It has rained ALL. DAY. LONG. Hoping the rain had slowed this afternoon (it hadn't), I decided to venture out anyway. There was a TESCO (chain grocery) within easy walking distance of the port so I went there. I'm always amused at the difference in such basic things as the foods we eat in the US vs the food people in other countries eat.

When we spent some extended time in the English countryside back in 2012, I also enjoyed learning how the locals say things vs the way we say things. Just simple things such as road signs that are phrased differently than we're used to in the US. The grocery store is another good example. We push grocery carts; in the UK, they push trolleys. Same thing but different name. We say diapers; they say nappies. We say sausage; they say bangers. We say bacon; they say rashers. We say cake; they say sponge or pudding. We say cookies; they say biscuits. We say saltines; they say cream crackers. We say mashed potatoes; they say mash. We say trash can; they say bin. I could go on...

So when I was in the store today, one of the first things I noticed was a sign above the prepared or ready-to-go meals. It said "That's dinner sorted." We see and hear the word "sorted" used on British television or books by British authors. It means that something is fixed, resolved, arranged or taken care of. As I walked around, I had the thought that the differences might be "post worthy", so I started snapping pictures to illustrate my point. 

 

"That's dinner sorted."

liver, bacon & mashed potatoes

"Bangers and mash" is also a very traditional dish. "Bangers" are what we would call sausage. Bangers and mash consists of sausage in onion gravy with mashed potatoes.

 

Yorkshire puddings (popover)

ground beef

     

are you sure you want to know?

Black pudding is "a traditional blood sausage made from pork blood, animal fat and cereal grains like oatmeal or pearl barley. Seasoned with herbs and spices like pepper and onion, it is typically sliced into rounds and fried or grilled, resulting in a rich, earthy flavor." I tried (a tiny bite of) it - once. Never again.

Haggis is Scotland’s national dish. It is "a savory pudding made from minced sheep's offal (heart, liver and lungs) combined with oatmeal, onions, suet and spices. Traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach, it is today most commonly packaged in synthetic casings and has a rich, peppery and hearty flavor." (No.)

Unusual (to us) potato chip flavors are another thing that we don't see at our local grocery. These are different in almost every country and cater to the tastes of the local shoppers, of course. Lay's brand alone has 21 international flavors! https://www.tastingtable.com/2163560/international-lays-potato-chips-ranked/

 

   

rashers (bacon)

biscuits (cookies)

    

eggs on shelf (not refrigerated)

 

clotted cream - soo delicious!

best selling cereal in UK

crumpets (not the same as an English muffin)

powdered milk, tea, coffee & cookies

pet food, trash bags

can never go wrong with Scottish shortbread!

My Daddy (and his father before him) owned and operated a small town grocery store all of his adult life. We rarely traveled but when we did, he always enjoyed seeing what items other grocery stores carried. He would have gotten such a kick out of walking through a grocery store in a foreign country. I guess I take after him. :)

Lastly, I can't come to Scotland without sharing a few Scottish plaids. 

 

tartan kilts for men

lambswool tartan scarves

Just as we were about to leave for dinner, the sun finally came out, and we were able to see how beautiful Glasgow is from a distance! We decided to eat on the back deck and enjoy the gorgeous view. 

 

view from the back deck during dinner

I've mentioned before that the culinary team makes the cuisine of whatever region we're in. Sure enough, there was black pudding, bangers and mash, beans, mushy peas, Lancashire Hotpot Lamb, Scotch eggs, fish 'n chips, cottage pie, Yorkshire pudding, beef pasties, lamb and much, much more. 

Is it any wonder people gain weight on a cruise? Among the desserts were Cranachan Mince Pie, Bread & Butter Pudding, Sticky Date Pudding, Banoffe Pie Shortbread, Traditional English Trifle, Apple Crumble and more. And of course the ever present selection of ice cream flavors, sorbet, sugarless cookies and fresh fruit.

 

A rainy day in Belfast, Ireland

Well, all these beautiful port days in a row had to end at some point. Today was the day. The rain did put a damper on our exploration of the city, but we won't complain given all the beautiful days we've already been blessed with.  

We docked in Belfast around 10 a.m. this morning. Belfast is the capital and largest city in Northern Ireland with a population of nearly half a million people. It is home to one of the world's largest dry docks and the Harland and Wolff shipyard, famous for building the Titanic.

We didn't have an excursion booked but had instead planned to go into town and pick up a few things we needed and also let Ronnie get a haircut with the same guy who cut his hair here in 2023.

The ship shuttle (say that really fast 10 times) took us into the city and dropped us off near the City Hall. All Aboard is not until 7:30 p.m. so we felt like we had all the time in the world to do our errands. However, the rain put a damper on things so we were happy to head back to the ship by mid-afternoon.

 

translink metro bus

City Hall

Cleaver Building Northern Ireland

 

After being dropped off, we headed for an indoor mall near the place where Ronnie had his hair cut when we were here before. Unfortunately, it started pouring while we were there so we ended up having Subway sandwiches in the mall and hoping to wait it out. 

 

police carry guns here (can't carry them in Dublin and Cork)

an alternate way to sightsee

When the rain didn't stop, we decided to leave and look for the barbershop which we unfortunately never found. We were beginning to find ourselves in a sketchy area so we decided to abandon our mission. Perhaps we didn't go far enough, or maybe the barber moved his shop or went out of business? 

 

Queen's Arcade

 

uh...NO

lots of pedestrians

lots of colorful wall murals around the downtown streets

 

typical Irish pub

Spirit of Belfast Sculpture in Arthur Square

The Sagart Kitchen & Bar

"Light of the World"

 

Tonight we will have dinner with a couple from Tennessee that we met on the 2023 world cruise. They just boarded the ship in Southampton, so it will be fun catching up with them.

Cobh (Cork), Ireland

It was a very good day in Cobh, Ireland! The weather was mild and sunny and we were able to walk directly off the ship onto the dock and into the busy city. This was our first view as we pulled into port.

 

early morning dock in Cork, Ireland

After a room service breakfast, we walked down the beachfront area where young mothers watched their little ones play, men walked their dogs, drank coffee and looked at their phones. Later, school children in yellow vests ran and played in the giant gazebo. After the stores opened, visitors meandered up and down the row of beachfront businesses. 

 

One of the first things we saw after walking off the pier was the Titanic Museum. There are probably a half dozen Titanic museums, so I wondered "why here?" The answer to that is because Cobh was the Titanic's final port of call before sailing out into the Atlantic on April 11, 1912. The museum sits in the original building where the last passengers boarded tenders to join the ship. 

 

original poster

Titanic Museum

Nicknamed "The Ellis Island of Ireland", many families from this area embarked to cross the Atlantic, experiencing much hardship. The Cohb Heritage Center, located in the old Railway Station, shares these stories through exhibits and interactive displays, giving visitors an understanding of Ireland's past. 

 

Annie Moore statue

Our guide as we drove to visit the Powerscourt Gardens yesterday talked a lot about Ireland's difficult history, and Oceania's current guest lecturer/historian Skip Moen talked today about how religion and politics separated Ireland into two countries. 

 

Memorial to victims of Lusitania sinking

survivors brought to Cunard Pier

a few of the deceased

The sinking of the Lusitania in May of 1915 occurred when a German U-boat torpedoed the British Ocean liner off the southern coast of Ireland. The ship sank in less than 20 minutes, resulting in the death of 1,198 of the 1,959 people on board, including 128 Americans.

 

By noon we were getting hungry so we ducked into a grocery store and I picked up a baguette, some Irish white cheddar, a package of English Digestives (a very plain cookie that Ronnie likes) and some English toffee and we had ourselves a little picnic on the beach front. 

After lunch, Ronnie headed back to the ship and I climbed up the steep hill to St. Colman's Cathedral, the neo-Gothic landmark that dominates the skyline. Of course I took a ton of photos. 

 

 

Between the flowers that bloom everywhere and the brightly painted houses and buildings, Cobh is a colorful city that is fun to photograph and as always, I took way too many. I'll share a few of my favorites below.

 

 

view from St. Colman's Cathedral

fresh lavender lines the walkway

flowers literally grow out of cracks in the rock!

Besides exploring the city around the port area on foot, some from the ship took a ferry to Spike Island, a former monastery-turned-fortress and prison while others visited Blarney Castle. I seriously doubt any passenger on this ship would be able to kiss the Blarney stone - I know I couldn't! The staff, yes - but the passengers, no!

 

  

 

An Irish blessing:

May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.