For those wanting some background music for the post, here’s some music from the land.
On to the post.
The image shows are 12-days of cruising. Keep in mind that we had 4 days in London before cruising, plus 3 days in Reykjavik, Iceland after the cruise. Both of these stops were independent of the cruise and done on our own.
I was struck by the fact that each of the major cities in the British Isles were quite different from one another.
- The most grand: London, England
- The most captivating: Edinburgh, Scotland
- The most walkable: Dublin, Ireland
- The most unexpectedly different: Liverpool, England
- The most gut wrenching: Belfast, Northern Ireland
… and we didn’t just visit cities on the trip:
- The most scenic countryside: Northern Scotland
- The most solemn: American military cemetery at Normandy (Omaha Beach)
- The most quaint: St. Peter Port, Guernsey
- The most geologic diverse: Iceland
We walked a lot – averaging about 13,500 steps per day with over 25,000 being the most. When walking, my eyes are busy. For those who remember, when in Florence, Italy – I say “Look up!” Whether walking or passing by in a touring bus, these business signs on the trip caught my eye. Other than the obvious, any thoughts on what they sell?
Fun captures Frank – though the bare chested pirate has me stumped……… (Oh, pun was unintentional 🙂 )
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Pauline,
Seeing that also stumped me, so I took the picture … I think in Reykjavik. It’s got to be a bar. 😉
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Fortified by “Get Back” and a second cup of coffee – my day is off to a great start! Looking forward later today to hearing the reason(s) behind each on your ‘the most . . ‘ list.
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Tim,
Glad this was able to get your day off to a good start.
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It sounds like a fabulous vacation–and I’m glad you looked all around! 🙂
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Merril,
I’ve learned that looking up is a must – so for me, it’s now a requirement.
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I do it all the time, too.
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I loved Edinburgh. So visually appealing. I also loved the Blarney Castle area. Did you go there? Unfortunately it was pouring when we were there so we only saw a small portion of the grounds, but it was absolutely gorgeous.
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Carrie,
We were in the Blarney area (Cork) … but didn’t go to Blarney because it was a Irish holiday, so we figured it would be packed … and we heard it was.
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I want to go back there, but with sunshine next time around. 😁
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Understandable, but in that part of the world, rain happens.
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Indeed. That’s why it’s so green and lush
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Definitely not the 90 degrees & 90% humidity as I can get here.
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Some fun shops you visited, I’d be a bit sceptical of walking into The Creepy Wee Shop though.
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Thrifty,
If memory serves me right, I believe that was in Edinburgh …. and at a church location!
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Looks like a fun trip, Frank. Edinburgh is one of my favorite cities, and the Scottish Highlands felt like home to me on the occasions I’ve visited.
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Robin,
I see we are on the same page regarding Scotland …. (well, except for the home part for me – which I get elsewhere).
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Most of what we wanted to see in Dublin was within a reasonable walk. There were well-placed parks (good for public naps).
Galway has an excellent pedestrian main street. We visited it several times in the 6 days we stayed.
I agree about Edinburgh. So much has happened there and so much to learn.
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Jim,
I was surprised to learn that the main park in Dublin is so big, both London’s Hyde Park + NYC’s Central Park can fit within it with room to spare! You had a great advantage of having 6 days in one location (a disadvantage of cruising) … but we get the advantage of being able to sample more. Nonetheless, our day in Dublin was wonderful.
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That looks like a great trip.
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Debra,
That it was.
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What a diverse array of marvelous travel sites and cities. I can’t imagine anyone not finding this an enviable vacation, Frank!
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Debra,
A wonderful vacation indeed that included a wide range of places over 3 weeks. Of course I called this post “a Primer” because more posts are to come. The question is when can I get the writing done.
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I agree with some others that the pirate is the most intriguing. I would guess at a bar as well, but maybe it is a peg-leg shop? I rather like the slug and lettuce sign as well.
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Patti,
Glad you enjoyed these. I’m not sure where I saw Slug & Lettuce or what type of store it was … but definitely a unique name. You’ve provided the perfect explanation for the pirate. I think the name of the store was Peg-Legs R Us.
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Those signs are more enticing for being compiled. Well done. Congrats on your trip. I am green.
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Brenda,
When looking around, it’s odd and interesting what one discovers … so I captured some of them. Besides, I’m sure I missed plenty. Nonetheless, a wonderful trip.
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Sounds better than my vacation — doing someone else’s office work.
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YUK!
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Never again. 🙂
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Frank, good to know you stepped on good old Blighty’s soil and I have to agree with you Scotland takes some beating for the scenery, but then you did not visit Derbyshire Dales,, my close second.. 🙂 Edinburgh a wonderful City, .. And so pleased you went to Liverpool .. And yes Belfast, lots of history of the conflicts there.Gut wrenching describes the troubles there well which are even to this day raw for many there..
Glad you had such a fantastic time.. and great phtoto’s
And thank you Frank for your visit today Lovely to have you xxx
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Sue,
It was a wonderful trip to visit your homeland as it was our first time to all the locations. I call this post a “primer” because I will post specifics over time. In the initial post after the trip, I apologized to my UK readers that I didn’t stop by. So … in our travels, how close did we come to you?
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Liverpool is 124 miles away.. 🙂 Frank.. We are positioned around the letter P of Pool in the word Liverpool, in what is termed the East Midlands area.. 🙂 So not that far as the crow flies, and about 2 and half hours driving time.. 🙂
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Such as close to Blackpool?
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No but I have been there.. not on the cost.. but in the centre of Eng.. 🙂
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OK
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PS hope you enjoyed Loch Ness.. we were there in May.. 😀
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We didn’t go to Loch Ness … but were in the area … a wonderful day!
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Fabulous… its wonderful around there..
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I imagine I will get around to a post … But I’ll probably go in order of the trip.
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Will look forward 🙂
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“Slug and Lettuce” would send me running in the opposite direction. 😯 Thanks for the bit of Beatles nostalgia. 🙂
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Sylvia,
That one has me stumped because I don’t know what the business was about … hold on … according to Wikipedia, it’s a chain of pubs (about 70 across the UK)
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You certainly see more than just the touristy things if you walk and look up! Pep and Fodder could be coffee and food or drinks and food. I always enjoy the names of pubs when traveling. What a trip! Cheers!
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Jo,
I like your take on Pep and Fodder … (For the record, I don’t recall notice anything but the name). More posts on the trip will display over time.
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Your trips are very rewarding, and that’s just for me, sitting at the computer.
You, and others make it all sound so fabulous, so I’m working on a trip to Spain in the spring. Will I over come my fear of flying over water? We’ll see!
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Dream trip. Hmmm… maybe I should put that one on my to-do!
Lovely images!
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