DUBLIN & MALAHIDE

Morning came with more of the Shake and Shimmy of the stabilizers nudging the ship into to its birth in Dublin just as the call came in from room service announcing the eminent arrival of Breakfast.  Yeah, they let him have one more try at the door hanger and he apparently got it right this time.

The days plan was to meet for lunch at 1130 in the Windjammer before heading for the bus and today’s Excursion, billed as “Malahide Castle   <-Wiki link} and Irish Pub”.  It would be another short day as the bus leaves at 1PM and We4 had to be back for “Last Aboard” at 5PM.  Little did Chucky know that there was a bonus awaiting him at the castle... 'Tis a wonder whatever that might be...

The ride into Howth, a suburb of Dublin was another scenic run that traveled along the sea to a quaint little pub called the Abbey Tavern for a delightful serving of “Traditional Irish Coffee” along with a lesson and recipe from Minnie’s Back Bar. 

We were allowed a short time to walk about the area, down towards the marina where the bus would pick us up.  Right across the street from an Authentic Fish & Chips takeaway, that Lenny just had to head for.  Hey... The Caterer has to try it, Ya know.
Now the bus is getting ready to leave, so Chucky rushes over to tell Lenny to forget it, just as he emerges with 2 bags of F & C, with the oil already soaking through the bag.  YUM… Really Good, Fresh Fish and the chips weren’t bad either.

Next stop, Malahide Castle <-their website} 13-km north of Dublin, the estate granted to the Talbot family in the 12^th century by Henry the II  

Quite an impressive place with loads of history and kept in excellent shape.  We were led through the lavish setting by our lively guide Ian whose infectious sense of humor had us in stitches as he regaled us with tales of all the previous owners including the requisite Ghost Story [A dwarf minstrel who threw himself off the balcony in the banquet room, reportedly "magically" appears in any pictures that you may take in that room] but I double checked all our pics… No Ghost, no Dwarf, not even Tyrion Lannister.  {G.O.T fans get it}

Upon completing the tour we were then ushered through the requisite tchotchke shop in order to get to the bus and lo and behold… Chucky's Bonus! Yup... Chucky scores another bride, {One of the oldest castles in Ireland, Malahide is a worldwide favorite for weddings} and after he got their picture for his collection, Deborah and Ruairi MacTiernen, asked him to have a place in their wedding album as well.

{Pose... Click... Thanks!}. 

How many more brides will he score this trip? Only time will tell, as he most certainly will.

The bus ride back got them to the ship with time to spare as they rushed back to their cabins to stash the loot from the tchotchke run and freshen up for the Happy Hour Club’s most critical meeting of all.

The $$Million raffle in the casino!  

No winners here so off to the Schooner to drown their sorrows in Super Waiter XXX’s magic elixirs.

Dinner was fairly good this evening with nicely done Rosemary Lamb Shanks preceded by a delicious Onion Soup, spoiled by a giant thick slab of brown bread for a crouton, so big it had to be cut in half to find the soup.  DL wasn’t into Lamb so she tried the Fish and Seafood Mash [don’t ask]. 

One item on the menu became the running joke for the rest of the trip, “Sweet & Sour Premium Meat Free Chicken”. W T F?!? Nobody could explain what that was but Julius our “Boy Wonder” assistant waiter couldn’t let this go for the rest of the trip.  Every time he was asked “What’s good tonight?” he couldn’t resist, “You can’t go wrong with the Meatless Chicken.”  Ok… ya had to have been there.

Dessert was another stab in the heart of every respectable Pastry chef, so bring on the Apple Pie Ala Mode… except the Ala mode was crystalized ice milk tonight so back to a pumpkin seed roll and butter for Chucky to have with his coffee, the others passed altogether.

The usual after dinner Cognac in the casino - Donna struck out tonight - followed by a night cap with Enselmo in the Schooner before We4 headed up to crash early since tomorrow is a 9AM call for the  bus to Blarney Castle. 

It’s still up in the air [pun intended] as to who will actually attempt to kiss the stone and who will opt for a walk in the gardens. Current odds are 6:5 on Lenny and 50:1 for Chucky.  You'll never get Dragon Chic up those steep narrow stairs and Donna's ankle "on Repair" rules her out.

Ciao 4 Now

Uncle Chuck & The confused about Meat Free Chicken,

Dragon Lady