More
Shimmy/Shake & Thrusters action as the good captain nudged the ship in to
the dock at Cobh, Ireland. Formerly named
Queenstown, Cobh is home to Irelands only dedicated cruise terminal on an
island in Cork City’s Harbour, known as the Titanic’s last port of call in
1912.
Titanic Experience Cobh is a themed attraction
in the former White Star Line ticket office. More displays on the liner are in
the Cobh Heritage Centre, which also explores how Cobh became an embarkation
point during Ireland’s mass emigrations , complete
with a Statue of Anne Moore, the
first person to be admitted through Ellis Island on January 1, 1892.
Then…
"Brriingg...Brriingg”
"Brriingg...Brriingg”
“Good
morning sir, your room service order is at your door.”
Yup, someone actually allowed him another shot at the breakfast door hanger and he might
just be getting the hang of it. [Pun intended]
And with
that they sprung from the bed and began the “Dance of the Tiny Bathroom”,
learned long ago in China. While wolfing down Muffins, and Croissants they
readied themselves for the hour and a half ride
Not much to
tell about the ride in, minor bits of history from our guide who, after we
dismounted from the bus led us a half mile away to the entrance of the Blarney Castle & Gardens. And then promptly disappeared long enough to let 2 other busses
rush ahead of us to the long queue at the castle for those wishing to partake
in the ritual of hanging upside-down to slobber over the Blarney Stone, {a gnarly piece of rock suspended in the most unlikely of places} in
hopes of improving their gift of gab.
And… of
course having been told it would be a sunny day and We4 leaving their umbrellas
on the bus… a miserable drizzle starts.
On the way
through the gardens, we encountered what could only have been 
a nod to the
woolen trade attributed to the castle and area.
Each tree along the path to the castle had its own woolen muffler or afghan
wrap. Which obviously sparked a slew of
pics, some of which were taken at a curious stone with a hole in it with no
marker explaining its Raison d’ Etre, perhaps only as a unique Photo Frame for
pics of the Castle, or the Dragon Chic... or whatevah!
Lenny, who
apparently thought he needed help with his Silver Tongue Talents promptly headed
for the line to "Kiss The Stone".
Chucky, DL and Donna took one look at the slow moving queue and where it led and opted to head back through
the gardens and wait for him at the Woolen Mill, which...
Wait for it…
Wait…
Wait…
isn’t
a Mill at all but an over touted Tourist Trap Department store, similar to
Burlington Coat Factory [another misnomer].
They had been given 1.5 hours by the disappearing guide to pursue Whatevah they chose to do in that time, with instruction to meet back at the bus by 12:30. 
Sooooo...after passing a lovely violinist, her guard dog and an outstanding representative of the many contributors to the Woolen trade,
We4{-1} wandered around the “Mill” looking for appropriate tchotchkes for the gang back home.
Which of course led to another edition
of Pictures of the Dragon Lady in
Silly Hats.
After backtracking
to the Chocolate shop near the entrance to the Gardens We4{-1} finally
rendezvous with Lenny, who is walking quite gingerly. Seems that he tried
to "Bend Over For The Stone”, and tweaked his already sore back, but swears it
has already improved his particular fast talking skills. Like he really
needed it… NOT!
He also confirmed
what the rest suspected, that the hour+ wait in line led to the narrowest,
steepest and most confining steps ever up to the stone, that neither of the
girls could have navigated… not that they ever had any intention of trying.
Back on the
Bus, while trying not to nod off with the monotonous toned guide droning on about dis ‘n’ dat, they finally arrived back at the docks in
Cobh, and made one last try at the tchotchke shop in the Terminal for trinkets,
a couple €1 bottles of water. And with one last trip up the gangway and through the requisite security scan, their visit to Ireland concluded.
After an
impromptu meeting in the Park Café for a light snack before retiring to
respective cabins to change for dinner, We4 re-convened the Happy Hour Club
with favored Super Waiter XXX in the Schooner along with questionable snacks
from the Diamond Club.
Dinner was
another stab at Prime Rib preceded by a delightful Roasted Peach Soup with
Lenny scoring a lovely cut of beef, Donna opting for a platter of chilled
shrimp, {Stan The Man had her covered from the get-go} DL going for Prime Rib as well and Chucky giving the Three Cheese
Tortelloni one more try. HUZZAH! [There’s that word again] They
were actually done nicely as was the Mascarpone cheese sauce
All took a
pass on Desserts opting for Cognac and coffee in the casino where once again,
Slots Queen Donna hit it big, as Chucky watched with envy.
Nightcaps
followed in the Schooner as We4 closed the place down with Enselmo since tomorrow
was Saint Peter’s Port, Guernsey, where ab-so-lute-ly nothing was planned... so it was gonna be a sleep
in morning.
Let's see if they let him try the Breakfast door hanger again...
Ciao 4 Now
Uncle
Chuck & The disappointed in the “Mill”,
Dragon
Lady
These are great reports. To reach the Blarney stone one has to be a contortionist! Those who say they did it are full of Blarney! But, your reviews are intricate and exquisite. Your culinary reviews make us wish we we were with you -pro & con. BTW: Seattle has a cadre of weavers & knitters who love to wrap trees!
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