Journal of No. 118

I haven't been keeping contemporaneous diaries of travel adventures for a while. This probably saves everyone a lot of time. But here's my take on our recent trip on Carnival Legend around the UK. Legend is among the smallest ships currently in the Carnival Fleet, and is just a tad bigger than the erstwhile Celebrity Galaxy, our first (and best) cruise experience. Just as a quick summary, Carnival did not make a good showing for us, the main letdown being the food in the main dining hall. On most cruises, these have been causes for celebration -- three or four courses with a schmancy-quality waitstaff and maybe even a sommelier. On Legend, there's no time for chitchat. The ordertakers take orders. Everything else about the cruise (including the casual dining options) was pretty good. Anyway, to the recap:

We flew into Heathrow and got the shuttle bus to Dover to get us on the ship. Neat to see the White Cliffs in the flesh, so to speak. I was out of sorts from the long flight, but a hamburger helped to sort me out -- only afterwards did I see that I'd been to Flavortown. The burger spot is Guy Fieri-branded (and Emeril has left his mark on the main dining room menus).

As we recombobulated from the flight, it was good to have a sea day the next day. Scout out the ship. Find the food. Find the booze. Find the reading spots. Find the minigolf course. Avoid the shops. Avoid the casino. Avoid the Fun Squad.

The following day, we were berthed at Cobh, Ireland, a short trainride from Cork. Once in Cork, we took the (packed) local bus to Blarney Castle. Like most days on the trip, the weather was rainy to drizzly in the morning, and gradually improving into the afternoon, when blue skies might appear. There was a 90 minute wait to go kiss the Blarney Stone, which wasn't that great an attraction for us anyway. But the Castle and Manor itself are surrounded by gardens, so we wandered through poisonous plants, carnivorous plants, ferns, and what not for a time before heading back to Cork. I thought we might do lunch at the English Market in Cork, but it was closed on Sundays. We found a friendly Irish pub for sandwiches and cider. We walked a bit more around Cork before returning to the ship. We probably should have spent more time in Cobh, which looked like it had some charm, but we were pretty beat by this point. As the ship left, though, we watched Cobh slip past and away from the deck. Saw some properly Emerald landscapes before we were out to sea pointing back across the Irish Sea.

In Holyhead, Wales we took the train to Bangor, and from there a bus to Caernarfon. Caernarfon Castle is really an amazing place. It looks brand-new, but is 700 years old (though I gather much of it was restored in the 19th century). Due to its completeness, visitors have almost complete run of the place. Climb every tower, walk every battlement. Some of the areas have historical exhibits and such inside. So we walked all over and inside the place until we were tired, and then back into the city for some ice cream. Back to the bus, back to the train, back to the ship, which again tacked the other way across the Irish Sea.

Alas, in the morning, the weather and waves were so rough that we had to skip Dublin entirely. Probably the stop I was most excited about. There was enough motion in the ship to be noticeable, especially in the long hallways along the cabins, where you found yourself being sucked by gravity to one side or the other as you tried to walk in a straight line. But honestly nothing that raised any discomfort or concern. So... another U-turn across the Irish Sea.

Liverpool turns out to be a great cruise port, mainly because the terminal is smack dab in the middle of everything. No trains or buses or trams to take to get you somewhere. You're right there. We walked along the Three Graces and the museums nearby We spent some time in the Maritime museum, which had rich displays on the Lusitania as well as more generally about WWI and WWII naval history. After some more walk through the streets, we entered the Western Approaches War Museum in Liverpool, in the underground facility in charge of protecting the British Coast in WWII. Again lots of great original artifacts, from a giant map room to an Enigma machine. A nice little mini-museum on the Wrens as well.

After that, we stopped for Brazilian Nachos, which were slow to come and we wolfed them down in order to make it to our 'Couples' Gin Making appointment at the Liverpool Gin Distillery. This turned out to be a great experience. Some history of gin and gin-making (accompanied by more gin and tonics than we could safely drink). We got our own little copper still, and our choice of botanicals to go in the mix. It was similar to our kitchen sink absinthe experiments, but a large notch more professional -- even to the extent of having a refractometer to measure the alcohol percentage. Once we had a little taste of our own medicine, we had a chance to name it. We had been struck by the Liver Birds on the Royal Liver Insurance building (one of the 3 Graces) and had learned it was the mythical cormorant-ish symbol of Liverpool, so we went with that as a name. We also got to apply the wax seal to the top. Back to the ship, where we had our Chef's Table appointment -- instead of dinner in the dining room, we had a special meal with a dozen cruisers overseen by one of the chefs. We toured the galley, which was just as hectic as one might imagine, but the pastry chef gave us a quick lesson in cake. The meal itself came in numerous courses, and the staff did a great job dealing with my picky eating. Definitely a highlight of food on the ship (the other one being the huevos rancheros at brunch). But not the trip as a whole. No disrespect to the chef, but we had lined up some Michelin-starred ringers for the next two days.

In Glasgow, we took our only excursion (since we're pretty confident taking buses and trains and what-not on our own). This went out just a hairsbreadth into the Highlands to visit Glengoyne Distillery, one of the minority of whisky distilleries still under Scottish ownership. Our local guide was quite a hoot. Crazy to think his straight job is as a professor. He oversaw a lot of US students, and apparently made an easy 5 pound a shot for recording voicemails as Shrek. The distillery gave us a great tour of the facility and the process and a wee dram or two of the local product. Good stuff. Dr. Pookie was happy to learn it's available at Total Wines.
The next short stop was at Loch Lomond. I'm afraid we had a romantic vision of 'the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.' For the locals, it's a spot for entertainment with paddleboats, minigolf, and a churro stand. Then back to the boat.

The ship was in Glasgow until the wee hours, so we had plenty of time to do more. I barely made it on the train waiting for us near the port, and then we walked a bit around the town. We stopped at the bar in Citizen for some excellent cocktails, before heading along to Unalome for dinner. Now I wish I had a more complete diary entry, but everything was lovely. Particularly, the duck dish, where the breast was prepared as well as any I've ever imagined, and the confit leg (or whatever it was) was likewise superlative. Beets and taters and raspberry as complements.

The next day in Belfast, we enjoyed St. George's Market, with everything from antiques to gigantic sandwiches on offer. Ultimately, we had an excellent lunch at OX, where again the attention to detail, presentation and flavor was astounding. Even the butter was the best butter in the entire world (thank you Irish cows). Afterwards, we strolled more around Belfast before getting back to the ship.

After Belfast, another day at sea, then back to Dover, and then to our little Z Hotel in Covent Garden for an extra half-or-so day in London. Spent more time at the British Museum -- it's been 34 years since we were last there, but heck, even the mummies are only 1% older, so they were just like old friends. Got Dr. Pookie some very authentic fish and chips before turning in and preparing for the trip home.

In the morning, the Tube to Heathrow and then on the giant flying metal tube for LA.

All the photos (250)

The 86 best photos (in quasi-reverse chronological order)

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We were on the Norwegian Jewel, going in and out of Seattle, with Dr. Pookie's twin and her family. Just as an aside, we found the ship experience not as nice as our previous big-ship cruises on Celebrity and the ill-fated Costa Concordia. I don't know if it was a difference between American and European-based cruises, or Norwegian vs these other lines, but particularly the food was a let-down this time. On the previous ships, there were set dining-times in the main dining room, and one would be seated with other parties. A few of the nights were formal, requiring jacket and tie, but generally dressing up to some extent was expected. If you couldn't handle this, you could always hit the buffet in your speedos. Dinners would be 5 course affairs with a sommelier - every day a different menu. On Jewel, there were no set mealtimes, and only the French restaurant and the rear dining hall required collared shirts at dinner. 3 course meals. No sommelier. The restaurants had largely the same menu each night, though a few items cycled through. There was also a lot more nickel and diming. There were 'specialty' restaurants that cost extra money -- we had a package that got us 4 visits to these -- but even then, certain menu items (lobster, etc.) had an additional surcharge. The specialty restaurants were all pretty good, but on the whole, the food was a disappointment in comparison to our other experiences. Everything else about the ship and cruise was A-Okay and much more like the others.

( So anyway... )

Tuesday 14 August

We've left the River Aria behind in favor of a double decker bus for the trip to Prague via Český Krumlov.
( Czech please )

Saturday 11 August

Out and on the bus a little earlier than usual, and our first stop is the Opera House. We were treated to an inside tour. Much of the opera house had been destroyed in the war, but it still looks mighty grand. The craziest thing about the place is that they often put on a different opera every day of the week. They do hundreds of shows a year and must be shuttling sets and costumes back and forth like mad. And they certainly have an enormous place to store it all. We learned that sets were constructed in an entirely different part of the city and transported by special trucks late at night and delivered through a special gate with a truck elevator.

Then to the famous Naschmarkt, a mile long market where they offer fruits and vegetables from the mundane to the exotic, along with cafes and restaurants. Also vinegar in jugs from which you can sample, and then take away measured quantities in little glass bottles.

The market is right alongside the Secession Museum, originally founded by artists who resigned from the Austrian academy. The building itself is handsome, with art nouveau tree elements in the facade that connect with a golden leafy dome atop it. The main attraction is Klimt's Beethoven frieze, one of several artworks created to honor the unveiling of a statue of Beethoven by Max Klinger (no, not that one). It has the air of being unfinished, but perhaps that's because it was only designed to be a temporary work. The fresco allegedly pictures Klimt's interpretation of Wagner's allegorical interpretation of Beethoven's 9th. I think that's too many removes from the original, and I don't see the connection between the Ode to Joy and King Kong (ok, it's actually Typhoeus). No pictures are allowed, though some quiet photographers snapped a few before the surly Austrian guy yelled at them.

We also had a little time to see the other exhibits and there were a couple interesting modern pieces by Suzanne Treister, part of her Hexen 2.0 series, featuring word cloud connections between varius things, like the links from HP Lovecraft to the Unabomber. We wanted to get a book or poster of the work, but the gift shop was sold out. Actually, what I think they had was her tarot cards.

After taking a quick spin through the market, we got on the bus and went to the Hundertwasserhaus. Sadly it started to rain quite a bit here, and it dampened my spirits, my clothes, and my camera a little. hundertwasser's crazy house is still in use as an apartment building and is slightly reminiscent of Gaudi, with its avoidance of straight lines and the use of natural forms and decoration. Near here I picked up my free souvenir from the pavement -- a narrow strip of metall hand-twisted into a treble clef.

Back to the ship where Daniel kindly let us sample a dragonfruit and jackfruit that he'd picked up at the market. The dragonfruit was mildly sweet, but not very interesting. The jackfruit had a wonderful taste that really wakes up in your mouth with a strawberryish flavor. THe texture was about like an apple.

At lunch, we sat with a jovial guy. We swapped stories and found out he'd played pro football with the Chiefs.

Now off to Schönbrunn.

Just as we arrived, the rain really started to come down. I had the foresight to bring the umbrella along, but it did hamper taking pictures of the front facade. Inside, alas, no photos allowed of the lovely rooms and furnitures. We were most astonished by the Hapsburgs' inclusion of Asian art themes in their decor. China and the east were certainly in vogue, but it was strange to see caricatures of Chinese people in the wallpaper. Another neat deail was the chandeliers with Swarovski light bulbs (obviously a later addition -- the palace was electrified by Edison) and the little bulbs waggled a bit, suggesting flickering flames. Saw lots of portraits and imperial splendor including the painting of Isabella of Parma's wedding, with all the carriages, that was in Eco's Infinity of Lists. The painting is humongous.

After seeing some of the rooms open to the public, we traveled briefly through the gardens (the weather was cooperating now) to the carriage museum, which had lots of impressive conveyances in it. There were some other items, like Sisi's wedding dress train. Carriages for kids, which were just as ornate, some modeled on the full-scale Hapsburg carriages, and pulled by donkey, pony, or even sheep.

After that we had a little time on our own to stroll the garden a bit, and finally get some good pictures of the palace. One odd feature was a bird we first noticed picking at a (rare) piece of litter. Looked and sounded fairly crow-like, but with a grey/brown band around his shoulders -- maybe a hooded crow. He posed a bit for me, before cawing and taking to the air.

Back to the ship, where we ate the swankiest sounding meal of the trip. I think it may have been the tastiest, or maybe that's just the good advertising:

Appetizer: salad of goat cheese with honey apple beignet and stuffed crepe with apple compote garnished with roasted pumpkin seeds.

Soup: Cream of roasted garlic with rye bread croutons.

Entrees: Chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto and mozarella served with chicken stock reduction presented on snow pea risotto and glazed carrots.
Broiled filet of halibur with potato herb crust served on sauteen pumpkin, broccoli florets, beet root and white wine sauce.
Breaded eggplant stuffed with tomatoes, Appenzeller cheese served with tomato ragout, baked potato with sour cream.

Dessert: Traditional Austrian Apfel Strudel with vanilla sauce and ice cream.

The appetizer was amazing.
The soup was excellent.
I had the chicken... it was good, but not great.
Dessert helped bring the average pack up to awesome.

After dinner, we had a short set from a Viennese standup/magician. He was great, and didn't outwear his welcome.

Auf Wiedersehen, Wien!

Wednesday 8 August

After breakfast, a city tour of Budapest. Our first stop was at Freedom Park, an important location for the 1956 Revolution, when Hungary threw off Communism for a few weeks. At one side of the park is a building then used by the Hungarian Communist Party & some shootings took place there. We spoke with a chemical engineer who was a child at the time. He gave some history and his own experiences. A vitally important event for Hungarian history & national pride (particularly now that communism is gone for good) but I didn't find him very enthralling.
( Now for something more enthralling )

to the best 120 photos

The last photo on that page is the first taken, and so on back through them. If you hit slideshow, you'll have to change the options to reverse direction, and then scroll to start at the very last (i.e. first) picture. Or failing that, just pretend my trip went the other way.

The Costa Concordia & Tunisia

I now have a flickr tag for the bestofcruise2009, with a mere 61 photos.

250 photos uploaded... click the image below to see the flickr set. So far, no tags or captions, but I'll work on that as and when.