Which activities make you lose track of time?
I lose track of time whether I am reading, writing or talking. I lose track of time over a card game of solitaire.
Playing games on my phone I lose track of time!
Planning vacations visiting countless airline and hotel sites, I lose track of time.
Doing 1000 piece puzzles puts me in la la land.
Today we are in Ireland. We visited this port in May so we weren’t sure if we would leave the ship. It was raining and quite dreary but we decided to go to Cork by train.
Of course, our first stop was a little cafe at the port of Cobh. Scones and cappuccino. Yummy!
The train station was right next to the port and it was 3.50 euros each way.
It was about a 30-minute train ride to Cork with lots of scenery on the way.
We didn’t stay in Cork long – just long enough to take some photos and say we went there. It was drizzling so not so much fun to walk in the rain.
There are a lot of colored buildings in Ireland. Our tour guide in England said that the colored buildings where we were, were painted different colors so when someone was drunk, they could say, “Take me home to the red house.”
Our view from our balcony was quite lovely today.
It was a fine Irish day. Now a couple of sea days than Reykjavik.
#cobh#cork#ireland#paintedhouses#scones#train#travel#cruise#port
What bothers you and why?
Have you ever been in a restaurant waiting to be served, realizing the four tables who came after you already have menus and water?
That drives me to distraction. It triggers my anger. It makes me want to scream.
Sometimes I get a little snarky and sometimes I just walk out. Rarely do I have it in me to politely wait for someone to show up.
Am I invisible? Why are they ignoring me? It triggers some childhood issues where I felt invisible.
It happens when I’m waiting on line and the cashier and the customer in front of me start having a long conversation. Can’t they see people are waiting?
When I say childhood issue let me explain. I was the middle girl. The third of four children. The oldest was so focused on because well, she was the oldest and our parents had high expectations. The second was the boy. That says it all. Then me. Then the adorable youngest who was funny and cute.
This isn’t just my family dynamics. It’s a textbook case.
I work hard to handle these situations appropriately. Not like a crazy woman ready to pull my hair out. I take deep breaths. I do positive self-talk. And I leave the situation before I act out.
Yesterday was a down day for us. I don’t mean emotionally, just physically. We slept in, ate lunch, took naps, and had coffee with friends. It was nice being on the Caribbean Princess while people were on shore.
We ate dinner at a table of 10 and then went to the show. The group was the Trawlermen and they sang sea shanties, folk and Celtic music. They really had the crowd hopping.
This morning we woke at 6 am for coffee in the cabin and headed to the Explorer Lounge to meet Heather and Dave, the couple with whom we shared today’s tour. The weather was slightly overcast and cool.
We landed in Falmouth where we met our driver Pat and off we went on our adventure. The highlight of today was to do a walking Doc Martin tour in Port Isaac. But first we stopped at Newquay and the beach.
This is supposedly one of the best surfing beaches in England. Lots of people ready with their boards but little wave action.
Also the Headlands Hotel is located here, a very posh, upscale property.
And quiet spots for solitude.
Down the road overlooking the harbor was a Huer’s Hut. This was where a lookout would watch for ripples in the water and diving birds. When he saw this he would notify the fishermen and they would head out to catch fish.
Our next stop was the village of St. Mawgan in Pydar .which was built in the 13th century. St. Mawgan has a 13th-century parish. The church was originally a cruciform building of the 13th century but was enlarged by a south aisle and the upper part of the tower in the 15th.
We arrived just in time to hear the end of a service and say the Lord’s Prayer.
The Yew Tree which is in many English Churchyards, wards off evil spirits.
The Lanherne House became the home for cloistered nuns who took vows of silence, chastity and poverty.
There was a chapel attached to the convent that had a silence sign on the door. We ventured in to say a prayer or two.
Next to the chapel was a Celtic Cross which our tour guide said was the oldest in England and possibly the world.
We headed closer to Port Isaac and stopped at a beautiful area with outcroppings into the sea.
It was a lovely spot but the path was difficult to walk. We walked a bit and Heather took a few photos of us.
And seconds after that photo, Dave missed a step and ended up rupturing his quad muscle.
The Coast Guard and ambulances were called. They were there quickly and off Dave went to the hospital.
Unfortunately our tour ended and the driver took Bruce and I and Dave’s wife back to the ship. She picked up their passports and some other things and headed back to the hospital.
They were not able to come back to the ship and probably will fly home tomorrow. I felt bad that we missed Doc Martin but I felt so bad for both of them. That’s no way to have a vacation.
We relaxed the rest of the day. And saw this beautiful sunset tonight.
#celticcross#cornwall#stmagwan#nuns#convent#coastguard#england#tour#langernnehouse#huershut#headlandshotel#trawlermen#seashanties#caribbeanprincess#yewtree
List 10 things you know to be absolutely certain.
1. I’m human
2. I’m a woman
3. People are fallible
4. Negativity breeds negativity
5. Laughter heals
6. I will die someday
7. The moon has it cycles
8. That what I think is unimaginable can come true – ie flying machines, cell phones, the covid-19 pandemic
9. There is a power greater than me.
10. Life is what you make it.
Are you seeking security or adventure?
I love adventure. I guess that’s why I love to travel, especially to places off the beaten track.
I also like to ride roller coasters. It’s a thrill.
I love meeting new people. People of different cultures. People with different beliefs than mine.
During my working years, I changed careers 3 times. I think of adventure as a risk. This was risky but it always worked out.
So I’m all about adventure. Now let me tell you about security.
I believe you can seek security but that doesn’t mean you are going to find it. If you have faith, that’s about all the security you can count on.
My faith allows me to seek adventure and to live life to its fullest!
It was so difficult packing for this trip. We are going to England and then cruising to Iceland. It is a wee bit colder there than it is in south Florida. So mostly long sleeve stuff with rain gear and hopefully that works out.
Our ride by Lyft was fairly uneventful. We arrived at the airport with four hours to kill.
We went to the Centurion Lounge but they wouldn’t let us in. Only 3 hours before flights. Wow! Kind of annoying since it was only 25 minutes. Oh well. So we waited and entered at the right time.
We had our fill of wraps and chicken. Bruce had soup. All was good.
For this flight, we booked economy basic which was $1300 each round trip. My American Express Platinum card gave me a $200 Airline Credit and American was my airline of choice. I booked two exit-row seats at $141 each. So it cost me $82 out of pocket. The seats were pretty good. Bruce had lots of legroom but the seats are not very wide. We missed our business class seats.
Now we are staying for two nights in Southampton at the Doubletree by Hilton. My gold status gives us free breakfast. It was $175 a night and using points doesn’t make sense. So another expenditure to add to my cheap cruise.
We had pizza for dinner and Bruce had the real sticky toffee pudding.
Today we are out and about in Southampton. It’s a bigger city than we thought.
I love the old walls and architecture.
The old buildings.
And of course churches. We visited St. Michael’s Church.
Next, we stopped at St. Joseph’s church.
Southampton once had a wall built around it to protect it from raiders. Now there are only pieces of it standing here and there.
Just a bit of walking and we were ready for a stop. We found The Pig in the Wall which is also an inn.
I had a cappuccino and oatmeal raisin cookie and Bruce had a strawberry cake.
We spent the afternoon at the SeaCity Museum in Southampton. It was fairly comprehensive on the lives of the crew of the Titanic, especially those who resided in Southampton, the ships departure port to the US.
The SeaCity Museum was housed in a fairly old building. The restroom was quite interesting.
For dinner we ate at M’Dim Sum.
It was an amazing meal but it could have fed 4 people. Our starter included spring rolls, chicken satay, toast, and ribs.
Our next course was Peking duck and its trimmings.
Followed by sweet and sour chicken, fried rice, Chinese vegetables and steak with mushrooms.
We had so much leftover, that we took a to-go bag and gave it to a homeless person sleeping on the street. He seemed very grateful. If you ever have leftovers and are in a city with lots of homeless, its better to give food then money.
We walked 5 miles today but it felt like 10. I am realizing how out of shape I am. This vacation I plan on building my stamina and hopefully not eating too much!
If you could host a dinner and anyone you invite was sure to come, who would you invite?
Now who would I invite? Who would I want to come to my house for dinner? Well, I’d love to have my mom and dad who are both gone along with my grandparents who are long gone. And some aunts and uncles.
Why? I would love to sit at a table with all of them as a grownup. To see what it was like from a grownup perspective. As a child, there always seemed to be some foreign intrigue. Things hidden from the children.
I’d also like to know more about my roots. All my ancestors were from Sweden. They emigrated to the US before WWI.
I guess I just have questions and it would be great to sit with all of them and ask away!
What do you think gets better with age?
As I age, I realize how little I knew. When I was young I thought I knew everything. But as I grew older, as each year passed, I became wiser in the knowledge of how little I know.
It’s a common saying, “I wish I knew at 20 what I know now.”
How true this is. With age comes wisdom. That is if you keep on being willing to learn and don’t think you know everything.
Do besides fine wines and cheese our minds get better with age until they don’t.
What time do you go to bed and wake up currently?
I was always a night owl. But as I get older not so much.
Usually I go to bed around 10 to 10:30 and read for a bit. Sometimes I doze off quickly sometimes I read for an hour or two.
I wake up around 7:30 or 8 and do my morning ritual. Coffee, meditation, writing and playing around on my phone. Then I head to the gym.
I figure I average about 6 hours of sleep every night and that seems to work for me. I don’t usually feel tired.
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