Dover; The End of the Line

 "Well, it's all right, even if the sun don't shine; Well, it's all right (all right), we're going to the end of the line"

(George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Jeffrey Lynn)

Dover, England (The "White Cliffs of Dover") - Copyright Andy Richards 2019

IT IS pretty much true that the sun doesn't shine alot in Dover (just over 65 days a year). Saying it is "the end of the line" is probably not generally accurate. But for us it was. It was the last stop on our cruise (even though we would return to our point of departure, Rotterdam, the next day). We love to travel, and especially to cruise. We do it a lot. We know that even though this one is coming to an end, there will be more in the future. Even so, the last day or last stop on a cruise tinges me with just a little bit of melancholy. Although we often stop in the same ports again, there will never be one exactly like the one you are in at the time you are in it. For the "Iceland, Ireland and England Cruise, this was it. The last stop. The "end of the line."

Celebrity Apex from Dover Castle - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

MY WIFE and I had been to Dover once before, in 2019, on a previous cruise. We didn't really see Dover, though. Instead, we booked a train to London. In hindsight that was probably a mistake. We had fun in London, but not nearly enough time. We left there vowing to come back to London, knowing we would need to spend several days there in order to get a feel for the city (we did, in 2021, spending a wonderful week there, before boarding the Regal Princess in Southampton). Ironically, the sun was shining the day we skipped Dover.

Dover Castle - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

TRUE TO expectations, there was no sunshine in Dover on this trip. We awoke to drizzly, cloudy and chilly conditions. We knew from our pre-trip planning, that there was not a lot to do in Dover. The primary attractions were Dover Castle, and the small, quaint downtown. Had the weather been a bit nicer, we might have stopped in the downtown on our way back to the ship. We had made some friends aboard, who did, and when we spoke to them that night in the Martini Bar, they said it was a nice experience.

Dover Castle - Main Entrance - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

Dover Castle - Dover, England - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

Dover Castle - Dover, England - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

Dover Castle - Dover, England - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

WE KNEW, though, that we wanted to visit the castle. On the Dover stop, Celebrity provided a shuttle from the ship with 2 stops: the downtown and the castle. I don't recall if there was a charge, but we could tell during the ride that it wasn't a walkable-access situation.

Dover Castle - Dover, England - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

DOVER CASTLE is England's biggest castle. Originally started by William the Conqueror in the late 11th Century, there are no identifiable remains of that first fortification. The current castle was built by King Henry, II, the late 12th Century, it provided the first defense on the English Channel from invasions from the south (across the channel). Over the next 800 years, the castle was periodically and continually upgraded. What is unique about this fortification is the tunnels through the cliffs along the north side of the English Channel. It was a system that allowed for concealment and movement. The tunnels were used during medieval times and then through wars between the French and English and through 2 world wars. They were famously used by Allied Soldiers during WWII.

Tunnels - Dover Castle - Dover, England - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

LIKE MANY European castles, the interior walls housed a kind of self-sustaining community. It is said to be lavishly built, as English castles go. There were a number of rooms with authentic (or perhaps in some cases, authentic-looking mockups) furniture and accessories. It is an interesting visit.

Church outside of Dover Castle - Dover, England - Copyright Andy Richards 2023

WE HEADED back to the ship for our final afternoon onboard, and our final evening of the cruise. A fun time with good friends. We are looking forward to our next adventure together. In the meantime, we had a New Year's Cruise in the Caribbean scheduled with our friends, Paul and Linda. Stay tuned!

"Get Back" to Liverpool (we did- and we are glad we did)

Royal Albert Dock - Liverpool, England

IN 2019, our "British Isles" cruise stopped in Liverpool. I have blogged a couple different times about Liverpool, both here, and on my LightCentricPhotography Blog.

Liverpool Institute and School of Art - Liverpool, England

FOR ME Liverpool has gone from a city I was almost wholly unenthusiastic about, to a city I really like. Blame the former totally on pre-conceptions. Before our first cruise stop there, I thought of Liverpool as a dirty, working-class city far away from the excitement of London, and vicinity. You will now get this in writing and may want to bookmark it - because it doesn't happen very often (the admission, not the fact 😎): I was wrong.

Commemorative Plaque - St. Peter's Church Hall - Liverpool, England

OF COURSE the most popular current history of Liverpool, and I thought at the time, its sole redeeming quality is that it is the birthplace of The Beatles. That is correct, but there is so much more.

This painting hangs in the St. Peter's Community Church Hall - Liverpool, England

LIVERPOOL was at one time, the financial center of England, surpassing even London in wealth. It was also one of the first modern industrial centers of England. Historically, the port of Liverpool was where the vast majority of American military personnel entered the European theater during World War II.

St. Peter's Church Hall - Where it all began - Liverpool, England

ARCHITECTURALLY, LIVERPOOL has some impressive buildings throughout the city, and some very cool restaurants and bars in the downtown area. I took quite a few in 2019, but we didn't really do much walking around aside from our Beatles Tour on this stop. You can see all my Liverpool pictures in my LightCentricPhotography image galleries for England and Liverpool, here, and Beatles-related pictures here.

Boyhood home of John Lennon - Liverpool, England

BECAUSE OUR friends are music appreciators, a Beatles Tour was a foregone conclusion. We had taken one 3 years prior, though a company called Fab Four Taxi Tours, and thought it was pretty great. It takes up a good part of the day on shore, but if you haven't done it, it really is a must-do experience. Even though we had done it recently, there were enough things that had changed - and enough of a difference between our two guides - that we enjoyed the second time. And of course, Bruce and Joyce got to see things for the first time.

10 Admiral Grove - Where Ringo Starr grew up - Liverpool, England

IN 2019, our driver was Eddie. Since then, he has experienced some health issues and even if we wanted him again, he is no longer conducting the tours. But he is still with the company, and it was fun to see him in the cruise port and catch up briefly, before he introduced us to our guide for that day: Gary.

Eleanor Rigby's Gravestone - St. Peter's Church - Liverpool, England

THE TOURS vary a bit, I assume depending on what the tour guide thinks is important, and probably also depending on the traffic around some of the major sites. But you can expect them to include certain sure-thing stops - all inspirations in one way or another - for songs. Or otherwise significant as homes, and meeting places.

Penny Lane sign - with Paul McCartney's signature - Liverpool, England

THERE IS a sign at the beginning of Penny Lane that all the tours stop at for a "photo-op." Interestingly, Penny Lane is not where any of the iconic references in the song are. It is a quiet, residential street. But the sign is quite famous, particularly since it has been signed by many celebrities, including Paul McCartney himself.

Strawberry Fields Gate - Liverpool, England

TONY SLAVIN's Penny Lane Barbershop, and the "shelter" on the roundabout in the song, are both on a triangular intersection of 3 roads with the "main drag" A562. Not even really a roundabout. But they are iconic. In 2019, the barbershop was still open for business. It appears not to have fared well through the pandemic and is now closed. The fire station is further west on A562 and has been long closed. On both occasions, we drove by, but there really wasn't anywhere to stop. We were able to park near the barber shop, and I have pictures from both years. Our understanding is that the A562 is a popular bus route, and both McCartney and Lennon were known to ride the route in their youth.

Strawberry Fields - Liverpool, England

WE DID stop and walk around 3 of the 4 Beatle's childhood home. The 4th, George Harrison's home has been in disrepair for years, and the guides don't judge it worth the stop. I agree. There is scrubby tree growth mostly obscuring the home. But the McCartney home, Lennon's aunt (who mostly raised him), and Ringo Starr's home are all accessible - and still rather Iconic. The McCartney home and Lennon home are now both owned and maintained by England's National Trust.

Bandstand - Strawberry Fields - Liverpool, England

IN THE "the only constant is change" category, one of my semi "disappointments" was the venerable Empress Pub that was owned by Ringo's family, and later, Ringo. During or after the 2021 Pandemic, it was closed and eventually sold. The new owners converted it into a Beatles-themed Bed and Breakfast. While it might be fun to walk through it, the old original building and its trim was a great look, and good photograph. The new one at least, fits one of my oft-repeated draws. It is very colorful!

The Empress "Pub" (now a Bed and Breakfast) - 2023

ANOTHER STOP was St. Peter's Church. For those who didn't know, this is kind of where it all started. The "community" sponsored a musical "fete" on many Saturdays and Lennon was a member of "The Quarrymen" a "skiffle" band composed of some of his high school buddies that often participated ("skiffle music was a popular genre that was the precursor to the rock music that the Beatles were eventually famous for). A mutual friend convinced McCartney to come along and listen one Saturday. Famously, during a break while the Lennon group rested in the community hall behind the St. Peter's Church, the friend brought McCartney in and there was an introduction. The left-handed McCartney picked up a guitar, turned it upside down, and played a Little Richard song, impressing all who were there. Shortly a few days afterward, Paul was invited to join the Quarrymen - and accepted. At the time, John was 16 and Paul, 15 years old.

Bandstand Stage - Strawberry Fields - Liverpool, England

ANOTHER INTERESTING history of the church is the graveyard in the back, with the grave of Eleanor Rigby, namesake of another famous Beatles tune. There is some controversy about the part the gravestone played in the song. It is an interesting read.

Resident Housing - Strawberry Fields - Liverpool, England

OUR FINAL stop of the tour was the Salvation Army's Strawberry Fields Orphanage, the inspiration behind another of McCartney's famous songs. In 2019, it was mainly closed to the public. We saw the original gates, which are a photogenic, red, wrought-iron work, with graffiti on the stonework around them. We stopped with Eddie, took a couple photos, and got the back-story. On this trip, things had changed in a big way. Now fully open to the public, the site has a large, modern welcome center with a cafeteria, gift shop, and some very pretty public grounds. There is a unique Beatles themed bandstand on the grounds, also.

THERE IS one other thing that will make this 2023 stop in Liverpool stand in my memory forever. It is maybe one of the coolest things that has ever happened to us during our travel (and there have been a few very cool things over the years). In 2019, we cruised the "Italian Riviera" aboard the Celebrity Edge (the first in the class and sister ship to the Apex). We met a pretty large grouping of different couples aboard, a number of which we have kept in touch with (mainly on Facebook). One couple in particular, whose company we thoroughly enjoyed, was a couple from Manchester, England: Rob and Carol Cook. We have kept in touch via Facebook ever since that cruise. She saw one of my posts during this cruise, followed the progress of the ship, and sent me a message. Manchester is just under 1/2 hour from Liverpool, and they were contemplating meeting up with us. To our surprise and delight (I had messaged her about an hour prior, but had not received a response), when we arrived at a bar our guide thought we should experience, they were there, waiting for us! We spent the last part of our shore time with them, including a nice dinner before returning to the ship. And then, instead of going straight home, they went to see us off. It is the first (and only - so far - time) anyone has ever seen them off from shore! It was really great to see them and catch up. And we look forward to the next time we meet up!

Ocean Wind Energy Farm - Irish Sea - Liverpool, England

LEAVING LIVERPOOL, as we sailed out of the River Mersey and back into the Irish Sea, headed for the English Channel and on toward our final port of call - Dover - we had some nice, hazy sunshine. We passed a huge windfarm out in the middle of the ocean (I later learned it was the largest ocean windfarm in Europe). Ironically, in front of it was an old-school drilling rig. The interesting lighting pattern made for a nice photo-op and was our last memory of our stop in Liverpool. We enjoyed Liverpool again and would not turn down another opportunity for a visit.

Liverpool, England

Belfast: a Titanic Struggle

Belfast Port

WE HAD been to Belfast twice in prior years; by land in 2014, and as a Cruise Stop on the Celebrity Reflection in 2019. We didn't spend any real time in the city on either occasion. The 2019 trip was only a drive-through on our way to another destination associated with our "Life of Brian Boru" tour. In 2019, we took a tour of the north coast and aside from a quick stop at the Titanic drydock and drive through one of the "Game of Thrones" movie sets, we spent no time in the city. We did stop and sign the peace wall on our way back to our cruise ship on that trip.

Tour Guides awaiting Apex passengers - Belfast Port

HAVING HEARD and read a bit about "The Troubles," I really wanted to see the city, and more importantly, take a tour focusing on The Troubles. We also wanted to see the Titanic Exhibit, which wasn't open when we were there in 2019. Our morning was taken up by one of the well-publicized "Black Taxi" tours of the city, and the afternoon by a trip through the Titanic Museum.

"Peace" Wall - Falls Road - Belfast, Northern Ireland

WE FOUND the meeting spot for our taxi tour and away we went. There are/were peace walls in several sections of the city, the main wall that is popular for tourism, is pretty much centrally located in Belfast. The city was split roughly East and West by Falls Road. The Peace Wall we have visited and now signed twice, is on Falls Road, pictured above. To understand why I put quotation marks around the word, "peace," you really have to dig into the meaning and purpose of the walls, and how they fit in with "The Troubles." The conflict is a bit like the American Civil War: way more complicated than our common preconceptions about it. But suffice it to say that a combination of religion (in reality a small part of things), resentment, history of the settlement and conquest of Ireland, and other factors are all in the mix. The walls were ostensibly to separate the violent factions that divided all of Ireland (but primarily in the north and dominated by Belfast). It was to keep them apart, particularly after daily commerce closed. Anything more detailed here goes well beyond the scope of this blog. I go into a little more detail in my LightCentricPhotography blog here. But neither blog (one focusing on Photography and the other, Cruising) is equipped to really delve into things like this and it really behooves you to do some of your own digging, if this subject interests you.

Belfast, Northern Ireland

DURING THE morning, we learned about some of the very violent clashes between the factions and visited a couple memorials to some of the particularly violent incidents. While there are certainly philosophical, political, and religious implications, the who thing also reminds me a lot of the gang mentality we deal with on many parts of the world today.

Belfast, Northern Ireland

THOUGH "PEACE" of a sort exists in Belfast today, there are still sporadic and isolated acts of violence, and there are certainly still some very strong feelings among factions. I suspect that - much like racism in the U.S. - it will never completely be extinguished. The walls still mainly stand, and the gates are still closed and locked at night. Our driver drove us by one of the gates. As historically interesting as it is, it is also a very strange and still foreboding sight to see.

Gates on the Peace Wall - Falls Road - Belfast, Northern Ireland

AS WE drove through the neighborhoods, in spite of the world perception that "The Troubles" are mostly behind them, there were constant reminders of the conflict.

A quiet residential neighborhood in Belfast, separated by a wall

FOLLOWING A pretty intense morning, our driver/guide agreed to drop us off at a restaurant for lunch where we could get authentic local food. Many will recall that Ireland has not long been known for its gourmet cuisine. We really wanted some good fish & chips and a fresh Guiness on tap. He thought our best bet was the Victoria Square Shopping Mall and a restaurant that was adjacent. It was modern, and for all we know was a chain and/or a tourist trap. The food was good and the Guiness smooth. A plus was that it was just a few blocks from the Belfast waterfront, and our next destination: "The Titanic Experience."

Bar on Victoria Street - Belfast, Northern Ireland

AFTER LUNCH, we headed down Victoria Street toward the Titanic Wharf. I thought it was a cool city, and I like the mix - like we have seen in other places in Europe - of old vs. new architecture.

Albert Memorial Clock - Belfast, Ireland

AT THE Albert Memorial Clock, we turned onto High Street and walked to the quay on the west side of the river, past "The Big Fish" sculpture before again turning to cross The Queen's Bridge to the wharf area.

The Big Fish Sculpture - Belfast, Northern Ireland

ONCE A major ship-building facility and commercial wharf, the area has gentrified, and is dotted with small bars, restaurants and shops. It looks like it would be a fun spot to enjoy in the evening for drinks and dinner. We didn't spend any time there, but the walk by was interesting and enjoyable. And there were some sights along the way, including the locally famous "big fish" sculpture (just before we crossed the bridge), and the old, dry-docked tender to the Titanic (and other White Star ships), The SS Nomadic.

SS Nomadic dry-dock - Belfast, Northern Ireland

AS WE walked along the River Lagan (which eventually leads out into the Atlantic and the Irish Sea), we could see the modern structure of the Titanic Experience Museum in front of us.

The Titanic Experience - Belfast, Northern Ireland

THE TITANIC Experience is, to my way of thinking, a very modern museum, which makes substantial use of modern, digital projection technology. It has a rather dark ambiance inside and was really not my "cup of tea." We had learned back in 2019 that the Titanic was built and launched in Belfast, and that its final stop before sinking was in Cobh. We have now been to the museums in both of these Irish cities. We saw the actual drydock in 2019 and were able to walk around very close to the ship basin, as well as the building containing the pumps and flooding operations. Today, as part of the "experience," you can opt to ride a little "train" out along the basin and back. I opted out, while the others did it. I hear that I didn't miss much, as it is just a drive-by now. I am grateful for the opportunity to have seen it up close.

Titanic Drydock and Pump Building - Belfast, Northern Ireland - 2019

I WENT through the new museum rather quickly. Back outdoors, I found a nice, shady bench and waited on the others. We headed back to the ship; Bruce and I to smoke a late afternoon cigar on the first warm, sunny day we had since we left Rotterdam, and enjoy the Sunset Bar smoking area for the first time all week. We pulled away from Belfast Harbor, bound for Liverpool, England, just a short hop across the ocean.

Dry dock in Belfast Port, Northern Ireland

Iceland: A Tale of 3 "Cities"

Akureyri, Iceland

AFTER LEAVING Rotterdam, our first day was an "at sea day." Were on the way to our 3 stops in Iceland (notwithstanding the title, really a tale of 2 small villages and one city). We were out in the middle of the North Sea. It was cool. And very windy. Not really an outside day. We had to learn where the best places to sit and smoke a cigar were on the ship. There are three designated smoking areas on the Edge Class ships. That is actually very generous compared to other ships I have been on. Both Edge and Millenium ships have designated a portion of the top rear deck (where the Sunset bar is) for smoking. In decent weather, this is where most of the cigar smoking is done. On the Millenium ships, smoking is also allowed on the starboard, upper pool deck, near the bar there. I don't think I have ever seen anyone light up a cigar there. On the Edge ships, there is a mezzanine level smoking area between the upper pool deck and the pool deck, just behind the pool bar (I didn't discover that one right away first Edge Class cruise, but a staff person pointed it out to me on the second one). it is covered and partly enclosed. Some wind still gets in there, but it is probably the most sheltered smoking area on the ship. For this trip (unfortunately - as I would much prefer a warm day on the back of the ship), we did most of our cigar smoking up on that mezzanine. Also on the Edge ships, there is a small, partially sheltered area on the starboard side of deck 4, outside the Eden Bar and Restaurant. If you get there first, you can tuck up against the forward bulkhead and 2 or 3 people can sit out of the wind. We were there a couple times, but it is very small and limited.

By the end of the week, I had concluded that a cruise ship is not the way to see Iceland

Akureyri, Iceland

OUR FIRST Icelandic port of call, Akureyri, was on the north side of Iceland, at the end of a fjord named Eyjafjordur. A "bustling metropolis" 😊 of just over 2,000 residents, the town is nonetheless well set up for tourism. There are a lot of tourists who are bikers, hikers, and such, in Iceland, and unsurprisingly, there is a large hostel right on the main downtown street. There is also a resort type hotel which appears to cater more to bus tours, at the end of the main street and up a hill. The shops along the street sell mostly outdoor outfitting type clothes and accessories, and "Iceland" trinkets for tourists to have souvenirs. We didn't have anything planned. We came on shore and walked up the main street, and then stopped for a snack and drinks at the hostel, before heading back to the ship (we did not eat at those outside tables). Not a lot to do if you didn't have a plan. And cold and windy.

Akureyri, Iceland

THE FJORDS are undoubtedly beautiful and at the same time kind of desolate. I get the impression that Iceland gets more than its fair share of cloudy weather, and it actually was very reminiscent of the Alaska Inside Passage cruise we did many years back. I had taken 100's of photos of the Inside Passage, and as much for that reason as any, I really didn't make many photos of the Icelandic fjords. By the end of the week, I had concluded that a cruise ship is not really the way to see Iceland.

Isafjordur, Iceland

THE NEXT day, we cruised just a short way down the Isafjdardjup Fjord, to the slightly larger (2,500) community of Isafjordur, on the northwest tip of Iceland. We had to anchor outside of the very small port and tender in. Again, we had made no excursion plans for this day. I wanted to walk around a bit and tote my camera. I was slightly disappointed in the lack of real good photographic opportunities in both of these small, Iceland communities. What you did see though, was evidence of a pretty hard-scrabble (but industrious) living standard. Isafjordur is mostly a fishing community, and while there was some tourism there, we saw more evidence of that in Akureyri.

Isafjordur, Iceland

THE MAIN attraction in Iceland is no doubt, Reykjavik. The only real city in Iceland, with a population of 140,000, it is also nearest the primary airport (Keflavik - some 25 miles west) servicing the country and is the capitol city (there is also a very small airstrip right in the center of the city). Famous for the first Reagan/Gorbachev Summit in October of 1986, the city (and the airport) has also been a global strategic military location over the years.

Reykjavik Harbor, Iceland

REYKJAVIK IS on the western coast of Iceland. To its east is the area known as "The Golden Circle," which has some pretty spectacular natural wonders and attractions. We took a "Golden Circle Tour" (there are many of them), with a group of about a dozen folks on a small bus. Our guide was very good.

The Continental Divide

OUR TOUR included, in addition to a very scenic drive, stops at the somewhat famous Lingvollum national park, through the center of which is a continental divide. We took a walk down along the fissure which is caused by the divide. Although still windy and cold, it is a pretty impressive sight.

Llingvollum National Park - Reykjavik, Iceland

WE ALSO visited the geysers. There are many hot springs and geysers throughout Iceland. Over the years the local residents have learned to use that naturally hot water for their purposes. our last stop involved a natural outdoor pool whose waters were heated by nearby hot water springs. There were signs all around warning of the potential of severe burns. So we are talking about really hot water.

Llingvollum National Park - Reykjavik

FOR US, the final stop of interest was the huge, Gullfoss Waterfall (roughly translated as gold water). I have seen some waterfalls. In the U.S., Niagara is pretty immense. There is one in the Michigan U.P.: Tahquamenon Falls, that is also pretty big. But this is probably the most immense waterfall I have ever seen. The people standing down near the drop give it scale to show its size. And it does have a bit of a golden hue.

Geysers - Reykjavik, Iceland

WE WEREN'T at all interested in our final stop at the thermal swimming pool. I think, though, that we were the only ones in our group who were not. We stayed there for nearly an hour, and I took the time to find a nice soft chair and take a nap.

Gullfoss - Reykjavik, Iceland

REYKJAVIK WAS an overnight stop. It was also the time of the year when it stayed daylight 23 hours. But the weather was so dreary, and drizzly, that the next day (a 1/2 day), I didn't even plan to get off the ship. By the time we sailed out of the Reykjavik harbor, we had read of warmer temps in Ireland, and we were just looking forward to thawing out.