On Delta Airlines flying
home: I’m in a groggy shell shocked
state of mind after a ten hour flight from London to Seattle, oozing with
fatigue but happy that the transport from Canterbury to London Heathrow went
well, and that we found our way to the gate and even spent an hour in the
business class lounge before our on- time departure. I must admit that the food was pretty good on
the flight to Seattle and mighty plentiful.
But now I feel guilty that the extra pounds of flesh amassed during the
cruise and the immediate aftermath, taken together, will agonizingly require at
least a month of fasting to shed. Indeed, I sense the imminence of tomorrow’s
remorse creeping upon me already, tummy prodding on and over my trousers, evidence
of the damage that I have done to myself and its consequences. But lets not jump the gun……..
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One of many murals in Belfast telling the story of
the Protestant Catholic struggle |
But perhaps our most enjoyment –hummm maybe a better work is
education or enlightenment… in Belfast came from spending the better part of
three hours at the Titanic Museum where we relived the evolution and full
history of the Titanic from pre-birth to postmortem. It was truly a memorable museum experience.
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Just by chance, Sally and John, very close friends of my wife Scherer were also on the
cruise. This was mighty eerie since it was EXACTLY 20 years since her passing. |
Crystal Cruises:
It was our fourth Crystal Cruise and I must admit there were a few differences that
we observed. But not all of them were
negative. Indeed, some guests were a bit
more (and I think unfairly) critical as they described a progressive downward
spiral in service and food quality that they have observed after umpteen Crystal
cruises. For me, it was undoubtedly the
best of the four Crystal Cruises. I
won’t go into a detailed justification for this conclusion but just some
general comments.
The food was excellent but maybe not spectacular. The Silk Road on the Crystal Symphony maybe a
bit better but Prego on the Serenity was better. The entertainment was fabulous: singers and
dancers, comedy shows, magicians, piano player, ventriloquist, political
commentator, other staff including the gentlemen hosts, professional dancers, and
cruise director – Gary Hunter (he was fabulous). There were even a few shows using local
talent: a fabulous Beatles show when we were in Liverpool, and a traditional
Irish dance and song show when in Ireland.
I really cannot complain about anything except the inevitable let down that
we felt the moment we left the ship realizing that your every whim will not be
immediately satisfied by a host of pampering staff. Back to the real world where you have to wait
in line just like everyone else. Back to the real world where people eat two or
three meals a day instead of twelve.
And it was particularly difficult on this cruise to control ones’
tendency to pick just one more item on the endless sumptuous buffet display, when
so much food was constantly blinding you at every moment of the day, begging
you to partake.
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I got quite a few dances with the professional
dancer, Beverly Durand - that was quite
wonderful! |
We observed more families this time; the rooms were not dominated
entirely by the typical geriatrics crowd. Does this represent a growing trend
of younger people wanting to enjoy their lives before it’s too late to do
so?
More Asians than in the past as
well, a lot of Chinese, many from Hong Kong.
When they gave out the awards, some cruisers were on their
hundredth cruise, one lady was on her two hundredth. A few of the ladies have sold their houses
and make the cruise ship their home.
This is what I believe will be the beginning of a growing trend. If you think about it, it makes sense.
If you are reasonably ambulatory and self sufficient, living
on a cruise ship that travels the world compares positively with being
relegated to the confines of a nursing home.
To be sure, the advantages and perks are much more attractive on a
high-end cruise ship than the unequal treatment that you might get in a nursing
home, which is legend. And in Honolulu at least, it is less expensive
to live on a cruise ship!!! Do the math
and you will see that nursing home costs may run you about 20k/month or more. I figure that the average expense for a month
on the Crystal Serenity would be about 16k, but to be conservative, lets say
its 20k. So if you can afford a nursing
home, you can afford a cruise ship. And
you get service with a smile, food in your room or at one of a half dozen
venues, entertainment, lectures, dancing, bridge, computer instruction classes,
swimming, afternoon tea, and the ability to venture out into the world to
explore a new city adventure, or to return for another look. Moreover, you get to
meet new people and they are genuinely friendly since they are on holiday on their best behavior…..a far cry from seeing the
same desperate looking faces every day wondering whether that day would be their
last on earth. On a cruise ship, dying
is the last thing on anyone’s mind.
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| An old house leaning forward and to the right |
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| CanterburyCathedral - unbelievable in its design and detail |
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| Canterbury Cathedral as seen from walking street |
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| named after the Archbishop who died at the hands of Henry II |
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A guest house of the Queen that was used by some of her suiters
generating a number of salacious tales |
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| the venue from our row boat tour |
Canterbury: I
never like to disembark from a cruise to the airport and fly out on the same
day. Shit happens and I feel that it
reduces stress to buffer in one day of transition. It was only a 20 min drive from Dover to our
hotel in Canterbury where we spent the day, a splendid sunny day exploring the
Canterbury Cathedral and the beautiful sights of Canterbury. Walking cobblestone quaint streets were filled
with an international mix of tourists, groups of children and adolescents,
venders trying to get ones attention, restaurants and tour guides. To be sure, there was an endless stream of
things to do and see. We took a
wonderful walking tour that was led by an energetic and knowledgeable middle
aged local who really knew her English History, was engaging and professional
and kept us alert and interested for the two hours of touring. Having to shoulder my heavy backpack, I was
pretty spent by the end of the two-hour tour.
Back to the hotel to check in and unload most of our valuables in the
sanctity of the room, and a few moments of rest revived the rest of the day for
more adventures.
A tour by rowboat provided access to other sights along a
bisecting city waterway but the quality of the tour was just a little too
casual and the young man rowing the boat doubled as the tour guide. I think he was a little spent since ours was
his ninth tour of the day. He was also
distracted by a pretty British girl that was sitting just to his right, who
could have been wearing a little more cover – to protect herself from the sun
and the piercing eyes of the hormonally clogged guide pretending to not
notice. I must admit I glanced once or
twice myself.
In any case, we ended the day at a local Italian restaurant. The restaurant was of decent quality and
price and the cliental were international and subdued. The culinary experience may not have compared
to the Crystal Serenity but it was good enough and a welcome change from eating
on the Cruise ship. And our dollars are
worth more today than in the past, making our stay in Canterbury an enjoyable
experience that did not break our bank. This
is an opportunity for more Americans to travel to Europe while the dollar is
strong! What a difference a few years
makes in affordability.
The truth is that Canterbury is a beautiful town to visit
and enjoy, and the experience punctuated the end of our two weeks of travel
with an exclamation of pure delight.
A few more photos follow of Weymouth and the English countryside.............
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| Weymouth, a lovely English coastal town |
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| Weymouth |
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| Weymouth beach |
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| Final photos: other views of the English countryside |
Belfast: Belfast
was the last city in Northern Ireland (remember Northern Ireland is occupied by
the Brits unlike independent Ireland that resides in the south) visited since
Londonderry was bypassed due to inclement weather preventing us from docking at
our scheduled visit. Belfast seemed a
city in chronic mourning that is recovering slowly from the mayhem of the
past. We witnessed this theme during a
walking tour that lasted three hours going from place to place, reliving the sentinel
moments of violence, bombing, and shootings that fueled the hatred between the
Protestants and Catholics. To us, there
was no adequate explanation or rationale for such hatred or violence………which nevertheless
continues to embody the nature of man, proven over and over in history, never
more palpable than now in the present.
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