Cue the sheep!
There comes that moment on vacation when you’re able to say with profound inner knowledge…ahhhhhhh. Daughter Arwen and I boarded the Lindblad/National Geographic ship Endurance for an expedition to Portugal (Lisbon and Porto,) France (Douarnenez in Brittany,) the UK (Cornwall and Wales,) and Ireland (Dublin.)
The “ahhhhhhh” moment came on Tristan Island outside of Douarnenez when our guide took us into a walled garden that contained an orchard and tall grasses rippling in the breeze, and as we stood there — cue the sheep! — four brown sheep wandered down a path to visit. They chewed on one guy’s shoes and nibbled on Arwen’s jacket, and were generally happy to see us and be petted. It was definition of bucolic, and so peaceful and relaxing.
After we finished the tour of the island, we went into Douarnenez. I swear, it was as if Disney had created a picturesque French village just for us. I want to go back there and spend time roaming the streets, staying in a quaint hotel, and visiting the sites, which is no doubt part of their clever scheme. Well played!
Next we sailed to Penzance in Cornwall. Yes, that Penzance. I saw no pirates, but hiking along the coast was rugged with a new breathtaking scene around every corner, and this happened:
WTH?
That said, I had a Cornish pasty for lunch and immediately recovered.
That’s when things got, um, not surprising. A violent storm developed in the Irish Sea. Because we were stopping in ports that required landing in zodiacs, a “a smallish rubber boat that can act as a tender to deliver people safely to rugged shorelines …The key qualities of a Zodiac are its rigid hull and inflatable pontoons, which double as seating… Because they are nigh-impossible to sink, maneuverable, and adept at nosing up to treacherous terrain, these boats have developed avid followings within military, commercial, and recreational boating spheres.”
Let us pause for a moment to remind you I’m 5’2” and 194 years old, give you a moment to picture me getting in and out of these “impossible to sink” vessels, and
I CAN HEAR YOU LAUGHING!
Knock it off.
Anyway, in the evening debriefing, our person said, “In a zodiac, we can get you to the Welsh shore, but we can’t promise a dry landing, and we can get you away from the Welsh shore, but we can’t promise when.” Wales, with its castles, its scenic outlooks and its long history, was beyond on our reach. Arwen and I were heartbroken, but we both know enough about the British Isles to not be surprised by a storm in the Irish Sea in the spring, and we were cheered by the fact we were headed for Belfast where, honest to God, the crew had put together five Belfast expeditions for us to choose from. Arwen and I went to Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, which is the home of the royal family when they visit Belfast. A stately home and we were enraptured by the gardens.
Yes, we’re both gardeners, so much so we strolled the walks despite the fact it was windy and cold. Ah, well. The daffodils didn’t care and neither did we.
That evening, our last night on the ship, our naturalist gave a speech on seals and selkies, which tossed me right back to A WELL FAVORED GENTLEMAN, one of my early historical romances which sparks outrage among the politically correct. Heh.
Selkie of legend (My selkie is a guy.)
We ended in Dublin where we stayed for a couple of extra days to visit the sights (Dublin Castle and the gardens!) and, as it turned out, eat fabulous food. Dublin is a small city packed with unbelievable restaurants. We had Chinese, Middle Eastern, fine dining and of course pub food (at the Hairy Lemon, and I have got to figure out how to make that Irish stew.)
Mezze plate at Falafel in Dublin
Have you ever seen me look so happy?
On the voyage, when we weren’t hiking or eating or watching for sea life, we ran around the ship and snapped photos of the Daughter of Montague books. Don’t worry, it’s not like I’d insert a photo in the middle of…
…a paragraph or anything. 😉 Yes, I left autographed hardback copies of A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA and THUS WITH A KISS I DIE in the Endurance library. In case you travel on the Endurance anytime soon.
Thus ends my vacation slide show (unless you beg me for more, but pretty sure that’s not going to happen) but remember this quote:
“Well, you’ll be glad to know that scientists have finally explained why we’ve been enduring this rather long spell of disappointing weather. Apparently…we live in Britain.” — Hugh Dennis
Because of that storm, I guess I have to return to go to Wales.
Well, darn.
A couple of book sales:
THUS WITH A KISS I DIE is on sale on Kindle for $3.99 in the month of April.
A DAUGHTER OF FAIR VERONA in audiobook is 60% off here.
Until next time, happy reading and the best of spring!