20230430 Celebrity Silhouette cruise - Day 11/21 - The B & H are silent and there's an invisible V...

Celebrity Silhouette cruise day 11 - You must remember this, a kiss is but a kiss...

Trip day: 11 / 21

 Today, we docked in Cobh, Ireland at the Port of Cork.  Cobh is pronounced exactly like the word "cove".  Don't ask me to explain it as I have no idea.

Some interesting facts that we learned about this area on our tour today:

• Ireland is home to 5 million people, 6 million cows, 5 million sheep, and 2 million pigs
• They have a substantial agricultural economy that produces enough food to feed 20 million people
• Ireland is divided into 32 counties and each has a football (soccer) team
• The colors of the flag, green, orange, and white have meaning – green represents the south, orange represents the north, and white represents hope that they reunite as one

It was foggy as we approached land for the first time since leaving Bermuda, seven days ago.  The fog cleared quickly and we had a terrific weather day featuring intermittent clouds and sun with temps in the mid-60s. This was especially interesting as it was torrentially raining in Cork yesterday.  Woo!

Watching the docking process is always interesting

There is Titanic history here as this is where it sailed from before it sank

Our tour today took us to Blarney Castle.  Along the way, our guide explained the area and pointed out sights.

A private home with a gold tree on the top

Cobh farewell statue - Annie Moore was the first person processed at Ellis Island in New York

We were lucky to go to Blarney Castle early on a Sunday morning.  There was essentially no line and we were able to head straight up.

There are 108 narrow, winding stone steps from the ground to the top of Blarney Castle.  The design was intentional as it made the castle easier to defend.  

An intruder could be killed and their body would block the stairwell, preventing the next intruder from ascending.

They also had traps called Murder Holes where flaming material could be dropped directly on the heads of attackers below.

Some views on the way up.

The stairs were tight - one at a time

Not exactly opulent

Blarney House - now a private residence

One of the many stories about the source of Blarney Stone's power

Of course, the reason to climb the stairs isn’t just for the views.  It’s about kissing the Blarney Stone.  As lore has it, kissing the stone gives one the gift of gab or eloquence.  Since we were there, it was only fitting to go ahead and smooch the rock.

To do so, you lay on your back, bend your head backward, and lay a wet one on the stone.

Arlona with the smooch - as you can see, it is open to the ground below

Me, getting the gift of gab – if you know me, this gift on top of my already prodigious ability to jaw could be a dangerous thing

After making our way down an equally tight and twisty stairway, we wandered a bit through the gardens and past the Blarney House.

Lucky for me, Arlona was still in a kissing mood!  The grate at the top above my head is where the stone is located.

We elected to lock each other up in the stockades.

Next up was a short tour of the gardens.

The tree described in the above two photos was incredible.  Below is a picture of Arlona at the base and a shot of the top of the tree from across the garden.

Oh, this old place?  Yeah, it’s nothing special…

A lookout tower

We were treated to a quintessentially Irish thing – a bagpiper in front of Blarney Castle

We passed this mural of the Castle between the Castle and the parking area.

We spend a little time browsing in the largest Irish shop in the world, but since we live in Florida, there is little call for beautiful woolens.

Keeping with the quintessentially Irish theme, we stopped and got something to drink.  I opted for a local Cork brew, Murphy’s Stout.  Stouts are not my favorite, but when in Ireland...

The pouring process is…well…a process.  The bartender pours the beer and lets it sit for two minutes.

 After the beer settles, they top it off to produce the perfect mix of beer, carbonation, and head.

We returned to port.  Neither one of us felt like walking into town on a Sunday so we boarded the Silhouette and grabbed lunch.  

In short order, it was time for afternoon trivia.  We haven’t improved.  The close answers:

• What animal produces its own sun tan lotion?
• Hippo – we guessed elephant
• In what town was Leonardo da Vinci born?
• Vinci – duh – Leonardo OF Vinci
• In the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons, what color was Tweety originally?
• Pink
• Zambia and Zimbabwe used to be known as what?
• Rhodesia
• In what country is the northernmost point of Africa?
• Tunisia
• How many countries have a land area larger than Australia?
• Five – Russia, Canada, USA, China, Brazil

We sailed right on time at 4PM.  As we passed the lighthouse, we bid a fond farewell to Ireland.

Tonight was another chic night and that meant lobster on the menu.  An interesting change – the menu for the main restaurant had a disclaimer that one lobster tail was included and if a guest wanted a second, there was a $16.99 charge plus 18% gratuity.  As I mentioned before, the cruise industry is changing. At least in Blu, where we eat, there is no such limitation.  Even without the limitation, we held ourselves to one lobster tail each for dinner.

We attended tonight’s show by Vox Futura, a vocal group combining classical music with soul.  While the performers were talented, it wasn’t our cup of tea so we retreated to the Martini Bar.  Yopi was once again putting on a show.

Tomorrow, we arrive in Portland, Dorset, UK at 11AM.  We have no plan so we will likely walk around what has been described as a typical English town.