Barbara J. Hamby

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At Sea-Dublin August 24-25, 2005

On Wednesday, August 24th, our first full day at sea, I learned how crowded even a big ship can be with 2600 passengers and about half that many crew members on board. I was inclined to search for quiet corners and relax in our cabin with a good book. I continued reading into the evening, while Al went to hear Michael Ziegfeld, a comedian-ventriloquist.

During the evening the Golden Princess passed The Smalls Lighthouse and entered St. Georges Channel, which runs between Ireland and Wales and leads into the Irish Sea, which the ship transited overnight. Early the next morning, we arrived in the port at Dublin.

Sometime around 9:00 a.m. we boarded a bus for the downtown area. We proceeded along the River Liffey and through the streets of Dublin where we passed brightly colored shops and restaurants. Queen of Tarts seemed to be a bakery and Foley’s Restaurant was decorated with hanging baskets of pastel flowers. From the bus window, I was unable to determine whether Boylesports Bookmakers took bets or manufactured books. With sports in its name, however, the former seems likely.

We passed elegant old buildings of stone or brick, some with towers, and went on to Trinity College, where we waited in line at the library to view the Book of Kells and other books of its era. Elaborately decorated, The Book of Kells contains the four gospels written in Latin. We could only view one page of the open book, through glass.

From there we went to Dublin Castle, which was more modern than we expected. Unlike castles I had seen in County Clare and vicinity, it was made of bricks, not stone. The interior was not as rustic as we had anticipated, either. The dark wood furnishings were elegant, as were the various fireplaces. A huge table had been moved out of the dining room and into a nearby room to be used for meetings. A throne in an adjacent area reportedly had its legs cut down by order of Queen Victoria, who was much shorter than the predecessor it was built for. She refused to use steps to climb up on it, protesting that it would be undignified.

Just outside the castle were two large, detailed sand sculptures. They seemed to have no relationship to the castle, but may have been there to entertain tourists waiting in line. One appeared to be a human form with a skeletal upper body and a more normal looking lower body. The form was curled in the reverse of a fetal position. The other sculpture had a well-defined squirrel and other shapes that were not as detailed. Unfortunately, shadows block out parts of these sculptures in our pictures.

We returned to the ship in time for a late lunch. I rested and read until time for the early show with Duncan Tuck, musical comedian. I didn’t last until the end of his show, but left early to get more rest. Al was still recovering from jet lag and slept through the evening. We were so tired that I can’t remember now whether we had any dinner or not. I know I skipped some meals to compensate for overeating at other times. I didn’t skip enough desserts. The pastry chef’s talent was superb.