Live from the Land of Princess

[voljeep]

22 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

The trick is to find a clean part of the window and place your camera lens in this location. You also need to place your phone or camera right up to the glass, flat on with no angles and that eliminates any glare

deleted

Edited July 31 by voljeep

[YVRteacher]

2 hours ago, Norwegianprincess said:

I enjoyed the sailaway from Greenock very much, beautiful view as you sail out of the inlet/fjord. 
You are going to Invergordon too? If you don’t have an excursion booked yet, I can recommend the local company offering priceworthy tours, they have a stand as soon as you leave the gated port area. 
I took a tour that went to a cute little village, to Loch Ness, and to Inverness, a nice town were we had several hours free time. 
😊

We are sailing away from Greenock as I write! I’m right beside a window and am loving the views! We left just under an hour late because a shore excursion (not mine this time!) was delayed.

 

Your excursion in Invergordon sounds lovely!

 

Yes, Invergordon and Edinburgh are our next two ports. I have been to both before.

[Sugar Magnolia]

14 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Yes, Invergordon and Edinburgh are our next two ports. I have been to both before.

 

I was fumbling with my camera lens on my excursion last year and completely missed my shot of Nessie. I hope you have better luck.

 

I love Scotland...even if it rains sideways.

 

[YVRteacher]

 Festinioc railway is the oldest surviving railway company in the world. 
 

@shadowmeboy I thought of you!

 

 

 In the beginning this was a gravity-fed railway with the purpose of transporting slate from the mines to the docks.  Each train had two brakesmen and there were brakes every three carriages

 

700000 tonnes of slate a year were moved downhill on the train. The downward journey was 90 minutes.

 

How did it get back up?

Horses.

 

It took a team of horses 6 hours to pull the carriages up the mountain to the quarry.

Horses would come down on the carriages in special sections called donkeys. 

For the train, we sat baking on the platform with no AC in full sun for 30 minutes. If you are heat sensitive or don’t like being cramped in a train this is not the excursion for you. If you enjoy loud saunas with no personal space by all means take this train ride.  There was an extremely loud woman from our ship on this excursion and the entire train car heard every word she said. 

Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse we stopped and lingered at the little station for the town of Minffordd and Florida woman got louder and louder so I leapt across the divide, found a standing spot between two half open doors and was in train-ride-paradise for the rest of the journey. The trees have grown so tall and are so dense the views are sparse, but when there is the clearing the views are pretty darn amazing.

I hear people are dying to get in here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[shadowmeboy]

6 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

 

 Festinioc railway is the oldest surviving railway company in the world. 
 

@shadowmeboy I thought of you!

 

 

 In the beginning this was a gravity-fed railway with the purpose of transporting slate from the mines to the docks.  Each train had two brakesmen and there were brakes every three carriages

 

700000 tonnes of slate a year were moved downhill on the train. The downward journey was 90 minutes.

 

How did it get back up?

Horses.

 

It took a team of horses 6 hours to pull the carriages up the mountain to the quarry.

Horses would come down on the carriages in special sections called donkeys. 

For the train, we sat baking on the platform with no AC in full sun for 30 minutes. If you are heat sensitive or don’t like being cramped in a train this is not the excursion for you. If you enjoy loud saunas with no personal space by all means take this train ride.  There was an extremely loud woman from our ship on this excursion and the entire train car heard every word she said. 

Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse we stopped and lingered at the little station for the town of Minffordd and Florida woman got louder and louder so I leapt across the divide, found a standing spot between two half open doors and was in train-ride-paradise for the rest of the journey. The trees have grown so tall and are so dense the views are sparse, but when there is the clearing the views are pretty darn amazing.

I hear people are dying to get in here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awesome! That’s so cool!

[YVRteacher]

People from our ship were complaining and saying “why did we take this train? There is nothing to see?”

 

This is what I saw through the open half door. I stood the whole time and moved side to side. I told tour guide Richie at the end that I think I had the best view on the whole train!  He replied, “I think you did!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

 

 

 

 

 

At this point the conductor, who could see how much I was loving the journey, came and told me there would be a little waterfall and a bigger waterfall on the left.

 

I could have reached out and touched this but there were signs stating all body parts needed to be kept inside the train.

 

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

The snack cart came through. It is such a narrow train I could not get a photo without knees.

 

At one of the stations tour guide Richie stepped out for some fresh air and he took my picture 

 

and we continued on our journey up and down the mountain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

 

End of the line

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

Three old ladies went to the pub at our last stop instead of getting on the bus. Tour guide Richie was a little frantic trying to find them. These were the same three ladies that were late at all three stops which caused us to miss two stops including the one to the village with the 56 letter name. When Richie found the women and they boarded the bus they started clapping for themselves.

 

I was not impressed and I hope they aren’t on any other excursions with me. I’m not usually a vindictive person (well, there was that time during Covid when my next door neighbour took up bongo drums so I took up banging pots and pans when she went to practice outside) but I kind of hope they drop their vanilla soft serve on their loafers tonight.

[YVRteacher]

Views through the bus window on the way back to Holyhead

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JGmf]

37 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

Three old ladies went to the pub at our last stop instead of getting on the bus. Tour guide Richie was a little frantic trying to find them. These were the same three ladies that were late at all three stops which caused us to miss two stops including the one to the village with the 56 letter name. When Richie found the women and they boarded the bus they started clapping for themselves.

 

I commend your restraint. 

 

My head would've exploded and would have said something.  Sorry, their time is not more valuable than mine...or the money I spent on what is likely a once-in-a-lifetime excursion.

[voljeep]

12 minutes ago, JGmf said:

 

I commend your restraint. 

 

My head would've exploded and would have said something.  Sorry, their time is not more valuable than mine...or the money I spent on what is likely a once-in-a-lifetime excursion.

A Princess excursion?  If so, that should be the last one for that tour company and director - with a full refund to everyone on the excursion.  

 

If independent, meh...

[YVRteacher]

1 minute ago, voljeep said:

A Princess excursion?  If so, that should be the last one for that tour company and director - with a full refund to everyone on the excursion.  

 

If independent, meh...

Why would you say that? The passengers were from our ship. This was a Princess shore excursion.

 

The fault lies with the three women, not the tour guide.

 

 

[YVRteacher]

Last night after my wonderful sushi dinner I opted not to go to the show in the theatre. It was a cirque du soleil has been and I have experienced the full contortion show every time I shower in my Princess cabin so didn’t need more of a person in a tight squeeze. I came back to the cabin and watched a movie.

[voljeep]

1 minute ago, YVRteacher said:

Why would you say that? The passengers were from our ship. This was a Princess shore excursion.

 

The fault lies with the three women, not the tour guide.

 

 

nope - not after the first time they were late - that's the one warning - after that, it's on the tour guide to stay the course for the benefit of the remaining on time people, not the think we are entitled 3.

 

File a major complaint

[YVRteacher]

Greenock

 

I mentioned earlier today was a reset day. I needed a day without an excursion, without a bus and without an early start.

 

I started my completely random, mapless walking tour of Greenock joining the crew at Tesco. Often you see crew coming back from grocery stores with Pringles and Noodles. Today it was protein powder and laundry soap.

 

Be still my supermarket-loving heart!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is swede? I can see it’s a root vegetable. Is there another word for it?

 

I was surprised how many items came in plastic.

 

 

 

One time at Heathrow I bought a vegetarian sandwich. It was unique and so delicious with its sharp white cheddar and Branston pickle. I found Branston pickle in a grocery store in Vancouver and was horrified when I read the ingredients.

Anchovies!

I had eaten anchovies.

 

That’s probably why it tasted so good🤣

I really, really, really wanted to buy a can of mushy peas. 

 

Hair dye seems very important in Greenock. There was a lot of it.

This grocery store has an excellent selection of books. I purchased all of Oliver Jeffers’ books for my school library this year. There were none when I arrived and that was not okay!

 

 

 

 

[kapsgp]

A swede is known as a rutabaga in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan.  They are a key ingredient in the Cornish pasty. 

[YVRteacher]

29 minutes ago, voljeep said:

nope - not after the first time they were late - that's the one warning - after that, it's on the tour guide to stay the course for the benefit of the remaining on time people, not the think we are entitled 3.

 

File a major complaint

I do see your point. I will let shore ex know tomorrow and will report back. 
 

I agree that we paid our money and missed 2/5 of our excursion. What’s hard for me is the human element: I really liked our tour guide and I don’t want him to get in trouble. This was the first time the tour company (contracted by Princess) had done this tour, not just this year but ever.

[YVRteacher]

4 minutes ago, kapsgp said:

A swede is known as a rutabaga in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan.  They are a key ingredient in the Cornish pasty. 

Thank you!

 

[DeclanJohn]

1 hour ago, JGmf said:

caused us to miss two stops including the one to the village with the 56 letter name

Ah yes, lovely Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch?  Did you know that village name is the kicker in a number Stephen Sondheim wrote in the late 60s for a comedy review called "The Boy From..." (which of course was a parody of the then-current hit The Girl From Ipanema). Linda Lavin did it in the original review and performed it again for Sondheim's 90th birthday celebration. 

[Muckyduckway]

 

29 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

One time at Heathrow I bought a vegetarian sandwich. It was unique and so delicious with its sharp white cheddar and Branston pickle. I found Branston pickle in a grocery store in Vancouver and was horrified when I read the ingredients.

Anchovies!

I had eaten anchovies.

WHAT! There's something fishy going on. 

I just had to get out of bed and check the jar of Branston we have in the fridge, nope, no fishes and marked vegan. So yummy with a strong cheddar.

If acceptable to Canadian border services, you could bring some home with you. There's a small chunk version too.

 

[YVRteacher]

 

I followed the footpath. I was born to live in a place with footpaths.

 

The first building so came to stopped me in my tracks. I looked and discovered it was the library!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This library is the heart of town. It is a place not just for reading but also for care and compassion.

 

The librarians were great too!

[YVRteacher]

7 minutes ago, Muckyduckway said:

 

WHAT! There's something fishy going on. 

I just had to get out of bed and check the jar of Branston we have in the fridge, nope, no fishes and marked vegan. So yummy with a strong cheddar.

If acceptable to Canadian border services, you could bring some home with you. There's a small chunk version too.

 

Can you show a picture of the front of your jar so I know exactly what to buy, please? You don’t need to get out of bed! Tomorrow is a sea day.

[YVRteacher]

I kept following the footpath and ended up at the town hall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This dog

 

caught my eye and I chatted with the owner and asked if I could take their photo.

The dog didn’t smile for the camera so the man said “ay, Rufus, look at the lady!”

 

Does anyone follow The Fabulous Miss Peaches and Dave Portnoy?