Live from the Land of Princess

[YVRteacher]

What else caught my eye today?

 

Churches!

 

and wrought iron 

 

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

The churches, homes, schools and government buildings had walls around the perimeter and the walls had cracks. As I walked I was thinking about how the walls kept people out and the plants had grown where they weren’t intended to grow. There was a lot of beauty in those broken spaces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Muckyduckway]

12 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

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.

Here you go:

 

 

 

I had a look at the manufacturer's website and the original chunky version has the same ingredients.

 

https://www.bringoutthebranston.co.uk/range/pickle/original-pickle/

 

All products that are suitable for vegans are marked as such, so you should be able to verify that there are no sneaky anchovies therein!

 

Enjoy 😉 

[purpleally]

1 hour 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

Do you think he should have left them? Three times late and causing the rest to miss stops is pretty excessive 

[McFins]

51 minutes ago, YVRteacher said:

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.

Love all of your reviews including this one!

Perhaps the tour guide should borrow a line from a great tour guide we had in Alaska.  Before we departed the bus he asked “What is the difference between a tourist and a hitchhiker?”  No one knew so he told us the answer…”5 minutes”    We all had a good laugh but also got the point…no one was late getting back on the bus.   

 

[YVRteacher]

This trip report almost ended today when I thought I was in a pedestrian-only thoroughfare.

 

I was not.

 

But I did find the fascinator shop! 
 

 

 

 

 

 

The fascinator was next to the sporran shop

 

Greenock has a LOT of barber shops. I saw very few pubs but loads of barbershops.

 

 

This made me laugh! 

as did this

 

 

Edited July 31 by YVRteacher

[YVRteacher]

When I was on the ship this morning a mural stood out. I wanted to see it close up so I found the church spire and the mural was easy to spot from there.

 

 

 

This took me to a different neighbourhood 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone need a hug?

 

Edited July 31 by YVRteacher

[YVRteacher]

I started to see people walking with a few items in hand
a jug of milk

a loaf of bread

a bag of red peppers

a stick of pepperoni 

 

and I knew a store was close

 

I found it and went inside. This was before I had read the posts from @ceilidh1 and @Muckyduckway!

 

 

 

 

This mustard section is not up to the standard set by Wales.

Oh Double Deckers are delectable!

 

Inescapable, they are

 

 

 

What do you think this pineapple did to get such a bad reputation?

 

[YVRteacher]

If Betty Smith grew up in Greenock, what stories would be revealed?

 

A tree grows here too.

[Lidolounger]

On 7/3/2024 at 4:00 PM, YVRteacher said:

Thank you for the reassurance about not needing heels!

One of my students gave me a gift card to a local environmental store so I bought some laundry soap sheets and have packed those and some dryer sheets. I also plan to do the undies-get-washed-in-the sink thing. Since I packed  so lightly for this adventure I had to leave my travel clothesline behind.

No worries about the travel clothesline, there will be one in your shower

[YVRteacher]

Day to day life is my favourite. I like to understand how people live and get oil changes. Where to they get pet food and how is trash and recycling managed?

 

 

 

 

 

 

They need more satellite dishes. Not enough on this one building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’ll discover later why this billboard is important!

 

 

 

[voljeep]

1 hour ago, purpleally said:

Do you think he should have left them? Three times late and causing the rest to miss stops is pretty excessive 

yes - contact the Princess rep after the first time they were late.  After the second time - tell the Princess rep where they were left ... continue on

[ceilidh1]

More childhood memories (trauma?) stirred up…

 

Swede - this, my dear, was the Welsh child’s “pumpkin” on Halloween. Why, yes, we did carve this ugly, hard as a rock, vegetable to make a jack-o-lantern and then stick a lighted candle inside to walk the streets trick or treating. What could go wrong? Aside from that, Swede is delicious…

 

I notice in the “crisps” section of Spar they had pickled onion monster munch! I also almost cried at the ridiculously low price for British chocolate (my addiction means I pay four or five times the price to acquire it here in Vancouver).

 

Anchovies in Branson Pickle? What kind of travesty is that. I love Branston but must admit I’ve never checked the ingredients. I find it hard to believe any Brit would knowingly eat anchovies. We are a picky bunch…

[latebloomer56]

4 hours ago, YVRteacher said:

 

End of the line

 

 

 

Don't understand how anybody could say there wasn't anything to see. You got some awesome pictures.

[mimmy52]

I would have enjoyed seeing a picture of Yvonne trying on a fascinator. As to why that pineapple was called loose, maybe they keep finding it upside down.

 

[Waynetor]

Some Greenock history – it is the home of James Watt the inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776.  The unit of power, the watt is named after him.

His oldest son was named James Watt, and his oldest son was also James Watt.  The naming of the first son in each generation is still happening.  The current James Watt is a doctor and well-known philatelist in Canada.

[Coolmama_1]

4 hours 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. 

I was going to say the same thing. My son in law is from the UP and his pasties are a crowd favorite  

[Jazzbo]

4 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

 

Anchovies in Branson Pickle? What kind of travesty is that. I love Branston but must admit I’ve never checked the ingredients. I find it hard to believe any Brit would knowingly eat anchovies. We are a picky bunch…

But what about the very British Patum Paterium Gentlemen’s Relish? Not being a gentleman myself, I’ve never tried it.

[ceilidh1]

4 minutes ago, Jazzbo said:

But what about the very British Patum Paterium Gentlemen’s Relish? Not being a gentleman myself, I’ve never tried it.

Well that just sounds nasty....🤣

[Norwegianprincess]

The Swede is a very common vegetable in Norway and Sweden. It’s also called «the nordic orange» because it contains s lot of vitamin C. We use it in stews, and also eat it as a mash, very tasty, and very traditional here. The scandinavian name is kålrabi (sp colrabi) or kålrot. 

[Muckyduckway]

Oh oh! Do not go down the rabbit hole of an Internet search on kohlrabi versus turnip versus swede. 

Horticultural they are all related but different, but where you live heavily influences what you call them!

 

Yvonne, you have succeeded in getting us talking about vegetables 😀

[hpeabody]

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

 

This looks like rutabega to me.  I love rutabega!

[YVRteacher]

The first part of my day in Greenock was spent looking up at the spires, the walls, the imposing homes made of stone and the stunning clouds.

 

The next part of the day called for a shift in gaze.

 

I went to the waterfront, found a path then found the stairs down to the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[YVRteacher]

I go to the sea to breathe. To recharge. To think.

 

Today it was to find.

 

 

An item on my birthday list is to collect the same number of pieces of beach glass as birthdays I’ve had.  I thought it would involve many beaches. I can now confirm that all birthday beach glass has been found, washed in the cabin and is coming home with me.

 

 

I found smashed and tumbled bottle tops 

and played around with some photos

 

A wayward shot most likely from St Andrew’s allows me to see the inside of a golf ball.

 

 

Someone is on the 7th hole right now still searching for their lost ball.

 

Back to the billboard

 

Phil, the missing teeth are on the beach next to some seaweed, shells and broken terracotta.

 

 

[YVRteacher]

I walked for 5 hours straight. 

My feet were a little tired. Actually a lot tired.

 

What a glorious, perfect for me day in Greenock!

 

Guess what I got today in Scotland that most people don’t get?