Dover, England May 04, 2024

Saturday May 04, 2024, we arrived in Dover, England.  As we approached the shore we got a great view of the Cliffs of Dover from the top deck of the ship.   

Our tour for the day started off visiting the Walmer Castle. 

The gardens at Walmer Castle were really pretty as all the spring flowers had just bloomed. 

The shrubs at the gardens were trimmed to have a really wonky shape.  I think wonky is a British term.

The views below show Dover Castle on top of the hill overlooking the harbor.

The second stop on the tour was in Sandwich.  I was so looking forward to this stop but was crushed to find out it was the name of the town and not our lunch stop.  We did find out that sandwich meant a break in the sand in reference to the sand or pebble beach.

 

We Made It

 

We made it to the end of the World Cruise.  

Total distance:  40,701 miles  (That's a long way considering the circumference of the earth at the equator is only 25,000 miles.)

Fuel:  1,700,000 gallons of diesel fuel

During the World Cruise, passengers consumed:

Wine:  42,610 bottles

Eggs:  145,000

Potatoes:  49,720 pounds

Bottles of beer: 39,966

Cookies: 36, 300

Steak: 7700 pounds

Cherbourg, France / May 02, 2024

Today we docked in Cherbourg, France in Normandy. The Titanic made its final port call in Cherbourg before departing for her fateful journey on April 10, 1912.  

Cherbourg was liberated following the D-day landings almost eighty years ago.  Our excursion for the today was to Sainte-Mere-Eglise and Utah Beach.

The city of Sainte-Mere-Eglise, the first city liberated on D-Day

Of course there were many shops selling D-Day merchandise.  

The 82nd and 101st Airbourne Divisions parachuted into this area, in the cover of darkness, at the start of the D-Day invasion. The photo below portrays one of the unfortunate consequences of parachuting in total darkness.  Private Steele's parachute got hung up on the steeple. He was rescued after a terrifying night.  

 Many of the paratroopers were killed after strong winds blew them off course, then they were spotted by the Nazi army.

On June 6, 1944, 160,000 allied soldiers assaulted a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast of France.  The Allied armada was composed of 700 warships and 2,500 landing craft.  In the first six days, 320,000 men, 54,000 vehicles and 104,00 tons of supplies came ashore.  

 

Our tour took us to Utah Beach, location is shown in the map above.  Utah Beach did not have the cliffs like the soldier had to contend with at Omaha Beach. 

That had to be quite a sight to see all the warships approaching the beach.  Of course, we can only imagine how terrifying it most have been for the soldiers involved in the landing.  So many did not come home. It was very somber looking out of the now beautiful beach, thinking of how ugly it must have been almost eighty years ago.

We have likely all seen photos of these Nazi anti-vessel things situated just off the beach.  They are now scattered around the countryside for visitors and residence to see as a reminded to what took place.

Honfleur, France Friday May 03, 2024

We arrived at the port of Honfleur situated along the estuary of the Seine River.  This is a gem hidden at the north side east side of Normandy.  This was a thriving commercial port until the 19th century, now a popular destination for artists.  This is a relaxed charming little town with a wooden structure church, hotels, and cool little restaurants.  Completely opposite the snob filled big city of Paris. I'd stay here on a vacation over Paris any day. 

                                            Little restaurants lined the waterfront.  

We found a little pizza place.  It was great.  The chefs back on the ship couldn't made a good pizza to save their life.  

A Coruna, Spain Tuesday April 30, 2024

Ron here.  We arrived at A Coruna, Spain this morning. We were welcomed by a steady downpour, wind, and a chilly 53 degrees. We opted for a relaxing morning and waited until the rain cleared and the sun peeked out before venturing out into town on our own. After being stuck on buses for the last several months with some of the slowest people I have ever been around, I just couldn't take it anymore. I remember back in December when we were checking in to board the ship, we heard the alarms going off as each of our fellow passengers pass through metal detectors. We realized then that we were two of the few passengers that did not have metal body parts. After following the parade of electric scooters, walkers, canes, walking sticks, disoriented deaf men, and current residents of geriatric wards everywhere we went, you just reach the threshold of no more patience. Thankfully, Cindy is with me to calm me down and remind me that I might be one of those people someday. I feel better now and promise that I will not smear butter on the bus grab bars ever again.  However, they do need to post a sign on the outside of the bus for first responders:  In the event of an emergency, please allow 27 minutes to evacuate all of the old farts off the bus.

                                                View of the harbor at A Coruna, Spain.  

The Roman-era Tower of Hercules is a lighthouse that has been in continuous operation since the 2nd century.

 

Cindy here:  My man Ron, looks so innocent, doesn't he?

Great shot of a pedestrian walkway full of shops and restaurants.

And what to my wondering eyes should appear but a miniature gold "M" without any tiny reindeer. I sprang to the door, found an English kiosk screen, ordered a cheeseburger and a drink to wet my dry whistle. After finishing my awaited cuisine, away my thoughts of home flew like the down of a thistle.

Cindy here:  Ron enjoying a McDonald's manna from heaven... double cheeseburger. He even figured out how to order it in Spanish.

As we strolled down the sidewalks, we saw a lady pushing a stroller with what appeared to be two really homely-looking babies.  When the two chihuahuas raised up to greet us, we were quite relieved. 

 

These are two really scary-eyed dogs. Makes me miss my 4 adorable grand dogs even more.