An outstanding excursion. We saw Monet's garden in Giverny - extremely crowded, but stunningly beautiful. Lunch at Forges - delicious. Afternoon in Rouen - the Cathedral is not to be missed and the town is lovely - cobblestones and historic architecture.
Loved Glamis Castle - such a connection to the past and present times. St.Andrew's was an added bonus - golf shopping for my husband! The following day we docked at Invergordon and saw Dunrobin Castle - superb scenery and wonderful visit to a currently "lived-in" castle. Real sense of imperialism - somewhat angry-making to those of us with a colonial past! Exquisite gardens- don't miss the breath-taking falconry display. Next day we were at Glasgow and went to Culzean Castle. Amazing views here - interior of the castle is not as impressive as Dunrobin and of course Glamis is most impressively furnished of all. Culzean has a wonderful walled garden though - truly the best garden of the three.
Stunning scenery once again. Best bathrooms on the trip were in the visitors' center here. The walk to the Causeway is beautiful but the walk back is all uphill - take the bus back if your walking is impaired.
This was the most beautiful spot we saw of all our tours. The hills and valley here are steeped in a mystical presence. The ruins and graveyard called for more time than we had. We also saw St.Patrick's Cathedral before the trip to Glendlough - for an English literature buff like me it was something to see Jonathon Swift's grave - a haunting sense of history all around and indescribable photographic opportunities for my husband. The next day we went to Cork (Cobh) for a trip to Blarney Castle. The lines at Blarney were up to two hours long. People on our tour lined up and never got in in - we had to leave before they could get to the Blarney stone. We didn't line up but went to the Woolen Mill next door instead. It's a must-do shopping stop for all Irish goods - woolens, linens, keepsakes, Waterford crystal, housewares, upscale fashion - you name it, it's there!
We saw the German Occupation underground hospital and tunnels - a haunting visit for any WWII history buff. The town itself is lovely and shopping is possible close to the ship.
We aren't big Beatle fans and so we chose to explore this port on our own. We checked out the museum called "The Western Approaches" - the secret headquarters for plotting submarine positions and receiving messages from central commands. It was certainly worth seeing, although not as "slick" as some museum displays but somehow more authentic as a result. Sopping is great in Liverpool - loved the city.
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