You aren’t really prohibited from going anywhere except assigned dining. One advantage is photographers don’t beg to take your picture…they can see there is no money in that. The folks at the Concierge Club looked slightly dismayed when I came in and scarfed up some of the snacks and left with a plate full for Terry.
By the time I got to the Coral Theater to watch City of Dreams performed by the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers and the Jewel of the Seas Orchestra all the cheap seats were taken – meaning I would have to crawl between some other formally dressed couples and endure their ‘didn’t you know it was formal night idiot?’ stares which admittedly might just be in my head and not theirs. I only know what I have been thinking when in their place. Surveying the audience I it was obvious I was not the only have not who decided to be entertained.
Determined to stick it out, or maybe just stick out, I wandered around the outside of the seating area to see which view I liked best; side, middle, far back left, far back right, foot on railing, leaning against pole, next to the stage, from the hall etc. From any vantage point the show was entertaining but I felt somewhat like a stalker.
We docked this morning at Cork (Cobh) Ireland. From our balcony we could see the colorful town with a cathedral rising from its midst. The day promised to be cool and sunny, perfect for sightseeing.
Cork derives its name from the Irish word “Corcaigh’ meaning “marsh’. The area began in 821 AD on some dry land in marsh surroundings necessitating many bridges.
This morning we opted for breakfast at Chaps Steak House. The reason one might choose to go to Chaps over the Windjammer is that you sit down and order and they bring the food to you. When Mary ordered cereal they told her to go get it from the table at the back. Rather defeats the purpose.
We went to Blarney Castle this morning, home of the Blarney Stone. I like Ireland. It is exceedingly green and cool. The sun came out for us; they tell us that last week it rained the entire time. Of course that is the price you have to pay for having a lush green country.
In order to kiss the Blarney Stone we had to wait in line to climb 100 medieval steps on a very narrow spiral staircase to the roof top. Supposedly if you kiss it you will have the gift of eloquence bestowed on you. Other people call it the gift of gab. The idea of kissing a stone that millions of people have kissed before me is distasteful. But after waiting an hour and a half Terry was determined someone was going to kiss that stone. With his hip and knee it wasn’t going to be him. Besides he doesn’t need to be any gabbier than he is.
Since we were on a tour that is all we did. Blarney Castle has shops, tea gardens, and 3 different plant gardens; rock close and water, poison, and fern. In addition there is an Arboretum and Woodland Walks which I would love to explore. It took all of our allotted time to kiss Blarney so will have to come back to Cork for a longer stay.
When we returned to our 2 bedroom bungalow we found a note saying that we had a table! At 6 we went to the 6:00 dinner seating. Our neighbors told us the table had been vacant since the voyage began. Various personalities offered apologies and excuses. The other couple assigned to the table never showed up. On Day 3 AJ succumbed to pressure and moved them so we could have the table. Our servers, female Jo and male Joe, were superior, the food delicious and the company delightful.
Showtime is a hypnotist tonight. Good thing our reserved seats are in the top balcony far away from the selection process. I don’t think either Terry or I need to be hypnotized. God knows what we might do.
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