Tag Archives: cruise vacation

July 26, 2023 · 5:35 am

Jewel of the Seas — Walking Dunmore East and Meeting a New Friend with a Shared Passion

Ladies Cove, Dunmore East, County Waterford, Ireland

Continuing our trek northward through Dunmore East we stumbled upon a couple of items of interest when we turned right off of Dock Road. The was a pathway to Ladies Cove, which I showed you from a vantage point above as seen from Dunmore East Park. Once we made our way down to the cove, I managed to capture an image of Jewel of the Seas:

As we made our way down to the cove we passed the Round Tower. Don’t ask me the origins of this ruin, as I’ve absolutely no idea. You can find it on Google Maps, but information is practically nonexistant. Here it is:

The Round Tower as it appears on the path back from Ladies Cove

Returning to Dock Road we took the opportunity to photograph Saint Andrew’s Church, which we passed a short time before. Here the exterior of the church and its graveyard are rather impressive for so small a town:

Heading south, past the Haven Hotel which I showed you on Monday, you’ll find some interesting woodworking just north of Circular Road:

We were getting a tad peckish by now, so we were heading back toward a place we saw after disembarking the tender (you’ll see that place on Friday). Meanwhile, I continued snapping away on the trek back.

Charming Wall at the corner of Dock/Convent and Island Roads

Just south of where Dock Road becomes Convent Road my heart went aflutter when I stumbled upon a near-pristine example of one of my all-time favorite GT automobiles. This is an MGB GT, the shooting brake GT coupé version of MG’s classic MGB:

Early MGB GT with chrome overrider bumpers and wire wheels

As I was drooling over this automotive masterpiece of affordable motoring, snapping away from several vantage points, the owner came out to meet me. Below is proud owner Mike, who has won several awards for his restoration of this bit of history. We chatted for quite a while, with me reminiscing about my old MGB roadster in Brooklands Green when Mike asked me to wait while he went in to retrieve a souvenir for me. Here is Mike with his thoughtful gift of an MGB GT badge, which I now proudly display on a bookshelf alongside my books on classic (i.e., Abingdon) MG automobiles:

Mike, his MGB GT, and the badge he gifted to me

I really wanted to reimburse Mike for the badge, but he insisted upon gifting it to me. Needless to say, I was extremely humbled and grateful, as these things are not cheap.

Thanks again, Mike!

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

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Filed under Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation

Tagged as cruise, cruise vacation, Dunmore East, Ireland, Jewel of the Seas, MG, MGB, MGB GT, R. Doug Wicker, travel, travel photography, vacation

July 24, 2023 · 5:35 am

Jewel of the Seas — Arriving to Dunmore East

Jewel of the Seas made port in Dunmore East in County Waterford, Ireland, on 17 June 2022. We actually arrived here on the preceding Iceland-Ireland-Northern Ireland cruise of 5 June, but rain kept us aboard Jewel that day. No big deal, as this second shot gave us much better weather. So, we tendered in the village and started our self-guided walking tour into this quaint Irish fishing village. On this trip we opted to stay in town, as we’d already visited nearby Waterford on a previous cruise.

Most of this week’s Dunmore East photos were taken on Convent Road. But before we head north on Convent Road, let’s take a look back at the harbor:

This being mid-June, flowers were in blume:

This next photo was taken on Convent Road looking back south from the direction we came:

Turning back to face the other direction you’ll find Dunmore East Library and Tourist Information:

Continuing northward is where things get especially charming. For just past the library one stumbles upon a plethora of thatched roofs:

These roofs are found all along the route:

Beyond the collection of thatched buildings you’ll soon come upon Dunmore East Park. Make sure you stick around, camera at the ready, for views such as this:

North of the park you’ll see Ladies Cove:

Opposite the park is a rather impressive hotel. This is The Haven, which looked to be preparing for a wedding:

We’ll continue with Dunmore East on Wednesday.

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

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Filed under Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation

Tagged as cruise, cruise vacation, Dunmore East, Ireland, Jewel of the Seas, R. Doug Wicker, travel, travel photography, vacation

July 21, 2023 · 5:35 am

Fun Photo Friday — Caenarfon and Betws-y-Coed Favorites

I had a lot of favorites this day in Wales, and you’re going to be the beneficiary with many more shots than usual for a Fun Photo Friday. I’ll also be running today’s photos as captioned individuals rather than my usual photo gallery/slideshow: