Splitting time today between the long task of processing photos from our recent #cruise and the long task of swapping out the Jetpack tiled gallery in heavy use on my site, and this photo is from the former long task.
This is the Powerscourt Estate in #Ireland and the #mountain peak in the distance is Great Sugar Loaf.
Forgot to upload any phone photo from our #cruise on the day we were anchored near South Queensferry, #Scotland. We ditched our original plan to head to Edinburgh with the masses and instead booked a local boat trip out under the three bridges (Forth Road and Rail, and Queensferry Crossing) and then to Inchcolm Island where we explored the 13th century abbey and engaged in a battle of wills with the population of angry gulls around.
We're in Le Havre today, resting our feet in a craft ale bar (surprise!) after walking around for several hours with no firm plans. We've seen some very nice sights and great architecture but none nicer than the Église Saint-Joseph designed by the mentor of Le Corbusier, Auguste Perret. It is absolutely incredible and really difficult to describe, sorry.
Currently on a ship somewhere in the North Sea in the nightclub listening to what might possibly be some of the worst music our ears have been abused by. Flo-Rida and Soulja Boy were just the last two according to my phone. The only three people dancing are a white mum, dad, and daughter, all in similar t-shirts and him in khaki shorts - it's formal night, by the way - and the mother is trying to out-youth her daughter with her moves. It's both admirable and excruciating.
They held a #Eurovision trivia competition before the show and we've only gone and won it through some spectacular guesswork and low attendance because Americans who cruise really don't get this event. One bottle of ship champagne is ours. Ship. With a P.
Just got off the Falkirk Wheel and it's a great experience on an incredible bit of engineering. We were taken up, piloted along the aqueduct, turned around, and came back the same way. Smooth ride, barely even notice you're being lifted or lowered.
Heading back towards #Greenock through #Glasgow and we've got a sea day tomorrow before we reach the Shetlands.
We know a load of people who produce travel blogs and vlogs, and a lot get invited to hotels or ships or functions on occasion on PR freebies. A nice day out for the bloggers, and cheap marketing for the companies (if of questionable benefit).
But holy hell, the content they produce is garbage, and all similar to one another. English grammar assaults, spelling atrocities, and copy that feels like it's churned out by an illiterate machine. The genuine feel: nowhere.
For #FensterFreitag here's a café in Chichester that was very close to where I used to work and which proved to be a great spot to sometimes just fire off a shot from the hip as I walked past, grabbing a scene from both inside and reflected outside.
This film is fabulous. The budget must run to nearly ten dollars. Literally nobody knows how to act. The script should have been burned. The special effects aren't. Time stamps and car scenes are popular. The music is overwhelmingly bad. There's a sense that the film-makers know just enough about making movies to be dangerous with the terrible equipment and resources at their disposal and they're doing their best to learn editing and try out some angles on the unsuspecting viewer. Wonderful.
We made it to the local pub to show our faces. Music on the jukebox, people at tables, a friendly welcome with mention that a monthly quiz is coming before even asking what we want to drink. The contrast between this pub under the new landlady and its former host is remarkable.
We're on the Hobgoblin Gold because it's still the only half-decent beer they do but at some point they're bringing in guest beers.
To tide us over between the brewery earlier and the pub to come we've dipped our hands into the fridge to select something from the craft ales Mystery Box we recently bought. It was a Wheat Beer and, seriously, who likes this stuff? Wheat beer is revolting. It's the Chardonnay of the wine world. It's the Campari of whatever world it is that Campari lives in. Its only purpose appears to be to make other drinks seem nicer.
I think that's a fair statement. I wasn't a particular fan before getting hooked on a much more robust wheat from the same brewery that was on tap at my local at the time. The Vitus. Just couldn't get enough of it.
One of three pints downed of the absolutely gorgeous DSB (golden ale with vegan-friendly finings to clear it) from our local brewery.
I've had a lovely afternoon with my wife and her sister, and only the large majority of it was spent mocking my sister-in-law's new boyfriend and threatening to cause havoc when we eventually meet him. You do these things for family. It's expected.
Home for some food and rugby, then off to the local to show our faces after that.