Today was a very long
full day tour. We were waiting to go ashore at 8:30 and returned at
5:30 along with everyone else. There was a very long line waiting to
return as we were suppose to sail at that time. Again we were late
sailing but that does not mean anything to us. In fact tomorrow is
our first sea day.
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| Another Ruined Casstle |
We followed the coast
from Greenock. It took about 2 hours to get to the Culzean Castle.
We did make one photo stop (another ruined castle – they seem to be
everywhere) before we got to our destination. We travelled south
along the Firth of Clyde passing many small towns. Our guide took us
through all the battles that Scotland fought for hundreds of years.
It was interesting to note that there is (was) a strong Viking
influence in this area, with some of the names having been derived
from them. All I could think about was Hagar!
This astle and the
extensive grounds are now a country park. It has been updated and is
a wonderful place to visit. It is not just one building but has many
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| Ruined Gate |
buildings including stables a laundry house, ice house walled garden
ponds, etc. It is really an impressive place. We walked through the
ruined arch across the viaduct to the castle itself. The castle has
been well maintained since it passed to Scotland in 1946. The rooms
are all furnished with paintings, etc. In fact you can rent it out
for weddings and parties. The third floor was kept as the Eisenhower
apartment.
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| Culzean Castle |
It was designated for him in recognition of his war
effort. Being an avid golfer, he did stay a few times when he was
president. Today you can rent rooms on the third floor. We joined
a tour where the guide explained every detail in each room. We got
lost in 15th whatever of whatever! We headed out and just wandered
through the rooms. Each room had an attendant that answered any
questions. The estate belonged to the Kennedy's but they were
Scottish clan not the Irish clan.
Since our guide gave
us 3 hours at the castle, we had plenty of time to wander through the
gardens, woods and walks of the area. We crossed the Fountain Court
in front of the castle (very well maintained) and over to the Walled
Garden which is full of flowers in bloom. We then made our way to
the Swan Pond (no explanation needed) and then back through the
woods. There were many people there but I think that we were the
only tour from the ship to visit the castle.
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| Wall Of the Fountain Courtyard |
Most were locals –
families, people having picnics, kids playing, etc. Just before we
left it started to rain a bit. We had left the ship in a downpour in
the morning but had beautiful sunny weather for the day.
We did stop in the town of
Ayr, home of Robert Burns. Our guide read some of his poetry and we
saw where he was born, where he lived, etc. The town itself was
packed people and there were kids galore. Being the summer holidays,
we assume that it was mainly Scottish visitors. There certainly were
not tour buses lined up in the area. We found our way to the “Wee
Windaes” Pub for a bowl of soup, a sandwich and a Fosters.
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| Relaxing in The Walled Garden |
When
we were back on the bus and heading for the ship, our guide played
some Scottish music for us. She had selections of both traditional
and modern music. The modern selections were quite nice. She sang a
song that Robert Burns composed. We all knew it instantly as the one
we sing when ringing in the new year!
Back on the ship, we
headed for Skywalker's – the highest part of the ship. We
discovered that they have a small buffet for Elite passengers (as on
other ships that we have sailed on) but we did not receive notice of
it being available. We will start going after tomorrow night. It
is the second formal night and the Circle party will be the event.
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| Wee Pub In Ayr |
Everyone was at dinner and
then we saw a new show. It was a mix of so many things and did not
seem to have a theme. It was something like the crew show but with
the entertainers. So some dancing by the troupe, a few songs, solo
by the musicians, etc. We talked to other people and they had the
same reaction. We also saw an Irish comedian (has been in the U.S.
for 40 years). We have seen him before. We recognized some of the
stories that he used but he was very funny.
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