It’s an early one today. S and I have different tours, but both of them meet at 7am to catch the water shuttle.
I’m up early. There’s a motion-sensor at the foot of the nightstand, and I can set it off just tossing about, moving the blankets. So that gets me awake a little ahead of the alarm.
(Note that this is a handy feature if one is getting up to use the restroom in the night. It doesn’t sense far from the bed and it doesn’t stay on long, though, so it doesn’t get you back to bed without stumbling bumbling and fumbling by feel. A reminder to keep the path clear.)
First there’s the water shuttle, open air and chilly, into the port at Dun Laoghaire (“Dunleery”)
My tour is actually headed to Glendalough (“Glendalock”), but we’ll get there by way of Dublin. Which means quite a scenic tour. I remember much of it from my prior visit but it’s still nice to see again.
Then we clear the city, and we’re off to Glendalough. It’s a windy, and somewhat sleepy journey outbound. But the monastic site itself is interesting and beautiful and we get a very nice (if still a bit cool) day for it.
It’s pleasant in the sun. This isn’t the largest or most famous monastery site in Ireland. I’ve been to others, including Clonmacnoise which is more in the center of the country. But this one is still fascinating.
And on my way out, I actually have a moment not surrounded by the crowds, to enjoy the peace and solitude that Saint Kevin sought before the monastery community was built up there.
But that can’t last long. There’s a group to meet and a bus to catch, and another shuttle back to the ship.
For the afternoon I can explore the ship. The shops and casino are closed because we’re in port, but the eateries are open for a late lunch.
The Emerald Princess is the old design so there’s a nightclub on 18 but no jogging track worthy of the name (there is one, on 19, but it’s a sad affair – you pretty much jog in a tight circle around the putt putt green) so I’ll have to find other areas to get my steps in.
And the movie on deck this afternoon is The Princess Bride so despite the temps it’s worth watching long enough to hear Vezzini exclaim (several times): Inconceivable!
aka gringita 