Reset search
Larry SniderLarry Snider
SatelliteEdit route
traveled in 4 countries Read more
  • Making Lemonade
    Day 16

    Dog Friendly Beach Town

    September 4, 2022 in England ⋅ 🌧 68 °F

    Weymouth is such a dog-friendly town! Here's a pooch named Bella enjoying some ice cream made especially for dogs that the beach vendors sell. It's peanut butter and banana flavored.

    Many shops in Weymouth have water dishes out front. We even saw a pub that had a keg of water for dogs.Read more

  • Making Lemonade
    Day 15

    Short Port

    September 3, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ 🌧 55 °F

    We had a ridiculously short port call in Dublin. For starters, the ship anchored in Dun Laoghaire. Visiting Dublin required a 20 minute tender ride to shore followed by a 30 minute train trip.

    This left us with an hour-ish to see Dublin. We still had fun, though, because we bumped into the ship’s juggler. (We’ve seen our share of jugglers but John Nations’ show is outstanding.)

    Our all-too-brief visit to Dublin gave us just enough time to accompany John to the newly opened Lego store (while getting thoroughly drenched), then dash back to the ship.

    As you can see, I saw some cool seahorse lampposts along the way!    Read more

  • Making Lemonade
    Day 15

    Rough Tender

    September 3, 2022 in Ireland ⋅ 🌧 57 °F

    Sounds like an oxymoron, but we had a rough tender after our way-too-short jaunt in Dublin. It was a wild ride!

    The boat was jammed with passengers. At first, folks were cheery and chatting about their day. We were all rain-soaked, so there was commiserating a-plenty.

    Then WHAM! The tender rolled steeply and hit the water with a loud slam. An Irish lady responded by shrieking, “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!” in such a Lucky Charms accent that a round of nervous laughter ensued.

    As our boat continued to pitch and roll, a tense hush fell over the crowd. I kept glancing at the tender pilot to see if he looked nervous. Passengers certainly were! Some kept their eyes shut, while others, like me, stayed wide-eyed.

    In reality, we were not in danger. As Larry reminded us, these tender boats are also the ship’s life boats. They are built to withstand rough seas. Still, it’s scary to toss and I did not want to test the tender boat’s limits.

    Meanwhile, Dun Laoghaire’s harbor was dotted with sailboats enjoying the rise in wind and waves. Great weather for sailing, but not-so-great for our chubby little tender boat.

    When we finally reached the ship, everyone burst into a round of well-deserved applause for our tender driver.    Read more

  • Making Lemonade
    Day 14

    Fab Four Espresso

    September 2, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    When the Liverpudlian barista asked who my favorite Beatle is, I thought she was just making conversation, but no: she had a stencil! (I don’t really have a favorite, but I said George since he’s the mystical one and his songs introduced me to the sitar.)Read more

  • Making Lemonade
    Day 14

    In The Beatles' Footsteps

    September 2, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    We enjoyed a fabulous magical mystery tour through Liverpool, with a charming guide named Paul B. Not only is he a Beatles super-fan, but he was actually delivered by McCartney's mom, who was a midwife.

    Along the way, we passed by places in Liverpool that played pivotal roles in the lives of the Beatles. We even stopped at some, including Penny Lane, Strawberry Field, and Paul McCartney's family home.

    Our guide pointed out all the places mentioned in the song Penny Lane, including the barber shop, fire department, and the spot where the pretty nurse was handing out poppies.

    In 2018, Paul McCartney visited Penny Lane during a carpool karaoke episode with James Corden. After Paul autographed the sign, locals covered it with a protective shield.

    Here's the link to the carpool karaoke episode. In it, Paul explains the touching story behind the song "Let It Be," among other tidbits, such as the fact that his dad thought they should call their first bit hit, "She Loves You, Yes, Yes, Yes," rather than using the Americanism, "Yeah." This clip is well worth watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjvzCTqkBDQ

    Penny Lane is an ancient toll road that gets its name from the penny farmers were charged to take their goods to market back in the day. (I've seen a couple other Penny Lanes in the UK, so now I know why!)

    While we were standing in front of Paul McCartney's childhood home, a psychedelic-painted Rolls Royce pulled up. It's a replica of John Lennon's famous car that's used for private tour groups.

    The British National Trust owns Paul McCartney's childhood home as well as John Lennon's. Both are kept just as they were while "the lads" were growing up. You can even go inside if you make arrangements in advance.

    An elderly woman lives in Ringo's former childhood home, so we could only look from afar. "We don't want to give her a fright," Paul B. explained. As you can see, around the corner from the house, there's a large mural of Ringo.

    While I'm a fan of The Beatles, I worried that this tour would feel cheesy. I'm happy to report that it was wonderful.    Read more

  • Making Lemonade
    Day 14

    Charming Port Town

    September 2, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Larry and I were surprised by how intruiguing Liverpool is. We both expected a grimy industrial port with little to do but chat about The Beatles.

    How wrong we were!

    As our Beatles tour guide, Paul B., explained, "Liverpool was a bleak place while the lads were growing up." It was heavily bombed during WWII, so they experienced the aftermath of this during their childhoods.

    See that photo of the house with the secretary bird mural? That's the only building standing in that neighborhood after WWII. So the Liverpool of today is quite different than the Liverpool the Fab Four knew early on.

    One thing I appreciate, is that many of the museums and historic public buildings are free and open to the public. Next time we go, I want to explore them.

    The library has a secret code in the pathway leading up to it. If you decipher it and tell a librarian, they will show you where a secret passageway is!

    I got a kick out of this tip from our other tour guide, Kevin, who said, "Don't toss your maps after my tour. Keep 'em close. This way, any time you want to walk into a building, even if its off limits, you can wave your map around and tell 'em you're a tourist. Keeps you out of trouble."

    I was also surprised to learn that Liverpool is home to Europe's first Chinatown. Next time we visit, I definitely want to wander through that neighborhood.    Read more

  • Making Lemonade
    Day 14

    Dickie's Dangle

    September 2, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    I forgot to share the story behind this statue in Liverpool. Locals call him "Dickie Lewis." This nude male figure stands proudly on a ship's prow as a symbol of the city's ability to weather any storm. The sculpture was well-received except for one unexpected side effect.

    As our guide told us, "There's no delicate way to say this. Every time it rained, it looked for all the world as if Dickie were weeing on the people below."

    Before long, there was a petition to "change the angle of Dickie's dangle." Sure enough, it worked. By moving the figure back, everything was fixed.    Read more

  • Making Lemonade
    Day 13

    One Good "Tern"...

    September 1, 2022 in Scotland ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F

    We've popped by Invergordon, Scotland 3 times this summer. This has allowed me to observe the colony of Arctic Terns who nest in the port.

    I saw the terns when they first hatched, again as noisy floofballs, and most recently as fledges! Squee!

    Some were still pestering adults for food, others already seemed to know how to fish, and a few strays were still in floofball stage. The one below called out for fish until an adult came along and fed him.

    In other news, despite having the mildest covid case ever, I find that the hour or so before bed that I usually spend editing photos and writing my travel blog is now being used for sleep. I'll catch up when I can!    Read more

Join us:

FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English