Well, that worked pretty good...the side rails on the bed are for a purpose...I didn't fall out after all!
It's around 11am, Thursday and the sun is trying to peep thru' the clouds and light fog, the winds are still whistling a sailor's tune...wow, the spray just came up onto the window here where I am! That's almost the top deck of the ship!
Huge seas... and they have sealed up the doors to the deck on the right side of the ship...
You can only go out on the sheltered side for a ciggy etc, so I just took some pics there.
The waves don't seem to be as big there as the ship breaks them from the other side, but it's still pretty wild...Well, I guess that's appropriate as the vessel is called The Oscar Wilde!
Will go and see the Oscar W museum on board later and have a read and look see at one of Ireland's more famous celebs.
Here are a few morning pics taken regardless of the light fog out there. It broke dawn at 8amish, this morning and it's still very bleak at 11am unless the sun breaks thru the clouds and foggy mist for a moment.
We are a bit over half way there now...
 |
| This sign is in both languages, but the warning is real in whichever language it's in! |
 |
| Looking to the front of the ship, on the left hand side... |
 |
| Looking backwards from the same spot...Note the list on the ship! |
 |
| Froth and spray everywhere... |
 |
| Looking towards the front again... |
 |
| The seas had calmed a bit this morning...or maybe just in this area for a few mins... |
 |
| Big waves came again... |
 |
| Then thru' the mist...came a passing ship... |
 |
| Time to come in and have breakfast...A tub of yoghurt, my plunger coffee and I already had eaten a mandarin! Irish people are SO amazing. Nothing is a problem to them, they leave you alone and most amazing of all, don't charge for boiling water for my coffee! |
 |
| After breakfast at the little cafe, I went and secured my power point and seat on the ship to settle in on the computer for the day! Awesome...and they even change the scenery for me every minute! |
 |
| From where I'm writing this blog...The Steak house... |
 |
| For the crossing you pay a 60E fee, then you have to buy some type of accom for the night. So, if your budget is limited, you buy a seat with a blanket, for about 20E or so, or a cabin from about 50E, which is like a cruise ship cabin, only a bit smaller for just one night... |
 |
| There were 4 rooms of seats like this, to give a bit of privacy... |
 |
| About the man the ship was named after...interesting character. |
 |
| A bit rough here again trying to get a straight shot. I have to take about 5 or so of each to get a straight one, but found the battery uses up too fast...so crooked goes up to-day! |
 |
| A nice wall mural on the decks... It's now afternoon, just as we approach France, Cherbourg harbour... |
 |
| Things you can do on board... |
 |
| Our first glimpse of France thru the mist... |
 |
| So sad it's such a rotten photograph day! |
 |
| To come all this way for shots of a location to have it misted out...drat! Cherbourg port in France... |
 |
| The setting sun breaks thru the mist for a brief moment, signifying the sun will shine again for my pics, so take heart, fair maiden! |
 |
| Rounding the rock walls to make a calm harbour...the winds are still big, but calming down and the waves became smaller the closer we came to port... |
 |
| Wonder how old these buildings are? Cherbourg is a fishing village and you are aware of the scent of fish and seaweed in the air as we come closer to port. Being a ferry too, the ship goes in front/back on and disgorges it's load onto the pier...So we go out the same way. |
 |
| The guard boat piloting us safely in to port... |
 |
| Other large ferries are already in port... |
 |
| Right in port now, only about 20 mins till we disembark...So, hopefully I will still have some light left to explore before I catch the train to Paris at 7.12pm, arriving Paris at 10.15pm. 48Euro for the train ticket at the counter. |
 |
| Nearly there...the mist suddenly thins for a few moments, then darkness falls very quickly within the next 20 mins! Amazing! |
 |
| We are docked! They go in frontwards... |
 |
| The gathering room for foot passengers to assemble for the shuttle bus to take us out of the port area boundaries... |
 |
| More Oscar Wilde treasures of sayings... |
 |
| Love his quirky sense of humour... |
 |
| Leaving the Ship and entering French soil! |
 |
| A glimpse out a window of the passage way out... |
 |
| Looking back at our home for the past day...Very nice experience, even with the wild weather. I never felt afraid, as it was so big. |
 |
| Aboard the shuttle bus which takes out of the security area of the port...It's fast falling dusk... |
 |
| One last glance at the port I came to see... |
 |
| Out the bus window...again! |
 |
| After about a 10 or so min drive out of the port area, it was dark! Very quick. We followed a local lady into town to the train station, about 30 min walk away. The smell of fish is obvious in this quaint, not so little fishing village of Cherbourg... |
 |
| A statue from the Exhibition many years ago...must research this one...Of course, when it's dark, the sky clears and the moon comes out again! |
 |
| Old buildings have wonderful character and many stories to tell... |
 |
| Walking into town, a good brisk 30 mins from the drop off point at the ferry... |
 |
| Loved the buildings here...then my new camera went on the blink...dohhh |
 |
| So, I bought the train ticket to Paris, waited about 30 mins and luxuriated in the wonderful cosy, plush velour seats on the train ride into Paris, stopping only a few times. A nice fast 3hr, 356 klms away. I plugged my electrical gear in to charge up on the sockets provided in each seat and didn't even bother to get the computer out to use the free WIFI on board. So, I actually had a snooze in comfort... these connecting trains run about every 2 or so hours from Cherbourg to Paris... |
No comments:
Post a Comment