Days 21 & 22 Tuesday April 30th & Wednesday May 1st Around Shenfield and then to Penzance

 Two days combined as we were doing personal stuff and travelling by train.  After sorting ourselves out with breakfast etc in No 6 we were ready for our first day back in blighty.  We had some tasks to complete over the next two days which we could only do on the mainland.  Initially Ruth drove us to Chelmsford whilst Ian had to work 😒.  We had a brief meeting at a hotel concerning a gathering later in the year.  We enjoyed a cup of coffee and then drove back to Shenfield.

I & R's azalea

I & R's rhododendron

We had some lunch and in the afternoon Christine went for a walk with Ruth and Ian as I stayed at the house to do some blogging.  We later enjoyed a very nice meal which Ruth had prepared.  Christine took some good pictures of some of their outside plants. We talked some more and Ian and I watched Ipswich Town win a very important game (actually Ian slept through half of it).  It was soon time for bed.   

In the morning we were soon mostly packed.  We breakfasted, finished packing and Ruth and Ian drove us to Shenfield station.  We said our fond farewells and we hope we will meet again soon.  We caught the Elizabeth Line straight to Paddington which was so much more convenient than changing (stuck in the lift at Stratford previously!).  We were at Paddington in very good time and waited in the lounge until our train arrived.  There was some signalling problems around Newbury which delayed subsequent movements and so we left about 10 minutes late on a shorter train but we were lucky and found seats.  We were provided with refreshments for the journey to Plymouth but they dried up thereafter.  The delay became worse and we arrived in Penzance about 30 mins late.  Not good but by our recent standards very acceptable.  We checked into the adjacent Premier Inn, sorted ourselves out and went down for dinner.  It was not brilliant - typical pub fare - but went down well. Tomorrow we have things to sort out in Penzance and on Friday we go home - I shall combine those days into one blog.

     

Day 20 Monday, April 29th Nieuwpoort, Belgium to Shenfield UK

 It was a lovely sunny, warm morning as we awoke and went to breakfast in the Dunes Hotel, Nieuwpoort.  We took advantage of the usual sumptuous breakfast.  We managed to drag ourselves away from all the wonderful food and returned to our rooms to complete the final packing before checking out and beginning our journey back to the UK.  We left the hotel and headed towards the tunnel but because we were not due on a train until early evening Ian had looked up some 

sheep and Bergues wall

suitable stops.  The first one was in France - the small town of Bergues  - with it's city walls and traditional feel.  We parked just outside the walls where some sheep were grazing and walked towards the centre passed the old cattle market.  We had a quick

Bergues belltower

 walk around the modern market being held in the town square and listened to the bells from the belltower (you couldn't avoid them!).  We found a cafe and enjoyed some refreshment.  

remains of abbey

After this we made our way to the remains of the abbey which dominated the town.  The original abbey was destroyed after the French revolution but some parts obviously remain.  We walked around the site and marvelled at the construction before wandering back to the car.  We then set off towards Calais and Ian drove until a patisserie was spied as we approached it. We stopped and Ian went to purchase essential 

tourists!

more tourists!

WW2 remains

supplies. We carried on through the town until we reached a car park behind the beach to the south of Calais.  We parked and decided to walk along the beach.  The tide was out and the sand was fine so we enjoyed quite a walk along the beach.  We passed some of the Atlantic wall from WW2 which was gradually falling into the sea.  After a fine walk we went back to the car and drove to the Cite d'Europe where found a restaurant for a meal. Fully fuelled we went to Eurotunnel and we arranged to get on an earlier train and waited for our time.

A smooth journey through the tunnel and we were back driving on the left hand side.  An hour or so later we arrived at Ian and Ruth's home.  We settled in and enjoyed even more chatting before it came to bed time. 

 

Day 19 Sunday, April 28th Brugge

 It was an overcast day but hopefully was going to stay dry for our trip to the wonderful city of Bruges.  After a very healthy but substantial breakfast we were set up for the fairly short journey to this famous city.  We took waterproof jackets but as we were assured the temperature was going to be quite mild we did not 

the belltower 

take our warmest available clothes.  We arrived and Ian expertly found an underground car park close to the city centre.  We were then ready to

the central square

 explore and soon saw the bell tower which dominates the city square.  Ian and Ruth's daughter, Michelle-Hannah, and her young son were coming to meet us from their home in Frankfurt (5 hours train journey) and we were looking forward to meeting them.

We mooched around for a while and then found a cafe to sit out of the drizzle which had intermittently started.  We consumed our coffees etc and waited as Michelle made her way from the nearby train station.  She soon arrived with welcome greetings all round with Joel especially pleased to see his grandparents. 

We walked around a bit more admiring the ancient buildings and squares.  It truly is a place worth visiting.  It was then time for lunch and we were near a good restaurant we had visited when we had a long weekend in Brugge and so that was our venue.  We all had good hot meal as the weather was quite cold and then 

the canal with boats

swans on the canal

explored some more.  We

on the canal boat

 went for a canal boat ride which proved to be a good decision all round as we saw some swans towards the end and went under some very low bridges.  After this we returned to the belltower square and as it was still very cold we went into a cafe to have Belgian waffles etc.  There was much laughing and catching up with Michelle, we all warmed up and the waffles were very good, some relaxing and the time flew by.  We went outside and were able to touch one of the horses of the pony and traps in the square which was a good experience before it became time to say sad goodbyes to Michelle and Joel.  It had been so good of her to come all that way to meet us and it was much appreciated all round.  We have now seen both Ian and Ruth's daughters on our holiday.    

We then made our back to the car park via the fairground which was literally in full swing. Ian again expertly made our way back to Nieuwpoort and we had a short recovery period before it was time to  find dinner.  We went to restaurant along the seafront in Nieuwpoort and enjoyed a snacky type meal.  It had been a terrific day, the highlight being the meeting up in Brugge and at the end we returned and retired to our hotel.  

Day 18 Saturday, April 27th Along the coast

 It was a bright sunny morning when we awoke being on dry land for the first time for some time.  Every thing was fine in our smart, modern hotel and soon we were ready to go down to a sumptuous breakfast in the dining room.  We had been on the trams last evening and we expressed a desire to use them again and so we all decided to on a long tram ride all the way to the Dutch border.  It took about an hour to go on the busy tram all the way to De Haan viewing the coast 

De Haan tram station

and the busy port of Ostend

new and old trams

 in the process.  De Haan was a very traditional style station and whilst we were there an old style tram car came alongside our modern one.  It was still sunny when we arrived and so we walked along the promenade to a restaurant and had a drink on an outside table. We were able to participate in the popular sport of people watching as we enjoyed our own company.

modern De Haan

After our rest time we made our 

the Mercator

way back to the modern part of De Haan and found a patisserie for a nice piece of maintenance food.  We carried on to the station and caught a tram to Ostend where we alighted for a brief look around.  There were some interesting boats in the 

ship in harbour

the large church

harbour including a square rigged sail-training boat named the Mercator.  We 

people wandering

went through a shopping mall and looked in the large church/cathedral which dominated that part.  We went across a bridge to the station and 

James Ensor tribute

watched as the bridge was raised to let a yacht through.  At the station concourse was a tribute to the famous local artist James Ensor which we had to add to.  We then trammed back to Nieuwpoort and returned to the hotel after an really good day.

In the evening we had learnt from the previous evening's experience and took a tram to the area where the restaurants were.  Eventually in the rain we found one which had a vacancy for the four of us.  We had a very good Turbot fish meal and returned to the hotel using the tram.

 

Day 17 Friday, April 26th Dover to Nieuwpoort, Belgium

 We were slowly approaching Dover when we woke up earlier today.  There was quite a lot still to do before disembarking at about 0930.  We completed the final packing - we had to be out of our cabin by 0800.  We then breakfasted and said our fond farewells to the restaurant staff (they had really looked after us).  We now had some time to relax and went to watch the mooring up process.  There were three young female crew members on the front of the Maud doing an outstanding job directing operations with the Dover dock crew.  We returned and waited until our group was called for getting off the boat and were very pleased to see our very good friends Ruth and Ian waiting for us in the reception area.

After our greetings we loaded their car and we were soon underway towards the channel tunnel.  It was not too far and as we arrived earlier than they had booked we successfully arranged to go on an earlier shuttle.  Ruth had brought some refreshments which we enjoyed whilst we were sitting going through the tunnel and soon we arrived in France.  Our destination was a hotel near Ostend in 

Veurne market place

Veurne church interior

Veurne church interior

Belgium but their daughter Michelle had suggested 

Veurne market square

having a break at a town called Veurne which was enroute.  We had a quick look round the market town including its marvellous parish church and market square.  All very picturesque and full of many character buildings.  We stopped at a patisserie on the way back to the car.

It was now time to continue the journey and we drove to our hotel in Nieuwpoort (which Ian and Ruth had previously visited).  The hotel was excellent and we soon settled in.  After sorting ourselves out we met later to go for a walk to a restaurant for our evening meal.  The walk proved longer than remembered and so we took a tram the final yards to the restaurant area.  We found somewhere with vacancies and enjoyed our meal before taking the tram for the whole return journey.  It was really good to see Ian and Ruth again and there was much catching up going on.  On getting back to the hotel we were feeling really tired after the long day and soon retired to bed.       

Day 16 Thursday, April 25th Dartmouth Devon

 We both enthuse about the county of Devon and were looking forward to seeing Dartmouth where we had never been before.  When we arose we were moored in the river Dart opposite the town and so there was hardly any movement.  We had not booked to go on an excursion and so after breakfast we made our way below to be ferried to the landing stage.  We had decided to walk around the interesting town and return to the boat for lunch as we were due to sail in the early afternoon.  

mid-town architecture

You immediately notice 

more old architecture

that this town has a lot of character with its old buildings and strong nautical associations and quality boat numbers.  We did the touristy bits of the town, admiring the ancient architecture and how well it had withstood the ravages of time 

church interior

and visited the parish church which still seemed to be a very

Totnes/Dartmouth train

 active part of the community.  We found a waterfront hotel which produced a good cup of coffee and then revisited a couple of shops where we were interested in buying. We made some purchases but then I realised I had left  my camera in the hotel where we had coffee.  I quickly retraced my steps and the camera was still hung over the back of the chair - phew!  We walked a bit further along the riverside and watched the Totnes/Dartmouth steam train arrive and depart.  

We wandered back to the landing stage and went back to the Maud for lunch.  When everyone was back on board the boat was released from its moorings and 

royal naval college

we started towards the mouth of the river and the open sea.  We went to the top deck

aft rope removal

 to watch the releasing of the stern  ropes and from the deck it was possible to photograph the royal naval college.  When we made it out to sea it was relatively calm and the ship made her way into the shipping lanes on her way to Dover.

Late  afternoon and evening were spent hearing messages and getting organised for our disembarkation tomorrow morning. We paid our bills, packed and attached the special labels required.  Our suitcases had to be outside our cabin 2300.  We  had an early night as it was going to be all go tomorrow morning.     

Day 15 Wednesday, April 24th Isles of Scilly

We awoke sailing between St Agnes and St Mary's and soon we were anchored in home territory.  We breakfasted and our first island of the day was Tresco where we were going to visit the gardens as part of the cruise.  The local boat, Surprise, 

red squirrels

was our ferry to Tresco.  It is some 

King Neptune

years since we went round the gardens and so we were looking forward to it.  We saw King Neptune, the long walk and the red squirrels which were thriving and spreading from the gardens.  There were some new additional plants and areas to explore.  We spent a considerable time 

The long walk

looking across the gardens

making the most of the opportunity 

pretty flowers

and as we began to flag we went to the garden cafe for a coffee.  More squirrels, 

Tresco  helicopter

local birds and golden pheasants accompanied us.  After this we made our way back to Carn Near and the inflatables back to the Maud for lunch.

the Maud from Sapphire

After lunch we had arranged to go to St Mary's and meet up with Heather and Alan.  It was good to see them and convenient as it allowed us leave with them a bag of thicker clothes which we had brought with us for the 

northern, colder stops on our voyage.  We had a cup of tea with them in the Kavorna and updated with local news.  We had a good view of the Maud as we made our way back in the Sapphire from St Mary's. 

lady's gig race

Dinner soon followed and then we realised that a lady's gig race was forming around us.  We made our way to the top open deck and had 

our home

a grandstand view of the race progressing.  It also gave us an opportunity to photograph our house from the boat. 

Day 14 Tuesday, April 23rd Waterford, Ireland

 We had already moored at Belview mooring when we woke to a fine sunny day.  We breakfasted and took the provided shuttle bus for the 30 minute journey to Waterford.  The major attraction for us was the crystal glass works which we had been warned were now modified since their heyday.  We were dropped in the 

Reginald's Tower

centre of the city and made our way along to Reginalds Tower on the river front and with Viking connections.  Pictures were taken of the tower, a Viking boat 

a Viking?

and someone becoming a Viking in a cut-out.  We carried on around the corner and found the glass centre.  We had a coffee in the nice coffee shop and managed to book onto a tour of the glassworks a few minutes later.  In the meantime we looked at some of the fantastic pieces of glasswork which 

glassware example

glassware 

lovely clock

they have produced - the skill involved is certainly amazing.  

We were called for the tour and began the story of each glass piece individually produced in the factory.  It began with the raw materials which were 

mould for helmet

blowing & shaping

cutting & engraving

blended and then fused together to become molten in the furnace.  We saw the artisan then take some of this molten glass to blow and mould into shape.  They use beechwood to act as primary moulders and this has a limited lifespan.  Once in chosen shape the item is allowed to cool to room temperature before every dimension is then checked thoroughly to ensure it meets specification and the edges are ground to give perfect feel to the glass.   It is then passed onto another department for being cut and engraved to finish 

9/11 glass simulation

item.  The apprenticeship and 

a spaceman

training required for each of these skills is remarkable and we felt privileged to see these skills in action before our eyes.  We ended up at the showroom where items were available for sale (a lot of their work is done to order) but Christine did not see anything she needed!

street art

inside the cathedral

After leaving the glassworks we wandered through the city 

a Viking family

and stopped to tour the Church of Ireland Cathedral which was quite small for a cathedral but had some attractive design and decor.   We did not linger long and went out looking at shops 

inside the cathedral

and absorbing the vibes of the centre.  Our impression was overall quite an attractive place in a good geographical location but did need some updating/investment.  We found our way back to the pickup site and then came back to the Maud.

We regrouped, eventually had dinner and later went to a presentation on the next port- the Isles of Scilly.  Nothing too controversial was said and generally complimentary on what to expect.  We then worked our plan of action and returned to our cabin.

South Hook lighthouse

The ship was now on the move and 

full moon reflection

we were called to the top deck to see the South hook lighthouse and witness the magnificent full moon.















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