The national anthem of Norway, July 15

Flag of Norway

The night before the ship reaches a new port, the community gathers for a "preport meeting" to learn about the cultural traditions as well as the logistical information we need to know when visiting that country.  The students have formed a choir that also sings the national anthem for the country.  As we approached Norway the younger kids worked with our resident singer/songwriter/composer John Rosenburg to prepare a special "national anthem" of their own. Michael was the maestro who trained with John to lead the group in singing "Let it Go!"  That night there was also a special viewing of the movie Frozen for the whole community!

Maestro Michael

Olaf, in summer....

Dublin, Ireland; July 10-13

The ship docked in Dublin and Mommy had to work the first day.  When she was done, we went to rent a car to travel to Galway.  Uncle Jim studied in Galway his junior year of college so Meme and Pop were very excited to see the town.

Galway is on the coast of Ireland directly west of Dublin.  We rented a house in a town nearby called Athenry. There is a song about the town that our tour agent sang to us when we told her we were going there.listen here

The house where we stayed is called Banba house.  Our host was named Ray. He made us a beautiful dinner that was ready when we arrived. Chicken, salad, lots of yummy bread too.  We stayed at the house with lots of friends from the ship:  Liam, Shannon & Sydney and their parents and grandparents and Emily and Nate too.

In the town near the house we found a playground that had a zip line. I don't think I've ever seen a zip line in a playground at home. We also went to a pub and while the grown ups had beer, the kids drank black current squash and played video games.

The next day, we drove to Connemara and stopped at a place called Kylemore Abbey. Throughout the gardens of the abbey were kid activities. It was a bit cloudy and rainy, but we had fun anyway!

Back in the town of Galway, we had fun roaming the streets and shopping and Michael even got a balloon sword from a street vendor.  That night the adults found O'Connor's pub for some traditional Irish music. The owners remembered uncle Jim too!

Just another day in Glasgow

We started our day in Glasgow with the Riverside Museum. It's a transportation museum, a bit like the one we frequent in NYC, but even better!  There were so many different types of transportation there. Cars, horses, bikes, trains, trams, boats, you name it. Michael and James even got to practice being deck hands on a tall ship parked out in front of the museum.

The Glenlee was built at the Bay Yard in Port Glasgow, as one of a group of 10 steel sailing vessels built to a standard design .  She first took to the water as a bulk cargo carrier in 1896 and circumnavigated the globe four times (just like the MV Explorer!)

Next we were off to area surrounding the University of Glasgow, just to have a look around the town before departing Scotland.

You wouldn't believe the send-off by the Scottish. Very warm and friendly folks!

Next stop, Dublin!

Edinburgh, Scotland July 7th

Edinburgh Castle

Here we are at the Edinburgh Castle. Meme got Michael a headset, which he loved because it had kid friendly descriptions of what he was seeing, and played Brave music between narrations. It came in very handy as we went through the quiz all around the castle.

Michael shooting out of a cannon...ahh I'm so scared!

a square in Edinburgh

local pub in Edinburgh

bagpiper

Mommy, Daddy, & Michael on the high street in Ediburgh

Off to find Nessie!

After settling into the ship, it was time to explore Scotland. The first thing we wanted to do was to find Nessie....you know the Loch Ness monster. You may think that we went searching for her in Loch Ness, but actually, she spends her summer holidays at Loch Lomond, so we went there instead.

After a super delicious pub lunch of sausage and chips (french fries, you know), we went out on a boat from the east side of the loch, from a town called Balhama. I never did see Nessie, but I am sure she was there.  And, I found a little Nessie to bring home with me too!

On the other side of the loch is a town called Luss. When we were in Scotland, they were celebrating the Luss Highland Games. We didn't go, but some of the students did...sounded to me a bit like those games that they played when they were competing for Merida's hand in Brave!

Embarking the ship in Greenock, Scotland

Arriving at the Glasgow Airport with Fluffy

Daddy and I flew to Scotland on the 4th of July and landed in Glasgow. We had to spend the night at the airport because the ship didn't arrive to Greenock until the 5th.  We rented a car and drove to the ship! Luckily Daddy already knows how to drive on the left.

When I got to the ship, I checked in at the purser's desk...that's like a reception desk at a hotel. When I was checking in a met a kid named Ryder. He's nine. Ryder has sailed on the ship eight times so he knows a lot about it. He showed me his cabin and then I showed him mine.  Ryder's mom taught me how to open the heavy doors on the ship without getting my fingers stuck in the door!

Hello, Scotland!

Mommy and Daddy and I went for a walk around Greenock, the town where the port is located and ate lunch before going to pick up Meme and Pop at the airport.

Overlooking Greenock

Meme and Pop joining the ship

Beautiful Spain

I really did not have high expectations for the Basque region of northern Spain.  I've been to Madrid and surrounding cities and in general really like Spain. I guess I just hadn't heard much about the north.  Well, it is AMAZING. So beautiful, relaxed and a super family friendly culture....and great food!

Apparently with the opening of the Guggenheim in 1998, Bilbao and the Basque region have really boomed and developed a significant industry around the related tourism. Things are looking good for this part of Spain.

We docked in Gexto - a beautiful little beach / resort town that was once a vacation spot for residents of Bilbao.  The first night I toured around the city of Bilbao and feasted on the Basque version of Tapas known as Pintxos and saw the Guggenheim museum - incredible. On Day 2, I spent hours wandering around the exhibits inside the Guggenheim.  Most memorable was a crazy Yoko Ono exhibit, which you really have to see for yourself!

The third day, I went horseback riding on the Cantabrian coast and then to a festival in the lovely village of Castro Urdiales....for more Pintxos!

Day 4, it was off to La Rioja to check out the vinyards and taste some wine!  We didn't get to visit my favorite Bodegas Muga, but we did pass by it on our way to another winery.

I think I walked a hundred miles in Spain....let's hope it was enough to work off those Pintxos!  Now it's off to Glasgow, where I finally get to see my favorite guys! Miss them soo much.