Greenock

June 1^st, 2004

Well here we are, still in Bonnie Scotland, and guess what? The sun is shining! Not just making an attempt to shine, but I looked outside to see where the bagpipe music was coming from, and I was instantly bathed in brilliant sunshine. Wow!

I met a school friend for lunch at Scotts at the cruise terminal. We had meant to go to Scotts in Largs, but ended up right next to the ship. It was a good choice and we had a delicious meal, and a great time catching up with what was happening in our lives. I think it is so wonderful that school friendships are so meaningful.

After lunch we decided to take the Greenock Local Highlights Tour bus. It is an open top red double decker bus which takes you on a tour of Port Glasgow, Greenock, and Gourock.

It was a great tour, and luckily my friend who lives in Glasgow, was able to translate the commentary from our very Glaswegian guide.

We had a stop at Newark Castle

And we drove by the beautiful sculpture, The Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow.

Some of the old warehouses along the waterfront have been converted into flats

And the Titan Crane, although no longer in service, is still standing tall and proud.

Infront of the Lyle Fountain

Is a horseshoe marking the spot where the Greenock gallows were. Definitely not a lucky horseshoe.

We also had a lovely view over Gourock, with the Clyde looking magnificent.

On the way back to the ship we could see the top of the untidy funnel peeking above a building.

My memories of all of this from past visits have been of everything looking very dreary and drab, coated in the rain and mist. Today it was truly beautiful, we had been so very lucky with the weather.

What was not lucky with the weather is that I had sent my hat and sunscreen back home with Brian. After all, a Festival Voyage around the British Isles was very unlikely to produce any weather conditions where these would come in handy. I kept my puffy jacket and rain coat, both of which have proven to be essential.

So here I am with a nasty case of sunburn. Sunburn in Scotland? Yes indeed. My dermatologist would not be at all happy.

Not to worry, it was all in a good cause, and I had a wonderful day with my friend.

I bade her farewell just as the band was getting ready to serenade us as we slowly made our way down the Clyde.

It was the perfect weather for a sail away, and although we had missed out on scenic cruising around the Scottish Isles for the past few days, our passage down the Clyde more than made up for it in my opinion.

It was all very beautiful, and as we made our way out to sea, we were treated to a beautiful sunset

I have always found it to be so sad that those great shipyards along the Clyde had closed, and that Scotland is no longer producing all those magnificent Cunard Liners. Queen Anne is a beautiful ship, but I was so sorry that she didn’t come from here. Imagine if she had sailed down the Clyde from the shipyard on her maiden voyage. All the shipyard workers and their families would be waving. They would all feel so proud. That era is long gone.

Later, as I sat in the hot tub I thought about how passenger ships had changed over the years. I do miss the old ships, but they never had hot tubs where you could soak after a long day sightseeing, or balconies from which you can watch the world go by. Here I am on the newest cruise ship afloat, and I am loving it. And I am loving the glass shower door.