Holyhead, Wales

This morning we arrived in Holyhead, Wales with a lot of much-appreciated sunshine.  Before I start, however, I want to share a photo from last night at 9:30pm which demonstrates the beauty and drama of the skies at sea. 

Holyhead is a small port city in Wales that serves as a major ferry transfer point between the United Kingdom and Ireland.  It dates back to Roman times and has a lot of quaint sights.  

It’s also very interesting to see the emphasis on the Welsh language.  Most of the major street signs were in Welsh and English.  

Although this town was fairly small, it was really very charming…. and of course, the sunny day had nothing to do with it.  But here are a couple of photos as we walked along the narrow streets of Holyhead.  I loved the colorful houses within the center of the town and then also the large homes that had vistas onto the colorful bay.

We took the shuttle to the town and then walked to the Maritime Museum – so tiny we didn’t spend any time there.  We did, however, have a couple of drinks at the Bistro on the seaside.  It was funny because the server who was very friendly was shocked when I asked for a beer and wine at 10:30 in the morning.  She asked her boss whether they had a license to sell that early.  He was puzzled but I said that the law must be 10am – he agreed and we sat down with our drinks.  

We ventured down the way and saw some panoramic shots of our ship.  The weather and clouds were perfect.

We really liked this view of the ship and the beautiful little park in the foreground.  I was going to Photoshop the gardener out but he makes it even more realistic.  

One final shot of our view from our balcony.  I love the lighthouse in the distance.

Back to the ship and a light lunch and we’re ready for the afternoon…. well I am.  I had a 3pm appointment at the Culinary Arts Kitchen onboard the ship.  OMG – it was wonderful.  Here’s a photo of the facility where the the sessions occur.

The lesson today was about pasta.  The facility is phenomenal with all of the greatest kitchen appliances and tools.  Our instructor was amazing and so much fun.  And of course, as you’ll see in the following pictures, we had a classic Italian white wine throughout the lesson.  

We made fresh pasta from scratch and then made fettuccini with two types of sauces – a butter, sage, walnut sauce and a classic Italian Alfredo sauce – yum, yum, yum – and they were so simple.  Here are a few shots.

Ha ha – it was so much fun and very educational.  I bought the apron and am prepared to make fresh pasta every night when we get home – yeah, right!

That’s it for this evening.  It was so nice today to get some sunshine and not have to deal with the rain.  I was very impressed with Wales and their history and culture – very different from the rest of the United Kingdom.  

We’re off to Dublin tonight and should arrive fairly early.  Dublin has been one of my key focuses on this cruise so I’m very anxious to see and photograph this great city.  

Thanks again for following and please leave any comments you have.  I read them all.