Britannia (and more) rules the waves

John Gray and his Skye terrier Bobby were inseparable pals. The Edinburgh City Police night watchman and his little mate were seen everywhere, side-by-side, as he did his rounds.

When John passed away in 1858, a grieving Bobby followed the remains of his master to the local Greyfriars churchyard and stood at the grave until the cemetery closed. Next morning, the curator found the terrier lying on the fresh mound of earth and sent him away. Dogs were not allowed in the cemetery.

It was the same the following morning. And the next, even when it was wet and cold. The curator took pity and gave Bobby a feed, which he gratefully devoured.

For 14 years from 1858 until Bobby passed away in 1872, the faithful little fellow made the churchyard his home, sitting on the grave mourning his master. He became such a local celebrity that a year after his death, a statue and fountain were erected in his honour.

For more than 150 years tourists — and locals — have rubbed Bobby’s nose for luck, many after leaving the nearby inn named after him. His nose is now as shiny as the legend itself.

Wife Pat and I were on a cruise of Britain, Ireland and France on the 3000-passenger Ruby Princess, starting and finishing in Southampton and visiting Guernsey, Cork, Dublin, Belfast, Greenock (for Glasgow), the Orkney Islands, Invergordon, Queensferry (for Edinburgh) and Le Havre (for Paris and the Normandy beaches).

On a ship-organised coach tour of Belfast we drove along streets that only a couple of decades ago would have been patrolled by armoured police Land Rovers. But now all the military installations have been dismantled and demolished, there’s a vitality about Belfast that’s seen it named as one of the world’s must-see places and tourists are flocking to the beautiful capital of Northern Ireland.

“Have I confused you all now,” queried Sean, our Belfast guide as he finished explaining The Troubles, as the conflict was known.

Originally Sean refused to be drawn on the bloody conflict that raged from 1968 and in which more than 4000 people died until former US president Bill Clinton had a hand in the peace agreement in 1998.

“It was never a war between Catholics and Protestants, as the media mistakenly likes to portray it,” Sean said.

“It was Nationalists versus Unionists. Nationalists see themselves as Irish and nothing else. Unionists see themselves as Northern Irish but want to retain ties to Britain. If we can find an even balance then everyone will be happy.”

Hundreds of wall murals depict the resolution of the conflict on the Nationalist Falls Road, “the biggest art gallery in the world”. It was chilling to see signs such as “Five innocent youths were murdered at this spot” and “Gardens of Remembrance”, for those that died during the days of the conflict.

Scattered through the city are 14 major peace walls, some up to 7.5m high, that separate the feuding communities. People from all over the world, including president Clinton and the Dalai Lama, have written messages of support on them.

“During those troubled days it was only the military and the press that wanted to visit,” Sean said. “Now there’s hotels and accommodation springing up all over the place.” The city is a vibrant, thriving metropolis with tourists flocking in.

The island of Ireland is stunningly beautiful with a rich greenness even in the height of summer. Northern Ireland still operates in imperial pounds and miles and uses British currency whereas the Republic of Ireland is metric and uses the Euro.

It is wise to book shore tours in advance because everything was fully booked at our first port, St Peter Port, on the island of Guernsey in the English Channel. However, a walk around the pretty town was satisfying, revealing a blaze of colour from flowers in tubs, hanging baskets and windows, a sight with which we became familiar as the cruise went on.

At Blarney Castle, near Cork on Ireland’s south coast, out of the port of Cobh (pronounced Cove), the crowds waited patiently at the top of the castle to kiss the blarney stone in the hope of gaining the gift of eloquence.

The word blarney is first credited to Queen Elizabeth I in describing the delaying tactics she was receiving when trying to complete a transaction.

To kiss the stone requires lying flat on your back and wriggling backwards over a sheer drop (with bars to prevent a fall) then lifting the head to plant a wet one — remembering all the sneezy lips that have been there before you.

The Irish love their music and in Dublin, where Molly Malone still wheels her wheelbarrow in statue form, the pubs come alive to music in the afternoon.

One of the things we love about cruising is the trivia quizzes, especially those involving music. This cruise was trivia heaven with “who sang what” music quizzes on every night and a topic for almost every genre.

Forming teams of six presents the perfect opportunity to meet and befriend people from different countries.

Princess organised an evening at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a two-hour drive from the Glasgow port of Greenock. Having looked forward to watching the iconic event on television every year for as long as I can remember — the Tattoo celebrates 50 years next year — the visit fulfilled a long-held entry on top of my “bucket list”, and it didn’t disappoint.

The spectacular acts from various parts of the world, as well as the pipe and brass bands and a fireworks display, kept the capacity crowd in raptures.

A variety of tours was on offer for the last port of Le Havre, including trips to Paris, the Normandy beaches, Rouen and impressionist painter Monet’s garden.

The ship has 10 different places to eat and eight bars, clubs and lounges, so there was never a possibility of being hungry or thirsty. Just the opposite I’m afraid, and once home I embarked on a long- promised diet in preparation for our next big adventure.