The Gardens in Dublin

Travelers on this trip can choose from a number of different onshore excursions -- castles, museums, walking tours, etc. -- and this afternoon a bunch of us chose to go on a garden-oriented excursion. First we were taken to the Helen Dillon Gardens -- Helen is sort of the Martha Stewart of Dublin, with an incredible set of gardens at her house and her own TV show, book, etc. We met Helen herself and her husband, Val, both of whom were delightfully welcoming. I'd ask Helen the name of a flower I had just photographed, and she'd say "Acanthus -- in the U.S. I think that would be Zone 6." (I didn't have the heart to tell her I had no intention of trying to grow these things myself.) Her husband, Val, has a great sense of humor; he made a point of telling us, "I own this house -- Helen is just the gardener."

After we said goodbye to Helen, Val, and Sir Reginald -- their wire-haired dachshund -- we left the Dillon house and headed over to the Dublin Botanical Gardens, an immense collection of old glass greenhouses, gardens, open space, and wooded areas. The Botanical Gardens were established more than 200 years ago and are home to all kinds of rare and beautiful species of orchids, palms, trees, you name it. There are plants here from all over the world, including some that are extinct in the wild.

Now we're all back on the ship and headed south through the Irish Sea. Overnight and/or early in the morning we'll round the southwest coast of England -- a point called "Land's End" -- and dock in Falmouth, where we'll disembark for more onshore excursions.