R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 38

Jewel of the Seas — Cobh: Heading Back to the Ship via Westbourne Pl

Cobh native Olympian Gold Medalist Sonia O’Sullivan

Today let’s just enjoy the scenery down along Casement Square and Westbourne as Ursula and I headed back to the ship for our return trip to Amsterdam, and Voyage 2 aboard Jewel of the Seas.

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

Jewel of the Seas — Back into Cobh’s city center

Titanic Experience Cobh

Leaving St. Coleman’s Cathedral behind, Ursula and I next headed downhill via West View and Casement Square. As you head south down West View, you’ll find a nifty little photographic gallery that is well worth a brief visit. This is Kieron O’Connor Photography. Mr. O’Connor does some very good work.

Kieron O’Connor Photography on West View near Casement Square

Turning back onto where Casement Square joins up with Westbourne Place (west) and West Beach (east), here...

Fun Photo Friday — Cobh Favorites 2

Rust, Weathered Wood, and Flaking Paint

Here is Part 2 of Fun Photo Friday Cobh favorites:

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

Jewel of the Seas — Cobh: St. Colman’s Cathedral Interior

St. Colman’s Cathedral

Today I’m going to treat you to a photo gallery/slide show of St. Colman’s Cathedral. Ground broke for this incredible structure in 1868, but the cathedral wasn’t completed until fifty-one years later. Enjoy:

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

Jewel of the Seas — Cobh: West Beach, East Beach, and Cathedral Place

Old Cunard offices on West Beach

There is a lot of seagoing history here in Cobh, and a much of it tragic. One such tragedy involved ocean liner RMS Lusitania, which belonged to the Cunard Steamship Company. Lusitania was torpedoed on 7 May 1915 by U-20, a U-boat belonging to the Imperial German Navy. This World War I tragedy resulted in 1,198 of the 1,959 passengers and crew perishing in the waters of the Atlantic. Survivors and discovered remains were brought here, to Cobh.

Cunard Lines ...

Fun Photo Friday — Cobh Favorites 1

St. Colman’s Cathedral, Cobh

Today I present the first of two and a half Fun Photo Fridays featuring Cobh. That “half” is because the third will also be a Fun Food Friday restaurant review.

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

Jewel of the Seas — Walking into Cobh, Ireland

Old Methodist Church (and former pub) on Westbourne Place

Today (actually, 6 June 2022) we’re off the ship and heading east along Westbourne Place. One of the things that in my view makes Cobh so fun to photograph are the myriad brightly colored buildings lining the main streets. This is especially true as you head along Westbourne Place toward Casement Square and continue along West Beach.

Westbourne Place (foreground) and West Beach (in the distance)

On the opposite side of Westbourne ...

Jewel of the Seas — Making Port in Cobh, Ireland

Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas in Cobh, Ireland

After a brief break to honor Memorial Day and commemorate the 79th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, today we’re back on articles involving the first of three back-to-back cruises aboard Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas. You may recall that these voyages took place from late May through the end of June 2022. Before my aforementioned break in this series, I showed you our earlier stops in Iceland and Belfast. Our visit to Jew...

D-Day — Omaha

All this week I’ll be rerunning my series on the D-Day Invasion of Normandy, France. Next week I’ll return you to our Iceland/Ireland trip and beyond. In the meantime, in commemoration of the 79th anniversary of Operation Neptune (the Normandy landings) and Operation Overlord (the Battle of Normandy) in the event we now collectively refer to as D-Day:

Omaha Beach

On D-Day, the 6th of June, 1944, Omaha Beach was bleak. U.S. V Corps under the direct command of Major General Leonard Gerow would sus...

D-Day — Utah

All this week I’ll be rerunning my series on the D-Day Invasion of Normandy, France. Next week I’ll return you to our Iceland/Irelandtrip and beyond. In the meantime, in commemoration of the 79th anniversary of Operation Neptune (the Normandy landings) and Operation Overlord (the Battle of Normandy) in the event we now collectively refer to as D-Day:

Utah Beach

The beach assaults on D-Day occurred at five locations. Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches lay to the east. The English took Gold and Sword. ...