Thursday, April 30, 2026

Skellig MIchael and Little Skellig Islands

A huge number of gannets breed on these two tiny islands near Ireland.

Irish Music

Yesterday in the seaside town of Cobh, we listened to some great Irish folk music.

More photos to come later today!

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Birds and other creatures in the Scilly Isles

European Robin

Atlantic Grey Seal

Monday, April 27, 2026

Lanhydrock, An Estate in Cornwall

Our National Geographic ship is now making its way along the southern coast of Britain — that is, we are in Cornwall. This afternoon, we visited a stately home named Lanhydrock, which was mainly built in the 19th century. The kitchens are the most interesting exhibit, and are furnished with original equipment as well as plenty of fake food and a few docents in costume. Of course as I contemplated the polished copper, the huge fireplace, the large crockery vessels and the obvious number of servants who must have worked there, I thought about the TV shows that included scenes in such kitchens — particularly Upstairs Downstairs and Downton Abbey.

One of the larders.

The oven.

Our cruise will continue to make its way around the British Isles, and assuming that I’m able to continue blogging, I’ll document at least part of each day’s activities as we proceed.

on the ship

more about our voyage later... we are now moving along the coast of england

Saturday, April 25, 2026

Four Dinosaurs and a Giant Sloth

Today we visited the Victoria an Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum which is across the street. I especially enjoyed a visit to the dinosaur section.

A dinosaur

Another dinosaur

Another one.

One more dinosaur. Of course I have their names, but it’s too much trouble to add them.
If you want to identify dinosaurs, ask a 4-year-old.

A Giant Sloth

Skeleton of a Giant Sloth from South America

My Previous Encounter with a Giant Sloth

Our visit to the cave of the Giant Sloth in Patagonia in 2017

The Milodon, or Giant Sloth, whose bones are found throughout Patagonia, was hunted by early people, who probably contributed to the extinction of this one-ton beast. The bones of this animal were found in the cave where the statue now stands. For a while, it was hoped that this beast was not yet extinct.

The British Museum Part II plus dinner

Artifacts from three burial sites in Britain and one Horned Helmet

The vast wealth of the British Museum is impossible to see in just a few hours. Even in such a short time, I had far too many photos. Today I’m showing the contents of just one display case it, because I found it especially interesting. This case highlights three burial sites from different eras. And then adding one photo of a wonderful horned helmet found in the Thames River.

A glass vessel from a Roman grave in Britain

Pottery grave goods from St. Albans.

A pair of shoes from one of the graves.

“The three cremation burials whose contents are shown here are of different dates and were excavated in very different circumstances. The late Iron Age grave from King Harry Lane, St Albans, demonstrates that Roman artefacts and customs were already familiar in Britain before the military conquest in AD 43. The grave from Elsenham, Essex, though so disturbed by ploughing that precise recording was not feasible, is important because it contains a very rare and interesting type of enamelled vessel, and is dated by pottery and coins. The other grave-group, from Southfleet, is an early discovery from an important site, and includes another exceptional find, the elegant pair of shoes.”

Horned helmet

Found in the River Thames at Waterloo Bridge, London

150-50 BC

Originally this helmet would have been a gleaming golden colour and decorated with red glass studs. The helmet is unlikely to have been used in battle and was probably a form of ceremonial headdress. The helmet is a very rare find, it is the only Iron Age horned helmet to be found in Europe. The helmet is made from sheet bronze sections held together with bronze rivets.The raised decoration is repeated on the back and front of the helmet.

Dinner with our friends Sheila and John

In the evening we met our friends for dinner at their club. Here are a few photos.

It had been 10 years but when we got together it seemed much less time.
We started with a drink (sparkling water for all).

The four of us at the table before dinner.

Our meals: lamb chops, bouillabaisse, and curry with rice and salad.

Yesterday was a very busy day! I have many more photos an memories, but this is all I can manage now.

Friday, April 24, 2026

The British Museum, Part I

The Cowardly Lion?

Horses from Halikarnasos

On our visit to the British Museum today, we spent most of our time seeing the Parthenon Marbles and the other sculptures from around that era. All these sculptures were brought to England around 200 to 250 years ago. Here are some of the horses we saw.

A statue of a horse from the Mausoleum at Halikarnasos, Turkey.

The entire Mausoleum from Halikarnasos is now in the British Museum.

We visited this and other ancient archaeology sites last year when we were in Turkey.

“The Mausoleum at Halikarnassos, designed by the sculptor-architects Pytheos and Satyros, was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The modern word for a monumental tomb derives from the Latin form of Mausollos' name”