Iceland & Ireland Cruise

Located in eastern Northern Ireland on Belfast Lough, an inlet of the north channel of the Irish Sea, Belfast is the captial and largest city in the country.n Population is around 320,000.

Don’t worry how to pronounce Cobh, you’re really here to see Cork, Ireland, the main district of which sits on an island formed by the diverging channels of the River Lee. The city is filled with picturesque quays and bridges.

Whether you’ve come to kiss the Blarney stone, to outfit yourself in Irish tweeds or to hear “The Bells of Shandon” ringing, Cork and its surrounding countryside will charm you from glen to glen.

Joyce, Yeats, Shaw, Beckett– no, it’s not an English test, it’s your vacation, and if literature is of interest to you, there’s no better place to be: No other city has produced so many Nobel Prize Winners (including 1995’s recipient, the poet Seamus Heany).

Ireland’s capital is a thriving, modern city, yet it’s also strikingly elegant, with many beautifully restored Georgian buildings. And with friendly natives and cheery pubs–well, what more could a visitor want?

Channel Islands, archipelago (1995 est. pop. 151,000), 75 sq mi (194 sq km), 10 mi (16 km) off the coast of France in the English Channel. The principal islands are Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark; they are dependencies of the British crown. Agriculture, dairying, and tourism are the mainstays of the economy. English and French are the official languages. The natives speak a Norman patois and maintain Norman customs. The islands became possessions of the duke of Normandy in the 10th century and were joined to the English crown at the Norman Conquest. They were occupied by the Germans during World War II.

Shetland Islands, archipelago, 552 sq mi (1,427 sq km), off N Scotland. They consist of c.100 islands c.70 mi (110 km) long, about a fourth of which are inhabited. The largest are Mainland (where Lerwick, the main town, is located), Yell, Unst, Fetlar, Whalsey, and Bressay. Oil, produced offshore in the North Sea since the 1970s, supplements income
from traditional sheep, cattle, and knitware industries. Tourism is also important. The hardy Shetland pony and the Shetland sheepdog originated there. Occupied by Norsemen by the 9th cent., the islands were annexed to Scotland in 1472. Fishing is plentiful here, and the rocky cliffs offset by vast colonies of gannets and gulls make for breathtaking scenery.

Reykjavik, is the capital of Iceland. It is the country’s chief port and center of its cod fishing industry.

Founded in 874 A.D., it is the home of the Althing, or Icelandic parliament, the oldest in Europe. The city’s heating system uses nearby hot springs. Reykjavik was the site of 1986 disarmament talks between the U.S. and USSR.

Southampton Parish, on Main Island, is one of the nine parishes each of 2.3055 (two point three zero five five) square miles. It was named after Henry Wriothesley, Third Earl of Southampton (1573-1624), an English aristocrat, one of the most colorful Elizabethans, the patron and friend of William Shakespeare.

Guernsey’s cliff town boasts a spectacular setting and charming streets filled with Regency-style houses. The quaint town is the main area for shopping. The winding, cobble-stone streets give the port a feeling of yester-year but with modern conveniences.

Waterford is 85 miles south of Dublin, on the southernmost tip of Ireland. Arriving at Waterford is spectacular. It is a big event for this small town and the people warmly welcome you. Tour its famous crystal factory and watch how it’s done. Or, enjoy a drive across Ireland’s scenic countryside.