Good to the Last Drop

Brain cancer is...

...enjoying happy surprises...even to the end.

It's pretty hard to get out of bed in Suite 618 on the last day aboard, it's been so wonderful.  But we are glad we did get up and out because the day was (and is) full of happy surprises.  Above is Chokhoni's parting gift.  It's easier to pack suitcases in the presence of blooms and bubbly.

Our excursions today were also stunning surprises.  The Giant's Causeway?  Who knew? 

It was caused either by volcanic activity or by a giant named Finn McCool.  Finn was an Irish giant who chased away a horrid Scottish giant named Benandonnar.  There is evidence of Finn's doings throughout the UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We saw his boot, pipe organ,chimneys, camel, and his haystacks. 

Here are just a couple pics to show the hexagonal columns of basalt and the grandeur of the place.

This is a movie, but I'll insert it properly later.

You see the causeway jutting out into the ocean.  Take another look at the people on the path, for scale.

What a happy surprise to see such a natural wonder...and to live in a world that has room for giants.

Castle Dunluce was beautiful.

Our surprise here was that the castle was probably a whitewashed manor house in the 1600s (artist's recreation above.)  I like it better as a stony skeleton.

Life back on deck was also a great surprise.  Christine (from Belgium; we met at the Hotel Director's dinner) invited us to her table, and we enjoyed getting to know her.  She was a pilot.  We had a lovely conversation with Louise and Steve, from Australia.  Louise is a professional painter and showed us inspirational mages of some of her works.

 Dinner with Drew and Susan was full of laughter and stories.

It was a great day (surprise!).

We leave in the morning from Dublin airport...and arrive tomorrow evening at LAX.  (Back to the past with us.)

Thanks for being here every step of the way.  Thoughts of you draw us home.