British Isles: Portsmouth - Dublin

Arrive in Portsmouth and embark on Sea Cloud II. 

This coastal strip in southern Hampshire, blessed by the Gulf Stream, has always been an easily defensible natural harbor. Indeed Henry VII made it his Royal Dockyard at the end of the 15th century. Still, an important Royal Navy base, the vast port of Portsmouth is situated on the peaceful west coast of Portsea Island, a spit of land that stretches far out to sea. In the old harbor, historic ships with grandiose names proclaim the city's glorious past and several museums are devoted to the navy and seafaring. Where once adventurers and admirals set sail to re-write the English history books, countless yachts now rock gently in numerous marinas. The lavishly renovated quayside with its looming, futuristic Spinnaker Tower and the long seafront at Southsea are now the beating heart of modern life in the city.

Many famous impressionists caught the quaint atmosphere of this town at the mouth of the Seine on canvas in the 19th century. This small town in Calvados is still one of the most charming places in Normandy. Tall and narrow slate-clad buildings crowd around the quayside, the exquisite Vieux Bassin and the old 17th century dock. Honfleur honors its famous sons, painter Eugène Boudin and composer Eric Satie, in a museum. East of Honfleur, the breathtaking Pont de Normandie spans the Seine estuary and links Honfleur with Le Havre, an engineering masterpiece and one of the longest bridges in Europe.

The old harbor town of Dartmouth in the southern English county of Devon is set in forested hills on the west bank of the Channel estuary. Since the 15th century, Dartmouth Castle and Kingswear Castle, which faces it, have guarded the entry to the town. Little has changed since 1539 in the cobbled Bayard's Cove with its small fort on the old harbor. Sailing boats and yachts now roll gently where great ships once set sail for new shores. Charming old houses line the narrow streets leading from the promenade up the steep slope with its numerous steps. Located in a dominant position above the town, the Britannia Royal Naval College bears testament to the historic significance of seafaring and the navy.

'A piece of France fallen into the sea and grabbed up by the English' is how Victor Hugo described his place of exile in the Bay of St. Malo, which is closer to the northern coast of France than the south coast of England. Guernsey, the second largest British Channel Island, later inspired Auguste Renoir to produce a whole series of paintings. Narrow, meandering roads bordered by hedges and embankments wind through the interior of the island, which boasts luscious vegetation courtesy of the mild Gulf Stream climate, while in the south, green hills give way to rocky cliffs on the sea's edge. Here, spectacular crags, bays and sandy beaches have been shaped by the vast tidal range pummelling the rock. The pretty island capital of St. Peter Port overlooking the large sheltered harbor and castle boasts a fascinating mixture of styles in a tangle of terraces and stepped gardens.

This former 'corsaire' town in northern Brittany has always had a close relationship with the sea. Although the Buccaneers have left, St. Malo is now the start or end point for many famous sailing regattas. Behind the legendary town defenses lies the historic center, which is surrounded by water on three sides and has always been impregnable. On one side of the town walls, you will see the narrow alleyways and tall houses of the old town which bear testament to the prosperity of past traders and sailors. The other side offers exquisite views of the emerald sea, dazzling white sandy beaches, harbor and forts. Tidal variations in the Bay of Saint-Malo provide an impressive natural spectacle with twelve meters difference between high and low tides.

Off the south west coast of Cornwall, some 150 small islands and islets emerge from the sea. The privately-owned Tresco is the second largest of the five inhabited British Scilly Isles and has a reputation as an 'island in bloom' thanks to the mild Gulf Stream climate. The subtropical Tresco Abbey Gardens, set up in the 19th century by Augustus Smith on the lands of an old Benedictine Abbey, are home to exotic plants from many regions of the world. This small Garden of Eden is set in a natural paradise with subterranean caverns, sheer granite cliffs, idyllic white sandy beaches, emerald water and spectacular violet-red sunsets.

The small, typically Irish town of Cobh, dominated by the sea and its harbor, is situated on an island in the wide Cork Harbour, one of the world's largest natural harbors. Several ferry routes and a bridge connect it to the mainland. Overlooked by the neo-Gothic St. Colman Cathedral with its impressive bells, a picturesque mass of colorful houses cram the steep slope leading up from the harbor. The Cobh Heritage Centre commemorates the period of 1849 to 1920 when the town, known back then as Queenstown, was the main port for Irish emigrants. The city of Cork is about nine miles from Cobh in County Cork in southwestern Ireland, an area dominated by the Gulf Stream. It is nestled among the hills of the valley formed by the River Lee in a prominent position on a river island. Cork is the second largest city in Ireland, a regional economic capital and was European Capital of Culture in 2005.

Arrive in Dublin and disembark. 

In the wake of the Celtic Tiger boom and financial crisis, Dublin, the Irish capital in the east of the Emerald Isle continues to be young, dynamic and European. It adeptly combines tradition and innovation in a small space. O'Connell Street in the Northside of Dublin shimmers with the lofty steel Millennium Spire and a brand new district has sprung up in the Docklands with futuristic glass buildings and a Calatrava bridge. The old Half Penny Bridge takes you right into the heart of the city. Here you will find the lively, cobbled Temple Bar district with its numerous Guinness pubs, Dublin Castle, which is over 800 years old, and the soaring spires of St. Patrick's and Christ Church Cathedrals. Behind the neoclassical façade of the historic Trinity College, founded in 1592, is a magnificent library and the 1,200-year-old Book of Kells.