Aboard Silver Wind with Silversea
Cruise Overview
Dublin is making a comeback.
The decade-long "Celtic Tiger" boom era was quickly followed by the Great Recession, but The Recovery has finally taken a precarious hold.
For visitors, this newer and wiser Dublin has become one of western Europe's most popular and delightful urban destinations.
Whether or not you're out to enjoy the old or new Dublin, you'll find it a colossally entertaining city, all the more astonishing considering its intimate size.It is ironic and telling that James Joyce chose Dublin as the setting for his famous Ulysses, Dubliners, and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man because it was a "center of paralysis" where nothing much ever changed.
Which only proves that even the greats get it wrong sometimes.
Indeed, if Joyce were to return to his once-genteel hometown today—disappointed with the city's provincial outlook, he left it in 1902 at the age of 20—and take a quasi-Homeric odyssey through the city (as he so famously does in Ulysses), would he even recognize Dublin as his "Dear Dirty Dumpling, foostherfather of fingalls and dotthergills"?For instance, what would he make of Temple Bar—the city's erstwhile down-at-the-heels neighborhood, now crammed with cafés and trendy hotels and suffused with a nonstop, international-party atmosphere?
Or the simple sophistication of the open-air restaurants of the tiny Italian Quarter (named Quartier Bloom after his own creation), complete with sultry tango lessons?
Or of the hot–cool Irishness, where every aspect of Celtic culture results in sold-out theaters, from Once, the cult indie movie and Broadway hit, to Riverdance, the old Irish mass-jig recast as a Las Vegas extravaganza?
Plus, the resurrected Joyce might be stirred by the songs of Hozier, fired up by the sultry acting of Michael Fassbender, and moved by the award-winning novels of Colum McCann.
As for Ireland's capital, it's packed with elegant shops and hotels, theaters, galleries, coffeehouses, and a stunning variety of new, creative little restaurants can be found on almost every street in Dublin, transforming the provincial city that suffocated Joyce into a place almost as cosmopolitan as the Paris to which he fled.
And the locals are a hell of a lot more fun!
Now that the economy has finally turned a corner, Dublin citizens can cast a cool eye over the last 20 crazy years.
Some argue that the boomtown transformation of their heretofore-tranquil city has permanently affected its spirit and character.
These skeptics (skepticism long being a favorite pastime in the capital city) await the outcome of "Dublin: The Sequel," and their greatest fear is the possibility that the tattered old lady on the Liffey has become a little less unique, a little more like everywhere else.Oh ye of little faith: the rare ole gem that is Dublin is far from buried.
The fundamentals—the Georgian elegance of Merrion Square, the Norman drama of Christ Church Cathedral, the foamy pint at an atmospheric pub—are still on hand to gratify.
Most of all, there are the locals themselves: the nod and grin when you catch their eye on the street, the eagerness to hear half your life story before they tell you all of theirs, and their paradoxically dark but warm sense of humor.
It's expected that 2016 will be an extra-special year in the capital, as centenary celebrations of the fateful 1916 Easter Rising will dominate much of the cultural calendar.
The stunning Isle of Lunga is the largest island in the Treshnish archipelago.
With volcanic origin the isle was populated until the 19th Century, and remains of black houses can be seen around this magnificent coastal jewel.
Abundant plant life and exotic birdlife are now the main inhabitants of the area.
Fortunate visitors view the magnificent array of birds, especially the great puffins that breed on the islands plateau.
One can sit within just a few feet away without disturbing the avian ambassador’s peace.
The 81 hectare island is home to many rare and endangered plants such as, primroses and orchids.
Views over the landscape and across the ocean can be seen from the 300 foot high cliffs.
St Kilda is a remarkable uninhabited archipelago some 40 nautical miles beyond the Outer Hebrides.
The stunning cliffs and sea stacks are home to the most important seabird breeding colony in northwest Europe.
St Kilda is one of the few places in the world to have received dual World Heritage status from UNESCO in recognition of its Natural Heritage and cultural significance.
Village Bay on the island of Hirta once supported a population of over 200, but the last islanders left in the 1930s.
Recent restoration work on the village by the National Trust for Scotland offers a marvellous link with the past.
One of the caretakers acts as shopkeeper and postmaster for any visitors who might like to send a postcard home from St.
Kilda.
The decade-long "Celtic Tiger" boom era was quickly followed by the Great Recession, but The Recovery has finally taken a precarious hold.
For visitors, this newer and wiser Dublin has become one of western Europe's most popular and delightful urban destinations.
Whether or not you're out to enjoy the old or new Dublin, you'll find it a colossally entertaining city, all the more astonishing considering its intimate size.It is ironic and telling that James Joyce chose Dublin as the setting for his famous Ulysses, Dubliners, and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man because it was a "center of paralysis" where nothing much ever changed.
Which only proves that even the greats get it wrong sometimes.
Indeed, if Joyce were to return to his once-genteel hometown today—disappointed with the city's provincial outlook, he left it in 1902 at the age of 20—and take a quasi-Homeric odyssey through the city (as he so famously does in Ulysses), would he even recognize Dublin as his "Dear Dirty Dumpling, foostherfather of fingalls and dotthergills"?For instance, what would he make of Temple Bar—the city's erstwhile down-at-the-heels neighborhood, now crammed with cafés and trendy hotels and suffused with a nonstop, international-party atmosphere?
Or the simple sophistication of the open-air restaurants of the tiny Italian Quarter (named Quartier Bloom after his own creation), complete with sultry tango lessons?
Or of the hot–cool Irishness, where every aspect of Celtic culture results in sold-out theaters, from Once, the cult indie movie and Broadway hit, to Riverdance, the old Irish mass-jig recast as a Las Vegas extravaganza?
Plus, the resurrected Joyce might be stirred by the songs of Hozier, fired up by the sultry acting of Michael Fassbender, and moved by the award-winning novels of Colum McCann.
As for Ireland's capital, it's packed with elegant shops and hotels, theaters, galleries, coffeehouses, and a stunning variety of new, creative little restaurants can be found on almost every street in Dublin, transforming the provincial city that suffocated Joyce into a place almost as cosmopolitan as the Paris to which he fled.
And the locals are a hell of a lot more fun!
Now that the economy has finally turned a corner, Dublin citizens can cast a cool eye over the last 20 crazy years.
Some argue that the boomtown transformation of their heretofore-tranquil city has permanently affected its spirit and character.
These skeptics (skepticism long being a favorite pastime in the capital city) await the outcome of "Dublin: The Sequel," and their greatest fear is the possibility that the tattered old lady on the Liffey has become a little less unique, a little more like everywhere else.Oh ye of little faith: the rare ole gem that is Dublin is far from buried.
The fundamentals—the Georgian elegance of Merrion Square, the Norman drama of Christ Church Cathedral, the foamy pint at an atmospheric pub—are still on hand to gratify.
Most of all, there are the locals themselves: the nod and grin when you catch their eye on the street, the eagerness to hear half your life story before they tell you all of theirs, and their paradoxically dark but warm sense of humor.
It's expected that 2016 will be an extra-special year in the capital, as centenary celebrations of the fateful 1916 Easter Rising will dominate much of the cultural calendar.
The stunning Isle of Lunga is the largest island in the Treshnish archipelago.
With volcanic origin the isle was populated until the 19th Century, and remains of black houses can be seen around this magnificent coastal jewel.
Abundant plant life and exotic birdlife are now the main inhabitants of the area.
Fortunate visitors view the magnificent array of birds, especially the great puffins that breed on the islands plateau.
One can sit within just a few feet away without disturbing the avian ambassador’s peace.
The 81 hectare island is home to many rare and endangered plants such as, primroses and orchids.
Views over the landscape and across the ocean can be seen from the 300 foot high cliffs.
St Kilda is a remarkable uninhabited archipelago some 40 nautical miles beyond the Outer Hebrides.
The stunning cliffs and sea stacks are home to the most important seabird breeding colony in northwest Europe.
St Kilda is one of the few places in the world to have received dual World Heritage status from UNESCO in recognition of its Natural Heritage and cultural significance.
Village Bay on the island of Hirta once supported a population of over 200, but the last islanders left in the 1930s.
Recent restoration work on the village by the National Trust for Scotland offers a marvellous link with the past.
One of the caretakers acts as shopkeeper and postmaster for any visitors who might like to send a postcard home from St.
Kilda.
Cruise Itinerary
Aboard Silver Wind
Launch Year: 1995 Length: 155 Width: 21 Currency: USD Capacity: 274 Crew Count: 239 Deck Count: 6 Cabin Count: 148
Break new waters with Silver Wind.
A major upgrade in December 2018 saw Silver Wind looking better than ever. A second refurbishment in November 2021 saw her benefitting from a strengthened ice-class hull and made her one of the most adaptable ships in our fleet. Still timelessly elegant, still luxuriously relaxed, Silver Wind’s improved cruising versatility means she can whizz from Polar Regions to iconic ports with fluid ease. Whether you want to get up close and personal to penguins in Antarctica or laze on the golden sands of the Caribbean, get ready for a wealth of diverse destination experiences aboard Silver Wind.
Refurbished in November 2021, Silver Wind is an intimate yet spacious ice-class ship that offers one of the best luxury expedition cruise experiences there is.
Silver Wind Facilities
Silver Wind Includes
Cabin Details
Silversea’s suites offer one of the highest space-per-guest ratios of any luxury cruise accommodations. All Silversea suites have ocean views, and most include a private teak veranda so that you can breathe in the fresh sea air simply by stepping outside your door. And regardless of the ship or suite category, all guests will be pampered with the personalised services of an attentive butler. For a truly personal experience, customise your suite with an abundance of thoughtful options and luxurious amenities from Bulgari toiletries and personalised stationery to a bar with your favourite wines and spirits. Settle in with a complimentary movie or choose instead to simply watch the ocean swim by. You can even have dinner in-suite served course by course by your butler. Then, when it’s time to retire, curl up beneath Egyptian cotton linens and a fluffy duvet, with your choice of nine different pillow types. The ultimate in luxury cruise accommodations, Silversea’s suites are your home away from home.
