Well, we've arrived! And we have set sail!
I had planned to blog from London but unfortunately the wifi at the hotel where we stayed was inoperative, so there was no going on line for me. So, if you've been hanging in suspense, I do apologize.
After what seemed like an extraordinarily long flight, Allen & I arrived at London's Heathrow Airport at about 8 a.m. to be greeted by Marilyn who was waiting for us, as planned, at the coffee shop just outside of customs. (Marilyn had flown a day earlier than we did.) We then piled all of our travel weary selves and our luggage into a taxi (a real London taxi at that!) and headed for the Hotel Edward near to Paddington Station. We then ventured out into the neighborhood for a look-see and a bit of lunch at the Pride of Paddington. (Though the meal was fine, I do wonder what else Paddington might find to be proud of.) We returned to the room for a bring lie-down since exhaustion was a guiding factor in our lives. (Yes, taking a nap when jet lagged is dangerous, but we did it anyway…we're just that way, dangerous and adventurous.) We awoke and set out again for a stroll, this time to the nearby Kensington Gardens, where we saw, among other things, the statue that J.M. Barrie donated of Peter Pan. A light supper followed and then an early to bed.
Our morning today began with breakfast and a quick pack-up of the suitcases so we could get over to Victoria Station where we had reservations for a coach to take us to Southampton, the Queen Mary 2's home port. The ride was a bit under 3 hours long and fairly uneventful. But the event, of course, was arriving at the port and embarking on the Queen. We were guided through the embarkation process by a cavalcade of helpful staff. With our security/id/room key cards firmly in hand, we had our photos taken and stepped onto the ship.
We found our way to our stateroom where some bubbly white wine, some strawberries dipped in chocolate, & a bottle of wine (thank you, Marin Chicks for the latter two) awaited us. It didn't take long until we felt the engines start and heard the deep resonance of the ship's horn as we pulled away from Southampton. We went up to the top deck, found a way to secure some citrus beelines, and waved farewell to England as we headed out to the English Channel or the North Atlantic, whichever it is here.
Dinner was lovely and we met the other four of our table mates, a husband and wife from Hilton Head and a mother-daughter set from Maryland. Following dinner, we went to the opening welcome show in the theatre, the highlight of which, at least for me, was lots of feathers dancing on the backs of the female dancers.
We're retiring somewhat early tonight as we're all still pretty tired, and full days await us.
Ahoy!
I had planned to blog from London but unfortunately the wifi at the hotel where we stayed was inoperative, so there was no going on line for me. So, if you've been hanging in suspense, I do apologize.
After what seemed like an extraordinarily long flight, Allen & I arrived at London's Heathrow Airport at about 8 a.m. to be greeted by Marilyn who was waiting for us, as planned, at the coffee shop just outside of customs. (Marilyn had flown a day earlier than we did.) We then piled all of our travel weary selves and our luggage into a taxi (a real London taxi at that!) and headed for the Hotel Edward near to Paddington Station. We then ventured out into the neighborhood for a look-see and a bit of lunch at the Pride of Paddington. (Though the meal was fine, I do wonder what else Paddington might find to be proud of.) We returned to the room for a bring lie-down since exhaustion was a guiding factor in our lives. (Yes, taking a nap when jet lagged is dangerous, but we did it anyway…we're just that way, dangerous and adventurous.) We awoke and set out again for a stroll, this time to the nearby Kensington Gardens, where we saw, among other things, the statue that J.M. Barrie donated of Peter Pan. A light supper followed and then an early to bed.
Our morning today began with breakfast and a quick pack-up of the suitcases so we could get over to Victoria Station where we had reservations for a coach to take us to Southampton, the Queen Mary 2's home port. The ride was a bit under 3 hours long and fairly uneventful. But the event, of course, was arriving at the port and embarking on the Queen. We were guided through the embarkation process by a cavalcade of helpful staff. With our security/id/room key cards firmly in hand, we had our photos taken and stepped onto the ship.
We found our way to our stateroom where some bubbly white wine, some strawberries dipped in chocolate, & a bottle of wine (thank you, Marin Chicks for the latter two) awaited us. It didn't take long until we felt the engines start and heard the deep resonance of the ship's horn as we pulled away from Southampton. We went up to the top deck, found a way to secure some citrus beelines, and waved farewell to England as we headed out to the English Channel or the North Atlantic, whichever it is here.
Dinner was lovely and we met the other four of our table mates, a husband and wife from Hilton Head and a mother-daughter set from Maryland. Following dinner, we went to the opening welcome show in the theatre, the highlight of which, at least for me, was lots of feathers dancing on the backs of the female dancers.
We're retiring somewhat early tonight as we're all still pretty tired, and full days await us.
Ahoy!
Hi again! I just left you my second note on your page about Lisbon. Now I'm going backwards and reading your London/South Hampton adventure. I'm not sure you're getting my notes. I think I'm following the directions, but then it turns up blank. So this message is more of a test! Judy xxoo!!
ReplyDeleteHi Judy and anyone else--I approve the blog comments which is why you don't see them right away. I have to come online and approve before they're put up. Thus there's a lag time. Gerry
ReplyDelete