A glorious day in Southampton. Breezy, sunny and 60 degrees...perfect weather to walk the Titanic Trail. Then the tour was cancelled due to a fire in the Sea Museum! Bummer! No worries, Sheila and I still walked five miles around the town, we just created stories of the histories of the buildings we saw. AND I forgot to charge my phone so no pictures, well, no up close pictures, instead today you get shots from the QM2 Observation deck, 14 stories above the waterline! So here's a sample of the diversity of building ages in this city - from the Middle Ages city wall to 21st century high rise.
We returned to ship a little after 2, headed to Sir Samuel's for tea. Sitting and sipping, we spied Chris and Tim (from previous crossings) boarding. A brief catch-up and they left to recover from rush of training it from London to make the crossing back to USA. More people watching...always an entertaining activity...before we headed our separate ways until meeting at 6:30 to view Table 19, a quirky Anna Kendrick film I was sure Sheila would enjoy, despite the NY critics' panning of it a few years ago when I first suggested she see it.
Stooping by stateroom, I found the crew hard at work outside my balcony. Demonstrating that "sitting the plank" has replaced walking it for Cunard crew.
I went up to the Observation Deck, just beneath the bridge, to watch QM2 leave her berth at Ocean Terminal. I've never done this before. It was interesting. The lines holding her to the pier are enormous but look like strings from so high above the surface.
She had to delay backing out into the channel twice as other ships passed behind her, so the air resounded with an orchestrated cacophony of competing ships' horns as each saluted the other. First was the P&O Arcadia, then a car carrier from Gimaldi lines.
A new British friend walked right up to me on the Observation Deck rail.
I was right. Sheila relished the wit and wordplay of Table 19. Speaking of creating relationships in a short period of time, she wants me to meet a couple of sisters she has known for years who are aboard this voyage. She is so excited because they have never been on QM2, always traveling on either Elizabeth or Victoria. She tells me I will immediately think of the Pigeon Sisters from The Seven Year Itch!
On way to dinner noticed the new flowers and thought of Jean.
Dinner was interesting. I didn't take pictures but will tomorrow. Our full table includes an almost too suave and convivial Texan from Dallas (Joel), an 87 year old Brit who lives in Sherwood Forest (Aywood), a charmingly white-haired widow from "a village in the north" who is on her first solo cruise since her husband passed 2 years ago (Irene) and a Frenchman from Cherbourg who has the most amazing coif I've ever seen (Daniel). Conversation was lively and continuous, so I am hoping no one leaves us like last week.
Everyone was tired, either from traveling or from walking, so no one lingered. I'd been back in 8077 for about an hour when Sheila phoned asking me to meet her in Kings Court for a cuppa. we sat next to Paul and Janet, "from just north of Manchester" who are on their first trip to America and can't agree on how to spend their time: shopping or seeing trains. Paul manages a Sainsbury's while she spent 19 years as a clerk in Manchester's District court before leaving that stress to become a receptionist for the MRI department of the local hospital. (I continue to be astounded at the information people give to prefect strangers while traveling!!!)
I made it to bed after midnight, but as we're traveling west now, the clocks go back an hour each day, so really it was closer to 11. Regardless, my body was tired. I barely read 10 pages before fading.
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