Hello again. At supper on the 27th, we met up with Sherry (Pete was too tired to join us for supper) and got acquainted with the people who will be our dinner companions for the cruise. One couple is from TX, live and Spring and are very well acquainted with Sams Restaurant in Fairfield. Small world sometimes.
On the 28th we had a day at sea to get to know the ship. VJ slept in this morning so I went to a presentation about the cities we will be visiting while on the tours. St. Petersburg seems to be the most complicated. The other cities are easier, especially since we booked through Royal Caribbean.
On the 29th we were in Oslo, Norway. We had a great tour, but very tiring. We went to Vigeland Park. It's named for the sculptur who did all the statues in the park. They are really beautiful. Most are nudes. There were a lot of steps (appx 100 per the guide). Good workout and the park was beautiful.
Well, guess what? I just consulted my notes and realized I've got part of the tour of Oslo and part of the tour of Copenhagen. I'll need to sort it out and get back to you. Maybe I've been having too much fun??? I'll be back later.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Hi, folks. Sorry I haven't posted anything, but we have been busy having fun. The tour on the 25th I mentioned previously was really interesting, although very long. We went to Windsor Castle which is about 25 miles from London. The first part, the Round Tower, was built by William the Conquerer and added on to through the years. It was built as a fortress with a moat which has since been converted into a beautiful garden. We went through various rooms of the castle. I especially enjoyed the St. George Chamber. There were huge paintings of various members of royalty through the years. This is also the chamber where they hold state dinners.
Going over the dates when various things happened was really interesting. Some dates went back to the 9th century. At Bath they went back to the Romans.
After this we went to Bath. This town grew up around natural warm springs. When they were discovered by the Romans around 44 AD after conquering the country, they built buildings around the springs and began using them. Through the years much of it fell into disrepair, but was redone in the 18th and 19th centuries and were quite popular with the rich and the aristocracy.
After this we went to Stonehenge. This is a truly amazing site. It just appears to be a bunch of stones until you realize the precision of the placement and that they weighed tons and were put in place long before the cranes and heavy machinery we take for granted these days. Since they think they have been there for over 5,000 years, no one is sure what the purpose was. However, since the stones line up for the winter and summer soltices, it is assumed it was for worship acknowledging the cycles of the year in relation to crops and the winter solstice representing that winter would be over and spring would come again.
The next day was a tour of London. We went to St. Paul's Cathedral. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren after the great fire of London in 1666 when 3/4 of London was destroyed. He also designed many other buildings in London.
After St. Paul's, we went to the Changing of the Horse Guard. Not particularly impressive to me. Good walk was about all.
Then we went to lunch and a short boat ride to the Tower of London. This is another site begun by William the Conquerer as a fortress to protect London. Since he had conquered England himself he might have been a little paranoid that someone else would try to take it away from him. Anyway, this first fortress was called the White Tower. We saw the Crown Jewels, very grand and beautiful.
On the 27th we left London and headed to the port of Harwich for the cruise. I'll fill you in on that later.
Going over the dates when various things happened was really interesting. Some dates went back to the 9th century. At Bath they went back to the Romans.
After this we went to Bath. This town grew up around natural warm springs. When they were discovered by the Romans around 44 AD after conquering the country, they built buildings around the springs and began using them. Through the years much of it fell into disrepair, but was redone in the 18th and 19th centuries and were quite popular with the rich and the aristocracy.
After this we went to Stonehenge. This is a truly amazing site. It just appears to be a bunch of stones until you realize the precision of the placement and that they weighed tons and were put in place long before the cranes and heavy machinery we take for granted these days. Since they think they have been there for over 5,000 years, no one is sure what the purpose was. However, since the stones line up for the winter and summer soltices, it is assumed it was for worship acknowledging the cycles of the year in relation to crops and the winter solstice representing that winter would be over and spring would come again.
The next day was a tour of London. We went to St. Paul's Cathedral. It was designed by Sir Christopher Wren after the great fire of London in 1666 when 3/4 of London was destroyed. He also designed many other buildings in London.
After St. Paul's, we went to the Changing of the Horse Guard. Not particularly impressive to me. Good walk was about all.
Then we went to lunch and a short boat ride to the Tower of London. This is another site begun by William the Conquerer as a fortress to protect London. Since he had conquered England himself he might have been a little paranoid that someone else would try to take it away from him. Anyway, this first fortress was called the White Tower. We saw the Crown Jewels, very grand and beautiful.
On the 27th we left London and headed to the port of Harwich for the cruise. I'll fill you in on that later.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
GG and her sidekick, Velva Jo (VJ) made it to London. We had a good flight and arrived about 8:30 AM London Time. The Driver from Royal Caribbean took us to the hotel, City Inn Westminster. We saw a lot of London on the way. VJ especially liked the architecture and wrought iron fences. She wasn't too happy about the $25 for each hamburger (2 to 1 exchange rate).
Our room wasn't ready so they put us in a room so we could rest. VJ talked them into a room with a view and we sure got it!!! It took until 7:30 to get it ready, but it was worth the wait. We have a great view of the Thames River!!! We saw a bus drive into the river and float by.
Tomorrow we go on a tour of Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and the city of Bath. Both date back over 2000 years so should be of great historical interest. The next day we go on a tour of London itself which looks interesting also. I'll let you know more.
More adventures to come.
Our room wasn't ready so they put us in a room so we could rest. VJ talked them into a room with a view and we sure got it!!! It took until 7:30 to get it ready, but it was worth the wait. We have a great view of the Thames River!!! We saw a bus drive into the river and float by.
Tomorrow we go on a tour of Windsor Castle, Stonehenge and the city of Bath. Both date back over 2000 years so should be of great historical interest. The next day we go on a tour of London itself which looks interesting also. I'll let you know more.
More adventures to come.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Let's see if this works. The excitement is building. Being an Anglophile as well as an amateur historian, I'm living a dream getting the opportunity of go to England and a cruise around Europe. We leave Saturday, the 23rd in the evening and arrive in London on the 24th. Nothing planned for the first day so we'll see what comes up. Sometimes the best adventures are unplanned. More later.
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