Saturday, June 13, 2009

An SOS of sorts

Save our Souls? Nah, more like Shaping our Sojourn! We are using these few days in Southampton to take a pause in our sightseeing and re-gather our energies. We are also planning the next leg of our journey as we are now entering the tourist high season in Europe and will have to book our accommodation ahead for a while.

The apartment is wonderful - Michael was able to sit up very late and chat with Judith and Gordon back home on Skype while I hit the land of nodzzzzzz! I can sleep anywhere, most times, but at least this time, he did not feel the need to turn the sound on the TV or the computer down!

And the SOS bit? Well, the RMS Titanic set out her ill-fated maiden voyage from Southampton before picking up more passengers in Cherbourg (France) and Cobh (then known as Queenstown, Ireland). There were 943 passengers who joined in Southampton. Our apartment in the South Western Hotel building is certainly befitting of the calibre of first class passengers - many of whom may have stayed right in this building. Last night the horns of another ship belted out to sea in two repeats of three looong hoots before it sailed out around 10 pm.
We look out of one of the bedroom windows right down the docks where there is a liner berthed taking on its passengers for another voyage. It is the Queen Mary II! She sailed out this afternoon to two shorter toots from her horn. Rather dignified old boy.
And guess what? Tomorrow the Norwegian Jade sails out of Southampton - we saw her before in dock in Madrid when we did a harbour cruise!!! Cool, very cool!!!

Today is very lazy , although we have planned a route through to the end of the month through France and made accommodation bookings most of the way.
We thought that you might like to see some photos of this amazing building, so here they are.

Tonight we throw caution to the wind and go to the movies to see The Hangover. This is a spoof all around a buck's night in Las Vegas. Quite hilarious but stupid! James would just love it (does that tell you what it was like?!)






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