Portsmouth to London:
We departed Portsmouth a bit late with our fingers crossed that time might be made up so we could sail all the way up the Thames to London. Alas, due to sea conditions in the English Channel, this was not in the making.
Pre dawn we were docked at the London International Cruise Port in Tilbury. The ship was soon cleared and we were placed on coaches and off to London Town. The coach took us to the Royal Horseguards Hotel very near the Embankment Underground Station. There were several other travelers going their independent way and were awaiting a cab. We were in no rush and lingered behind. Given the time of day, rush hour, we opted for a cab as transport to the Royal Garden. My favorite Cabbie Shelter was within sight, so off I went for a bacon sandwich, 2 pounds (money that is) of heaven.
As I returned, some of the Nat Geo Expedition Staff wonder where I found such a delight. I gave them a brief history of the Cabbie Shelters and pointed them in the direction of the shelter.
We were the last to hail a cab and we bid farewell to the staff and were on our way to The Royal Garden Hotel. Arriving, we checked in and our room was not ready, so we repacked and headed out. When arriving at the Kensington High Street Underground Station, we learned the Circle line was under some planned engineering for the weekend. This made for a minor inconvenience in our Underground travel, but nothing really bad.
Our first stop was the British Museum to revisit the Egyptology artifacts. Having viewed these items several times before, it was not till this visit I realized how well preserved these items were. Many of artifacts we saw in Egypt were amazing but were weathered in appearance, here they were much more vibrant in their color, and seemed better preserved. So in many ways we need to thank Lord Cavernaugh for his efforts to bring many finds to London.
The Cartouche of Ramses The Great
We also visited one of the few Moi to be found outside of Easter Island. Visiting such things is like reading departure signs at some big airport to remind us of places we have been.
As the recent days of this trip have included a bit of Royal Navy and Nelson history, it is only fitting we we journey to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery.
At the National Gallery one finds Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire’. The a 98-gun ship 'Temeraire' played a distinguished role in Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, after which she was known as the 'Fighting Temeraire'. The ship remained in service until 1838 when she was decommissioned and towed from Sheerness to Rotherhithe to be broken up. This painting depicts her being towed in by a steam tug. Some speculate this to signify the decline of the Royal Navy, but many feel it was a tribute to the wooden gun ships of Nelson’s era as they were replaced by steel and steam.
This was our first trip to The National Gallery and very much enjoyed the exhibits. I like the works of Turner, and Lynn enjoys the Monet and Van Gogh works.
We the strolled about Trafalgar Square to complete the days putting and our Nelson’s history tour.
The Battle of Trafalgar
Look Kids Big Ben!! Actually Elizabeth Tower as Big Ben is the bell, and is currently being refurbished.
Some of the underground stations have great theming
We return to our hotel and the room was ready. We have not been very efficient on our recent packing, so this was a good time to reorganize and get some laundry done.
We then made our way to The Goat, a local pub we are familiar with, for an evening meal. Here we usually get their favorites platter which is perfect for us to share. Always a warm friendly place where we met other travelers and shared stories and discoveries.
We then returned to our hotel and were soon asleep.
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