Off To See The Wizard

We spent the last 3 days cooped up on the boat catching up on chores, so when King suggested an outing, I said YES without hesitation. The ruse used to get me out the door was to visit one of the English Heritage sites. Which we did. However, I was to find out soon enough that we were on a mission to finally address the satellite phone that had fallen into a permanent coma before we even got off the coast of Florida.

Now I will give King his due. He did attempt to locate assistance in Bermuda and the Azores. Not surprising, there are no Satellite phone dealers in either place. After we arrived in Ireland, the need wasn't as critical and unless one of us saw "The Brick", as it had been lovingly named, it was out of sight, out of mind. Our last try had been to chat with several retailers at the Southampton Boat Show, all of which recommended we chuck it and buy another brand. A bit self serving, we thought.

After 3 buses and the required amount of wandering around, we arrived at Immersat Global Headquarters with Sat phone in hand. As we walked through the door the two 6 ft model satellites in the reception area made it pretty clear this was not likely to be the place we were going to get our phone repaired. Of course, those of you that know King know that did not stop him from asking. The receptionist was not quite sure what to do with us but she had that "can do" attitude and was determined to help. She made numerous calls to folks around the building, with each, I'm sure, telling her they had no clue where we should take our phone, they worked on satellites, ...phones.....nope. But she persevered until she finally tracked down an engineer who reportedly loved challenges. Yep. He would be down to talk to us. I want this woman on my team.


Immersat Global lobby

By this time, I'm feeling a bit embarrassed that we are asking these people to look at "The Brick". King, on the other hand, was happy as a clam. As he should be. The engineers said they had never seen one go bad and took it up to their offices to see if it could be revived. They returned saying that "reliability was everything" and that the team was so intrigued with our phone that we left the Inmarsat World Headquarters with a brand new one! King is still smiling. : ) He and our neighbour David on Lazy Tern, whose phone just arrived the day before, have been thoroughly entertained for hours.

Feb 5: Realising that our time in London is rapidly disappearing, we are prioritising our "things to do" lists. One of those items on the list is the musical "Wicked". While King was working on choosing a supplier for our new boom, I spent several hours figuring out how I could get decent seats that didn't cost an entire monthly retirement check. Like several of the London theatres, the Appolo Victoria has a group of 25 or so tickets they keep for day of the show sale. For Wicked, the entire font row is kept for that purpose. The catch is they go on sale when the theatre opens at 9:00 a.m. After a bit of research to ensure we would not have to go to a chiropractor the next morning to get our necks realigned, I decided we would give it a try. King was less than enthusiastic about trekking out at 8:00 and standing in line in the cold until they opened. He was considerably less so when we arrived and learned that the time had changed to 10:00. The only thing that saved me was there was another person there ahead of us who had read the same announcement of the theatre's hours....and it was a guy! Time went by reasonably fast...as fast as it could in 35 degrees..... We were repaid for our efforts with front row centre seats. Yea! Spectacular evening! Worth every frozen toe.

Feb 8: We were invited for a visit with Mary Anne and Larry on Traversay III this morning. While we have been on a number of boats recently, I was especially looking forward to this visit as Traversay has a piano! You just don't see that every day. Mary Anne treated us to Chopin on a harpsichord and Debussy's Clair de Lune on the piano! Very cool!

Feb 10: Chinese New Year! So, of course there's a parade. I love parades. Lets go! It started off with high promise with lots of drums and a long dancing snake. It quickly went down hill from there. Did not pass go. Did not collect £200. The best part was it only lasted 30 minutes. I have no clue why the folks from Mexico and the Philippines were in the Chinese New Year Parade but there they were.....happy but looking a bit confused. Add a lot of rain and, well, you get the picture. Did we really miss breakfast for this?

Happy Valentines Day! King did good. The boat is filled with flowers. Only a week now till we leave for the States. Getting a bit excited. Kinda like going on a vacation.....from our vacation. Looking forward to seeing family and friends.....and the kitties!










King and David playing with their new toys



Front row seats for Wicked!

Chinese New Year Parade was a bit wet



Doesn't everyone have a harpsichord on their boat? Judy is not so sure.

Mary Anne wowed us with a little Chopin onboard Traversay 

Valentines Day surprise

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

Amsterdam

As we plan for next summer's cruising, we need to consider Schengen (how long we can stay in some countries), VAT (charged by EU countries if the boat stays there too long) and, finally, where we will winter next year. Amsterdam has been recommended by other cruisers we have talked to so we decided we should jump over and take a peak....6 months can be a very long time to sit in one place. Hard to resist Easy Jet for £39 so we packed our backpacks....luggage is extra.....everything is extra, and zipped off to the Netherlands. The plan was to make Amsterdam our base with a day trip to Rotterdam. Despite nearly being mowed down by a zillion bicycles, we made our way successfully to the hotel near Dam Square. The trip to Rotterdam the next morning took about an hour by train. No tulips but you could envision what the vast fields might look like in the spring. We even saw a few windmills.

Our destination was the Rotterdam City Marina. King negotiated buying us a tram pass and we hopped on the #35. The tram arrived at the end of the line before we discovered we had gone the wrong direction. Not to worry. We just stayed on and rode it back in the opposite direction. Not the first time we have taken the scenic route.

The Rotterdam City marina looks fairly new and is surrounded by several restaurants, a grocery, and a bit of shopping therapy. Showers- check, Laundry- check, near public transport- check, can handle a catamaran- check. Downside, Rotterdam just doesn't have the charm of Amsterdam. Amsterdam on the other hand has several marinas. The Sixhaven is located directly across from the Central Train Station and has easy access to the free ferry that transits the IJ every 15 minutes. It's a bit tight for us there and somewhat dreary in January but there are live aboards during the winter. A brand new marina is in the works but its doubtful it will be completed by the time we need it. I'm thinking a casualty of the economy. We also searched up and down the canals, accosting folks as they walked toward their boats for information on other options. A few leads but nothing to hang your hat on.

While our 3 day trip left little time for sight seeing, we did make time to walk around to get the feel of Amsterdam. Well, to be honest, we had to eat so finding a restaurant each night was about the extent of it. I had chosen our hotel carefully to ensure we were not in the Red Light district. You can imagine my surprise as we walked through a residential section and looked up at a large picture window to the vision of a young woman in a corset and high boots posing for us. Yikes! Overall, food was good, wall hangings a bit strange (see cow below), the architecture was beautiful, the bicycles were lethal and we left undecided.
The London Boat Show began the day after we returned from Amsterdam on January 12. Our neighbours on Lazy Tern had their car so we hopped a ride. The 4 of us arrived before it opened and shut it down at the end of the day. A small show but King managed to find boat goodies that we just couldn't live without. The 4 of us barely fit into the car for the trip home. Our friend Jerry from Cork joined King mid week to do a 2nd run through resulting in my attendance only being 2 days instead of 3...thank you Jerry! I tried several times to get a picture of Jerry. He remains the elusive Irishman but always the best of company.

Just as our friend Suzy was due to touch down at Heathrow from south Florida it began to snow, and snow, and snow! She made it in just before the airport closed but we were not so lucky on the tube getting her home. 4 tube changes (with luggage) and 2 hrs later we arrived at the boat. It appears that London trains and the underground don't care anymore for the snow than Heathrow does. The snow was beautiful. Snowmen of all shapes and sizes popped up everywhere. It seems to bring the 5 year old out in everyone.



Tea with Suzy

In addition to doing "Tea", we wanted to see The Phantom of the Opera while Suzy was here. The goal was to snag decent seats that wouldn't break the bank so we arrived at the box office two hours before show time. We hit the jackpot and found ourselves sitting in centre seats in the the Royal Circle. King did not fall asleep once! As they like to say here "It was brilliant!"

Before Suzy's visit, I scoured all the "Things To Do" sites. A favourite is the FREE lunch time classical concerts at St Martin in the Field. This week they were also doing one of their Jazz Nights in the Crypt. Not FREE but £5 for an unreserved seat. Sounded like a perfect night out so I invited the boat neighbours to join us. The advertised performer was an Italian pianist and accordionist ....."combining minimalist jazz with tango and rumba"......hmmmm. Ok, for £5 we could be daring. Now, in my defence, I'm reading "Pianist". I mean really. I simply could not imagine a jazz accordionist. My mistake. If there was a piano, it was played long after we could no longer tolerate one more pump on the accordion. Judy noticed there were finger nail scratches down the sides of one of the crypt columns and suggested they were from one of the full time residents of the crypt expressing their opinion of the concert. We soothed our ears at a hidden away Port and Wine bar which was so crowded we had to join the crowd at the outside tables.....in 30 degree weather. The port helped.....but not enough. We drank fast. Still not a true Londoner.





Pick up right at the airport



First Easy Jet flight - 39 pounds!




The view from our hotel in Amsterdam

This was hanging on the wall of the restaurant that we visited the first night.
No, it was not McDonalds

Bicycles everywhere!

Ostinato's first snow



Snowman in front of Dicken's Inn at St. Kat's





Snowmen were popping up everywhere!  This one was on the walking bridge looking over the West basin.

Footprints to the head 





Is The Tube Really Free If Its Closed?

Following our Wed morning get together of St Katharine's cruisers, King and I hopped a train and headed for Ashtead. We had been invited by a couple who live there to visit their home and learn more about cruising in the Netherlands. David was one of several presenters at an all day seminar held at the Cruising Association by the Inland Waters Division. He spoke on the Standing Mast Route which was great since we are seriously looking at Amsterdam or Rotterdam for next winter. After his talk, King and I followed him into the lunch line like puppy dogs and wore him out with questions throughout lunch. His lovely wife, Margaret suggested we come to lunch at their home in a few weeks to continue the conversation. Smashing! Arrangements were finalized over email and off we went. What wonderful people. While the London skyline, it's theatre, museums and its history will always be special, it's the wonderful people we have had the good fortune to meet that has made it truly memorable.

Our little international three boat neighborhood, Australian, British and American, has been busy. We have been to see Shakespeare and the musical We Will Rock You (not so good) and Christmas pantomime, Dick Whittington and His Cat...I had no idea what a pantomime was but apparently a Christmas tradition so off we went. We even had box seats! For those like King who thought there would be no vocals, it is actually a musical spoof.

What a stitch....a women played Dick....a man played his mother. And there was a pudgy Indian Fairy who flew about the stage. The audience participated. We got to boo at the bad guys, awe at the love scene, and say "hello" to Dick each time he (she) arrived on stage. The best part was the Cat Scratch Dance (led by Dick's Cat, of course) that all the audience stood up to do....yes, even King! It was so fun, we did it twice.

Christmas Eve we stood in line at Westminster Abby ...in the rain. When we got in, the voices of the boys in the choir were like angels.....and David Suchet, aka Hercule Poirot, read the fourth lesson. Then back to the boat to begin preparations for Christmas dinner. Christmas dinner was on Ostinato for a few of us that didn't go home for the holidays. I was a bit nervous about the Turkey fitting into the oven but she slid right in. Judy and Merv, our Aussie neighbours, brought dessert, a Christmas Pudding. My first. The best part was the brandy sauce. Just give me a spoon and sit me in a corner.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! As previously planned over several bottles of champagne on New Years Eve 2012, Kate and Jay (friends from Tallahassee) arrived December 31 following a whirlwind tour of Scotland and Wales. Just enough time to uncork bottle of champagne to celebrate their arrival, a quick nap for the guys and instructions on how to use the head before we were off to Quaglinos where we would bring in the New Year. The band was appropriately danceable and the food was perfect, including something green that came in a tall shot glass. Yep, King drank it. He says it was pea soup.

The couple at the table next to us...we decided she was an escort..great leather dress...anyway, she sent her steak back once and apparently didn't think much of it the second time. I suggested King should ask for hers in a doggy bag but although he lusted after it, he decided it best to pass it by.

Two bottles of lovely champagne later we strolled out the door to begin the trek home. For New Years Eve, riding the tube is free. However, we did not realise that also meant the entire city of London was closed to traffic and its entire population would find their way to the streets and eventually, also be determined to ride the free tube.

Our first clue should of been a line at 1:30 a.m. outside of the tube station we had arrived by 4 hours earlier. Someone, lets say King, suggested we walk to the next station. The 2nd clue should of been that we were beginning to walk through massive crowds in the middle of the streets heading the opposite direction. The good news is it was one of the happiest mobs I have ever seen. It appeared the tubes were closed! We walked past 2 more closed tube stations, each more crowded than the one before. Cues to enter were several blocks long and no one knew when or if they would open.

About this time my feet suddenly decided that while they were up for dancing in pointy toed heels, they were not up for a 5 mile hike. Each began to scream at me.....And then.....the rain began to fall. Kate was searching for a taxi but we had not seen a car since before we arrived at the restaurant. Somehow we found ourselves at Trafalgar Square with 50,000 other very happy people all trying to find a way to get in the tube. We walked on...my feet cried. The rain continued to fall.

Next station, Embankment. Closed, but rumours were circulating rapidly through the crowds that it would open soon. We staked our spot in line. It began to grow rapidly. Kate and Jay were concerned the crowds were getting too big and wisely recommended we walk on to yet another station. My feet cried NO! So King and I were carried away by the crowd into the station when it opened, wishing with each step that I had worn tennis shoes. What was I thinking ....high heels! We finally made it to Tower Hill and I limped towards home chucking the shoes the last 50 yards to arrive back at the boat in my stocking feet....in the rain at 3:30 a.m. Kate and Jay arrived an hour later and then spent another 15 minutes trying to get our attention to open the gate....while we had given great instructions for operating the head, we had not bothered to give them the gate code to get back on the dock. They finally did what resourceful people do....reached over the locked gate and opened it.




Judy, Liz and Sue enjoying our box seats

Judy, Merv and David at the Hackney Empire Therater

Dick and his cat

New Year's Eve at Quaglinos!

Kate & Jay dancing the night away



Goldfish, Pickles, Opera and Giant Ducks

It's been a good week. In short, we picked up the long sought after Westminster Christmas Eve tickets, popped in on Parliament, snagged reservations for at a cool spot for Years Eve and I ate a whole bag of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish in a single sitting.

The trip to pick up the Westminster Christmas Eve tickets was a bit anticlimactic. A tube ride direct from Tower Hill to Westminster. After they had been safely tucked away we were ready to move on to the next item on the list, my junk food search. After finally finding marginally passable pretzels (I think my taste buds just gave in), the next longing was for a bag of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish. You know, those tiny fish shaped crackers that once you open the bag it magically becomes empty. Doesn't happen to you? ...hmmm. They can be had on Ebay UK for £4.99 ($7.50+) plus shipping but I am not there yet. We were now tracking down rumour that a bag of Goldfish was seen at a local upscale department store. As we headed back to the tube we passed Parliament and noted there were no lines. An afternoon watching the House of Commons "go at it" was on our list of things to do before we leave London. Yes, a bit odd, I know.

Parliament & London Eye

Anyway, checking it out on-line made it seem like an iffy outing. Basically, cueing up outside the gates with only slim hopes that you get inside. Maybe an ok summer thing to do but this did not appear to be an attractive way to spend an afternoon in 32 degree weather (that's Fahrenheit for the Celsius followers). So, when we passed by and there was no cue, we were curious and decided to check it out. Much to our amazement, we were quickly ushered through the gates, mental detectors, given badges with unflattering pictures of ourselves attached and then guided to a cue inside the building. Now your saying well at least it was warm....oh but no! The great hall was the size of a football field with a ceiling that was surely designed by a boat builder and had 0 heat. However, we were offered seats so not the worst of cues. After 15 minutes we were ushered into another all in a heated area...where we sat in another cue....this time on nice green velvet cushions. Ten minutes later we were sitting in the gallery of the House of Commons. Very cool.

Following the grilling (otherwise known as Oral Questions) of the Secretary of State for Education (he held his own quite well) we left to peak in on the House of Lords. No more lines, we just strolled along attempting to look like we belonged. Of course, the tennis shoes were likely a dead giveaway. A brief 2 minute sit on another set of green velvet cushions and off we went to the balcony over looking the House of Lords Chambers, compete with a gold throne for the queen's annual visit to Parliament. Not nearly the show here so we moved on again.

By this time we were quite embolden and began checking out random passages. As we strolled down one we were stopped by a policeman. He asked where we were going...King said that he didn't know, but he would really like to see a Committee meeting. He promptly ushered us into a small room that was just beginning to gather for a hearing on a new bill on animal rights. We got the once over from committee members as we walked in. No doubt fearful we were some crazed animal rights people planning to over take their meeting. The bill's sponsor gave a brilliant response to all of the oral comments and questions made by members. Three hours after we had entered, we staggered out Parliament and headed home. My Goldfish will have to wait for another day.

After morning chores and lunch the next day, we bundled up and headed for the tube again. The goal for the day was to check out the New Years Eve festivities location and to continue the pursuit of the Gold Fish. London is serious about its New Years celebrations. New Years advertisements began popping up in mid October. I mean really, we hadn't even put the pumpkins out and folks are planning New Years! Last New Years we had dinner in Tallahassee with friends and decided, after several bottles of some very nice champagne, that we would all meet again in London for 2012. The pressure to find a good spot was on but surely I had till Thanksgiving.

So wrong. Lets just say I now have comprehensive knowledge of every London restaurant's holiday offerings and, as of today, with the exception of the Ritz for £1150 per person few, if any, have a free table (you don't want to even think about what that is in $). Following several days of intensive searching I was ready to cry uncle. So it was by sheer dumb luck that I decided to try Quaglinos one last time....this was after being denied by them by email, an online reservation calendar and over the phone. What I didn't know was our last ditch effort was made an hour before all deposits became final. So, to put it mildly, I was skeptical when Quaglinos accepted my online request for a reservation and ecstatic when a confirming email arrive the next morning. We celebrated with lunch at our favourite pub, The Town of Ramsgate, fish and chips of course. Then off to check out the place where we would be ringing in the New Year. All I can say is WOW!

goldfish in disguise
 

The final chore of the day was to locate Selfridges Department Store. Did you know the GPS doesn't like cold weather? After several warming up efforts, the phone finally coughed up the directions and we joined the throngs of Christmas shoppers at Selfridges. They have a Food Market on the first floor that makes you want to invite Julia Childs over to cook....Oh My. And there sitting in the "American" section was my little Gold Fish!! As we made our way to the check out, a One Man Band passed through playing When the Saints Go Marching In....it left us speechless. I exhibited great self control and did not open the crackers until we returned home. Without a doubt, those were the best Gold Fish I have ever eaten.

Back at the marina a new boat has arrived! Quite sorry we didn't see her come through the lock. The Etoile du Roy ( http://www.bateaux-de-saint-malo.com/en/fiche%20Grand%20Turk.htm ) apparently could only shove in fenders on one side due to her size. She is from Brittany and is promoting pink onions grown there. They're going to need to sell a lot of onions to keep her afloat! She was built for the BBC Hornblower series.

It's getting a bit chilly for my Florida winter coat so we were off on Saturday to find something with a bit more substance. The schedule was to try on and narrow down during the morning and then move on to Whole Foods to pick up Sour Pickles (the closest thing to dills we can find) for King.....he also has his foodie needs. All went well so at 4:00 we hopped on the tram and headed for the Theatre district to see if we can get £10 concession (i.e. retiree) tickets for Makado. They offered us £15 for nice seats in the balcony so we coughed up the extra £10. This didn't hurt too bad since the guy ahead of us had just paid £70 pp to see the same show. So what's the appropriate dress for the opera on a Saturday night we asked. We were assured we looked fine. As we strolled around looking at the Christmas decorations while we waited for show time, it occurred to us that he could only see us from the waist up. Oh, well, too late now. Off to see the opera with our bag of sour dills, jeans and tennis shoes. Thank God the group in evening gowns and tuxedoes didn't sit next to us.

I will end this ramble with an update on the Etoile du Roy, aka the Pink Onion ship. She moved today to St Katharine's Pier just outside the marina. All went well with the relocation. We were a bit concerned when The Tower Bridge began to open just as the Pink Onion ship was preparing to leave the lock but no concern....it was only a giant inflatable duck floating down the Thames. I love London.

Note: the Duck made the front page of the news this morning. His purpose...to make us smile. For those that need more about the Duck.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2246297/London-City-workers-confused-rubber-duck-swimming-Canary-Wharf.html?ITO=socialnet-twitter-mailonline

It's Christmas in London!

The Pink Onion ship at St. Kat's



Makado .....sometime before King fell asleep

On board the Pink Onion ship

Parliament and Big Ben

Pink Onion entering the locks to depart St. Kats

Big Ben

Not your every day sight.  Just to make Londoners smile!

The London Tower Bridge won't open for us!

A Week of Firsts

First, let me say yes, I know I wasn't going to write any more on the Blog until we begin cruising again in the Spring. The thing is, if I don't write, I won't have anything to remind me of some of our more "interesting" times. Yes, yes, ...all in the eyes of the beholder. So this is a warning, reader beware, the following is about our land based adventures in London. Please feel free to skip these and pick up when we cast off again in early April.

A little background:
First, a bit about our location. The marina is on the Thames, next to the London Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, famous for the losing of ones head and the Crown Jewels. There are approximately 100 slips divided up into 3 basins; East, Central, and West. The East borders a line of restaurants that will make you never want to cook. The West is residential. It has the one and only washing machine...to be discussed at a later date. And then the Central, where Ostinato lives, which has the sunshine and Starbucks. Ostinato has the best of neighbours; Lazy tern and Thorang La. Liz and David are Brits, Merv and Judy are Aussies. We all speak English...although at times no one can understand what the heck the other is saying! There are about 17 live board cruising boats that are here for the winter representing Great Britain, US, Canada, Australia and France. The majority being from the US. We meet every Wednesday for coffee to share information about upcoming free concerts, good restaurants, plays, along with the more mundane
Infor like the location of the grocery, hardware and marine store. Those that have spent several winters here at St Katharine Dock are a wonderful resource to us newbies.



Happy Halloween!

October was a rush. We were barely tied to the dock when our good friend Catharine arrived and we took off for Scotland in a brand spankin new Mercedes. Yes, we did say we would never drive a car in this part of the world again..we lied. Let me just say, our departure from the London Bridge area was, how do I put this, Breathtaking! King whizzed across several lanes of traffic to everyone's amazement (especially me) going the wrong way. The taxi behind us is probably still talking about it! How we made it out of the city is still a blur. Another 5 cities in 5 day extravaganza beginning in Edinburgh Scotland and ending at Stonehenge. The good news is that I didn't need to hide in the bathroom when we returned the car. Not a scratch on her! Frank and Patty Hankins join the merry group a few days later. We had the pleasure of standing on the Prime Meridian with them, exploring the Cutty Sark, as well as racing up the Thames in a flying roach (translate - a hydrofoil ferry). I believe we also put a substantial dent in our new neighbours wine cellar (translate - bilge).

November
One of the bits of info shared during our weekly meetings was that Flu shots were available at the local Pharmacy. So............ I joined the big girl club that week. I got my first flu shot ever......I didn't pass out, cry, or make a last minute break for the door. King was amazed. He offered to take me to TK Maxx to shop afterward as a reward. If your wondering if that is another of Sue's typos, it's not. Same store, different initials. Who knows.

St Kat's tree

Christmas is now in high gear in London. We had the official tree lighting ceremony at St Kat's on Friday, November 15. Kids sang carols and danced in front of a 2 story tree covered in white lights. Vendors were selling mulled wine and roasted chestnuts. Dick on Alchemy bought a bag of chestnuts and generously shared them among the group. My first roasted chestnut. Yum. We skipped the pricy mulled wine and relocated back to our neighbour's boat, Lazy Tern, and enjoyed some Liz and David's fine wine.

I decided going to Westminster Abby for Christmas Eve services would be a memorable event for the holidays. I realise that I'm still a tourist but how hard can this be to arrange. You get dressed up on Christmas Eve and catch the tube to the Cathedral and enjoy a service in spectacular surroundings and return home to open your Christmas presents. Obviously, I had no clue. First, apparently half of London also thinks this is a good thing to do on Christmas Eve. So to keep the Abby from looking like the night before the launching of a new IPad, you must get tickets to the service you wish to attend. I really wanted to go to the midnight service...which always begins at 11:30 for some unexplained reason, but I digress. That particular service does not require tickets...odd, I thought. My bubble was burst when boat neighbours advised that London tubes and buses shut down before midnight on Christmas Eve. Hence, the only people descending on the Abby will be those up for a brisk 1:00 a.m. stroll home. Wear your woollies! Ok. I can roll with the punches. Not to be deterred, the next best option is 4:30. Of course you need tickets for that one. So King reluctantly agrees to drop by Westminster with me to see if we can snag a couple. He dutifully puts the address in the GPS and off we go. We walk for days. It begins to turn dark, we haven't seen a tube station for miles. I'm beginning to wonder if we have crossed into another country. With Big Ben right beside of it, the place would be hard to miss so we know we haven't walked by it. Just before the last rays of light descended, we discovered the difference between Westminster Abby and Westminster Cathedral. 2 buses and 2 changes on the tube returned us home....without tickets. The next morning I checked the Westminster web site and low and behold, there was a link to order them online. We have 4 tickets waiting for pick up. If we can just find the place. Yes, King is still speaking to me.



Turkey Day at
the Mayflower

Thanksgiving was our first major holiday in London. Of course, the Brits don't celebrate Thanksgiving so no cardboard turkeys in the grocery and canned pumpkin was a bit scarce. Gus on Wings organised an American Thanksgiving dinner for the cruising community at St Kat's. We began the day at St. Paul's Cathedral where an American Thanksgiving Service is held annually. Following the service, the American Ambassador to Great Britain gave a brief speech. The place was packed. Obviously a lot of Yanks are running around London. From there we made our way to the Mayflower Pub. No, I'm not making this up. History says that the pub was where the Mayflower began it's journey. Sources admit that while the pub was there, it has only been call the Mayflower for the last 50 years or so. All in all an admirable job on the dinner. The only complaint ...or should I say comment was the pumpkin pie. It looked more like a thin crust pumpkin pizza... What did they do with the rest of the pumpkin?.......was that pumpkin soup I saw go by?


Straddling the time meridian

St. Kat's cruisers gather for Thanksgiving at the Mayflower



The Cutty Sark



Can you find Sue?

King walking to St. Paul's

Cutty Sark



Thanksgiving dinner at the Mayflower in London