Alas the last morning of the cruise has arrived and we are sitting in the sun, poolside, grazing our way through the last supper, well actually brunch. Occasionally we get up and farewell someone we’ve met onboard, as their number is called for disembarkation. I have mixed feelings. We had a few fun antipodean gatherings while on board and have met some kindred spirits but we’re also done with queues for a while and definitely need to reduce the food intake. A little about our last few days in Dover and here in London:
Dover
The alarm doesn’t get too much of a run on a cruise but with an early arrival into Dover via the White Cliffs it was a 4:45 am start! We were fortunately on the correct side of the boat to see them which meant we could shuffle out to the balcony in our robes, bleary eyed, coffee in hand. Unfortunately low cloud over France blocked the rising sun so the cliffs weren’t as spectacular as we’re told they can be. They were still striking especially given their poignancy as explained to us at the port talk the previous evening. In WW2 they were not only a visual reference point for aircrew flying sorties they were also symbolic representing ‘hope’ on the way out and ‘home’ for those who made it back.
There’s so much history in this corner of the world with the Battle of Hastings and Canterbury Cathedral but JR and I both chose the ‘Battle of Britain’ tour. First stop was the extensive Ramsgate tunnels originally built as railway tunnels through the chalk cliffs of Dover but converted to an underground mini town for a community that permanently moved there during WW2 – complete with hairdressers, shops, tearooms and even an underground hospital. Now a volunteer run museum it gives a good sense of the community that developed.
The site of the RAF Manston Spitfire and Hurricane museum was an emergency landing strip during the later years of WW1, going on to serve as a frontline fighter base during WW2 as well as a dumping site for broken bombers. It has subsequently evolved into a museum offering a Spitfire simulator experience and the opportunity to get up close and personal with a restored Supermarine Spitfire and a Hurricane. JR had a fantastic time and was surprised to learn that the later model Spitfire has the elliptical wing tips cut square to improve manoeuverability.
Lunch was sensational fish and chips with brown vinegar, at the Jackdaw Pub in the village of Denton where I made my presence known by setting off the security alarm system when I attempted to check out the flower gardens in the rear of the establishment. I could hear JR rousing the pub crowd in cheer, as I snuck out the correct exit.
The Battle of Britain Museum in Kent was an extremely moving dedication to ‘The Few’ as referenced by Churchill in his sentiment ‘Never have so many owed so much to so few’. Of special interest to me was that ‘The Few’ included 133 Kiwis, the third largest group behind the British and Polish with quite a story told about one of them, Sir Keith Park.
A drive through Canterbury on the way home completed a great excursion and once everyone was back on board the ship, the captain did a couple of ‘donuts’ so we could all get a good view of the White Cliffs of Dover. Ironically it was actually the White Cliffs of Normandy (France) on the other side that were brilliant in the sunset and gave us a good idea of what Dover must have looked like in the sunrise as the bombers reached ‘home’ after a night-time bombing raid.
London
The next morning dawned glorious for the leisurely cruise up the Thames with lots of industry and activity to watch either side and great intrigue as to how we were going to fit through the piers as we approached the Thames flood barrier system. The captain had clearly done it all before and he delivered us to the port of Greenwich in time for our afternoon excursions: Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre for me and a walking tour of Greenwich for JR. After a quick dinner we both boarded a smaller boat for a warm evening cruise of the iconic sights and bridges along the London section of the Thames.
After our final disembarkation the following day we waved goodbye to the Viking Vela and I headed to the National Gallery and JR went to the Transport Museum. The State of Origin was on back home and in the afternoon I wasn’t surprised to find JR in a pub watching it – the lone blues supporter bravely exchanging insults with a large group of winning Queenslanders from Townsville. They thought it was great when I arrived and declared myself a Queenslander (I landed in Townsville before heading to my destination of Nhulunbuy when I first came to Australia. It was many years later that I got to NSW). After an enjoyable laze in a park we joined a 4 pub walking tour of ales, traditional tasting plates and a bit of history. Highly recommend the pubs:
- Ye Olde Mitre – built 1546, pork pie with Branston pickles, hot English mustard and a triple malted lager
- The Old Bell (Fleet St) – built 1678, fish and chips with cider
- Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese – rebuilt 1667, whitebait and stout
- Ye Olde Cock – built 1549, scotch eggs and neither of us can remember the beer.
I had a checklist for the following day starting with catching the tube to Marylebone (with half the city who were heading to Lord’s for the cricket – that bit was unplanned). I walked for miles visiting a historic mews and other places where my Mum’s family had lived. After a good explore, the nearby Regent’s Park offered some much-needed shade but I’d come for the Queen Mary rose garden and unfortunately the blooms were well spent. A bit of retail therapy was in order by then and although the Wallace Collection was on my itinerary by the time I got there I wasn’t in the mindset and I didn’t do it justice. Meanwhile JR spent his day at the British Museum, the Imperial War Museum and the Hunterian Museum of surgery. More fish and chips and a couple of pints at the Mad Hatter pub, in the company of a knowledgeable regular, proved a good way to end our London visit.
In the morning we head to Dublin for the last leg of our trip, a self drive tour of Ireland.
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