England

 Canterbury, England

May 4, 2025

As our ship entered the English Channel, the dramatic white chalk cliffs of Dover England towered above. 




William the Conqueror is said to have set the Dover Castle afire on his way to London after his victory at the Battle of Hastings.  Dover also served as a bastion and command center during World War II.  


Today we took a walking tour of the historic city of Canterbury which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

Narrow row homes painted in various bright colors line the streets.  

As we walked along the narrow cobblestone streets, the Morris dancers were celebrating the arrival of spring!!!!  

Jim made friends with the local Beefeater – usually guarding the Tower of London.  Of course, there were plenty of the ubiquitous English pubs on nearly every corner!




We began our tour at the magnificent Canterbury Cathedral.  



Our guide was most colorful wearing one British sock and one American sock which would help us remember to look both ways when crossing a street!!!! 

This home has three levels – ground level built in the 13th century, first floor added in the 15th century and the top floor added in the 17th century, and is the oldest house in Kent.  

After a very full day, it was on to London.


London, England

May 6, 2025

Today, we arrive in London for the final day of this grand voyage. Since we have both spent a fair amount of time in London previously, we opted out of any excursions, and instead decided to have lunch with old friends – Derek and Jean Thomas, and Jean’s sister – Mo Singleton. Derek was the captain of Jim’s dart team at the Mortimer Arms pub – back when Jim was stationed in London in 1980! Jim tried to find a pub near where the Sky would be docked – and succeeded quite well with the Oystercatcher!



Then it was time to finish packing, say farewell to our wonderful cabin stewards, and try to get some sleep before our 3:00 am call to depart for Heathrow and head home!





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