The price was right for this cruise. The cost was cheaper than previously offered. My discount from a previous tour was $82, Because we paid Grand Circle Travel before April 1st, we saved another $73. We used Perk-miles so we incurred no charges for domestic flights .
Our week in London began first and then we crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the QE II to return to the United States.
Preliminary: Friday, August 13, 1999
Saturday, August 14
We took the early hotel shuttle to the air port so we could depart on Northwest flight 7:20 am and arrive at LaGuardia, NYC by 11:05 am. From Laguardia we boarded a shuttle bus that transferred us to JFK.
Sunday, August 15
Monday, August 16
That evening Annette and I attended a play at the Savoy Theatre on the Strand. The famous Geraldine McEwan starred in “Hay Fever.”
We paid 15 pounds each for center of row 2 seats that usually sell for 38 pounds each.
Wonderful included English breakfast that almost made lunch unnecessary. Back in the room I looked out the window (we had a room on the top floor and the corner of the building) and could see Buckingham Palace. Today we explored on our own. Annette and I chose to take the subway to Covent Gardens.
The concerts are popular. Tonight's program included the music of Brahms and Sibelius.
We arrived there early and were able to find good seats. The soloist was especially appreciated by the audience.
As long as we were at Trafalgar Square, we spent sometime there by the fountain before walking back to the hotel.
Right across the street from the hotel was an attractive looking restaurant called Shakespeare's Pub.
The menu bragged about their famous fish and chips: “A generous fillet of Cod surrounded in tempura batter served with mounds of 'real' chips & peas. A true British favorite, and just like you'd get down the local Chip shop.” The menu also pushed the Guinness brand of beer. Excellent fare!
The day was not over. We purchased half-price senior rate special tickets for the musical “Cats,” being performed at the New London Theatre. Wonderful seats, too.
Wednesday, August 18
After our great English breakfast, we booked transportation for Oxford with the Oxford Tube. The bus company had a convenient bus stop across the street from the hotel. Oxford was only 55 miles away. We took the trip for memories sake, because we had taken courses at Oxford during the summer of 1976.
We were dropped off at the bus station (in circle on the left) in close proximity to Worcester College (#19) where Annette and I had attended the University of Oxford in 1976.
The main entrance of Worcester College. A gate kept us students in and a curfew limited our time in the outside world. When we were not back by the curfew we had to summons the gatekeeper for entrance.
To our left was a row of medieval buildings (bottom photo) known as "the cottages," which are among the oldest residential buildings in Oxford. It was here in the common room that we had our regularly scheduled tea times. Directly across was the "New Dorm” (1714) where Annette and I roomed (upper photo). The Cottages were for singles but the New Dorm with larger rooms was reserved for married couples.
A tour of the chapel (Anglican) was a must.
The High Table was still there (where Fellows ate)...
... and the duck pond where we fed ducks bread rolls after dinner. Worcester has the distinction of having its own lake and massive garden.
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It was raining, but we still took time to visit the ducks.
Fred relaxed and thought about the good old days when we took breaks from our studies here.
We left the college grounds and headed for the Ashmolean Museum. Annette’s teacher (fellow) was director here and often took his students to this famous museum.
From here we went to the Martyrs Monument (on previous map it is within the circled long rectangle). The inscription on the base of the Martyrs' Memorial reads as follows:"To the Glory of God, and in grateful commemoration of His servants, Thomas Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley, Hugh Latimer, Prelates of the Church of England, who near this spot yielded their bodies to be burned, bearing witness to the sacred truths which they had affirmed and maintained against the errors of the Church of Rome. They died during the reign of Queen Mary Tudor. A stone cross is set into the middle of Broad Street on the spot where they met their fate.
Saxon Tower at North Gate on Cornmarket Street is where Thomas Cranmer was imprisoned. From here he could see his friends burned at the stake. He recanted his earlier denial of faith -- which then brought him the same fate as Ridley and Latimer.
We continued down Cornmarket Street to Carfac Tower Carfax Tower is located at the north-west corner of Carfax. The Tower is all that remains of the 13th century St Martin's Church and is now owned by the Oxford City Council.
We proceeded to Christ Church Cathedral (#36 on previous map). Annette and I visited this church on Sundays while attending Oxford. Very few people attended. It seemed there were more people in the processional than in the pews.
In 1525, at the height of his power, Thomas Wolsey, Lord Chancellor of England and Cardinal Archbishop of York, suppressed the Abbey of St Frideswide in Oxford and founded Cardinal College on its lands, using funds from the dissolution of Wallingford Priory and other minor priories. He planned the establishment on a magnificent scale, but fell from grace in 1529, before the college was completed.
In 1531 the college was itself suppressed, and re-founded in 1532 as King Henry VIII's College by Henry VIII, to whom Wolsey's property had escheated. Then in 1546 the King, who had broken from the Church of Rome and acquired great wealth through the dissolution of the monasteries in England, re-founded the college as Christ Church as part of the reorganization of the Church of England.
Because there was a special exhibition on the works of Leonardo da Vinci, we bought tickets. This helped us get out of rain, too.
Self Portrait of Leonardo at right.
Next stop was the Bodleian Library. I still remember when I took out my library card here as a student of Oxford. I had to take the following oath:
I hereby undertake not to remove from the Library,
nor to mark, deface, or injure in any way, any volume,
document or other object belonging to it or in its
custody; not to bring into the Library, or kindle therein,
any fire or flame, and not to smoke in the Library;
and I promise to obey all rules of the Library.
We admired the famous vaulted ceiling of the Divinity School at the Bodleian.
It was still raining, but we found refuge in the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin (Anglican). When we were students we made brass rubbings her from replicas of medieval church etchings or carvings. They are still hanging in Fred’s study.
Pulpit where Newman and Keble had preached, ushering in the Oxford Movement. Earlier in history the Wesley brothers had preached from this same pulpit.
A steep climb up the 13th century tower provided breathtaking views over the City with its many spires.
Attached to the church of St Mary the Virgin, this inexpensive café occupies an atmospheric stone-vaulted room and serves up good quality coffee and cake and quiche-and-salad lunches. Again we found refuge from the rain.
We returned to the bus depot for our trip back to London. On the way we saw Magdalene College through the bus windows. Annette and I had gone punting on the campus river here while at Oxford.
Back in London, we took an evening walk around London, starting off with Big Ben and the Statue of Churchill.
We walked across Westminster Bridge and had as nice view of the Parliament buildings from the other side.
Then on to Piccadilly Circus.
Burger King was our choice for dinner at Piccadilly.
We took a bus back to the hotel using our travel cards.
Thursday, August 19
Another great included breakfast and then we were off to Buckingham Palace -- a short walking distance.
Palace guard
Guided tour of the interior, but no photography was permitted. Many paintings by famous artists lined the walls of many rooms.
Returned to hotel. Next stop was Kensington Gardens, also walking distance from our hotel. See map.
Kensington Palace
Lower gardens
Kensington walkway
While we were returning to our hotel, Fred’s camcorder shutter became stuck and ended the videotaping. Annette still had her camera though.
We stopped at the Aberdeen Steak House for dinner. Their specialty was Angus steak, but we had a hankering for British fish and chips.
Friday, August 20
English breakfast before our independent bus trip to Cambridge. Bus arrangements were made at Victoria Station and we took a bus from there. The bus company was National Express. We had some connection with Cambridge University before because Oxford and Cambridge had a working relationship (Oxbridge). When my Oxford prof (fellow) took us to Cambridge for classes, we had a “fellow” from Cambridge as our instructor.
We had a nice lunch at Clown Cafe. The unique touch is the collection of entries in the children’s Clowns Art Competition that cover the walls.
University Church of St. Mary the Great (Anglican) was one of our points of interest. See map, near the center.
Exterior of the University Church St. Mary the Great. The present building was constructed between 1478 and 1519, with the tower finished later, in 1608. The cost of construction was covered largely by Richard III and Henry VII.
Interior of the University Church. Various leading philosophers of the English Reformation preached there, notably Erasmus. Martin Bucer, who influenced Thomas Cranmer's writing of the Book of Common Prayer, was buried there. Under Queen Mary, his corpse was burnt in the marketplace, but under Elizabeth I, the dust from the place of burning was replaced in the church and now lie under a brass floor plate in the south chancel
The market in the centre of Cambridge, with Great St Mary's Church in the background.
King’s College was next. See map on the right.
King’s College Complex. King's was founded in 1441 by King Henry VI. His first design was modest, but by 1445 was intended to be a magnificent display of royal patronage.
Entrance Tower of King’s College. The Gatehouse, built in the neo-Gothic style.
King’s College Chapel. The College Chapel, an example of late Gothic architecture, was built over a period of a hundred years (1446–1531) in three stages. The Chapel features the world's largest fan vault, stained glass windows, and the painting "The Adoration of the Magi" by Rubens. The Chapel is actively used as a place of worship and also for some concerts and college events.
From King’s College we headed over to the Cam River where we hired a punt boat and punter (college student) to take us punting down the river.
Trinity College
Bridge of Sighs St. John’s College
Fred and the Bridge of Sighs. Photo by Annette.
Magdalene College
St. John’s College Tower Entrance. The college has fixed assets of £567,390,000; granting St John's the largest endowment per student of any Oxbridge college. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints
Holy Sepulcher (The Round Church). The Round Church (officially the Church of the Holy Sepulcher) was built around 1130, making it one of the oldest buildings in Cambridge. It is one of only four medieval round churches in England.
Interior: The pillars were very stout (fat) and had a variety of Norman decorations on the capitals.
Return to London was by way of bus.
Saturday, August 21
Another wonderful English breakfast. Today we were to travel with Linda and the others in an impromptu tour of the Globe Theatre. We met in the lobby and took the subway.
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614 and closed in 1642. A modern reconstruction of the Globe, named "Shakespeare's Globe," opened in 1997 approximately 750 ft from the site of the original theatre.
We walked up some steps and took our place in the stands. We were given information...
— followed by a short presentation on the stage.
We left the GCT group (with which we had little contact) and again set off on our own. We walked over to the beautiful Embankment Gardens.
We sat down at an outdoor cafe and had lunch.
The gardens have many statues of notable British citizens, including the Scottish poet Robert Burns.
Also in the same gardens is the memorial to Arthur Sullivan -- as in Gilbert and Sullivan. Given his numerous love affairs, the form of the memorial seems most appropriate!
The Gilbert and Sullivan team produced operas that gained international success. Sullivan, six years Gilbert's junior, composed the music, contributing memorable melodies that could convey both humor and pathos.
We walked over to Whitehall to see the Horse Guards again.
Then over to St. James Park, left on the map, en route to the Cabinet War Rooms.
The public entrance (right) led us to underground bunkers operational in 1939 and were heavily used by Winston Churchill and the War Cabinet during World War II. Engineered as a bunker, the facility was reinforced with a layer of concrete, one to three meters thick referred to as "the slab". Over 100 meetings were held in the Cabinet War Rooms between 1939 and 1945.
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill Map Room (right)
The BBC had a small studio within the war room complex for the radio addresses Churchill made while there.
Sunday, August 22
After our full English breakfast we packed our bags and placed them outside the door for the GCT porters to put on our bus. Our bus driver drove us to old city of Southampton. From the window of our bus we did our sightseeing. The City of Southampton is generally seen as a port of departure, and not many cruise passengers linger to investigate the city itself.
We boarded our ship after checking in and headed for the lunch buffet for nourishment. In the Grand Lounge an orchestra was playing music. This was a five star ship!
The Queen Elizabeth 2, or QE2 as she is commonly known was the flagship of the Cunard Line for nearly 40 years. QE2 made her maiden voyage in 1969 and was one of the last great Transatlantic liners. At 70,327 tons and 963 feet long with a top speed of 32.5 knots she is also one of the fastest and grandest passenger vessels ever built.
QE2 is arguably the most famous liner in the world
Soon we off for our ocean cruise across the Atlantic Ocean.
Tonight was the first of three formal nights in the Mauritania dinning room. This meant we had to change to suit and tie for men and formal wear for women. We had seating at a reserved table for eight.
After dinner we made ourselves comfortable in the Grand Lounge for Showtime. which featured the QEII orchestra
Dancer Daniella Smith and vocalist Paul Ritchie
Every morning we received the Daily Programme informing us of activities of the day. We started off with the Heritage Tour of the ship and then turned our attention to the exhibits for the Fine Arts Auction. Paintings included the works of Rembrandt, Picasso and Reubens.
At 2:30 pm we watched the movie Forces of Nature with Sandra Bullock. Movie had a surprise ending -- the lead actor ended up marry his fiancee, and not Sandra Bullock.
An Evening of Fredric Chopin at 9:45 pm featured Nina Kuzma-Sapiejewska at the piano.
Much of our tie on this voyage was spent soaking in the good sea air and watching the waves. And considerable time was spent in the whirlpool.
One night Showtime’s performance was given by Gail Nelson
After our formal dinner that evening, Annette and I changed into more comfortable clothes so we could watch a movie in the Theatre. Everyone on ship was in their formals so we had to sneak to the theatre. The movie “Out of Towners” was worth it.
Wednesday, August 25
At 10 am Annette attended the Welcome to the World of Aromatherapy on the uses of this kind of therapy at home to treat some common ailments. At 3 pm we went to Matinee Showtime in the Grand Lounge for the Wiffenpoofs of Yale University. They dressed in tuxedos and appeared very dignified. Good harmony. Of course they sang the Wiffenpoof song.
Love Letters was presented at 9:45 (currently being performed on Broadway). Love Letters is unadorned theater, what the English would describe as a platform piece. It has been presented for limited performances, with actors alternating in the roles. It is now being performed for a special eight-week engagement, beginning with John Rubinstein.
Everyday we were well attended by a friendly table crew.
Our table mates made good company.
The entertainment was always of the highest quality.
As we approached NYC we looked for the Statue of Liberty.
And the famous Manhattan skyline with the imposing Trade Center towers.
The QE II experience was all it was said to be -- great!
As long as we were at Trafalgar Square, we spent sometime there by the fountain before walking back to the hotel.
Wednesday, August 18
The High Table was still there (where Fellows ate)...
In 1531 the college was itself suppressed, and re-founded in 1532 as King Henry VIII's College by Henry VIII, to whom Wolsey's property had escheated. Then in 1546 the King, who had broken from the Church of Rome and acquired great wealth through the dissolution of the monasteries in England, re-founded the college as Christ Church as part of the reorganization of the Church of England.
I hereby undertake not to remove from the Library,
nor to mark, deface, or injure in any way, any volume,
document or other object belonging to it or in its
custody; not to bring into the Library, or kindle therein,
any fire or flame, and not to smoke in the Library;
and I promise to obey all rules of the Library.
Thursday, August 19
While we were returning to our hotel, Fred’s camcorder shutter became stuck and ended the videotaping. Annette still had her camera though.
Friday, August 20
Return to London was by way of bus.
Another wonderful English breakfast. Today we were to travel with Linda and the others in an impromptu tour of the Globe Theatre. We met in the lobby and took the subway.
We walked over to Whitehall to see the Horse Guards again.
After our full English breakfast we packed our bags and placed them outside the door for the GCT porters to put on our bus. Our bus driver drove us to old city of Southampton. From the window of our bus we did our sightseeing. The City of Southampton is generally seen as a port of departure, and not many cruise passengers linger to investigate the city itself.
Wednesday, August 25
The QE II experience was all it was said to be -- great!
