Norway Cruise - SeaDay and Isle of Wight
Sea Day on board our Celebrity Cruise Ship
It was nice to not set an alarm. I slept well, waking up at 7:30am. I quietly started to get ready and then Chris woke up as well. We packed up most of our dirty clothes and shoes, got ready for the workout room and solarium and headed up to the 15th floor. Chris worked out on the treadmill going up and down with the waves and I found a little table in the sun by the spa cafe and wrote in my journal with a plate of fruit. Chris joined me and then Terri and Jared and we sat on our sun chairs.
We taught Terri and Brian to play Azul and they liked it. Then another game with Breinholts and Chuggs while Chris headed to the bar with drink orders from everyone. Our new favorite… Mango and Grenadine smoothies earned a few interested looks from passengers as Chris walked from the lunch bar to the solarium. He ended up convincing a few people to try it. We played and drank our drinks. Then we sat on our chairs for a bit and talked about travel including where we should go next.
We ate lunch at the buffet and then enjoyed the solarium again. Chris and I played cribbage. I had my massage at 3:00. It was a really good one. When I joined the group in the solarium again Chris, Jared, Terri and Brian were playing Azul. Everyone headed to their rooms to get ready for dinner but Chris and I sat in the hot tub one last time. It was a beautiful clear day but too cold to sit outside.
Our Last Dinner
…was great. We both had beef bourguignon. I had the cherries jubilee and it was the first dessert I actually enjoyed enough to finish. Missy left halfway through dinner for a massage hoping to relieve some tension in her neck and an all-day headache.
The rest of us finished dinner and then headed to the library to exchange pictures/videos. Terri and I got the giggles watching a clip of us climbing up the snow at the end of the Via Ferrata.
We finished the night at the Theater for the Silhouette Singers and Dancers Broadway Night. It was so good!! Such talented singers. Amazing. We stayed for a comedian and he was pretty funny. a great day at sea!
Heading off the Boat and Exploring Southampton
We were up at 7:10 and up at breakfast by 7:45am. I got us usual fruit salad and then hash browns. Doug brought back a peach specialty drink because they had run out of mango and after trying it we decided we all wanted one. Delicious! A new favorite. Love it!
We were some of the last to leave the ship at 8:50am. Our car rental was supposed to be ready by 9:00am but they didn’t have our van so we waited and waited. It was frustrating but Doug said this happens frequently in England. The girls walked over to Ikea to kill some time and grabbed chocolate toffee to snack on. We got in line for the ferry and while the others were grabbing a snack, Chris and I decided to go for a walk and wander the streets of Southampton.
The Ferry over to Isle of Wight
The ferry took about 45 minutes - just enough time for a game of Azul and then a stroll out on the deck as we were sailing into port.
The Osborne - Home and Gardens of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
The Osborne was just as beautiful and ornate inside. It was fun to wander through the rooms and learn a little about their lives. “Victoria and Albert were attracted to Osborne because the family could spend time together away from the public gaze. Albert was able to feed his passion for garden design, interior decoration and farm improvement. The queen could enjoy sketching, carriage rides and bathing in the sea. Victoria and Albert hosted private theatricals, and watched demonstrations by scientists and inventors. The children put on shows for their parents, gave music recitals and read poetry.”
The Dining Room was so impressive.
“The largest dinners at Osborne usually took place during the queen’s summer and winter visits. There could be as many as 70 guests, including important figures such as the German Emperor. The table was painstakingly set out by official ‘table-deckers’ and food was served course by course from side tables around the room. Seasonal fruit and flowers from the Osborne estate were used as the table decoration. “
The Needles
On to visit the beautiful white cliffs. We took in the view from the lookout and then walked all the way down the wooden stairs to the ocean and then back up again.
St. James Street
We stopped in a quaint sea-side town for a bit to wander around before catching our ferry. Cute alleyways, stone walls draped in flowers and an old brick church in the shadows of a tall clock tower.
We took the ferry back to Southampton and parked near a pub with good reviews… only there were no tables and the crowd was a little young, loud and drunk, as were the neighboring pubs… we had certainly found the party district. We decided to head over a street or two and landed on a Japanese restaurant whose owner beckoned us from inside the glass door. He was thrilled to have us and the food and service was excellent. A great way to finish off the day.
We drove the hour and 1/2 back to London and stayed the night at the Moxy — the same hotel as the fist night. We said goodbye to our friends and headed to bed exhausted.
Chris and I were able to enjoy our morning. We did our covid tests, ordered some potato wedges and watched a Don’t Miss This Lesson in the lobby as we ate. Then we packed up and took the bus to Heathrow. Our flight was at 2:55pm nonstop to Denver. No masks, good curry rice lunch, fun movies. Always so fun to travel with Chris.