March 1: London
Thanks to the American Airlines non-stop flight from Raleigh-Durham to London, we were able to leave RDU at about 7:25 PM and arrive in London at about 7:00 the next morning. We had a day and a half in London, so I booked a room at a hotel close to the Tower of London to optimize our sightseeing.
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| Along the Thames |
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| Westminster Abbey |
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| The London Eye |
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| Our hotel (Citizen M), next to the Tower of London |
After checking in to our hotel (which has some of the smallest rooms in the world), we took a walk around the neighborhood.
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| Proof that we are in London |
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| Tower of London (and Tower Bridge), viewed from our hotel |
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| Looking the other way, at the City of London |
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| Part of the ancient Roman Wall |
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| Back to the Tower of London |
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| And the Tower Bridge |
After returning to the hotel, we went to the (indoor) rooftop bar, for some nice views of London.
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| A very relaxing lounge |
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| View from the bar |
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| Another view, across the Thames |
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| Yet another view, looking back over the City |
March 2: London, and Transfer to the Ship
Before boarding the ship, we spent most of the day in Greenwich, across the Thames. We took the Docklands Light Rail, a relatively new transit system in London. The
Docklands is a huge redevelopment of the old docks.
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| A view of part of the Docklands |
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| "Downtown" Greenwich |
Our first stop in Greenwich was the
Cutty Sark, a clipper ship built in 1869.
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| The Cutty Sark |
The Cutty Sark is displayed so that you can not only tour the ship, but you can go under it.
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| On the deck |
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| Below deck |
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| In the cargo hold |
Next, we went to visit the Royal Observatory, home of the Greenwich meridian.
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| View of the National Maritime Museum and Docklands from the Observatory |
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| Standing in both hemispheres |
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| Royal Observatory |
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| Another view of the main street in Greenwich |
From Greenwich, we returned to our hotel and caught a regional train to Tilbury, one of the cruise ports for London.
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| The Viking Sky |
The Viking Sky is one of several Viking Ocean Cruises ships, all of which are identical. The interior is beautiful, but understated. No casino, no art auctions, and only one jewelry shop--my kind of ship.
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| Stairway up from the main lobby--the painting is a video image |
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| Looking down the stairway |
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| One of the interior stairwells |
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| The Wintergarden, a lounge next to the pool |
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| The pool is covered in cold weather |
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| One of the bars |
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| Our stateroom (which also had a balcony) |
Next: Days 3-6--Stavanger, Norway, and at Sea
