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The "Point" in the background
Otter
The fort surface collections
HMS Warrior from the harborIf you were born and raised...
If you were born and raised in the UK don't fail to cruise at least once on this wonderful British built ship named
QUEEN ELIZABETH II
Portsmouth, I should explain, is the closest city to Southampton provided by the VT roster. We did not have an opportunity to spend worthwhile time in Portsmouth on our excursion but we did get a few pictures, it was a scurry in and then we were gone. Supplemented with our visit to a number of areas in and around the general area ought to be sufficient for a page which I'm using Portsmouth as a launch point.
Here, in Southampton, was the end of the first leg of a Trans-Atlantic voyage from New York City. We came across on the flagship of Cunard Lines, the QE2, a ship destined to be one of the greatest ever built.
She still plies the Oceans of the World and will no doubt become a major attraction one day as time and competition force her into retirement. I'd like to think that this wonderful ship will be appropriately established as a museum in a fashion similar to the Queen Mary.
Those who enjoy cruising as a means of travel should experience at least one voyage on the QE2, it is so filled with history that it is an attraction unto itself. To this day, it is still among the most stable and fastest cruise ship in this huge industry.
There just cannot be a more memorable sight than these two grand dames of the Atlantic Ocean, it has brought tears to to the eyes of many millions of people. Whether leaving or entering New York Harbour, this wonderful ship unfailingly slows traffic as people crane their necks as if to see History itself. I need not say what the Statue of Liberty brings forth as a human reaction. The symbolism is world reknown.
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Our tour guide was a taxi driver. We actually took two tours through him, the first on the day that we arrived in Southampton as we came in from New York City and then again, upon returning from a 15 day cruise down the coast to visit Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Gibraltar Corsica and Morocco.
On the first of these occasions, we had taken a long walk through much of the historical areas in Southampton and hailed a taxi. The driver, as it happens, was an excellent tour guide and offered to give us a quick tour of the nearby areas. We also made arrangements for him to be waiting for us when we returned from our Mediterranean voyage.
Our second excursion was one that started much earlier in the day as he was ready to roll as soon as we disembarked. As we had no luggage to be concerned with, we had all day to spend with him and cannot say enough about his efficiency and historical knowledge.
He often was called upon to be the taxi for the President of the Cunard Lines. As such, he had far more insight than the average person about the history of the QE2 and the 'inside stories' that he told us were as a history teacher. He is far more than a taxi driver.
