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happy birthday queen victoria!
all week they have been showing programs about
queen victoria on the tele celebrating her 200th birthday. she reigned as queen for 64 years.
monday was a bank holiday here in the uk. i took a train from wanstead to broxbourne to meet my arcadia friend bob. it was only a half hour journey. we spent the day driving through the countryside of
buckinghamshire stopping at points of interest along the way and ended up at the
ascott estate. part of this old tudor home dates back to 1606. in the 1940's the
rothschild family donated it to the national trust and the family still use it as their country home. the views from the house were magnificent but i was underwhelmed by the house tour itself. it is such a long and large home and the only areas the visitors were allowed entry to were a few rooms on the ground floor. if you are interested in chinese pottery there was quite a large collection of
ming pottery dating back 400 years. i know now why we couldn't bring large hand bags and backpacks in.
oooops!! $$$$$ the next evening i ventured into
the heart of london,
oxford circus.
sergei polunin was performing at the
london palladium. this is the theater where they perform the
royal variety show every year
. sergei has quite a few adoring fans. i would say about 75%!o(MISSING)f the audience were female. i started chatting to a girl in front of me who had traveled all the way from wales for his performance. she was planning to wait by the stage door afterwards to get his autograph. i found out her and i share the exact same birth date. the dancing was breathtaking, especially seeing it live. modern with a bit of ballet thrown in. at 29 sergei can still twirl and leap like when he was 19. he has such a beautiful body it is a shame he has it covered in tattoos. and his newest addition is a large tattoo of
putin's face right smack in the middle of his chest! ????? sergei is from the ukraine so i am not sure what that is all about? i will have to
google him and see what he says about the reasoning behind it. the documentary on
netflix about his early career is called '
dancer.' i know london is a busy city and one can expect noise, but the noise pollution here is over the top. on the tubes i have to cover my ears from the screeching of the brakes, and in all of the pubs, cafes and restaurants and shops they have loud pop music blasting through the room. i was so shocked that even in the
sky gardens where it is supposed to be quiet and relaxing and tranquil, loud music playing! one can't have a conversation any more without yelling at each other.
we are in the month of
ramadan at the moment.
muslims are not to eat or drink anything after sunrise or before sunset. it must be difficult for all the workers that have to work long shifts like in a hospital for instance. i can see the muslim women are looking a bit pale and tired.
so tomorrow i fly home to
vancouver. i have had my large heavy suitcase shipped ahead of me so i don't have to drag it all over london to
heathrow airport. a lot of the tube stations here still have stairs only. i have really enjoyed my time away and
will take home lots of fond memories of my adventures at sea. i look forward to planning my next cruise.
john cleese just tweeted
'' london is no longer english." i have to agree with him. i have noticed the change in just
6 years.
but to quote
bill bryson from his book
'notes from a small island', " the uk is still the best place in the word for most things - to post a letter, go for a walk, watch television, buy a book, venture out for a drink, go to a museum, get lost, seek help, or stand on a hillside and take in a view. " thank you to everyone who has traveled along with me and for all of your encouraging comments. but after all of my travels i think british columbia, canada is still the nicest place to live.
may all of your journeys in life be smooth sailing.
until we cruise again,
cruisin susan x 😊
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Lori Levesque
non-member comment
Glad to see you home again
You will be happy to know that the outside windows are being washed today. These will be sparkling clean for your arrival. Cheers Lori L.