Dover and the End

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After leaving Spain, we spent one more full day at sea frantically packing for debarkation at Dover, on the coast of England. Many passengers left the ship there, so the terminal was busy as a beehive for few hours. Each of the world cruise passengers (or couples) had a limosine for their personal destination, and ours was crammed with our luggage full of clothing and additional treasures from the trip. In the rush we left one of our large bags in the Dover ship terminal. Our driver called his home office when we got to the airport and reported the loss. After that, we could only place our faith in British efficiency and hope for the best. Sure enough, a transatlantic call came soon after we got home, and a reassuring email from the Dover terminal followed. (Dick had put our cards on each piece of luggage, including email address.) The lost bag arrived on our doorstep a few days later, with shipping compliments of somebody in England - we never did find out who to thank!

Dick says he knows now how to get through customs and baggage handling the easy way - just leave the bags sitting in the terminal. But next time we might not be so lucky.

The flight back from Dover to Atlanta was uneventful, more comfortable than usual because we had business class seats, which came with the cruise package deal. This time I knew better than to have an apple in my pocketbook when we went through Security, so we made it through without the Drug Dog singling me out. (Earlier on the ship we heard a horror story about a $200 fine for a withered apple in a briefcase.)

So now we're back in South Carolina, already planning new travels. While we were on the ship Dick signed us up for the 2006 World Cruise next January. We were contemplating maybe going to Florida for the winter, but now we've decided it's a heck of a lot more fun to cruise. No cooking, and no housework! Next year the cruise will concentrate on South America and Africa, leaving out most of southeast Asia where we went this year. And in a few weeks we're leaving for a two week Tauck tour of France, which will involve a lot of bus riding and staying in a different place every night. We'll try to add this to the Travelblog when we get back, but there won't be time for such niceties while we're traveling. If it's OK, we'll leave your name on the subscription list so you'll be notified of any additions. So until then, take care and au revoir. We'll be in touch!

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Photos

Terminal Building
Our last port! Dover is the main seaport for London, about 70 miles inland. This is where our cruise ended.

White Clifts
These are the famous white cliffs of Dover. There was not much else to see along the coastline, so we could understand why they're a famous landmark.

England - On the way to Gatwick
This was a beautiful drive to the airport through the spring countryside with alternating fields of brilliant green and yellow. We were lucky enough to be there when they fields of rape were in full bloom. We didn't know exactly what rape is, but a bit of googling told us rapeseed is the source of canola oil, along with various industrial oils.

Downtown Greenville
Back in good ol' South Carolina again! Mary on Greenville's revitalized European-style Main Street, with its trees and outdoor cafes. Who would believe the buckle on the Bible Belt would look like this?

Falls Park-Greenville,SC
Another great place in Greenville - a newly finished downtown park, on the Reedy River on the site of two ancient cotton mills. The mills and a bridge over the river once completely obscured this lovely view. It has been replaced with an impressive suspension footbridge, visible at the top of the photo with two people standing on it. Nowadays the park is surrounded by new office buildings and condominiums, with the Governor's School for the Arts on one side.