Adventures on the High Seas

The last leg of our Great Adventure was about to begin – the trip home.  David wanted somehow for it to be memorable and hit upon the idea of coming home by ship.  He also has always wanted to cross the Atlantic by ‘Ocean Liner’ and thought it would be the perfect way to end our magical year in France.  He was concerned that the cost would be prohibitive, but, lo and behold, Cunard was having a special deal for West Coast residents.  Through a travel agent as opposed to going through Cunard, we got a suite on the Queen Mary II with sliding glass doors and a private deck for about 45% less.  For the two of us, including meals and six nights on board, the cost was about $3100.  Admittedly, we still had to fly home from New York, but we thought it was a reasonable deal.

What we found on board was even better than we had hoped – we were assigned a table for dinner with a congenial group – all Americans as it turned out, the sea was as smooth as glass the whole time, the food and service were excellent, and there were numerous activities of various types that we could avail ourselves of if we wished.  Plus, contrary to David’s fears, the ship was not a floating old-folk’s home.  And as an added attraction, also on board was Dame Judy Dench, the British actress.  [We did not sight her, but some of our table-mates did.]

So what did we do with our time?

We watched a couple of performances by RADA, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.  We saw condensed versions of both Hamlet and Canterbury Tales – both very well done and very entertaining.

We attended a series of talks by Lord Howe of Aberavon, QC, who had been Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, and Chancellor of the Exchequer under Margaret Thatcher.  The talks were extremely informative and entertaining as Lord Howe offered information and insights into the Thatcher Government, the structure and reform of the House of Lords, British and European politics of the period, and the breakup of the Soviet Union.  Included in Lord Howe’s accomplishments were taking a leading role in the drafting of a new constitution for the Ukraine, and the structuring of laws for the European Community that attempted to create a level playing field for the member states whose laws were derived from very different sets of traditions.

In between cultural pursuits we explored this enormous ship, watched dolphins, saw an occasional ship, and met and talked with people from many different places.

Anna on deck in breeze

Anna Getting the Kind of Service She Expects

There are Dolphins There Somewhere!

The Band that Welcomed Us All Aboard

Our Dinner Table Mates

Upon Arrival in New York

The toughest part of the trip was getting up at about 5:30 the last morning so we could see the Statue of Liberty upon our arrival.  Luckily it was on our side of the ship and we could go back to bed for an hour or two.