Silver Cloud (17 July- 4 Aug, London, Scotland, Iceland, Ireland, England

[sakaara]

Best wishes to you both. What an amazing itinerary.

Weather for the last 2 weeks has been fabulous in Dublin.

Hopefully it will remain like this by the time you get here.

Have you decided where to go while in Dublin?

Can't wait to be spoilt by your daily reports which have already got off to a great start!

 

Regards

Sakaara

[duct tape]

Hey, Wes, enjoy! Please start a new thread??

[Herman The Cat]

Bon voyage! Have a wonderful time. Looking forward to hearing about the "new" Cloud!

[V8Babe]

Hi Wes - always enjoy reading about your adventures. Hope Ida and yourself have a fantastic time. Thanks for sharing.

 

Karin

[TLCOhio]

Appreciate the great sharing and pictures by Wes. Love the London, etc., visuals. One of our most favorite cities. Keep 'em coming. Great fun and sunshine in London. Good luck on your cruise.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 112,598 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Bramcruiser]

It was nice meeting both you and Ida here in London at the BBC Broadcasting House today. Looking forward to seeing both of you again on board the Silver Cloud tomorrow.

 

As mentioned we arrived Sunday morning after a nice upgrade to the Economy Premium service on British Airways. That was a great start to the vacation. You mentioned you like this hot and humid weather but I admit its taken a toll on me. Its just like home but I prefer a more comfortable temperature.

 

I won't recommend the Grange City Hotel unfortunately. The décor is nice, the food is good and it services the business crowd but unfortunately there is much in the way of service issues at this hotel. There are much nicer quality hotels throughout London that service one better.

 

On a happier note did the wonderful JAck the Ripper Tour by London Walks and visited the Shard. Did you and Ida get a chance to go up it?

 

Last night - dinner, see a show (got tickets to Wicked) and a fast swing by the pier where the Cloud is to dock across from tonight. Tomorrow the adventure really begins.

 

David

[duct tape]

I see on Marine Traffic that the Cloud is in London!

[Herman The Cat]

I see on Marine Traffic that the Cloud is in London!

 

Very impressive--you are amazing!

[WesW]

Wanted to share these Silver Cloud pix soonest (Cloud docked tonight at 8:35pm right next to HMS Belfast). Ida and I were dining alfresco when Ida spotted the Cloud slowly proceeding past (about 200 yds away). We finished dinner quickly as sun had set, thus sun lighting was quickly receding. Our day began at 9 am with the BBC Broadcasting House tour (met Bramcruiser/David and Richard) who did the tour with us; followed by spending six hours driving by many of London's iconic sites. Will post about a dozen of these London pix later. In the meantime pls enjoy the Cloud now docked at London Tower Bridge, next to HMS Belfast:

 

 

 

 

 

[txladycruiser]

Hoping Wes won't mind if I hijack his thread for a moment. We arrived in London Sunday morning. I've been keeping a blog of our trip. Here's the link:

 

 

http://blog.travelpod.com/members/thewrens

 

I will try to blog every day on the cruise unless the internet is spotty.

 

Looking forward to embarking tomorrow on the Cloud. Our cruise is experience is with Regent so Silversea will be something new for us.

 

 

Karen & Wayne

[WesW]

Hi Karen, absolutely no worries, please do post more on our thread (all Cloud CCrs who board tomorrow), the more posting here means more Cloud information shared. Wonderful Windsor Blog post Karen, happy to hear Wayne and you were able to share dinner with your sorority sister. Ida and I look fwd to dinner in La Terrazza tomorrow nite with Wayne and you.

 

When we were taking the Cloud photos above, a professional photographer was next to us on the Gazebo (obliquely across from HMS Belfast) and recommended we stay AFT (Cloud will sail in reverse under the tower bridge) at least forty minutes after disembarkation (7:30pm) when the Thames will widen enough for us to turn around. Ida and I hope to get a good sunrise pix of the Cloud berthed next to the HMS Belfast tomorrow morning during our a.m. power walk.

 

All,please enjoy some pix of our BBC Broadcasting House tour. Bramcruiser (David & Richard) also did this BBC tour with us. Louise and Keith were our BBC tour guides, Louise proudly told me (after we mentioned we were from Atlanta) CNN is only 1/3rd of the size of BBC. In one of the pictures below, a few of us on the tour were picked by Keith to read a radio script, then we heard our rendetion played back--fun.

 

 

 

 

When we finished the tour, we noted a broadcast journalist filing a story in front of the BBC headquarters:

 

[WesW]

Need to get some sleep now so hope y'all don't mind will just post a few of the London sites we visited today. Enjoy:

 

Church of All Souls is adjacent BBC headquarters and the prominent architectural building on this part of Regent street. BBC when building their

headquarters was told not to overpower the Church--which is why BBC headquarters is receded back (pix above).

 

 

 

Trafalgar Square:

 

 

Houses of Parliament & Big Ben (now called Elizabeth tower)

 

 

Ida being scolded by this House of Parliament Policeman for having too many shoes for our cruise :)

 

[UKCruiseJeff]

I once worked in that (the original part) of that building .....

 

I hope you said "Meet me on Peachtree ....."

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[WesW]

Last few London Highlites taken today:

 

House of Parliament (foreground) at right is Victoria Tower, at the top the Union Jack is raised/posted indicated the Parliament is in session.

 

 

Westminster Abbey:

 

 

St. Margret's Church (adjacent) Westminster Abbey:

 

 

Cleopatra's Needle: (Wikipedia says: Cleopatra's Needle is the popular name for each of three Ancient Egyptian obelisks re-erected in London, Paris, and New York City during the nineteenth century. They are arranged in two pairs; the London and New York ones are a pair, while the Paris one comes from a different original site, Luxor, where its twin remains.)

 

[gf]

Wes,

Your caption about the HP policeman re: Ida's shoes was hilarious!

 

Bon voyage and looking forward to all reports!

 

aka AK

[jpalbny]

Loving the London pics... One of our favorite cities! The sphinxes at the base of Cleopatra's needle still have gouges from being hit by shrapnel from the heavy WWII bombardment - seeing that really made history come alive for us.

 

Enjoy the sailaway under Tower Bridge, and have a great trip! It's true; you are towed downriver backwards until past Greenwich, where the river widens enough for you to turn around and steam out under your own power. Our sailaway was at 4AM, and we couldn't stay awake long enough to make it much past that...

[RachelG]

Really loving the narrative and pics.

[bsrkent]

Wes,

A fine photo journalist; yes... A radio broadcaster; not so much... have a great trip!

[WesW]

gf,JPalbny, RachelG, bsrkent, all thanks so much for your warm bon voyage wishes.

 

Good Morning from London.

 

Ida and I enjoyed an early morning power walk along my fav walking/jogging route (Thames path east/west from London Bridge to Millineum Bridge an back). Please enjoy a couple of Silver Cloud sunrise pix (taken about 6 a.m., London Time). Ida and I walked to the millineum tower pier and met the Silversea host ladies (Carol & Mary based here in London) setting up the host tent. Thankfully, we learned their will be SS crew at intersection of Lower Thames Street and path to the Pier to relieve us of our luggage (Ida's one piece of luggage carrying her 53 pairs of shoes weighs 75 lbs :).

 

 

[WesW]

We just received wonderful news, our friends (we sailed with them in December; Mumbai to Bali (Regent). John and Lesley who have been on the WL for this cruise since January cleared. Believe we will see John & Lesley on board today. :)

[UKCruiseJeff]

gf,JPalbny, RachelG, bsrkent, all thanks so much for your warm bon voyage wishes.

 

 

Ignore me then!

 

:D

[WesW]

not possible Jeff :)

 

Just got so overwhelmed with sights/sounds of London, could not address each CCr who responded on our thread.

 

ps...spent over a decade out of (near 32 yrs military service) working public affairs at highest level for US Military/US Army and understand (have led military teams response to multiple crisis comz events (e.g. F22 down, et. al) immediate response to a crisis communication event and appropriate response--just don't have time to contribute to the other Shadow CDC inspn with my thoughts. my last words on this until Aug 5th (end of our cruise & when I will be back home).

[RosseauGirl]

Love the pictures and can't wait to take our own from the same vantage point in two weeks! And, btw, there is absolutley nothing wrong with taking 53 pair of shoes on vacation - I have almost the same number set aside for our trip, and plan on adding to the collection while in the UK, time permitting...:)

 

Bon voyage!

 

Michele

[Mayflower1]

Have a great Cruise Wes - we have just disembarked The Cloud after a wonderful Baltic Cruise. All is well on board and they are waiting for your arrival !!!! ( you are probably already there ).

 

The Staff remain wonderful and yesterdays arrival up the Thames was fantastic and very emotional. Judie did a terrific job with all the appropriate music - Land of Hope & Glory, Rule Britannia etc and the reaction from those ashore was wonderful.

 

Gianni Dotti returned to the ship in Warnemunde after a short break and Myra returns today. All in all, especially with the current weather you should have a great trip - enjoy and we look forward to Reports.

[Paulchili]

Wes,

Late to this thread as we just got home from a trip.

Enjoying the pictures and looking forward to the report from Cloud

Fair winds and following seas!

Paul