We arrived in London on Friday, and spent a great weekend in lovely weather. Temperatures were around 24 degrees or so, and while it was humid, it was sunny and clear. We decided to try the fast train into Paddington, which at 18 pounds a person is four times the cost of the tube. The train was great, but when we then took a cab to conclude our journey, we asked the cost of a cab from the airport. At approximately 40 pounds to Paddington there is no cost difference if there are two of you, although clearly the train is the environmental choice, and is probably faster.
What a difference a devalued pound makes! Everything seemed so reasonable. The food especially. And London had a very positive feel to it, everyone was upbeat, and there was not the pessimism that had been around before the recession. Maybe we were lucky in only meeting upbeat people, but it seems they just want to get on with improving things.
Monday, we were driven to the cruise ship at Tilbury, about 30 kilometres from Central London, towards the East, and on the Thames Estuary. The ship is lovely, small, clean with a great crew. We particularly like the butler service in all the cabins, and love the balcony in our cabin, which allows us to quietly relax and watch the world go by. We met most of our fellow Virtuoso travellers at a great cocktail party, and then had dinner last night with our travelling companions from Calgary. A great group of twelve.
Today, Tuesday was a quiet day at sea, and tomorrow the day starts out with us entering the Kiel canal at 8.00. Very interesting.