Another Day for Nostalgia - on board MS Queen Elizabeth

What a wonderful day!  I was up early today, Thom did his paper round and we both had sausage and bacon rolls for breakfast.  After showering, we drove into Salisbury and picked up our dear friend Serena who was to take us on board the new Cunarder, MS Queen Elizabeth.  We arrived in good time at the new Ocean Terminal in the Ocean Dock (previously White Star Dock) at the berths opposite the old Queens’ Terminal often reserved for SS Leviathan and RMS Majestic in the past. After surrendering our passports and being given passes, and the obligatory security check, we went on board arriving at the Great Lobby.  What a wonderful first impression – a big vase of flowers, grand piano and marvellous art-deco furnishing everywhere.  From the external modern ship back into the elegant age of ocean travel.  I really can’t describe, in this limited space, the wonders of this ship but it has been designed in a way which reminded me very much of the dear old QE2 which many artefacts having been taken off her – including the ship’s bell.  We wandered the length and breadth of the ship – even being shown inside a cabin – sorry, stateroom, and visited the spa, external sports courts, library, Queen’s Room, Royal Theatre, pub, card room, smoking room, casino, garden pavilion, restaurants, shopping mall etc. etc.  Floods of nostalgia came over me – the sites and smells reminding me so much of my five transatlantic crossings on the QE2.  We had an excellent lunch on board – roast beef from the biggest joint I have ever seen – a quarter of a cow at least!  spooned stilton cheese, New York cheesecake etc. etc.  We sat by a window overlooking the River Test and the other liner in dock – Celebrity Eclipse.  To round off the day, Southampton FC beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0 at The Hawthorns but Hampshire failed to beat Surrey in the T20 Semi-final at Edgbaston.  That would have made it perfect.  Still, a brilliant day – a second day of pure nostalgia.  Thom and Sara now want to save up for a transatlantic crossing to New York – which we would have to take onboard RMS Queen Mary 2.