30.8.2015 On my way to Whitefish

Despite the movements of the train I somehow managed to sleep but woke up

quite early at around 6:00. Morning hasn’t broken yet so a little lay-in was more

then appropriate.  

Peaking a little later through the curtains the first small rays of sunshine tried to

break through the clouds. After a shower and some steps into the dining car

where breakfast was already served.

Overnight the train passed through Minnesota into North Dakota. Wide plains with

farms and sparsely populated.Passing through ND we reached the Missouri River

and followed this at this point small river for a while and entered into Montana.

Clocks had to be switched back by another hour. Mountain Time!

Huge cattle farms could be seen on both sides of the train track. 

The Empire Builder doesn’t have many stops, most of them just for a two-three

minutes to let passenger get on board or detrain ( as they say in this part of the world ).

Finally we reached the beginnings of the Montana Mountains and train started slowly to gain

altitude. East Glacier Park Station was reached and boarding passengers told us about

the fires in the park and that a few days ago the train was delayed by up-to 14 hours.

Travelling slowly into the mountains one could occasionally still see smoke lingering over

the trees. Fortunately it had rained the previous night so that the Park Rangers had opened

the roads again for the public. Let’s see how things develop.

We reached the top altitude after sun-set and made our way to West Park Glacier Station 

and onwards to Whitefish in the dark.

Finally the train reached Whitefish with about 15 min delay.

Considering the travelled distance from Chicago of 1626 miles almost on time.

Luggage was unloaded very quickly and my car rental agent had all the papers ready so

that I could set off quickly for my motel.

After last nights moving sleeping experience I will sleep like a log !

 

29.8.2015 Train journey Chicago - Whitefish ( Montana )

Having arrived at Union Station I made may way directly to the Amtrak check-in counter

to get rid of my luggage.  I will see it again at the end of my journey in Whitefish.

As there was still plenty of time till departure I explored Union Station. A great building

with a imposing waiting hall but unfortunately I shadow of its former train glory. These days

the old hall is hardly used but new facilities are used instead. This used to be the main US

railway hub as almost all train lines began or ended here. A great shame.

Anyway. The time till departure passed and at about 40 min before departure my train was

called for embarkation: "Train 7/27 The Empire Builder”, consisting of two parts: the 7 to Seattle

and the 27 to Portland. Both on track 19.

My coach, no. 730, almost at the head of the train, just behind the dining car. Convenient !

My rosette situated on the first floor of the double-decker coaches was found quickly and my few items

unpacked.

On time we left Chicago and the conductor came to check the ticket followed by the dining car

steward for the dinner seating.

The train made his way first to the north . Several stops for picking up passengers and we reached Milwaukee

where the train headed into an north-westerly direction toward St.Paul-Minneapolis.

At 6:45 pm my seating was called for dinner. People are seated on an community basis, meaning the steward

places people upon arrival to get full four seated tables. A very social way and the people are all very communatiive

and very quickly lively discussions are starting.

Dinner is a la carte and three course. A nice glass of Pinot Grigio accompanied my salmon followed by strawberry

cheesecake and a good cup of coffee.

In the twilight we reached LaCrosse from where on the train followed for quite some time the Mississippi 

before reaching at around 9:50 pm St.Paul-Minneapolis. 20 minute stop, enough time to stretch my legs on the

platform and go to bed after boarding.

Good night !

My train itinary

28.-29.8.2015 Chicago Departure

On Friday evening we met with some friends of Sandra’s for dinner in Oak Park

for an very enjoyable last evening in Chicago. After a good dinner and some beer

and wine we said good-bye and retired for a good nights sleep.

Saturday started very dull and rainy so that it was not very hard to say good-bye to

the windy city

We both enjoyed a bit a bigger breakfast then usual because of the journeys ahead of us:

Sandra to the east, I to the west.

Again good-byes with the promise not to wait another 4 years for a visit.

A cab whizzed me to downtown Chicago to Union Station where ( thank God ! ) I could

already check-in my bags for my 2:15 pm departure to Whitefish/Montana. The Amtrak

steward, as it turned out, was from Whitefish and gave me some very useful tips and

suggested his favourite steak joint. Let’s see.

First I have an interesting train ride in front of me. 

Scheduled arrival time of train "7/27 The Empire Builder” is on Sunday at 8:56 pm Mountain time.

 

 

28.8.2015 Exploring Chicago

The forecast promised very warm weather for today but it turned out a bit dull and overcast at times.

Fortunately it was still very warm so that our usual outdoor breakfast was on the agenda before

heading into town. 

Today the area north of the Chicago River was on the agenda but with a little detour via the downtown

Rockery building, one of the many marvels of Chicago architecture where Frank Lloyd Wright was at one

point in time involved.

After we ticked this item of on our “To-Do” list we walked leisurely up Michigan Avenue across the river

to reach the famous ( infamous ? ) Chicago shopping mile: “The Magnificent Mile”.

Passing by the old Chicago Tribune building we marvelled the various stone inserts from buildings all over

the world which the various Tribune correspondents had to bring back from their missions and which had been

incorporated into the outside walls of the building.

Finally we reached the Water Tower Plaza with the John Hancock Tower. No, we didn’t climb the 1632 stairs

to the 94th floor observation deck. The view was fantastic !

27.8.2015 Exploring Chicago

Weather forecast: sunny with temperatures in the upper 70th F.

Ideal to make the trip into downtown Chicago.

After a hearty breakfast in a nice place around the corner from our motel we headed to the train station to

catch a train into Chicago. We had already decided the previous day to get tickets for a narrated boat trip

on the Chicago river, offered by the Architectural Foundation. Lucky as we are we got two spaces and

after a short wait it started. For the next 1 ½ hours we leisurely passed alongside the old and modern

buildings developed by famous architects like for example Mies van der Rohe and others. Converted

icehouses from the mid 20th, skyscrapers resembling greek temples to super modern structures. Everything

is available and makes this cities interesting.

Being on-shore again me strolled towards Millennium Park to enjoy the various art structures and the 

millennium fountains with their imaginative displays. Highlight was the “Bean” ( thats the nickname given by the people of

Chicago ) by the British Designer Amish Kapoor. A gigantic polished steel bean mirroring the surrounding buildings.

Fantastic.

Using the elevated train system we travelled around the “Loop” to do sightseeing on the “first floor” before catchng

a train back to Oak Park. We wanted to be back in time for this evenings street festival.

After a fun game of croquet in Mills Park we strolled into Oak Park to enjoy a nice dinner, a jazz music and later on Reggea.

Tables and chairs on the main Oak Park Street, lots of people in all ages: FUN !

26.8.2015 Oak Park ( suburb of Chicago )

After a refreshing shower and a nice ( home-made ) breakfast ( our motel room has a fridge and

a microwave ) we left the motel.

On the agenda today: visiting the cemetery where Sandra’s grand-parents are buried and the place

where they lived and her grand-pa was a minister.

After an about 50 min long drive we reached the Memorial Park Cemetery in Skokie. A very helpful

lade in the cemeteries reception could tell us where precisely the graves can be found. Sandra wanted

to see them because she was here a long time ago.

Thanks again to our GPS system we also found the old house of her grand-parents on Le Moyne Parkway

and the old church where her grand-pa was once a minister.

Having ticked all the boxes on her wish-list we headed back to Oak Park to explore the Frank Lloyd Wright

House and Studio.

He was ( and still is ) one of the great American Architects and had his very own style: the prairie house style

with clear lines and warm colours. A guide showed us around the house which shown many of his style

features. 

Near the house are many buildings once developed by him and make a walk through this beautiful part of

Oak Park even more interesting.

Walking back to our motel we decided to watch a movie in the local cinema and bought the tickets straightaway.

Whats shown on the big screen tonight ? “Mr. Holmes"

I shall report more.

25.8.2015 Driving to Chicago

Weather ideal for travelling: not to hot ( temperature in the mid 70 F ) but a bit overcast.

Having done all our chores in Birmingham we hit the road at around 11:30 am.  Leaving

the Detroit traffic behind us we reached I-94 West some time later.

From here on it was a smooth ride in a western direction only interrupted by a pit stop

close to the Michigan / Indiana border to fill up gas and have a coffee with a cherry cake.

Traffic started to to thicken when we reached the vicinity of Chicago but thanks to Sandra's

GPS system ( on loan from very good friends of hers ) we managed to drive through the Chicago

traffic without any problem and didn’t even miss any of the turns we had to take.

At around 4:30 pm we reached Oak Park and our motel. 

Unpacking was the first on the agenda before we started a walk through downtown Oak Park to

stretch our legs and indulge a great ice-cream at “Coldstone Creamerie”: French Vanilla mixed with

roasted hazelnuts.

Delightfull !

I will definitely have another one whilst we are here.

24.8.2015 Last Day with my Cousin in Birmingham

Good times fly !

Today is my last day in Birmingham, MI and we decided that it should be a quite day.

Sandra dropped me in downtown Birmingham, a very walkable city, as she had to pop

into work a some time. I roamed around, took some pictures before walking leasurely

back home ( home ? o.k it was for the last couple of days ) to relax in Sandra’s garden

posting today’s blog post.

Later the laundry of the last few days needs to be done ( including mine ! ) so that we can

drive off tomorrow morning to Chicago. An 5 ½ hours long drive which we fortunately can

share.

PS: In case you have forgotten: you can track my tour in much more detail by pointing your

browser to: http://trackmytour.com/lCFvw

 

My cousins house

22.8.-23.8.2015 Birmingham, MI

Two great days full of events  with my cousin.

Saturday: Friends of Sandra ( Vivianne and Dalen ) popped in later in the morning and together we

drove through the tunnel over to Windsor ( Canada ). It’s right next to Maidstone in Essex. Yes you

are reading this correctly. My British friends will be confused but in this part of the world Maidstone is

in Essex.

South of Windsor in Amhurstburg we roamed around the old British Fort Malden which was once build

to protect Canada from the US, an event which never happened. Amhurstburg is a lovely town with

beautiful little picturesque buildings where we also had lunch before returning to Windsor. The Queen

Elizabeth Gardens have been worth a visit before driving back into the US. 

A short detour brought us to the Belle Isle, an island in the Detroit River which connects Lake St.Clair

with Lake Erie. Belle Isle is a 982 acre state park with lots of recreational possibilities for the citizens of

Detroit.

Sunday: Wake up early as after an 45 minutes drive Sandra and I attended the early morning church

service at St.John’s Episcopal Church. In the columbarium of the church both my uncle and aunt are

burried. Being right around the corner from St.John’s we explored the gigantic Detroit Tigers Stadium

and the nearby Fox Theatre, a huge 1920 cinema and theatre building with a fantastic Art Deco facade.

Having headed back to Birmingham to have lunch in a lovely place called appropriately “Toast” for breakfast

or rather Brunch.

Full with new energy the “Henry Ford Museum” was next on the list. This huge in- and outdoor museum

exhibits not only all the airplanes, cars and lorries used or still is producing. IN an outdoor part original historical

buildings like for example Abe Lincoln courthouse, a Cotswold Cottage and other are open to be explored.

As Ford was a close friend of Thomas Edison his Menlo Park engineering sheds and the first power station

are open to be visited. For me it was a bit like walking on memory Lane on this was the first US museum I

visited together with my uncle way back in 1976 during my first visit of the US.

Dark clouds started appearing on the sky so we walked quickly back to our car and reached home just in time.

The rest of day was spent relaxing on the porch with a refreshing drink on hand.

 

20.-21.8.2015 Birmingham, MI

Having great days with my cousin !

Each day we left after a leisurely breakfast to walk a bit on memory lane and due some chores like

returning books at the library in downtown Birmingham. Yes, Birmingham still has a walkable down-

town with a nice park just in front of the city hall, nice shops and, I couldn’t believe it, some really

nice street cafes. No Starbucks in downtown Birmingham !

On Friday Sandra had to pop into work for an hours so she dropped me at the really posh Somerset

Mall where I roamed around for the time. Whilst there are some very local shops most of the others

if not all are ones we have in the UK as well. The world becomes more and more uniform.

After this little excursion I was picked up by my cousin and we drove to Meadowbrook Hall, the

former home of the Dodge family. The Dodge brothers  started as a supplier to the automobile industry but

started building cars in 1915. After their sudden death in 1920 the company was sold and ended up with

Chrysler which is now a part of FIAT.

The home was build as a typical english country house and is bigger then the White House in Washinton

( thats at least what the guide told us ) and is surrounded by lovely gardens.

So far the days have been blessed with very nice weather: blue sky and lots of sunshine with temperatures

around 27-28 C. Very pleasant.

Lets see what we are going to do over the weekend. Check back !

19.8.2015 Arrival in N.Y. and transfer to Detroit

Before the crack of dawn, at 3:45 to be precise, my alarm woke me up.

Reason: I wanted to be on deck when we reached New York. It was still dark

but slowly the Verrazano Narrow Bridge which connects Staten Island with Long Island

appeared in front of us. The QM 2 crawled very slowly between the lights which mark

the Ambrose Channel. It was breathtaking when the ship went under bridge. The clearing

between the funnel and the bridge is about 3-4 meters only. Sailing on we passed the

Statue of Liberty on the port side and the skyline of Lower Manhattan in front of us. New York

from a completely different point of view. Simply fantastic !

Breakfast was served today much earlier and after the scenic centric into New York and with

a long day in front of me a nice breakfast was on the agenda. With my embarkation slot about

1 ½ ahead of me plenty of time to enjoy this.

Resume of my crossing: I WILL DO IT AGAIN.

                                       The experience was great and beyond my expectation.

 

My time came and I could disembark at around 9:00. In the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal ones luggage

was available by disembarkation slot number and could be found easily. With my suitcase in hand

I proceeded to a long but moving queue for the immigration procedure. All in all it took about 30 minutes

to get everything done and friendly Cunard staff guided us to the waiting coaches, in my case for

La Guardia.

A bit lengthy commute through the morning New York rush hours but some time later La Guardia was

reached. Fortunately I could get rid of my luggage despite the fact my flight was scheduled to leave only

at 16:57. It was a boring wait but finally the time of departure arrived. AS I spend the extra Dollar I could

board my plane first, settled down and of we went. Two hours later I touched down in Detroit Wayne Metro

Airport where my cousin was already waiting. After more then 4 years it was an emotional welcome for

both of us.

Reaching her has the Berlin flag was already out greeting me.

The rest of the day we both spend exchanging news and I dropped shortly after midnight in my bed.

18.8.2015 & 19.9.2015 At Sea En Route To New York

From todays nautical information made available to passengers in the “Daily Programme”:

“During the Day QM 2 shall steer firstly a south westerly course, crossing over Brown Banks,

then Georges Banks. We will then sail a westerly rhumb line course to New York, southeast

of Nantucket Island and enter the westbound traffic line leading to New York.

By 3:45 tomorrow ( 19.9. ) morning we will be entering the Sandy Hook pilot boarding area,

marking the traditional end of the Atlantic passage. A local harbour pilot will board at this

position, assisting us through the Ambrose Channel and underneath the Verrazano Narrows

Bridge, which our funnel will clear by approximately 4 meters. We then manoeuvre to come

alongside Brooklyn’s Red Hook Terminal for 6:30, opposite Governors Island."

It was a gorgeous day whereby it didn’t look like this initially. After my gym routine at around 7:00

it was still very foggy and breeze and only about 1 ½ later it started clearing up turning then to

bright sunshine with a very moderate wind.

The perfect setting for a last day at sea or a last full day on the QM 2.

Some deckchair lounging to get the sun tan even darker. Whilst doing this a whale was passing,

jumping out of the water. Unfortunately I couldn’t get my phone out that quickly to take that picture.

Disembarkation luggage labels have been delivered to my stateroom together with precise details

how and when to disembark. Quite a logistic challenge for the crew as 2760 passengers have to

disembark in N.Y. Luggage needs to be packed and put in front of ones room tonight by latest midnight.

So far the disembarkation details.

Three events have been highlights for me:

- meet the captain Kevin Oprey for a book signing event. I bought a book about QM 2 which he signed

  with a personal message

- attended a very interesting lecture about the QM 2 whereby I learned that in addition to the mentioned

  number of passengers a crew of 1245 is taking care of the ship and it passengers. Amazing.

  I also learned that the official name of the ship is “ RMS Queen Mary 2 “. RMS being the abbreviation

  for “Royal Mail Ship”, a title the QM 2 inherited from the original QM which was carrying mail at the time

  for the Royal Mail. QM 2 is still having it’s own postmark and the typical Royal Mail Letterbox is standing

  in the Grand Lobby.

- before enjoying for the last time dinner in the Britannia Restaurant I enjoyed a pre-dinner show in the 

  ship’s Royal Court Theatre featuring the Roal Cunard Singers and Dancers and the instrumentalist

  Michael Grant. A perfect event to finish the day.

But stop: first of all: packing and making the luggage ready for been taken away tonight.

Then:  changing the clock back by one hours and setting the alarm for 3:45 

Why: I want to be on deck to see us sailing under the bridge, followed by passing the Statue of Liberty

of the port side and finally reaching the terminal.

Breakfast at 6:30 and then I will make my way to my assembly point to be ready for my disembarkation

slot of 8:40 followed by immigration and customs procedures.

A shuttle bus will then get me straight to La Guardia from where I will be catching a flight to Detroit.

Good night !

17.8.2015 In The Port Of Halifax - Birthplace of Sir Samuel Cunard

From todays nautical information made available to passengers in the “Daily Programme”:

“Late last night QM 2 passed 21 nautical miles north of Sable Island as we set a course

towards the Halifax pilot station where we will board our local pilot this morning”.

 

The day started again very misty and windy but when the pilot boarded the QM 2 around 9:30

it started clearing up and the closer we got to the mainland the better it got.

Today I had “only” three cultural highlights:

- sail-in to Halifax harbour

- walking tour through Halifax

- sail-out of Halifax

We arrived at around 11:30 at Pier 21 and it was amazing to see how gently and precise the

whole process to steer the ship to the right spot. The Cunard Tour department did a great job 

to get all the people who booked a tour ashore. Fortunately we didn’t have to go through Canadian

immigration. A local guide walked us through the old part of Halifax which was founded 1749. Samuel 

Cunard, the founder of Cunard lines was born in Halifax and his statue is just in front of the sea

terminal.

All aboard was at 18:30 and with a slight delay we left. A breathtaking turn of the ship in the harbour

around a little island brought in the right direction to leave Halifax harbour whilst the sun set.

500 something nautical miles to New York.

No time change tonight.

16.8.2015 At Sea en Route to Halifax

Shortly after I posted yesterdays blog the captain announced via the ships public

address system that the search for the missing crew member was unsuccessful and has been stopped

due to the fog and the henceforth very bad visibility. A sad occurrence of this trip.

 

From todays nautical information made available to passengers in the “Daily Programme”:

"After completing our great circle track QM 2 will initially set a westerly course, passing to 

the north of the final resting place of the infamous White Star liner Titanic, which lies

in position 41(o) 43’ North 049(o) 56’ West, before altering to the North West towards

Sable Island. Our track will take app. 26 nautical miles north of the crescent shaped island

as we set course towards the Halifax pilot station"

This schedule is due to the search for the crew member delayed by abut 6-8 hours and in

todays noon nautical information announcement the captain mentioned that instead of reaching

Halifax tomorrow morning at around 5:30 local time it will nowbe around noon. The delay is also

impacted by very strong headwinds despite the fact that the QM 2 is steaming ahead at almost

max speed of 23 knots.

 

Live on board is impacted by the outside weather as well. Till the very early hours of this

afternoon thick fog impacted visibility and the strong winds made a leisurely stroll on the promenade

deck a challenge.

Fortunately they have a fantastic daily programme which had the following for me in store:

- a Line Dance Class

- a keynote “Piracy and Terror in the 21st century” by Douglas R.Burgess

- Cinema: “Hot Pursuit” with Reese Witherspoon. 

Also the culinary events are worth mentioning: Sea Food Dinner tonight. Lobster, shrimps, mussels etc.etc.

I enjoyed a large glass of Pinot Grigio with this feast.

Again we have to switch the clocks back tonight. Should now be GMT - 3.

 

A little side note: whilst internet connectivity is possible it is not like at home.The signal goes from the ship

to a satellite 22’000 miles above the earth. The data then bounces down to an earth routing station where

once request goes into the world. The response takes the same 22’000 mile route back. This means that the

online minutes one has to buy are been used rather quickly by just getting and answering emails.

Please keep this in mind should you have send me emails since I left Southampton. I will reply as soon as I 

reached the mainland.

Hence I have only updated this blog and the journey map.

15.8.2015 At Sea en Route To Halifax

From todays nautical information made available to passengers in the “Daily Programme”:

"Today we will pass over the Grand Banks of Newfoundland where the water rapidly shallows 

from over 3000 metres to less than 60 meters in parts. The Grand Banks form part of the 

continental shelf extending from Newfoundland and North America. Known for both its

abundance of marine life as well as infamous patches of “low lying clouds”." 

This was the agenda for today which started rather foggy and windy.

Unfortunately the nautical plan for today changed later in the morning completely when 

a staff member was called via the public address system several times. Then the captain

announced that the crew member has been searched for  without success and is deemed 

to be over board. The QM 2 would therefore reverse to a position the ship had earlier today.

In the early afternoon the captain informed the passengers that in conjunction with Cunards

emergency team and the Canadian Coast Guard when would reverse a bit further and then 

with the help of a nearby ship do a structured search until sunset By the time I am writing this

daily blog this search wasn’t completed yet.

On my map you can only see the positions we had at around 8:30 this morning and at 17:30.

Please check back tomorrow the get the latest.

Nevertheless the available time on board I spend attending

- a speech by Ambassador Chase Untermeyer about “Inside the White House. A virtual tour.” and

- an interview of Dr. Robert Gates ( former US Defence Secretary ) which gave some interesting

  insights about the foreign policy of the US or rather their partly non existence.

- The cultural highlight today was opera “ Carmen”. A 3D screening of an Royal Opera House 

   production in 7.1 Dolby Stereo. A fantastic experience before dinner.

I closed the day in the on-board “Golden Lion” pub with a nice pint of “Old Speckled Hen” brewed

by my very local Kentish brewer Shepherds Neame.

Tonight we are again switching the clocks back by one hour.

 

 

 

14.8.2015 At Sea en Route To Halifax

From todays nautical information made available to passengers in the “Daily Programme”:

“During the early hours of this morning QM 2 continued on her great circle track towards the

Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Our track this evening will take us over some of the deepest

sections of the Atlantic itself with soundings in this area of more than 4500 metres or 2.5 miles.

QM 2 will also pass the Flamish Cap later on this evening, a shallow of about 102 metres in the

otherwise 3500 metre deep ocean floor."

The day started slightly foggy, wet and with winds in gale force. Again: thanks to the ships

stabilisers the movement if very very moderate. Still now motion sickness tablets necessary.

Due to the weather conditions I spend a bit more time in the gym and explored after a nice

( but healthy breakfast ) the ships library. More then 10’000 books are available to be loaned out 

or read in the very ambient surroundings of the library.

Nevertheless other entertaining and cultural events I enjoyed today:

- A fruit and vegetable carving demonstration by three of the ships chefs. 

- Two lectures: “The Golden Age of Piracy Part 2” by Dr. Douglas R. Burgess and the most

   interesting one “Middle East: The Past is Present” by the former US ambassador to Quatar

   Chase Untermeyer. He give some very interesting insight about the past’s influence of toadys

   situation in the Middle East. Many things eye-opening.

- After two formal nights ( formal as far as the dress code in concerned ) in the ships main restaurant

  today was informal, still requiring a jacket for the gentlemen, cocktail dress, stylish separates or

  equivilent for ladies. So I decided to participate in this very stylish surrounding. As an appetiser 

  I enjoyed a pre-dinner show in the ships theatre: “Swing, Swing, Swing” featuring the multi-instrumentalist

 Michael Grant and the Cunards Royal Court Theatre Orchestra. A wonderful blend of pieces by Benny

 Goodman, Acker Bilk, Paul Desmond and Gershwin. 

 This was followed by a great dinner. I choose a somewhat traditional English fair: Mulligatawny soup,

 Roast Beef with horse-radish source and as pudding Eaton Mess. A wonderful Merlot made this even

 more enjoyable.

 After a short walk back to my room: lights out.

 Let’s see what there is on the agenda for tomorrow.

 BTW: Tonight we do NOT have to switch the clocks back.

13.8.2015 At Sea en Route To Halifax

From todays nautical information made available to passengers in the “Daily Programme"

( distributed to ones stateroom):

"The initial stages of our voyage across the North Atlantic Ocean will have taken us from the

Southern coast of England and out into the Celtic Sea on a great circle. Additionally during 

the afternoon we will be crossing over the Maxwell Fracture Zone, which is a large undersea

mountain range forming part of the Mid Atlantic Ridge. Here, depth can shallow out to less

then 1000 meters before deepening again quickly to over 3000 meters."

The day started very dull. Lots of clouds and and very windy. Gale force is mentioned in the

on-board TV meteo. Thanks to the ships size and stabilisers the movement if very very moderate.

No motion sickness pills yet.

After 10 a.m. the sun came out and bit a sheltered sunbathing was possible.

What else did I do today:

- Gym of course whereby lots of steps have to be climbed in getting from floor to floor.

- Two very keynote speeches:

  “The Golden Age of Piracy Part 1” by Prof.Douglas R. Burgess jr. and, this was the most

  interesting one, a speech by Dr.Robert Gates, former US Defence Secretary under the Bush

  and Obama administration, about his experiences under both presidents and his views on the

way America’s government - White House, cabinet agencies and Congress - works and too

often does not work. Brilliant experience !

- Cinema: “Second Best Marigold Hotel” with Maggie Smith, Judy Dench, Bill Nighy etc.

  I ave already seen it but enjoyed the movie even the second time.

- Shownight in the ships very own “Royal Theatre”; Viva Italia, featuring The Royal Cunard Singers

and Dancers. Very good and a fantastic event to close the day.

 

Another daily experience if the testing of the ships whistles: every day at noon they are been tested,

all four of them separately and then together. Quite a sounding experience.

The picture is the daily midday navigation communication made available.

 

Again we have to switch the clocks back by one hour before retiring.

12.8.2015 First day on sea

From todays nautical information made available to passengers in the “Daily Programme"

( distributed to ones stateroom):

"After disembarking our Southampton pilot yesterday evening, QM 2 sailed into the English

Channel and set westerly courses paralleling the southern English coast. During the

evening QM 2 passed south of the Bill of Portland  and Start Point. By the early hours of

the morning we will be to the South of Bishop Rock, marking the traditional start of the

transatlantic passage towards our destination of Halifax."

The day started with bright sunshine which lasted the whole day. A light breeze and a

temperature of 19-20 C made it a very pleasant day.

What did I do today ? 

- Exploring the ship. 10 decks !

- Keynote speech about “The UK-US Special Relationship” by the former US Ambassador

  in Quatar Chase Untermeyer

- Classical Piano Recital with pieces by Mozart, Chopin, Bach and Rachmaninoff

- Movie at the ship’s cinema: The Furious Seven” 

- Exercised in the gym

- Sunbathing in a deckchair

Finished the day in the “Golden Lion Pub” …….

First day was a great ! Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

 

Departure Day

Well on time I arrived at Southampton Central Station to be treated by the Cunard shuttle service

which brought me straight to the Ocean Terminal.

Immediately on arrival once luggage was taken away from you. It appeared later in your cabin ( Cunard

calls them stateroom ).

After a short wait the very efficient check-in process turned to me. Passport was checked, Health

Declaration completed and, most importantly my credit card details stored.

Having received  my ID-Card the next step was securities check. Like on an airport.

Finally I was able to board the ship.

Wow !

I will publish some pictures during the next days.

17:00 All Aboard. The gangway is raised and shortly afterwards the Queen Mary 2 sails for Halifax, a

distance of 2601 nautical miles.

( 1 nautical mile equals 1.15 statute miles, or 1.85 km ).

Dinner was at 18:00 in the Britannia Restaurant. Nice people at my table ( with bad table manners [ Americans ! ] ,

fantastic food and a great wine selection ( at cost, soft drinks are free ).

By the time dinner had finished the ship was out of the solent and the Isle of Wight was visible on the horizon.

Too late for the on-board cinema or the show I retired after this already exciting day to my room to write todays blog

post.

The day has come

Departure Day !

Things are packed, house is locked down : I am ready and excited.

11:02 I am leaving from Sidcup Station for Southampton for my embarkation 

slot at 14:00.

 

Stay tuned