Did you know that Southampton is the port from which the Titanic embarked on it's fateful journey??? Made me a little nervous to know we were going to be sailing from the very same port....but I digress...our first stop on our journey was Southampton...it was both the home port for the Independence of the Seas and the home of our new, dear friends, Anthony and Ann. Anthony and Ann are close friends of a couple in the group we were traveling with. Anthony helped us with our travel arrangements from Heathrow to Southampton, got us a great rate at the local hotel, and was an absolutely warm and gracious host to our traveling troup!!! Anthony warned us before we got to England that the weather had turned and was quite cold and wet...good "pub weather"!!! Hence our first group stop...
I'll bet you thought that the Duke of Wellington was a person...
We spent our first wet and cold afternoon snug in this pub getting acquainted while enjoying a pint or two!!!
With the weather as wet and windy as it was, there was limited opportunity for photography...but I managed to catch a shot of this clock tower that was near our hotel...
Rainy and windy again...we happened on this fab pub...the Red Lion is the oldest pub in England...or so the barkeep told us...according to our friend Anthony...every city in England claims the oldest pub in England!!!
I took a quick break from the pub to catch the last light for some photos...Just down the street from the Red Lion was this bombed out church...Southampton was heavily bombed during WWII...
Back to the pub!!! The barkeep also told us that King James held court in this very room...with the highest ceilings of any pub in England....
Awww, c'mon Anthony...you mean King James held court in pubs in every city too????
Next stop...Winchester England...see you soon!!!
Great photos Kathy, thanks for your kind comments. We also made some new very good friends. Anthony & Ann x
ReplyDeleteHi Kathy,
ReplyDeleteWell you're off to a great start, soon you will have visited every pub in every town. Good luck with that. Nice photo's, I love the old architecture.
I think you did remarkably well with so many visits to the pub under your belt!! :) Rain in merry old England. Imagine that!!
ReplyDeleteI love going along on your trip.
V
So glad you and Ann stopped by Anthony! Thank you again for such a wonderful visit. And Ann...a special thanks for such a lovely evening at your home...your hospitality rocks!!!
ReplyDeleteDD...thought you might like my pub shots!!!
Hey Virginia!!! Yeah...rain in merry old England...goes right along with the all those snug little pubs!!!
My kind of vacation! Gosh, I love an English pub and those steak and kidney pies.
ReplyDeleteBeen to London but spent most of my time in theatres and museums. I think you might have had a better time??!! Love the claims that locals make about their landmarks...happens all over the world!
ReplyDeleteMy first visit to London I saw King Richard III...not the most exciting play...my second visit to London we went to the Prince Albert Hall and saw a concert honoring Lonnie Donnegan, a Skiffle musician...much like our bluegrass combined with a bit of rock n roll...Van Morrison, Elton John, Joe Cocker were just some of the musicians in the concert!!! This time was only a two day visit, and it rained the whole time...but darn, it was warm and cozy in those pubs!!!
ReplyDelete