2019 - London

London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

IF YOU are at all a student of geography, you are probably asking right now: "how do you get to London on a Cruise Ship?" The short answer is: You Don't!

The White Cliffs of Dover, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

A LONGER, more convoluted answer is that - from a cruise ship - we probably shouldn't have (at least not the way we did it). I think London works best in the context of a cruise if you spend some time there either before or after the cruise (and probably the best cruise point for that is Southampton). But in this case, our port stop was Dover, on the far southeast corner of England on the English Channel. There were a couple days "at sea" between our departure from Cobh and arrival at Dover. There is little doubt that Dover is an important British seaport, both currently and historically. The narrowest point on the English Channel is between Dover and Calais, France. As such, Dover is a major transit hub for travelers coming into England. Historically, the struggle between the two European powers: England and France, was often centered on these two important ports, with control of both cities sometimes trading back and forth.

Staircase at St. Pancras often used as a movie set - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

HAVING NOW been to Dover twice, I have to say there isn't a huge amount of tourist-attracting features there though. It is not one of my favorites, but it is apparently a convenient stop for the cruise lines. It is not that there is absolutely nothing to do. Just not much to "write home about." There are the famous "white [limestone] cliffs." There is Dover Castle, and the tunnels that were used by soldiers in both world wars. And there is a quaint, tiny little town with some fun little pubs and cold beer. That's about it.

St. Pancras Railroad Station and Hotel - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

ON OUR second time in Dover, we stayed local and toured Dover Castle, which really is an interesting and enjoyable spot. Another time, I might venture the 15 miles out of town to Canterbury and indulge in some English history. But generally, stops in Dover are short, on the way to or from one of the more major cruise ports like Southampton, or Amsterdam. For whatever reason, our port time on this cruise was a something like 10 hours. We had never been to London, and thought this might be our opportunity to check it out, so we booked train tickets and took the 60 mile trip to London, where we had booked a guided tour for our time in London. We had nearly 4 hours of travel to and from London. With the time it takes to get off the ship and get to the rail station - and then to get back to the ship from the station, that didn't leave much time to see London. 20/20 hindsight: I wouldn't recommend it.

St. Bartholomew's Church - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

OUR GUIDE met us at the St. Pancras railroad station (a direct train between London and Dover). The Victorian, red brick, Gothic Revival style building is super-impressive. It may be one of the most notable buildings in London - where there are many such sights. It is so immense it is also difficult to photograph.

Tower Bridge - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

OUR TOUR was actually kind of abbreviated, and was a specialty tour (though we didn't realize that is what we had booked until we reviewed the booking later). As such, we were not scheduled to see some of the "must see" stuff in the city, like the Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, and many other notables. Only by us cajoling our guide/driver, did we ultimately get him to make stops at the Tower Bridge and Buckingham Palace (and only very quick ones). I didn't really make any "keeper" images of Buckingham. I did get a few quick shots off of the Tower Bridge, from a perspective it is not usually shot from (so there is that). Given the perspective, even with my widest angle lens, there was a lot of distortion. The image here was made only after hours of work in Photoshop with its perspective correction tool. But I am pretty happy with the result. Tower Bridge is often mistaken for the fabled "London Bridge." The original old London Bridge was a stone arch bridge that lived on the Thames for some 600 years (1209 - 1832). Many old shops stood on the bridge. By the 19th century the bridge was decrepit was replaced by a newer, similar stone arch bridge designed by architect John Rennie ("The Rennie Bridge"), and the original medieval bridge was torn down. But alas, by the 1900s, it was discovered that the Rennie Bridge was sinking about an inch every 8 years and eventually, a newer bridge was built. The Rennie Bridge was purchase and demoed by a private citizen from the U.S. and brought to Lake Havasu, Arizona, where it stands today. The newest "London Bridge" is, I can assure you, very boring (but still the main intercourse across the Thames in London. From its wide pedestrian sidewalks, though, you can get a great view of the much more impressive Tower Bridge.

Britain's Royal Courts of Justice - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

AT SOME point in our tour, our guide discovered that I was an attorney, and being right there on Fleet Street, he insisted on showing us the Royal Courts of Justice. The primarily Gothic building is immense, stylish, and imposing. We were able walk inside, but no photographry is allowed in there, so the best I could do was to try to capture the exterior.

The London Eye - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

OUR FORMAL tour ended shortly after that, but my wife - ever the travel expert - had a surprise for us that she had held off until later. Fortunately our guide dropped us off along the river and we were but a short distance from one of the modern wonders of London: The London Eye, and she had booked us an appointment to ride it. The London Eye is a huge, ferris wheel with large, enclosed pods instead of the typical small, open seats you find at amusement parks. The pods are mostly plexiglass, and the wheel towers high above the city for some amazing views. There are only a couple other places in the city where you can see it from so high above, so this was a treat. Unfortunately, with the impurities, thickness, wear, and the bright reflective sunlight on the plexiglass, it is a challenge to make "keeper" photos. I did shoot a few, and again with the workhorse assistance of Photoshop, have been able to render a few presentable images. The view - photo or not - is simply spectacular. I strongly recommend that you book a time and take advantage of it. The opening image above, looking down on the Elizabeth Tower (often mistakenly referred to as "Big Ben," which is just the clock housed in the tower). The image below is of the Blackfriars Railroad Bridge; one of several bridges that span the Thames in London.

Blackfriars Railroad Bridge across the Thames - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2019 - All Rights Reserved

OUR TIME in London had came to an end all too soon, and we had to hurry to the St. Pancras station, and our train back to Dover. This is, of course, a blog primarily about cruising. I will double down on my comment at the beginning. A cruise stop is simply not a good way to see London. The city is immense and intense. Since this cruise we have spent a week in London two different times and we still feel like we have barely scratched the surface. It is a must see in your lifetime destination. But you really must book a hotel in the city as your "headquarters," and see it from there. That doesn't mean you cannot do it in conjunction with a cruise, however. Many cruises come and go out of the port of Southampton, which is only about an hour plus or minus drive from London by car, and only slightly longer by train. Both of our week long stays in London have preceded cruises out and back from Southampton.