August 16, 2026

August 16, 2026

This morning our cruise ship returned to Southampton, UK at sunrise. We are up early with the time change. Since we didn’t pack cowboy boots for Western night, a tux for formal night, black and white clothes for eclipse night, and tropical dress for Caribbean night, we are able to do self-disembarkation. It is still a long walk with multiple lines and ramps. But that is what we get trying to get off a ship that is almost a quarter mile long and fifteen stories high. Surprisingly the UK customs is non-existent. A Brit in front of me made the snarky comment that they let anyone in now, which is causing lots of political issues for them just like the US.

We made a strategic error for today. We booked a hotel at Heathrow for the night before we checked out transportation. Surprisingly there are no direct trains from Southampton to the airport. Instead we take their National Express bus. It seems half the ship is coming with us. We also booked the least convenient airport Hilton. We arrived in Terminal 2&3, and had to take the Tube to Terminal 4. The Hilton exaggerated a little when they said they were at the Terminal. They (along with several others) are actually off-site, but they have a very long covered ramp connector. The hotel though is very nice and they let us check in early.

After dropping our bags, we caught the Tube into London. It takes more than an hour. Our first stop is to visit Tate Britain. Originally called the National Gallery of British Art, it got a new name with donations from Henry Tate (of Tate&Lyle sugar fame). We start at the beginning with the 1500’s where we see portraits with ladies in unwearable finery.

The Tate, like many museums, is a maze of unconnected rooms and we accidentally jump to the 1800’s. There is also a whole side wing devoted to William Turner and John Constable. Turner was a very successful landscape artist. I have never been a fan, but I always thought his blurry landscapes just reflected the smoggy reality of Victorian Britain. Possibly it was, but this atmospheric style was a precursor and influencer of the later French Impressionists who took it and made it a universal movement. Constable in trying to match Turner’s success made his landscapes much larger. That worked for him too.

The room I liked the best was the Pre-Raphaelites, a British movement I never heard of before. Around 1848, revolution was rocking Europe. In Britain, the new factory working class was fighting for the right to vote. Artists followed their lead and rejected the Royal Academy leadership. I am not sure what they rejected exactly but they focused on painting pretty girls in dreamy situations. What is not to like about that! Apparently I am not the only fan as the entrance to the museum has a large monument to Everett Millais gracing it. He was the primary founder of this brotherhood.

Aimee was moaning her way through the museum, but suddenly got interested when she saw a painting with a woman in a blue dress. The accompanying description said the Industrial Revolution not only dramatically decreased the cost of clothing but allowed new vibrant colors. All of a sudden women dressed for fashion instead of utility. To my dismay, Clothes Shopping became something all women could do.

To help us celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Independence, they have a room of related paintings. The collection included one of Ben Franklin, who spent time here in London trying to negotiate a peaceful resolution. He was run out of town just before our Declaration.

The Tate is having a special exhibition on James Whistler, the American who made it big in Europe. Or at least his Mother did. Unfortunately that ticket is very expensive and Aimee has had enough. Instead we Tube to ‘the city’ to have a late lunch at the Old Bank of England pub. We have Fish & Chips washed down with a pint of warm English Bitter. Afterwards we made the long journey back to our Heathrow Hotel.