Southampton

 Yesterday (Saturday), the drive to Southampton went smoothly.  There was little to see along the route, alas, as the highway was lined with trees or tall hedges until we got into Southampton.  We dropped our bags at the hotel, and the clerk advised us of some options for sightseeing and dinner.

One option that sounded interesting, but out of our comfort zone, was to take the nearby ferry to the Isle of Wight.  I mention it in case a future visitor feels more intrepid!  Charlie was leery of a ferry ride over potentially rough water.  Instead, we just walked around the area. It was quite chilly, in the 50s with a strong breeze, so we donned wool sweaters under our jackets.  Meanwhile, many of the natives were wearing shorts and sundresses! 

We almost immediately found a huge mall, so had a nice lunch there, as we were starving.  We briefly walked through a Marks and Spencer (big department store), but otherwise people-watched and window shopped. I took this photo for Emily and Sydney to see, inside the mall.  

Our room was supposed to be ready at 3:00, so we returned to the hotel. The lobby was full of people and luggage, with a long line to check in, so we adjourned to the bar. I read on my iPad and finished a book before our room was ready.  Charlie had read ahead of time that the elevators at this Holiday Inn were tiny and slow, and previous travelers complained that it took ages to get downstairs with their (huge) bags the morning of departure.  So we cleverly packed just our overnight necessities into our backpacks and left our luggage stowed on the ground floor.  We can walk down the stairs, if necessary, this morning.

For dinner, we walked a short way to the Italian restaurant the hotel clerk recommended, Ennio’s.  It did not disappoint!  It was very charming, and both the food and the service were top-notch.

Our appetizers were a burrata salad and a bowl of seafood stew, both very good.  

Our entrees were both pasta dishes. Charlie chose one with clams, and I had a beef ragu.  

We highly recommend Ennio’s! They also have a few hotel rooms that are highly rated, so that’s something to consider for a future trip. Our hotel, though, is ideally located for this cruise.  Here’s the view from our room after a late sunset last night.

I was up in time to catch the arrival of our ship, Anthem of the Seas, coming into port. You can see that it will be just a short walk from the hotel to the cruise terminal.

After it docked, I took this photo so the grandkids (and grandkids-at-heart) can spot the giraffe perched on the top deck.

We are scheduled to board the ship at 11:30, so we’ll have a leisurely morning before we head downstairs and over to the City Cruise Terminal.  More later!