August 10 - Holy Cow! We’re in Cowes

It’s an absolutely picture-perfect day here anchored off Cowes on the Isle of Wight.  I should catch up on my journey here to get on the Sojourn yesterday in Dover.  I think I mentioned that it was the first time in many years that I’ve flown in on the day a cruise began.  I won’t do it again!  I still can’t sleep on planes so I was exhausted by the time I got to the ship (around 3:30 PM).  For the first time in probably 30 years I’m in a cabin without a veranda,  and I have to say it’s actually very nice.  It’s exactly the same as what I've had on the last few cruises I’ve been on except it has a great big picture window.  I’ll see as I go along if I miss my own veranda.  My next cruises I’m going to be back in what I usually book.

When I arrived in Dover yesterday afternoon it was very windy and quite cold, but this morning we have 73°, sunshine and light breezes and the weather is supposed to stay this way for the next several days (fingers crossed).  Yesterday evening I ran into so many people I’ve sailed with before so it felt like old home week.  I stayed up for a welcome aboard dance party in the Club and actually managed to dance to a couple of songs, but then I was bushed and I had to go to bed.  I had a great night’s sleep; in fact, I only got up at 9:15 because someone called.  I’ve no idea who and no message was left so it couldn’t have been important.

This is my only photo of the White Cliffs of Dover as we sailed away.  That's Dover Castle sitting on top.

Cowes is a town on the north coast of the Isle of Wight which many of us have cruised past if we left from Southampton.  It’s separated from the mainland of the UK by the strait called the Solent and the English Channel lies to it’s south.  This is big sailing and boating country and I couldn’t help thinking when we tendered ashore that Al would have loved this place.  I tendered ashore late morning and walked around the little town.  It’s Sunday so most things were actually closed, but there were a few shops open with antiques and artwork.  I’m in the market for neither which was good.  One of the highlights of my walkabout was that I passed two couples walking schnauzers.  Naturally I had to stop and have a schmooze and a chat.  I do miss my dog but if I’m going to travel  it wouldn’t be fair to a dog to board her all the time.  

This and the next are the main street in Cowes.

The next photos are a couple of places along my walk I thought were absolutely charming.  One was the Union Inn.  Notice who is accepted at the Inn.  I walked by the Royal Lifeboat Building.  Lifeboats organizations are a big deal here in the UK.  They do many of the rescues of boaters in trouble, much like our Coast Guard.  I couldn't resist taking a photo of the lovely house with a fenced in garden along the way.  Finally the narrow alley leading down to the water captured my eye. 

Here's the Inn

and here's who the Inn welcomes.  I've never seen a place that welcomes goats and chickens

The Lifeboat Institute

Isn't this a pretty place?

The nice little alley

I did go into a lovely artisanal bakery and I was very tempted to buy something but I didn’t succumb to the temptation.  It was hard though because they had some of the most gigantic and luscious looking scones and cookies I’ve ever seen.  As I write this I’m thinking I should have given in to the urge; after all who knows when I’ll be back here.  Oh well!  Instead I came back and had an excellent salad prepared by Ricardo who I know from another cruise. That sounds like I’m being really good until I tell  you that after the salad I went to the pool bar and had the bartender there make me an adult milkshake with pineapple and coconut gelato and a combination of aperol and orange liquor.  It was delicious!

This is Jazzee (pronounced Jazzy) who manned the tender and I loved his hat with the pompom!

And finally here are the two great bartenders who created my wonderful milkshake!  It's a good thing they don't live and work near me or I'd be in big trouble.

Tonight I’m dining with a guest lecturer who is an astronomer and after tonight's  show will be a magician I’ve seen before and who is very entertaining.  Tomorrow is a sea day (Yay!!) and I’ll have to see if there’s a trivia team I can join.  There are lots of my former teammates on board who also just got on, so we shouldn’t have a problem forming one.  That’s all for today and I hope the weather gods will continue to smile on the good ship Seabourn Sojourn.