14. 'The end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started'

8 August 2025

And so, pulling our suitcases after us because we have an early morning transfer to Gatwick airport, we barely give the ship a backward glance as we make our way down the gangplank and to our hire car. The driver packs our things safely into the boot and we settle into our seats. Before we have cleared the outer suburbs of Southampton, I have fallen into a coma and I do not wake up until we arrive at Gatwick airport almost two hours later.

It is 10 o'clock in the morning and our flight does not leave until after 9 o'clock this evening, so we have a whole day ahead of us to fill in and to tire ourselves out. Gatwick airport has a counter where we can leave our luggage, freeing ourselves of the shackles of international travel. Taking a shuttle to the south terminal, we use the regular rail service to Victoria station in central London.

Victoria is the closest station to Buckingham Palace. We walk along the narrow footpaths with a wave of other humans who are all heading in the same direction - to the palace. Lines of people are waiting to enter the side entrance to visit the State Rooms and we veer around a bend to come to the palace. The palace forecourt, from the gates to the Queen Victoria monument are filled with a rainbow of colour as people from all walks of life squish themselves into whatever space they can find. We position ourselves by the side of Spur Road and ask someone what is happening at the palace. Of course we should know.

It is about 11:30 AM, so we had assumed that the Changing of the Guard had already finished. What we don't realise is that the whole ceremony takes about an hour, with the Buckingham Palace part of the ceremony starting at 11:00 AM. We are in time to see the guards leaving the palace and marching along the road, just where we are standing. Although we are not at the front of the crowd, I am still able to capture some shots through spaces between people. Some excitement to finish off a wonderful holiday.

As people dissipate from the front of the palace, Marianne and I scoot over to try to get some shots of the palace; of course it is far too large to get into one photo frame, and today, I have opted to use my phone instead of my camera.

The paths are still congested but we manage to slip into two Buckingham Palace souvenir shops, and although many of the items are beautiful, they are quite expensive and to be honest, there would be a problem carrying anything more home. It is nice to look though. Further along the road are some London souvenir shops, some better quality than others.

It's nice to know that there is plenty of time to explore around here. A suggestion to go into Oxford Street was nixxed, and everyone was happy to stick around the palace for this little unexpected excursion into London.

We have only one last thing to do. Have lunch.

After wandering around some of the modern cafes that are more focussed on office workers than tourists, we opt for an old pub. Entering, we realise that because it is a pub and because it is lunchtime, it is very busy. There is an area upstairs and we climb the rickety staircase, which has no handrails to the top. Inside we find a spare table and seat ourselves before ordering from the bar.

We linger for as long as possible, enjoying the ambience before having to face the pedestrians below and the crowds at the station. London Victoria is a huge hub, which connects mainline trains with underground services. The large bus depot and taxi rank ensure that no matter where people need to go, they can easily do so from this location. We have a choice on getting back to Gatwick either by scanning our credit cards to travel on a mainline rail to the airport or to use the rest of our kitty money and buy tickets for the dedicated express service. We opt for the latter as we can get a group discount for the return journey. The half-hour journey to Gatwick is comfortable, and although we have to still wait an hour before we can check in, there is some comfort knowing that the next part of our day will be spent hanging around for our flight home.

Overall we have had a lovely holiday and although things didn't always go to plan, especially with the fallout from the storm whilst on the cruise, we have made the best out of the situation. I still grit my teeth at the thought of missing Dublin, though. The best part of the whole trip and the one thing I will always remember is that we had wonderful and warm to warmish weather throughout. In England and Ireland, where the weather is at the best of times, changeable, we have the luckiest three weeks ever. Our whirlwind time in Paris had been so delightful that I want to return one day. Not just for a week or two, but I think I would like a full Parisienne immersive holiday with time to visit the famous and more obscure sites, taste more food, drink more champagne. I'll think about that again soon. Our one day in London was frantic as we tried to fit more into a day than what is possible, but somehow managed to do so. Sore feet, a lost ticket, and a royal experience are all wonderful memories to remember the day by. The cruise had been more challenging than expected as we grappled with lack of practical information from the ship, but found that the regular wait-staff had been more than eager to help us by giving us the advice we needed to get from ship to destination without too many hassles. Looking back though, it was a cruise to chalk up to experience, and the difficulties we face this time would make me more aware of asking relevant questions before selecting a cruise in future. My recent experiences with Azamara have probably made me more complacent than I should have been. I've also come to the conclusion that circumnavigating Ireland does not necessarily show you the best parts of the country and what it has to offer. My advice would be to anyone interested in asking is to fly in and hire a car.

There are experiences that are special to this holiday; Carolyn's 80th birthday celebration at Le Bistro, the camaraderie of four friends enjoying each other's company. You cannot relive those moments of joy, of laughter, and friendship.

As we sit and wait for our flight to be called, I might be tired and a little grumpy, but I don't think I would change anything about this special holiday.

Title Quote: T S Eliot