Day 37. Southampton. Sept 12 2001.

Kerry and Simon dropped us off in Southampton today as Simon had to visit Colin to have his teeth done. We didn’t go expecting to find much of interest, mostly a day of browsing through shops and strolling casually. I’m afraid the city lived up to our expectations. The whole day felt very grey.

We visited the town quay and ate a packed lunch on the Southampton waters, watching the ferries to the Isle of Wight dock. From there we walked to the maritime museum. Southampton’s past contains an era when it was a great port for cruise ships and this was showcased in this small but intricate museum. Now, few major cruise ships dock here, and almost none for a transatlantic crossing. It's sad really that such an elegant way of traveling must be lost from the world. Southampton was also the major departing point for the Titanic and so there was a Titanic exhibit.
What it is about the Titanic that captures the human imagination is so intangible it eludes me. Eerie to see the collection of titantic items from surviving passenger’s pockets. I know that people steal from hotel rooms; great liners must have been the same. But who does it when their grand hotel is sinking?

From the museum we walked along the old town walls, disappointed that the museum of archeology was closed. These we followed up into the central shopping district, which surrounded the main surviving gate of Southampton, the Bargate. We browsed through some bookshops and Heather bought herself an introduction to yoga. We tried to buy a good road map of France, our new destination, but we couldn't find one that showed us the location of campgrounds, kind of important information the way we are traveling.

Finally we were picked up by Kerry and taken home. Tonight we dined with Paul and Tessa and Thomas and Megan Orman and stayed well into the night.


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