Portsmouth

Hallelujah! There was no delay getting out of Newark yesterday. All went well on the flight and the process of passport control, customs, baggage pick up, and renting a car was smooth and super easy.  It took practically no time until we were on the road to Portsmouth, home of a large Naval Base and the Historic Portsmouth Dockyards - our destination. And that’s when we made today’s faux pas.

We were following the GPS directions on my IPad to the Dockyards, but those directions took us through the main gate of the Naval Base. In all fairness, if you look at the map, that was the most direct route. Unfortunately, it was absolutely the wrong way to go, and we didn’t realize it until we saw guards in black uniforms with big, scary, automatic weapons, ready to shoot. Brian didn’t slow down and he never noticed the sign painted on the road that said, “STOP ON THE LINE”. I saw it, but couldn’t get any words out, so he just plowed ahead. That’s when two more armed guards jumped out, screaming, “STOP, STOP, STOP” and wildly waving their arms. We stopped, Brian got the window down, and asked if this was the way to the Historic Dockyard.  It wasn’t. They started laughing, then so did Brian. I was still flapping my jaw and trying to get words out. They told us how to get out of there, but It took some maneuvering, before we cleared the base and found our way to the Dockyards, which are a part of the base that’s open to the public. It was only after I finally looked at the website for the Dockyards that I read the instructions on how to get there. Very clearly they state to follow the tourism signs and do not use your satellite navigation.

Through no preplanning on my part, we ended up in Portsmouth on VE Day, which is rather a big deal in the UK. Flags and banners everywhere you look, the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth was in port at the Naval Base, and two minutes of silence at noon.

And what is there to see at the Dockyards? The major attraction is the HMS Victory, Lord Nelson’s flagship during the Battle of Trafalger, on October 21, 1804 between the Royal Navy and the combined French and Spanish fleets. A decisive British victory, the battle ended Napoleon’s plan to invade Britain.  It is hard to describe just how huge and beautiful this ship is. Three stories of rows of cannons that seem to stretch on forever, and multiple steep and narrow staircases. It’s hard to imagine going up and down those stairs while the ship was violently pitching and the cannons blasting away.  You can also visit a WWII submarine, a WWI warship, a Steamer, and the remains of Henry VIII’s favorite ship.

Just to carry out today’s theme, we are in the cutest hotel, named the Spice Ship!