We went down to the Town Quay to wave goodbye to the Queen Elizabeth 2 this evening. I’ll miss her. She’s been a part of Southampton life for as long as I can remember. She’s 2 years younger than me I think. I’ll miss seeing her big red and black funnel on the skyline, and the way our roof tiles rattle when she blows her horn. It felt very strange watching her go out for the last time. Maybe I’m just getting nostalgic in my old (!) age, I didn’t feel this way about the Canberra or Oriana. Maybe New Years Eve will be a bit quiter without her – although we’ll still open the windows so we can hear all the ships blowing in the New Year.
It’s funny how attached you get to these liners if you live in Southampton. They really do form a backdrop to the city history. From the Titanic through to the new superliners like Queen Mary, Queen Victoria and the Venturer they are such a constant presence here that the docks look really empty and strange without them.
I hadn’t thought about how big a part of my life the sea is until recently. I don’t think I would be able to live away from the coast, and I definitely feel a bit strange when we are in-land on holiday or visiting. How do people who live in the middle of huge continents manage it?
More later with photos hopefully….
