We had a 10:30 am pick up for our bus ride to Tilbury about 90 minutes away.  That was a nice time considering our full day and late night the day before. Tilbury is the sea port for cruises near London.

Along the way, our guide told us about London’s “66 years” historical events.   In 1066 William the Conqueror came and conquered the area.  In 1666 the great fire destroyed most of London.  Because so many buildings burned, most of London is younger than 1666.  And, in 1966, England won the World Soccer Championships!

We passed St. Paul’s Cathedral, the main cathedral in London.  The building is 365 feet high, one foot for each day of the year.  Different from many cathedrals, there is no stained glass.  Services are conducted daily.

The American Chapel on one end was built to commemorate the American soldiers who came to help during world wars.

Mansion House is the home for the Lord Mayor of London.  He is in charge of the old city of London, now the financial district.  The position has no salary and is for only one year.  The Lord Mayor’s responsibility is to promote London as a city of finance.  The benefit to the mayor is the ability to network.

There are 8.6 million people in the 15 square miles of greater London.  Only about 8000 live in the old city but many more “work in the city,” mostly in finance. The economy of London is one third finance, one third tourism,  and one third everything else.

Our guide told us that the British drive on the left side of the road because the Romans did it that way when they settled here in AD 43.  Archeological evidence supports that assertion because the ruts on one side are greater so as when the carts were full versus empty.  

Driving on the right side of the road started with Napoleon’s conquests and most countries in Europe now drive on the right.  All British colonies, except Canada, still drive on the left.

We got to Tilbury and quickly checked in. 

We boarded the Viking Venus and were immediately impressed.

Our cabin was very comfortable and a very nice size.  We had a balcony but weren’t sure how much we would actually use it on this cruise!  Viking has a practice of booking shore excursions based on cabin type and expense.  We matched Jo and Flynn so we could be reasonably sure of getting the excursions we wanted together.

Jo and Flynn had been on a Viking Ocean ship before (they are all the same) so were able to board and relax.  After watching the safety video and checking in at our muster station, Randy and I initiated the refund of our $100 taxi ride from Heathrow to the hotel.  That was accomplished successfully in minutes.

We signed up for a ship tour and learned about the public spaces and the restaurant options.

Later, the four of us attended a port talk on Amsterdam.  Cruise director Andre provided these talks throughout the cruise.

We learned how Amsterdam is really a collection of canals and bridges.

Bicycles are prolific in the city – and sometimes dangerous.

Next was a presentation on the History of the Netherlands by one of five guest speakers on our cruise.  That was all before dinner!

Dinner at the The Chef’s Table is a multi course fixed menu with wine pairings.  Dining at this restaurant (and one other) are by reservation but do not have an extra fee. Jo, pictured below, was on top of things and made our reservations as soon as they were available.

The menu at the Chef’s Table changes every three days.  For better or worse, the menu is what it is, without modification.

None of us were very excited to see that the Cuisine of Great Britain was the theme. The menu included scotch eggs, beer battered fish and chips, Yorkshire pudding and brisket, and a Scottish trifle. 

I would have never ordered any of the things on this menu!  I did, however, eat everything offered (including the fish and chips) and it was all delicious.  I guess that is the point!

We boarded the Viking Venus on January 12, 2024.

Next up: Amsterdam