What else do you get here for your money? For one thing, you can’t possibly experience all the activities that are available. Each morning, Donna and I attend two lectures. So far, all of them have been very nice. They are held in a large room toward the bow called “Illuminations”, which is a movie theater almost the size of a school auditorium. It also has a small stage, and state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems. Donna and I have seen talks by a former royal press agent and British newsman, an archeo-astronomer, and others. Donna made sure she was photographed on deck with the Royal BBC Journalist Nicolas Owen. They had a very interesting conversation about what “Camilla” is really like.
Slightly further “aft” is the elegant Royal Court Theater. Each afternoon and night, one can attend shows containing singers, dancers, and performers. Donna and I have already attended a truncated Royal Academy Theatre version of “Othello”, Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”, planetarium presentations, a wonderful performance by a classical guitarist, and a Vegas-style house singing and dancing act. We have also seen and met Isobel Cooper, known as “Izzy”, one of the most famous classical vocalists in Britain, who put on a stirring show a few nights ago. She is quite beautiful, and I thought I might improve my reputation by getting photographed with her. There is no additional charge to see these acts. Try finding that at the shore or in the mountains, and for no additional charge.
Second only to Izzy is John Maxtone-Graham himself. As a published expert on the history of North Atlantic ocean liners, he gives lectures each morning, usually accompanied by old photos projected on the large Illuminations screen. He is now quite elderly, but has lost nothing. John is very tall, very thin, and often decked out in khakis and a dark blue double-breasted blazer with brass buttons, or on occasion even a kilt. His addresses here are the best attended of all, what with his courtly British manner and wry sense of humor (“Cunard calls you ‘guests’, but you are in fact paying passengers!”). He has written many books in addition to “The Only Way to Cross”, including “Titanic Survivor: The Story of Violet Jessup”. With the death of 97-year-old Millvina Dean a few weeks ago, there are no Titanic survivors left, but we do have Mr. Maxtone-Graham, who has interviewed and known many of them, and who is in many ways a last link to that famous tragedy. I decided to purchase “Titanic Survivor” and got it signed by the author during a visit to the library. Mr. Maxtone-Graham writes with a pair of large, elegant Mont Blanc fountain pens, one red, the other black, and has two glass bottles of ink continuously poised at his elbow. He is a delightful man of another age Attached is a picture of him signing my book. In case you are wondering, Violet Jessup was an English stewardess who survived the 1911 collision of the “RMS Olympic”, plus the sinking of her two “sister-ships”, the “Titanic” (1912) and the “Britannic” (1916). The last was a harrowing experience, and Violet’s is quite a story.
In addition to the above-mentioned theaters, also included is a large exercise/weight room and a small bookstore attached to the library, all over-looking the bow. We finally got to check out the swimming pool, the observation deck, the kennel, the Churchill Cigar Room, the Casino, and many other attractions like art and jewelry shows. There are a dozen restaurants and pubs, and almost anything is available 24 hours a day. The traditional “English Tea” in the Queen’s Room with the String Quartet was a wonderful way to spend a relaxing afternoon. Oddly, the draft beer selection is slightly limited, with Guinness, Stella, Becks, and Bass offered, certainly no sacrifice. Surrounding the obscenely-elegant central Grand Lobby (complete with a gigantic center-piece of fresh flowers) is a small shopping mall, where one can purchase from stores like Harrods, Chopards and Hermes. I trust you are no longer thinking mountains or shore.
Slightly further “aft” is the elegant Royal Court Theater. Each afternoon and night, one can attend shows containing singers, dancers, and performers. Donna and I have already attended a truncated Royal Academy Theatre version of “Othello”, Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest”, planetarium presentations, a wonderful performance by a classical guitarist, and a Vegas-style house singing and dancing act. We have also seen and met Isobel Cooper, known as “Izzy”, one of the most famous classical vocalists in Britain, who put on a stirring show a few nights ago. She is quite beautiful, and I thought I might improve my reputation by getting photographed with her. There is no additional charge to see these acts. Try finding that at the shore or in the mountains, and for no additional charge.
Second only to Izzy is John Maxtone-Graham himself. As a published expert on the history of North Atlantic ocean liners, he gives lectures each morning, usually accompanied by old photos projected on the large Illuminations screen. He is now quite elderly, but has lost nothing. John is very tall, very thin, and often decked out in khakis and a dark blue double-breasted blazer with brass buttons, or on occasion even a kilt. His addresses here are the best attended of all, what with his courtly British manner and wry sense of humor (“Cunard calls you ‘guests’, but you are in fact paying passengers!”). He has written many books in addition to “The Only Way to Cross”, including “Titanic Survivor: The Story of Violet Jessup”. With the death of 97-year-old Millvina Dean a few weeks ago, there are no Titanic survivors left, but we do have Mr. Maxtone-Graham, who has interviewed and known many of them, and who is in many ways a last link to that famous tragedy. I decided to purchase “Titanic Survivor” and got it signed by the author during a visit to the library. Mr. Maxtone-Graham writes with a pair of large, elegant Mont Blanc fountain pens, one red, the other black, and has two glass bottles of ink continuously poised at his elbow. He is a delightful man of another age Attached is a picture of him signing my book. In case you are wondering, Violet Jessup was an English stewardess who survived the 1911 collision of the “RMS Olympic”, plus the sinking of her two “sister-ships”, the “Titanic” (1912) and the “Britannic” (1916). The last was a harrowing experience, and Violet’s is quite a story.
In addition to the above-mentioned theaters, also included is a large exercise/weight room and a small bookstore attached to the library, all over-looking the bow. We finally got to check out the swimming pool, the observation deck, the kennel, the Churchill Cigar Room, the Casino, and many other attractions like art and jewelry shows. There are a dozen restaurants and pubs, and almost anything is available 24 hours a day. The traditional “English Tea” in the Queen’s Room with the String Quartet was a wonderful way to spend a relaxing afternoon. Oddly, the draft beer selection is slightly limited, with Guinness, Stella, Becks, and Bass offered, certainly no sacrifice. Surrounding the obscenely-elegant central Grand Lobby (complete with a gigantic center-piece of fresh flowers) is a small shopping mall, where one can purchase from stores like Harrods, Chopards and Hermes. I trust you are no longer thinking mountains or shore.
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