Slow Journey Home

According to the website Distance Calculator it is 3743 miles from Portsmouth, England to Medina, Ohio and the Rome to Rio app suggests that the fastest route could have us home in about sixteen hours. However we enjoy travel that avoids airplanes. Slow travel gives us the opportunity to focus on the journey instead of merely on the destination. For us the process of returning home took fifteen glorious days. We began the journey by walking to Portsmouth Harbor train station Sunday morning to catch the 11:37 train to Southampton then did the twenty minute walk from the Southampton Central Station to the Mayflower Terminal to embark on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. In truth the only transatlantic voyages we’ve done together have been aboard ships and it our limited experience the QM2 is definitely our favorite method. We often quote The Man in Seat Sixty-One says:  “From personal experience, staggering round a transatlantic liner in a dinner jacket with a martini is the normal, rational, reasonable way to cross the Atlantic.  Heading for an airport and strapping yourself to a flimsy aluminium tube is an unfortunate and eccentric aberration.” It was a lovely six night voyage (one night shorter than usual). As soon as we boarded we felt quite at home. In fact this is our third trip aboard this ship, the world’s only ocean liner. As soon as we got our bags stowed in our stateroom, we wandered up to the Commodore Club for cocktails before dinner then watched our sail away from our window seat at dinner in the Brittannia Dining Room before heading to the Royal Theater to hear guitarist Vincenzo Martinelli in concert. The next five days were filled with all sorts of opportunity onboard. We especially delighted in the insights and enrichment talks. There were talks by Bob Collins on the history and challenges of navigating the Atlantic, presentations on the history and the artistry of Theo Fabregé by Philip Birkenstein, and Roger McGuinn telling his own story and that of The Byrds and more. Beyond that we loved the afternoon teas that we enjoyed in the Kings Court Buffet usually with a window view of the ocean, afternoon walks on the Promenade Deck (nice video here), as well as fascinating conversations with fellow travelers. Soon enough we were back in New York City and after an Uber ride from the Red Hook cruise terminal in Brooklyn and dropping our bags at our hotel in Midtown we poked around a bit without a particular plan but soon ended up at The Treasures Room at the New York Public Library where we were entranced especially with the original Winnie the Pooh and friends. Next day we boarded Amtrak’s The Vermonter and were soon surrounded by family to join us for a walk from the train station to their home where we were reunited with Bell@, our teardrop camper and Redford our trusty F-150. We lingered there for a week helping with gardening, enjoying the backyard, and just hanging out with special people. Soon enough we headed west. After three months of not driving it felt good to be back in Redford and the trip went so smoothly we ended up driving straight through thus arrived home just as the sun was setting. It’s been such an incredible adventure! We’ve had so very many amazing experiences since we left here in April!