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BACK TO ENGLAND
Cockney supposedly is a corruption of “cock's egg”, a derogatory 14th century term applied to Londoners and describing those who lived by their wits rather than their muscles. Later the term was applied more restrictively to those born within earshot of the Bow Bells (St. Mary Le Bow) in London’s East End, the old working class district around The Docks. This area was badly damaged by German bombs during World War II. After the war, much of it was simply cleared in a vast urban renewal project. Displaced Cockney families, including Dee’s, were offered housing in scattered outlying areas over which, according to Dee, they had no choice and were in no position to refuse. Their neighbors, or even family members, often were moved to different areas many miles away. The new buildings put up in the East End were largely commercial and upscale residential units. The relatively few old houses that remained are becoming “gentrified” and very expensive. Dee’s point is that, since there aren’t any working class people being born within earshot of Bow Bells anymore, there aren’t any more Cockneys.
After the lecture, we went to the ship’s Grand Russian Bazaar, supposedly a clearance sale on all unsold Russian goods. The prices weren’t that good, but we bought several items as gifts. Then at 1:00 Jane went to the thalassotherapy pool again, and I went to the gym. We had a very quick lunch by the spa and rushed to the theater to hear part one of Larry Hagman’s (“I Dream of Jeanie”; “Dallas”) talk about his mother (Mary Martin) and his own life. It was both interesting and very well presented. He finished at 4:00 and we did a little more shopping in the boutiques before dinner. Afterward, we went to the 8:45 show. This one was the last crew show with elaborate costumes and they outdid themselves. We set our clocks back again before retiring. Friday, 26 August. Our last full day aboard was cool but sunny. After breakfast we started packing. We’d bought a number of bulky items and, even with our expandable suitcases, it was going to be a challenge to get it all in. Also, our plan was to pack everything we wouldn’t need on the rest of the trip into the larger suitcase (Jane’s), and only what we would use in the coming week in the smaller one (mine). That way we could leave the large suitcase in the rental car for the rest of the trip.
We had to stop to go to the GCT debarkation lecture at 10:00. Then we did a little more shopping. (More stuff to pack!) At 12:30 we had a light lunch by the spa, then got back to our packing. The sea had turned rough, and the ship was rolling badly. We realized later that this was because we had left the relatively quiet Baltic and had entered the North Sea. At 3:00 we attended part two of Larry Hagman’s talk, starting with his “Dallas” days. This time he wore a cowboy hat. We had our final dinner at 6:00 and said good-bye to our very compatible table mates. The ship provided for payment of all tips by credit card, which was very convenient. I went to the 9:00 show while Jane took care of preparations for tomorrow’s debarkation. We put our suitcases out at 10:30 and went to bed. Saturday, 27 August. When we awoke, the ship was already at the dock in Dover. We had an early breakfast because we were supposed to be at the theater by 7:45 to debark. We were not with any of the other GCT travelers since we were leaving the tour and taking off on our own for another week in the United Kingdom. As I expected, our color wasn’t called until 8:30. At that point we went down to the baggage room, retrieved our luggage and left the Constellation. The ship personnel were very helpful in helping us find our bags and get them to a waiting taxi.
Part II - Page 8 9 10 11 12 Go to: Part I Part III Part IV |
