Day 120 ~ Leaving Tilbury

May 9, 2022

70-ish. A lovely spring day

#myVikingstory

"Ends are not bad things, they just mean that something else is about to begin. And there are many things that don't really end, anyway, they just begin again in a new way. Ends are not bad and many ends aren't really an ending; some things are never-ending." -C. JoyBell C.

Uncle Torstein made good on his promise and visited us on the Star last night. He thanked us for sticking with Viking and congratulated us on completing the 2022 world cruise in the face of so many challenges. Frankly, the credit goes to this incredible cruise company and its people. They did everything they could to fulfill their mission statement so we could "travel the world in comfort." I'll add, "And safety!"

If you've followed my blog you know I call the chairman of Viking "Uncle Torstein because he looks so much like my Norwegian husband's uncles. It was amazing to see Torstein Hagen and his daughter Karine in person last evening. I didn't have the courage to invite them to the family reunion in person, but if this little blog comes to their attention, save the last weekend of June! I promise you'd fit right in.

Today is disembarkation day for most of our fellow travelers. Only about 100 of us have elected to stay on until Bergen. We probably should have headed home today too, but back when we booked the cruise, they offered us a couple more days on this beautiful ship for no additional charge. How could we refuse? 

One last chance to enjoy the lovely Viking Thermal suite with Kristy and David. They are also staying on till Bergen and we figured our swim suits will dry before we have to pack tomorrow!

Today was a chance to do things we've wanted to do, but hadn't yet for one reason or another. Kristy decided to brave the icy water bucket. It was an honor I dreamed not of... (My last days thing was trying one of the honey infused almond crusted croissants! It was as heavenly as I'd imagined and I'm glad I waited until the end of the cruise to try one.)

The Thames is a big river. Deep, wide and as silty as the Hudson. 

So we said goodbye to many of our new friends and headed out to the North Sea. Scopolamine patch firmly behind my ear, I was ready for the waves to make the Star jiggle again, but it took its home waters like a champ. Captain Lars had a long way to go, so we were making 19-20 knots. (Six knots is slow enough to allow the ship to wallow a bit which really disrupts my inner ear.) 

I'll wrap up our trip soon...