Wellington Barracks

Just East of Buckingham Palace is Wellington Barracks, which has a large parade ground that can be viewed from the road.

When we were walking past, some soldiers were in the parade ground. They were marching and forming lines. We watched them for sometime.

Next to the parade ground is the entrance to a small Army museum for the British Army Guards. We went into the museum and although it is small, there are many interesting exhibits.

Small museums are often more interesting than larger ones. They focus on a specific topic rather than trying to cover everything like the British Museum, the Hermitage or the ROM. They are usually less crowded. Often the staff have more time to interact with you and seem friendlier.

Royal Mews

Mews is the official term for a place that houses hunting birds. The King's Mews was originally used to house the king's falcons. By the 16th century, it was being used to stable horses.

The present location for the Royal Mews near Buckingham Palace was never used for falcons. It has always been a working stable. Today, some of the Queen's cars are also on display here.

This picture shows the Gold State Coach. It has been used for every coronation since 1821 when George IV became king. The last time this coach was used was 2002 for the Queen's Golden Jubilee. Eight horses are used to pull this carriage.

The Royal Mews is open to the public. We saw several other carriages, a limo and two of the Queen's horses.

Changing of the Guards

There is always a huge crowd at Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guards. If you want the best view, get there early. I think it is the best free show in London.

You can find the schedule for this and other events at http://www.changing-the-guard.com.

It is a short walk from three tube stations: Victoria Station, Green Park and St. James.

Dover

This was the scene from the ship as we left dock: the White Cliffs of Dover. The same view greeted us on our return.

We enjoyed the cruise. We enjoyed the cities of the Baltic. But I was glad that we planned a few days to visit London. It helps that we could stay with family.

My wife and I lived there for over three years early in our marriage. Our son was born there, but had no memories of it. Our family friend that travelled with us was seeing Europe for the first time.

Whenever someone who has never been to Europe asks me where they should go, I always suggest London. There is so much to see and do. Plus for those who have not travelled much, it helps that language is not an issue. My next few posts will show places that we visited during this trip.

The Crew

This shows some of the crew from the Norwegian Jewel. It takes a lot of people to make a cruise run smoothly. The Jewel has a crew of about 1100.

She carries up to 2376 passengers. She began service in 2005. Her tonnage is 92,000. With a top speed of 25 knots, she is 294 m long, 32 m across the beam, and has 15 decks.

Special Meal

A few days before the end of the cruise, we spoke to the manager of the Tsar's Palace restaurant on board the ship. We asked about ordering a special meal for the last night of the cruise. He had one of the chefs come speak to us. This picture shows the result.

We had a meal with 4 Filipino dishes plus rice. None of these were on the menu. So it is possible to order a special meal ahead of time.

The limitations on what you can order are simple. The chef has to know how to prepare your request. The ingredients most be available on board. You need to give them plenty of warning so that they can arrange for it. Usually, they will try to fulfill your request.

We had a great meal!

Where To Eat?

These live displays are throughout the ship. They tell you at a glance which restaurants are open, and how full they are. I took this picture in the middle of the afternoon before regular dinner service had started. Only two of the restaurants were operating at this time.

On Norwegian Cruise Lines there is no set time or place to eat. You can eat when you want and where you want and with whom you want. For the "Speciality Restaurants," there is an extra charge.

We ate breakfast and lunch in the Garden Cafe. For dinner, we ate at the Tsar's Palace or Azura. The food was good. One of the things I like about cruises is because the food is already included in the cost of the cruise, I will try new dishes that I would not normally order. If I do not like it, I know I can just order something else without any additional charge.

Ice Carving

One of the standard events on a cruise ship is an ice carving demonstration. In a few minutes, a block of ice is changed into a sculpture while you watch. We meet the man who carved the ice on this cruise when we went to Hawaii. On that ship, he was doing vegetable carvings.

He is from my wife's hometown: Paete in the Philippines. This town is famous for wood carving. The same skills apply to ice and vegetable carvings. There is a good chance that the person doing this on your cruise is from Paete.

There are more Filipinos working on ships (both cruise and cargo) than any other nationality. The cruise director told me that without them there would be no cruise industry.

Pool Deck

The two Sapphire Pools are located mid deck 12 on the Norwegian Jewel. As you can see, even on a Baltic cruise, they were popular. One of the pools has a slide. Between the pools was a stage that was used for the various bands to play and for the ice-carving demo.

Beside each pool are two hot tubs, four in total. There are many deck chairs around the pool and on the deck above overlooking the pool. On the side of the deck are tables and chairs.

We found the tables on this deck a nice place to sit around, relax with a cup of coffee and chat. Also a great place for a game of cards or a board game. Depending on the weather, this deck can be packed or deserted. However, the table are protected by the deck above, so even in cooler or wet weather, you can sit here if you wear a light jacket.

Stardust Theatre

The main theatre aboard the Norwegian Jewel seats over 1000. I enjoy the shows. They are entertaining and there is enough variety to keep me happy.

Is the quality on level with a play at the Princess of Wales in Toronto? No. But I do not expect that.

If you want top level shows, do not go on a cruise. But if you want some light entertainment and a few laughs, the shows fulfill those expectations. It is a chance to seat back and relax after a busy day at sea or on shore.