2. Southampton

 We departed Jersey in torrential rain but the arrived in Southampton 35 minutes later in bright sunshine. A short taxi ride later we were checked in to our overnight hotel.

A pre cruise right of passage that we seem to have created is to have a meal at the White Star Tavern (for no other reason than it’s a nice pub with good service and food!), so that was where we headed for lunch. Suitability fortified it was just a case of a little sightseeing and shopping, including a first for us, a meander around the IKEA mega store. The things one does after having had no furniture/DIY stores to browse in over the last two years apart from B&Q and La Casa! 

We’d never really appreciated just how much history there is in Southampton and much of it marked with memorials and plaques.

More to follow once we’ve (hopefully) been able to embark Sky Princess tomorrow.