Holiday day 3

After a very ‘not good for you’ but tasty breakfast yesterday - McMuffines with sausage and eggs from Macdonalds eaten at Mike’s and Nathalie’s flat we took a Taxi downtown to the ferry docks. The regular ‘Red Funnel’ ferry service at 12:00 from Southampton left on time. We were sitting on the top deck enjoying the weather and the views of the Southampton Waters. In the distance the ‘Queen Elisabeth’ cruiser getting ready for the departure, lots of small sailing boats all over the the water as the weather once again was simply awesome. We docked in East Cowes 40 minutes later. Another 5 minutes journey on the bus and we stand just outside the gates for the Osborne House Estate. Initially £11.50 seem a lot for a ticket, however we have decided to go in since we are already here anyway. I am so glad we did. It is no wonder it was Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s favorite country retreat. The house and the gardens are simply GRAND !!! Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought Osborne and its estate from Lady Isabella Blachford in 1845. In 1848 the old house was demolished and a new three-storey pavilion with flagtower and main and household wings was built. The tour of the house takes round 90 minutes and it is very interesting indeed. I have to admit that i was kind of surprised to see a shower (or shall say one of the first attempts of it) in queens bathroom as well as manually operated lift for her. All I can say poor people that had to pull the old women up and lets face she wasn’t a light weight either. At the very end of the tour we have reached a breathtaking Durbar room... It was build as a celebration of her role as Empress of India and as i have said it is simply breathtaking ! After the tour we were sitting in the garden terrace enjoying the magnificent views of the grounds and the white sailing boats in the distance made the picture even more idilic. Back in the village we had a nice fish and chips close to the marina and then took fast service ferry back to Southampton. Yet another great day in great company.  

This morning  we have already said cheerio to Michael who was taking the taxi to the Southampton airport. In about 2 hours we will be taking Isabelle to the Bournemouth airport as she is flying back to Barcelona. The first part of our holiday is almost over and so far i am having a great time.