We did make a trip to Portsmouth the other day though and that was very worthwhile.
Portsmouth Harbour
A harbor city with lots of ships and ferries coming and going, Portsmouth is home to several historical ships, including the HMS Victory which was Admiral Horatio Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 (I had to refresh myself on British history but apparently it was a big one!).
Anyway, Nelson died onboard his ship but not before hearing that the British had won the battle against Napoleon's navy. After that Nelson was a national hero. He was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral and a statue of him was erected in Trafalgar Square, named in honor of his victory. As Nelsonmania erupted, so did the merchandizing and we saw a large display of beautiful artifacts, as well as cheap crap, made in his honor in the museums. I was disappointed to learn that his mistress--a former prostitute--Lady Emma Hamilton, got a whole wall of the museum devoted to her (as well as a pub named after her), when his poor, neglected wife got a tiny corner that mentioned she was devoted to Nelson for the rest of her life. So sad. Where was the First Wives Club back then?
This is a city we will definitely visit again (they had a Cadbury's outlet too!). Two thumbs up.
Russell in front of the HMS Victory
As the admittance fee was quite high on all the ships, this is the only one we paid to tour. It was very impressive and large, yet hard to believe over 800 men had to sleep, work and eat on it. I will think twice before complaining about sharing a tiny bathroom with Russell! The tour guide was a crusty old seaman-type who had little patience for the schoolchildren holding up the tour in front of us, so that allowed us more time to look around. We were even sneaky enough to take pictures when he wasn't looking too (I'm guessing you can't do this because it slows everyone down even more). The displays were very vivid with being up close with the tools used for unruly behavior (cat of nine tails), seeing the hammocks where the sailors slept (conveniently, they double as a coffin, in case you die onboard) and descriptions of the meals: wevilily biscuits, gruel and salted meat. There was even a stuffed rat in the kitchen to give you a real feel for ship life and hygine. Oh, and to save space and time, the men ate on the same table where surgeries were performed--eww! Russell commented that if the Admiral's quarters weren't so large, there'd be more room for everyone else. It doesn't look like they thought in terms of that kind of equality back then.
Anyway, Nelson died onboard his ship but not before hearing that the British had won the battle against Napoleon's navy. After that Nelson was a national hero. He was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral and a statue of him was erected in Trafalgar Square, named in honor of his victory. As Nelsonmania erupted, so did the merchandizing and we saw a large display of beautiful artifacts, as well as cheap crap, made in his honor in the museums. I was disappointed to learn that his mistress--a former prostitute--Lady Emma Hamilton, got a whole wall of the museum devoted to her (as well as a pub named after her), when his poor, neglected wife got a tiny corner that mentioned she was devoted to Nelson for the rest of her life. So sad. Where was the First Wives Club back then?
This is a city we will definitely visit again (they had a Cadbury's outlet too!). Two thumbs up.
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