MSC Magnifica-England, Southampton

Monday 30.07.2018 Southampton

We reached the port of Southampton on time at 07:00. According to the ship's newspaper, we crossed the Greenwich Meridian at around 2:50. The Greenwich Meridian is the imaginary line of 0° that separates the western hemisphere from the eastern hemisphere. At around 5:30, we boarded the pilot boat 'Pilotina' and passed by the Isle of Wight in the 27 km long Solent Channel, which we have known since May. England welcomed us with cloudy but dry weather. Unfortunately, it didn't stay that way the whole day. Since we had already been in this area in May and this was our 3rd attempt with a ship in Southampton, we were able to take it easy. We had already done the typical excursions to London and Stonehenge in this port, so this time we wanted to explore the city and the surroundings directly. Luckily, we were docked at Berth 101 in the City Cruise Center, which is located directly opposite the old city wall, so we had short distances to walk. However, on our first attempt to leave the port, we started in the wrong direction and ended up taking a detour of about 2 km. So always keep to the right when leaving the ship.

Our first stop in the drizzling rain was the ferry to Hythe. The small town of Hythe is located directly opposite Southampton. The ferry only took 15 minutes for the journey. The ticket for the crossing costs £7.00, including the ride on the historical train on the pier. Hythe Pier was built in 1881 and with its length of just under 1 km, it is the longest pier in England. The historical 'Hythe Pier Train' has been transporting guests from the pier to the town since 1922, making it the oldest pier train in the Guinness Book of Records. We quickly explored the small town on foot. There are pubs, shops, a marina, and restaurants. You can also take a trip from Hythe to the New Forest with its 1000 wild ponies. We had a beer in one of the typical English pubs and as it started to rain again, we made our way back.

After returning to the Magnifica for a quick lunch after our visit to Hythe, we set off again in the afternoon to explore Southampton. Southampton has a population of approximately 250,000 and is located in the south of England, directly on Southampton Water. In the past, Southampton was the most important starting point for travel to North America. The 'Queen Mary II' is based here, and the 'Titanic' started its journey in Southampton in 1912. Even today, the port still claims to be the gateway to the world. And rightly so, because Southampton is one of the most important cruise ports in Europe. The cruise terminals and berths northeast of the old town form the lively 'Ocean Village' with a diverse range of restaurants, shops, cinemas, and market halls.

The center of Southampton was largely destroyed during the Second World War as part of the Battle of Britain. Unfortunately, there is not much left of the historic old town. Modern buildings have replaced the destroyed ones. However, what has survived, such as parts of the historic city wall, is quite impressive and worth seeing. We walked along a long stretch of the city wall. At some points, you can even walk on the city wall. We were amazed to find gardens directly behind the city wall. We even saw palm trees. A sign informed us that the city wall was originally built in stages by the Normans from 1180 onwards. The gardens were created to be able to feed the population during sieges. They have survived to this day. Next, we visited the almost completely destroyed 'Holyrood Church'. The church was built in memory of the sailors who lost their lives at sea. Although only the ruins of the church remain - it was destroyed by a lightning strike - it still serves its original purpose. Of course, there is also a memorial stone here for the Titanic disaster. We then made our way back to the ship, passing by Tudor House and St. Michael's Church. It was a great day in England that was coming to an end. The departure was again very unspectacular at 20:00. At 22:00, a classical concert was offered in the theater. The soprano singer and the tenor had really excellent voices and put on a great show. They completely thrilled their audience.