Yesterday we went en famille to Portsmouth Docks. The girls are on Easter Holidays now, and TW & I wanted to do something special or notable with them. We had suggested Chessington, and while they do want to go there at some point, they thought that it would have been really busy over the Easter holidays. So, Portsmouth it was.
We caught the train, which was pretty straightforward, and got there in time to get the waterbus over to the Submarine exhibition at Gosport. None of us had really known anything about subs up until that point, but it was quite exciting to walk through a real (albeit decommissioned) submarine, and understand how cramped and claustrophobic the living quarters were. When you think that they lived like that for six to eight weeks at a stretch, without washing much, you can appreciate your home comforts.
It was a novelty to go on the waterbus there and back as well; a trip on a boat is always nice. The smell of diesel wasn’t so pleasant, but once we were actually moving across the Harbour, it was an enjoyable experience, and looking at the other private boats moored there was an experience. Thinking about how much money had been “sunk” into those showy motor yachts and catamarans was awesome; it was clear that sailing is a rich man’s pastime.
Once we were back at the Harbour, we walked around the Victory. I had wanted to see the Warrior, but I got confused. It had been a couple of years though, so it was good to revisit the ship, and they had changed a thing or two. There was a shop, for instance, selling little gifts and trinkets actually on the ship, which we thought was a bit weird, but I guess they have to make money somehow. The £60 family ticket which we bought to enter the site obviously must not have been enough.
At that point, we mostly wanted to head to Gunwharf Quays for a fix of consumerism, apart from TY who wanted to climb the wall in Action Stations. So we took a break there for a few minutes while she queued up. She actually did okay for the first attempt, certainly better than last time we were there, but when she tried the green channel she was a bit stumped.
Anyway, then it was time for Gunwharf Quays. By this time I was quite tired; I could quite easily have gone home at that point. But TW is of the opinion that a day out should last a whole day, so on we went. TE got some nice trainers, I got a nice (cheap) Gap top, TMO got a nice hoodie that she can grow into, and TY got some school shoes which were a necessity. Overall, we did okay, I think, apart from TW, who had some sushi from Boots.
And then it was home time. The girls were exhausted and zoned out on the train on the way home. We shared a large portion of chips from Old Nick’s, and then it was bedtime for them.
TTFN,
