OK, I said no post today. But we had a serendipitous arrival in Whitby after a five hour drive over almost all two lane roads with a brief stretch of motorway over the mighty Humber Bridge.which links Lincolnshire with Yorkshire across the Humber River, a tidal estuary.
We know from our prior visit that Whitby is the home of famed sailor and navigator Captain James Cook. There is a Captain Cook Museum there. So, we are listening to the radio in the car and we hear that HM Bark Endeavour, one of only two full-scale replicas in the world of the ship commanded by explorer Captain Cook for his voyage to Australia and New Zealand is coming to Whitby. It was purchased by a Whitby businessman who plans to make it a tourist attraction in Whitby Harbour. He outbid other suitors from Portsmouth (UK), London, and Dubai. Lo and behold, it is sailing from its present location in Stockton (UK) to Whitby TODAY to coincide with he 250th anniversary when Captain Cook first set sail from Portsmouth on-board Endeavour to observe the transit of Venus at Tahiti, circumnavigate and chart New Zealand, and chart the East coast of Australia.
So we settled in to our new home at Metropole Towers on the West Cliff in Whitby, a perfect viewpoint to watch the stately Endeavor sail into Whitby Harbour whilst we sipped cocktails on our small but strategically placed balcony. Had we not heard the radio report, we would have been oblivious to its arrival.
How delightful, and again, weather looks marvelous!! And we saw Cook’s grave last year at this same day, only accessible by boat in Kauai.
What is the Metropole, a hotel? Or apartment house?
Ah, serendipity! Of fun, unique experience. Thanks for sharing. Love the photos.
Joe and Elaine, a little more news from home, there is a 2,000 acre fire in Durango and Ann/Russ neighborhood was evacuated. They are not up there but their neighbors called them. Newsweek has a good report on it with map so you can see proximity to their area. They are trying to keep it on West side of 550, will be bad if it jumps to the east where the house is located. 2 fires in one month at their homes, unlucky yes.