Surely one of the greatest achievements engineering of the last 30 years was Concorde. Wherever the hook-nosed, sleek machine was you knew there would be crowds of admirers and people who would be standing on the observation deck dreaming that they were one of the pop stars, hedge fund managers or George Hamilton’s who would experience the thrill of traveling faster than the speed of…well…….everything.
But now………it’s gone.
I don’t feel sorry for the people in suits who now need seven hours to get across the Atlantic. It was, after all, their meanness that caused Concorde’s demise in the first place.
I do, however, feel sorry for the plane itself. It’s sitting in some shed now, wondering what it has done wrong and why it has been put on the naughty step… Why did it not fly yesterday and why is there no sense that it will fly today? Why is nobody tinkering with its engines, filling its refrigerators with Dom Perignon and vacuuming its bespoke leather seats in case Catherine Zeta Jones puts her bottom on one?
I like to believe that a machine does have a heart and a soul. This may seem strange but I like to think of cars, planes and, of course, ships as ordinary people think of dogs. They cannot read or write or understand our spoken words. But they understand what we’d like them to do in other ways.
Go left. Go right. Go faster. Fly, Wait, Stop and Go Again.
Think of Concorde as a cocker spaniel that you’ve had in the family for 27 years. Think of the way it has never once let you down. And how thrilled it is when you feed it and pet it and take it out for a walk.
And now try to imagine how that dog would feel if you locked it up one night. And never went back.
Luckily, that will not be happening to the grand old lady……The Queen Elizabeth 2.
She has had crowds of dreamers and well-wishers follow her all over the world for many years and now its time for her to rest. She will be cocooned in the care of the people of Dubai whose bottomless pockets will insure that she is preserved for generations to come.
So, the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Concord have left a huge iconic hole to fill …………..or have they?
Well, no actually…… the role of the most iconic mode of luxurious transportation has already been filled by the one and the only Queen Mary 2. There are and will be bigger ships……..but today that means nothing and even though we have shopping malls of the seas, nothing can compare to the Queen Mary 2. Like her sister and Concorde before her whereever she goes she is joined by a new breed of dreamers and well wishers who stand on piers in Australia and Southampton, New York and New Zealand all wanting to catch a glimpse of the Queen.
She carries the weight of her sister on her bow and Concorde on her stern but that all rests very easily on her 150,000 tons of excellence.
Here is Carol Marlow Cunard’s so very proud President to describe the reaction to the ship’s arrival in Hamburg.
Queen Mary 2, making her 10th call to this port city, brought out the crowds once again yesterday. This time Queen Mary 2 hosted the opening ceremony of the first-ever ‘Hamburg Cruise Days’ extravaganza – five days centered around the port, showing that Hamburg is one of the key gateways to the world. Over the next five days many different ships will be calling in Hamburg including AIDA Aura, and several will be taking part in the festivities. In addition there will be concerts and exhibitions around the port and the city.
In a ceremony up on deck under a balmy, clear evening sky, over 100 guests witnessed the moment when actor Til Schweiger (known by some as the Pierce Brosnan of Germany) and a man who needs no introduction – Boris Becker (who looked as sexy as ever – but gosh how tall!) pushed ‘the button’ alongside Captain Chris Wells and Senator Doctor Fritag of Hamburg City, which literally turned the city – and the ship – blue. Then moments later fireworks lit up the night sky. Boris and Til had taken dinner in Queen Mary 2′s Todd English restaurant before the ceremony and were amazed at the size and grandeur of the vessel. Maybe they’ll sail with us next time!
Earlier in the day over 400 guests toured Queen Mary 2 and the ship hosted a concert by chart topping German jazz singer Roger Cicero. It was certainly a day to remember, as the press showed this morning when Queen Mary 2 yet again dominated the papers.
It was a very special day
Carol
Queen Mary 2 and Boris Becker turn Hamburg Blue!
Queen Mary 2 and Boris Becker turn Hamburg Blue!
Queen Mary 2 and Boris Becker turn Hamburg Blue!
Queen Mary 2 and Boris Becker turn Hamburg Blue!
The Concord has gone……….The Queen Elizabeth 2 will soon be tied forever to a dock ………..but Queen Mary 2 is here…………and now she is………..the one and only!
I never got to fly on Concord or sail on the Queen Elizabeth 2……….but this is one icon I have no intention of missing out on………….. And neither should you.
Cheers
John
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Impressive and I would love to sail on her!
If Concorde was so good, how come the skies are full of 747s? Perhaps Joe Ordinary preferred his air travel both slower and cheaper….
And did you ever *hear* the damn thing? It used to make a noise like the sky ripping apart. Not too surprising, given that it was powered by engines originally designed for military jets.
No, it looked beautiful; but in every other way it was dreadful.
Your words about ships and aircraft echo my own. We had an SR-71, the meanest, sexiest jet in the world and seeing it sit, day after day, in its hangar with flat tires and dust gathering on it broke my heart…
Like you, I’ve never sailed the QE2 and the QM2 is on my list… I just don’t know when.
Kindred spirits…
Host Mach
How regal the Queen Mary 2 looks……..
Countess Carolyn…….
She is a beautiful ship!
Thanks for sharing the photos!!!
Your enthusiasm makes me want to do a crossing on the QM2.. Avid reader of the blog… every time the QM2 comes to Boston I am at 6:00am at the dock waiting to take pictures. Hopefully the QV will come soon.
John…
An era may close… but it’s never to be forgotten because of its legacy!!!
I believe in the heart and soul of all the Queens!! I believe she will live in hearts and memories and futures cruises!!! She is too special to die away or vanish!!!
I will cruise on a Queen someday!! I will honor the crossings of the past, the ports of call, the loves and lives and deaths… The Queens will live on FOREVER!!!
Regards to you and thank you!!! You gave me a sweet and precious smile with this blog… One may grow older, one may become different, but never, ever will one be lost or forgotten!!!
Lambie
We feel the same way… We are not going to miss sailing on the QM2! In fact, we are already booked to sail on her from Port Everglades, FL on a 10-day Caribbean cruise on 1/3/09. We can’t hardly wait! In the meantime, to make the waiting time pass by easier, we’ll be sailing from Miami on the Carnival Liberty (Western Caribbean cruise) on 9/13/08.
Good luck to you & Heidi on the Splendor!
Your friends from the Freedom,
The Santanas
I am so fortunate that I was able to make two crossings on the Queen Mary in 65. That was still the era of big ships and one day the two Queens passed each other with a flurry of horns and cheers. Very exciting and I still feel bad when I think of her docked in Calif. I guess she is still there and it is better than being a reef somewhere.
There were class sections in thoses days and we would sneak into 1st class – yes, there was a gate – and just walk around. Equality for everyone is a much better deal! Maybe I’ll make the QM2 sometime, but now I’m happy with my Carnival trips.
P.S. The Fantasy had another exciting adventure with Mobile. The river was closed again on Wed. for 6 hrs. and Carnival had to make a fast decision, and Mobile it was. As one of the bloggers said for Fantasy adventures tune into “As the Ship Turns”.
PennyB from New Orleans
When will you have the Fall Cruise Directors List Available?
John:
Time to plan on that B2B2B that starts with the Queen Mary, goes to the Freedom and then back on the Queen Mary!!! With the cost of flying “over the pond”…a cruise will soon be less expensive!!
Linda
Blogs like this lead to all kinds of questions. e.g. When is Carnival going to offer 7 day cruises from New Orleans?
When is Carnival going to offer a British Isles cruise? I may have to do that one on a Dam ship, if not.
There is a recent “Live” thread from the Prinsendam here:
http://www.cruiselinefans.com/live/33073-live-prinsendam-celtic-kingdoms-cruise.html
I made an error on the date!
The room would be for the Glory cruise of 09/13/08, NOT Sept. 6, 2008!
I apologize! I am on both cruises doing our first back-to-back and I got my groups mixed up!
Sorry,
Lee Warner
One of the things on my life checklist is to sail on one of the Queens.
I cannot tell you how much I enjoy reading your blogs. I sit here reading them to my husband while laughing out loud. I thought I was the only one who used the stick a needle in my eye thingy.
And you listen to Jethro Tull!
The anticipation for the 8/6 sailing is at a fever pitch!
Hi John& Heidi,
Does anybody remember this? Way back in 1975 or ’76,
Elton John cme over to the USA, and what a fuss was made over that. I think he was the first Rock star to fly his whole entourage over on the Concorde. In fact, the Concorde was brand new then. I think it was the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road tour. I still have the button that WPLJ radio was giving out. It had apicture of the Concorde on it, I believe.
Well that was my blast from the past memory for today!!!!!
See ya,
SueM
My aunt and uncle took the Concord back and forth between the U.S. and Russia many years ago out of necessity and doctor’s orders because of my uncle’s heart and lung transplant operation. They enjoyed the aircraft very much and it also saved his life. They should still have it available for emergencies.
Good morning John,
Very impressive photos, and you’re right, the Queens shall live on. And my memory of seeing the Concorde fly overhead while I was on a beach on Long Island.
I only wish the memory of the SS United States does not die. She is tied up at a pier in Philadelphia. There is a movement to bring her back to life and I hope it succeeds. From what the experts say, she is still structurally sound. She was built using stronger materials than usual and seems to have held up. She only sailed for 17 years and set the speed records crossing the Atlantic. Have you ever seen her John?
Hope to read another blog thingy later, so have a good day to you and Heidi,
Hugs,
Carol
Hi again John,
I just read that P&O’s Pacific Sun ran into very heavy seas near New Zealand and several people were injured, plus damage to the ship. I don’t have very many details, I just hope everyone will be ok. This saddens me very much – this was Carnival’s Jubilee, my very first ship.
Carol
Hi John/Heidi:
I’m sorry…Just something funny seeing Boris Becker with the Q2.
Great pictures though.
Such a shame with what happened to the Concorde. Such a unique concept that ended so poorly.
Oh well. One day it will hopefully make a comeback.
Thanks again for posting,
David
Hi, John,
I’m sure the QE2 will spur special memories just as the Concorde has. Back in the ’80s, I used to watch the Concorde come in to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil religiously every Wednesday and Sunday at around 3:00PM and leave again at around 9:00PM. Beautiful airplane. Was sorry to see it put to rest. FYI – if you’re ever in Barbados, one of Carnival’s shore excursions is precisely to where the last Concorde to cross the Atlantic now resides. You can even go inside and get a feel for how passengers felt.
Hi Larry,
I was in Rio about that time. I was only able to see it a couple of times.
The Anglo/French Concorde is _not_ sitting in a shed. It’s proudly displayed in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum! How appropriate, since the Smithsonian was founded by James Smithson, a French citizen who emigrated to England when he was 10.
Sir Richard Branson offered to buy it and restore it to service but British Airways has refused to sell.
Very nice thanks a sharing..