I know that in your timezone, it's almost over but it looks like it's been a big celebration. Hopefully, our French friends are resigned to it.

A year ago, I was planning to be in Portsmouth, UK with a friend for this day. She and I have been part of a group that is interested in the Napoleonic time period and wooden ships. (Strange, I know. Especially for someone who lives about as far away from an ocean as you can get in North America.) We had been emailing about meeting in London, taking the train to Portsmouth, doing the Nelson thing and then going back to London for a couple of days. We thought we could see a show, visit somethings we haven't seen. Both of us love London. We've done this before and had a ton of fun. She and I had pretty much gotten our itinerary in place when I found out about WH's affair. That blew the whole thing out of the water.

So, here I am a year later. I'm not in England for the party. (Although, my friend did go.) I still have a WH. Fortunately, I'm in much fuller possession of my mind than I was last year at this time!

Seize the day!

p.s. If you don't know who Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson was, I'm sure I can explain the whole thing to you...in depth.

and, indeed, Many Thanks to you.

Lord Nelson is kinda an important chap over here. We sure whupped their butts that time <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hate to put a dampener on our celebrations, but Nelson, though undoubtedly a hero, was also a notorious adulterer!

Lady Emma Hamilton, anyone?

Alph.

GG - I think Trafalgar Day is something that is celebrated abroad more than at home. When I lived in Kuala Lumpur, I went to an expat function to celebrate Trafalgar Day. Up until that point I didn't know such a day existed. It was a black tie stuffy occasion and I got a very inappropriate fit of giggles and got shushed by a load of pompous Englishmen who hadn't lived in England for years. Very strange.

Portsmouth is actually disappointing but if that kind of thing interests you, I suggest you go to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich one of these days. Last summer they had a huge 'Nelson' thing going on. It's a fascinating museum and you can get a river boat from Westminster Bridge all the way there. Hope you make the trip one of these days!

Yeah, you're right about Brits abroad. The older ones tend to talk about the old country going to the dogs. They never integrate with the locals & cling on to rituals like Burns Night...there's even a cricket team here on Ibiza.

I bet the local masons lodge are having a Trafalgar dinner.

As a Brit living on a spanish island, I know a few like that but they've been very good to me in my hour of darkness.

I won't be celebrating Trafalgar Day... my therapist is french & she helped me to survive my WW's betrayal.She's introduced me to lots of french friends.

Vive la France! Let hear it for the united nations.

I bet Trafalgar Day is a bit like St. Patrick's Day. I don't think they really celebrate it in Ireland but it sure is a lot of other places. Probably students of history and naval folks are the ones who care the most about Nelson and the whole Battle of Trafalgar thing. However, it's an event that's important in history of every European country. It doesn't make the French bad and the English good. 200 years is a long time to take this kind of stuff personally. That's like thinking all Japanese are bad because they bombed Pearl Harbor.

Portsmouth disappointing? On the contrary! I had tons of fun there the last time I went. I thought the Mary Rose was really cool. I enjoyed my tour of the HMS Victory even though I find the idea of a ship planted in concrete being considered an active command a bit funny. I like the castle, the Boardwalk, and the ferries going in and out. Oddly enough, on that trip, there was wonderful weather. I actually got a little sunburnt and it didn't rain the whole time. Of course, I was with people who also enjoy tall ships and the whole maritime thing. That makes a big difference.

With my family and without them, I've done the boat ride up and down the Thames several times. My kids love the Maritime Museum in Greenwich. (We like Greenwich, period. Something about being on the Zero Meridian.) We've been to the basement of St. Paul's. My family humors me about this tall ship thing.

Nelson WAS a notorious adulter but so was Napoleon and probably lots of leaders at that time. Poor Emma got her's in the end, didn't she? Dying poor, alone and a alcoholic is probably a fate we'd like to wish on many OW.

Paddys day is an utter riot in ireland.

The English don;t celebrate anything patriotic. We're told we should be embarassed by our 'colonial' history. So we are.

Hey Bob, I know the feeling. I'm suppose to be embarrassed about my pioneer ancestors who crossed the prairie in covered wagons. They are obviously evil land stealer. How dare they look for a better life. I can only imagine how bad life was if this hard scrabble life was better. They left almost everything they loved behind. In general, they never saw their families again and raised probably half of their children to adulthood. It's pretty obvious that they stole the Native Americans' land with malice and intent. Actually, I'm pretty proud of my forebears.

Yes, the Brits to seem to be rather apologetic for their imperialism. It's a fact and it happened....many, many years ago. We shouldn't make the mistake of visiting our reasoning and morals upon things that happen long ago. Has the Church apologized for the Inquisition or the Crusades? The Chinese for Attila the Hun? The Italians for the Roman Empire? Have Homo Sapiens apologized the Neadethals for past transgression? However, as an American, I am more than willing to apologize for George Bush and Brittany Spears.

GG when I was a teeneger and knew *everything*, I accused my dad of having no sympathy with oppressed sectors of society or some other pompous rubbish.

He sat upright and replied:

" I am a middle aged overweight, heterosexual, patriotic white man, who smokes, drinks, enjoys fatty bacon and rude jokes with the lads. Don't DARE say I don;t know about oppression !"

<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I was totally out of line to speak 'down' of Portsmouth. It's so long since I've been there and it was peeing with rain. Did you get over to the Isle of Wight? My sister got married there to a Scotsman in a kilt! We had so many family holidays when I was a child. London I know, Portsmouth I don't. Glad you've been to Greenwich - I love it too. TT

Hey TT, I didn't mean to slap you down about Portsmouth. I think that the company I was with made the difference. Sometimes, places just don't appeal to a person. I've been to Oxford several times with the best of company but I still don't really like it. I haven't made it to the Isle of Wight yet. It seems like there's always one more thing to do in GB. I haven't been north of Warwick, that would mean the Lake District, Scotland, etc. I've looked at Wales but never seen the White Cliffs of Dover. I have been to Cornwall and that was wonderful.

And Bob, do you call woman, ladies? Your dad sounds much like my dad except he could never stand the English. Go figure...