"Why are we going to Portsmouth again?" was Dale's question after we'd been on the road for what seemed like several hours. That was a tricky one. The reason I had included Portsmouth on our itinerary was to fulfil two childhood dreams of mine - #1. To stand on the deck of Victory, Nelson's flagship at the battle of Trafalgar #2. To visit the ruins of the Roman Palace near Bournemouth which featured in one of my school textbooks. (I was a history geek from an early age) But I wasn't sure that Dale would quite understand, so I answered "Because it is cheaper than staying in Salisbury". (An acceptable answer to my pragmatic husband)!

When we arrived in Portsmouth we were both ready to stretch our legs, so we took a walk along the millennium walkway which runs along the waterfront. The walk took us past old coastal defences from where we could see the Isle of Wight ferries coming and going. Further along we walked by historic pubs in the dockside areas where press gangs used to operate, forcibly recruiting unfortunate young men into the navy. The city's long association with the navy is evident everywhere we went, from the nautical influence in some of the architecture, to the statue of Nelson and pubs with names like "The Lady Hamilton".

The following day we did a walk through the historic dockyards in the misting rain. Tickets to see the Victory were pricey, but included entry to the Mary Rose exhibition and to HMS Warrior. The Victory, with its three gun decks capable of bearing 100 guns, sits beautifully restored in a dry dock at the far end of the dockyards. The ship had a long service as a first class ship of the line, but is most well known for its role as Lord Nelson's flagship in the Battle of Trafalgar. Horatio Nelson was the son of a clergyman and entered the British navy at the age of 12! He gradually rose from midshipman to the rank of Admiral and commanded the British Fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar. During his career he lost both an arm and the sight in one eye. He also caused considerable scandal through his affair with Lady Hamilton, who remained his mistress until his death. At the Battle of Trafalgar Nelson's strategy of splitting the British fleet into two columns to meet the line of enemy ships succeeded in breaking up the larger Spanish and French fleet's battle formation and reducing the battle to a melee where the superior British discipline and fire-rate would carry the day. The Victory spearheaded one of the British columns, at great danger to the vessel and its crew. Nelson himself was fatally wounded by a musket ball and carried below decks, where he died three hours later. His body was put into a water barrel filled with brandy and returned to England for burial.

It was a surreal feeling to walk the decks where Nelson himself had commanded the battle, and to stand on the spot where Nelson was wounded. Below deck we visited the Great cabin where Nelson had his sleeping area with a hanging cot, decorated with hangings embroidered by Lady Hamilton, a big open space with long table where he could entertain, and an office space. Even further below was the dark and cramped gun deck where the majority of those aboard Victory slept and ate. Over 400 men would sleep on hammocks strung up the length of the ship, each with only a few inches of space. During the day the hammocks would be rolled up tightly and stowed. below that were decks where sailcloth, ropes, and stores were kept, as well as a carpentry workshop, the carefully regulated magazine store and the low ceilinged area used as a surgery during battle (where Nelson died).

From the Victory we moved on to The Mary Rose exhibition. Unfortunately the wreck of King Henry VIII's ship was not on display (as a new museum is being built to house it) but many of the items recovered from the sea floor were available for public viewing and it was interesting to get a glimpse into life aboard a Tudor warship. Some of the discoveries included the remains of food stored aboard - giving an idea of sailors' diets at this time - leather bound Bibles and personal items such as carved handled knives and rosaries stored in officers' trunks, and carpentry tools.

The third vessel on display was HMS Warrior, one of the earliest war ships built with an iron plated hull. It was a much larger ship than Victory, but surprisingly little had changed in terms of the level of technology used aboard her. Bigger guns and a steam engine as well as sails, yes, but similar living environment for officers and crew.

We had lunch at a pub on Gunwharf Quay and then Dale kindly agreed to drive me out to Fishborne to see the Roman Palace. Discovered in the early 60's when a water pipe was being installed, the footprint of the Palace ruins astounded archaeologists as this building would have been the largest in Roman-Britain. Archaeologists are still not entirely sure who the Palace was built for, but it seems that over the years the mosaic floors were patched or replaced until eventually the building was destroyed by fire. Most of the stone blocks used in the walls were pilfered, but the stone thieves left the Roman mosaics relatively untouched. Over the years layers of dirt covered the ruins until the people living in the area forgot that there had even been a palace on the site. Unfortunately a lot of damage was done to the mosaic floors through ploughing of the fields planted above. Incredibly there are some mosaics that survived, mostly they are of black and white geometric design. But the most magnificent surviving mosaic is of a figure riding a dolphin. Admittedly, there is not a heck of a lot to see, but fortunately there was an archaeologist on hand to give an enthusiastic explanation of all the most fascinating features of the site. Dale was particularly impressed by how the mosaics had stretched to fill hollows in the ground in such a way that the picture remained unaffected. The archaeologist explained that this had occurred due to the combination of the weight that had built up on the Roman floor and the subsidence of some areas of the ground beneath, for example where the palace had been built over an old drain.

The weather was once again dreary as we returned to 'The Pier' b & b and I was happy to agree to Dale's suggestion of a quiet night in.