The voyage was quite long. In the first few days, Zai Zhen and Wang Daxie developed obvious symptoms of seasickness. They were dizzy and vomited for almost two days before they recovered.
However, Li Yu, Liang Cheng and others adapted relatively quickly. Needless to say, Li Yu was also someone who had flown several times. Liang Cheng, Tang Wenzhi and others went to foreign countries many times and took many ships. The discomfort was obviously short-lived and mild.
The Panlentini docked in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Sri Lanka to replenish fresh water and food, then crossed the long Indian Ocean into the Red Sea, sailed into the Aegean Sea via the Suez Canal, and after resupplying in Marseille, France, finally arrived in London.
During the month-long journey, in addition to the daily routine of feeding seagulls, playing cards, or staring at the vast sea, Li Yu and Huang Kaijia also taught Zai Zhen a lot of European-related knowledge. Anyway, he had no place to play, so he could only listen carefully.
Fortunately, Tang Wenzhi deliberately brought a well-made globe and taught Zai Zhen a lot of geographical knowledge, which relieved his boredom. Although the globe still has many detailed errors compared to modern globes, it does not have a big impact on the vibration. After all, it is just for popularizing science.
Such a long voyage was boring, so Li Yu brought a pen and paper. He had observed a lot of data some time ago and started calculating as soon as he had nothing to do on the ship. Traveling thousands of miles to come to London this time must not be in vain, we must do something big!
When the ship entered the Thames, the vague silhouette of the most central city in the world appeared in the distant fog, and everyone cheered in unison.
At this time, London had a population of more than 5 million, making it the most populous city in the world. Due to the extensive use of coal as energy, the year-round fog cast a mysterious veil over the city of London.
Of course, this just sounds nice. When the smog is at its worst in winter, almost everyone has to wear a mask or cover their mouth and nose with a scarf.
But for this moment, it is a symbol of industrial strength.
Zai Zhen was shocked by the obvious Gothic-style and Victorian-style buildings along the river. This obviously exaggerated and strange style was completely different from the Chinese style that tended to be rounded and moderate. And due to technical and material reasons, the building heights in London are also relatively high.
Especially when passing London's landmark Tower Bridge, the bridge decks on both sides slowly lifted up, which shocked a boatload of people, who all lay on the edge of the deck to look at it.
"Look, Mr. Beizi! This bridge can open its tail like a peacock!"
"How wonderful! It's like a dream."
“It’s truly an ingenious workmanship and a perfect match made in heaven!”
Only Li Yu was very calm. They certainly could not have imagined that 100 years later, China would become an infrastructure maniac, and that Chongqing alone could become the "World Bridge Museum".
Zai Zhen was like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, asking from time to time what the various buildings on both sides of the Taiwan Strait were, but Liang Cheng and the others had never been to the UK. Li Yu pointed to Big Ben in the distance, "Did you see it? That's the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben, the center of England."
Tang Wenzhi asked in surprise: "How do you know? Haven't you never been abroad?"
Li Yu knew that he had let something slip, so he quickly explained: "It was all told by foreigners from the former concession!"
The ship docked at the Port of London pier, and a welcoming crowd was waiting on the shore early.
Prince Arthur, the younger brother of Edward VII and the then field marshal, personally led the team to pick up the ship. He stepped forward and shook hands with Zai Zhen: "Welcome the distinguished Qing envoy to our country to serve as the new King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India. A coronation gift from Edward VII."
Zai Zhen said: "Thank you, Prince Arthur, for taking the time to meet him personally. We are honored to receive you."
You must stay in a hotel today. After finishing his diplomatic remarks, Prince Arthur said: "The journey must be extremely tiring. I have prepared a sumptuous lunch for you all."
The group got into the prepared luxury carriage and checked into the Sissel Hotel. The hotel is a high-end royal hotel, specially designed to receive dignitaries and foreign guests from various countries.
After everyone put down their belongings in their respective rooms, they came to the banquet hall.
In the UK, the formal banquet table is naturally long, with seats facing each other on both sides. The British envoy had already introduced Zai Zhen and others on the ship.
The ceremony of the banquet was indeed complete: four courses of appetizers, meat dishes, desserts, and fruits were served one by one by waiters in suits and ties with white gloves. Everyone also practiced using knives and forks on the boat, and they didn’t feel too unfamiliar when eating.
But when it comes to taste, it’s good that everyone knows about British food.
What impressed the members of the mission the most was the haggis sausage, a very traditional Scottish dish.
It's actually a sheep's stomach stuffed with haggis. The method is very crude. First, the sheep's stomach is hollowed out and stuffed with minced sheep internal organs, such as heart, liver, kidney, lungs, oats, onions, beef and spicy seasonings. Then it is made into bags and boiled for 3 more times. hours until bulging.
The preparation method sounds a bit similar to blood sausage, and it shouldn't taste unpalatable, but the appearance is really like "dark cuisine": small black and gray particles, which look a bit disgusting.
If you are a Chinese chef, you will definitely find a way to grind it directly into puree, and then serve it with some noodles to make it look better. The so-called delicious food, first of all, should not look too unpalatable in terms of appearance.
Fortunately, this thing has the characteristics of stinky tofu, which smells bad and tastes delicious; Haggis sausage looks disgusting but tastes delicious.
Prince Arthur also proudly introduced it to Zai Zhen: "This is a long-standing delicacy that has been handed down in memory of Burns, the great Scottish poet 100 years ago."
Zai Zhen wiped his mouth and took a big mouthful of mashed potatoes to suppress the strong smell of mutton fat. "In memory of the poet? We eat rice dumplings on the Dragon Boat Festival to commemorate Qu Yuan, who was also a poet more than 2,000 years ago."
"Two thousand years?" Prince Arthur exclaimed in surprise, "What an incredible history! Come, let's drink to the poet!"
Can he not be surprised? The Germans were still barbarians 2,000 years ago, and Britain was still the homeland of the Celts. It was not until the early fifth century that after the Celts drove away the Roman army, the Anglo-Saxons, one of the Germanic peoples, came to Britain and were the ancestors of the current British people.
After a few glasses of whiskey, Prince Arthur was obviously starting to get drunk. When it comes to drinking, he is no match for a drunkard like Zai Zhen.
By the time we finished the last snack, it was already three o'clock in the afternoon. Prince Arthur left the hotel, leaving behind a dedicated diplomatic etiquette staff who, together with Zai Zhen and others, practiced the ceremony of handing over letters of credence the day after tomorrow.
But they still need to rest more today. Although they have gradually adapted to the eight-hour time difference after taking the ship, they can finally put their feet on land and sleep on a stable bed without any shaking. This is what attracts them. The force is too great!
