What a fantabulous day! Since today was going to be pretty, Katie and I made the most of it by hitting up Canterbury, Dover, and Folkeston (not originally planned). As usual we barely caught our train; I mean we made it with one minute to spare. This has for some reason become habit for us, but it sure does make it a fun and exhilarating experience.
Our first stop was Canterbury, home of Geoffrey Chaucer and the literary hit, Canterbury Tales. When we first arrived we walked through the west gate which was so neat because you could see how this would have been a legit gate back in the day with a mote/river running beside it. It was still pretty early, around 9:45, so the town was just starting to come to life. So first off we headed towards Canterbury Cathedral and just took a few pictures instead of paying to go in. Actually we got this German man to take our picture and it was so funny. He kept saying ok over and over again and took several pictures trying to get us in the perfect spot to get the light and the cathedral in the picture. We really didn’t know what he was saying half the time, but he got a good picture and that is all we cared about! Next thing we headed to the Canterbury Tales Experience. Here you get an audio headset that has clips from Canterbury Tales that you listen to as you go on the pilgrimage with Geoffrey Chaucer. I thought it was really fun, but that was really only because it brought back the days of high school English/Literature. If you had never read Canterbury Tales, you probably would be bored and maybe a little creeped out, since it was kind of odd. But overall it was a great experience.
At this point in the morning, Katie and I felt like we had spent enough time in Canterbury, so we stopped in a bakery to get a snack and then headed to the other train station where we could catch the train to Dover. To our surprise the trains weren’t running today, so we had to take a bus. This ended up being a better option because we got to see more of the country side and a good view of the White Cliffs of Dover as we drove in. They are so neat to see! I think I especially loved seeing them because it was on the coast and I really like water J
Part of the West Gate of Canterbury
Another part of the West Gate
In front of Canterbury Castle
Canterbury Tales
When the bus dropped us off at the train station, we immediately headed to the ticket office to check when the trains/buses would be leaving so we could make sure we got back on time. To our luck, the ticket man was so nice and drew on a map places that we should try out while in Dover and then he chatted about Forest Gump when we said we were from Alabama. I know I am not technically from Alabama, but it is easier to tell people when we don’t have time to explain. For the most part, people are very nice in Dover. Yay for nice people!
About to go to Dover!
The view from the top of the Double Decker bus front seat
White Cliffs!!
So with our new map, we headed into Dover! We walked around a bit and really didn’t know exactly where we were but finally we ended up in the market square and decided to grab lunch. We went to the fish and chips place the ticket man had suggested. It was pretty good, but since it wasn’t a sit down restaurant, the fish had been sitting out for a little while, so it wasn’t the freshest it could have been. But it was still good and we enjoyed it. After lunch we hiked up this MASSIVE hill towards Dover Castle.
Ready to attack this hill, and it was way steeper than it looks...i promise!
Dover Castle is the coolest castle ever! It has so much history from various time periods and it sits on top of the white cliffs overlooking the English Channel, thus has a gorgeous view! It was breath taking! Also if you happen to come on a clear day, which wasn’t our case, you can see France since it is only 17 miles across the channel. When we first got into the castle we toured the underground hospital that was used during World War II. I guess being the pharmacy nerd that I am, I loved it! It was so neat to see and they had everything set up exactly how it would have been back in the 40s when they used it. Our tour guide also told all about what went on and even shared about a particular pilot that had to be treated after being fired at. Very cool!
After our hospital tour, we headed to one of the lookouts which took us up on a big platform. I don’t know if this is normal, but it was SO WINDY!!! I am talking 40ish mph winds that could knock you over if you weren’t trying to stand up against it. However, it have a spectacular view of the city and ocean!!
Next we headed up to the medieval and Roman side of the castle King Henry the 2nd’s had built around the 1100s. The best part was going through the castle tower. They had, once again, set up everything to show what it probably looked like back in good ole Henry’s day. Also in the castle tower, you could walk this huge spiral stair case and look out and get another great view of the land. Near the tower there was another building that had been built by the Romans back around B.C – A.D era, so I don’t really know what you would call that except a really, really, really long time ago!
After hiking around this part of the castle, we headed over to more of the World War II tunnels to finish off our tour. This was one of the best parts. It was a tunnel that had been used as a naval and army command post. They showed us lots of videos and told stories of what it was like to work and live down in the tunnels. It was so interesting!! I HIGHLY recommend!!! I wish I could show you pictures, but they wouldn’t let you take any pictures. Boo! While we were down in the tunnels, it was FREEZING. So afterwards I got a pot of tea and Katie got a hot chocolate. Yum! Then it was time to trek back to the train station to grab our bus to Folkeston to grab our train.
So as we pull into Folkeston, we stop at this random spot that you cannot see the train station. For point two, Katie and I panic that we have taken the wrong bus, but then this American couple for some reason knew that it was just around the corner. Whew that was close! So as we are walking towards the train station I see a carnival happening in a near by park. Duh, I want to go explore and somehow I convinced Katie to go ride one ride. Best. Idea. Ever! So we head over to the park and pick a ride that the ticket lady says spins around and then bumps you around. We just go with it, buy our ticket, and try it out. It is just the two of us on it, so it looks kind of funny. As it starts to go around and around, the lady says Here We Go! And then it starts bumping us all around. I have never laughed so hard. It was such a shock to feel like you were about to be thrown out of this ride with no seat belt that for some reason was hilarious. We were quite the site. I noticed at one point a family just standing and staring at us. I am glad we were able to make them laugh ha! I would have laughed at us too!
After our adventure at the carnival we head back over to the train station to find out we missed our train by 10 minutes…whoops that was totally my fault. The next train came in 45 minutes, so we moised around and then chatted with the train conductor for a good while. He was a funny ole chap that loved hearing our accents. He became our buddy until the train arrived!
Once back in London we were famished so we headed to one our favs, Nando’s to get take away (take out). Now I am staying up way to late to write this and I will definitely regret this tomorrow, but oh well! It was totally my fault because I said in my new friend, Anna Margaret’s room chatting for way longer than planned. Well enjoy and Cheers yall!
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