Weekend in Dover

We took our first weekend getaway this week and went to the Dover area of Kent. Along the coast line within very few miles of each other there are three impressive castles and we spent all of Saturday exploring them. We started our day at Dover castle, the largest and truthfully most interesting of the three.Parts of Dover castle were originally built in 1066 and the castle was garrisoned uninterruptedly until 1958. Part of the castles early history involved secret underground tunnels that were dug during the Napoleonic age and played an important role in WWII. A rescue operation called Operation Dynamo was run from these tunnels where some 380000 soldiers were rescued from Dunkirk and brought back to the castle. You can in fact tour the tunnels and experience an interactive telling of this mission that is very moving, however the taking of photos while underground is not allowed. I wish I could have captured on film for you the experience of our journey through the underground. The noise, smell, and dankness of the tunnels added to the feeling of closeness to the many thousands of young men who walked those halls and experienced a life most of us will hopefully never have to. Etched into the stone walls throughout the tunnels were the names of those who helped dig it out and some of those that served later in the already dug caverns, it took great self control not to place my hands on all the names and say out loud that they are not forgotten.

Th the heart of the castle stand the Great Tower, built between 1180 and 1185 it was home to King Henry II. Most of you will know that as a king he was impressive but as a man he left a little to be desired and touring through the tower you learn all about his tumultuous life. Obviously confused about who he was I heard one small child say to his mum after learning some new fact about him, " He doesn't sound like the Robin Hood I know". He certainly does not! Interesting for those who have seen it, this is where 'The Other Boleyn Girl' was filmed so there is a certain level of authenticity to that movie.

As you walk around the expansive grounds there is an extra challenge to guess what years the various buildings would have been constructed in. Some obviously bearing a strong Roman influence while others have an almost modern feel being built as late as 1913. Having spent many of its later years as a military structure you can definitely see the impression that its various commanding officers left on it, as a military man himself I was struck over and over how much my dad would have gotten from the area that I undoubtedly overlooked.

Okay, I am going to prove my girlishness and say that the next stop on our tour, Walmer Castle was the prettiest we've been to yet. Most castles are dark and dank and make you wonder how uncomfortable they would have been to live in but with its relatively modern fittings and its beautiful gardens I could see the appeal of taking up abode.Not surprising as Her Majesty, the Queen Mother made regular visits to the castle and had her own garden built on the grounds presented to her on her 95th birthday. 

I got some artistic shots of foliage on the ground that I won't subject you to but will tell you that when they build a garden for the Queen they don't mess around. It housed some of the most spectacular array of flowers and greenery I have seen in a long time. And anyone who has visited either my mothers or my mother in laws gardens knows that is saying something! Inside the house you can tour many of the rooms that the Queen would have frequented during her stay and as someone who studied furniture and house design I often paused to see how our modern designers were influenced by these early craftsmen.

In the same way I wished for my dad at Dover I couldn't help feeling like my mum and mother in law were at Walmer to walk the grounds and tell me the names of the different flowers. Despite having two amazing gardeners in my life it somehow passed right by me and I would have liked their guidance.

We ended our day at Deal Castle which as it was the least impressive of the three it was a somewhat deflating way to end our adventure. This particular castle was a good reminder that living in these stone fortresses would have been uncomfortable, cold and quite frankly smelly. This small castle had none of the comforts that the other castles had been fitted with and it was by far the coldest of them, which would probably have been a delightful feature in the summer months but would have made even mild winters long and  intolerable. However the view was nice and you could see why a person might chose to settle in the area.

Welcome to Wales

This past week my daughter had an activity in Swansea, Wales and we decided to all drive up. The two hour drive was somewhat lengthened by our GPS getting set to avoid toll roads and so we enjoyed an extra half hour meandering through the motorways of Wales. The road side scenery was pretty and the sun was shining but what kept as all amused travelling along were the street signs, which showed us the Welsh translation of whatever was written on them. Trying to pronounce warnings and city names kept the car filled with laughter and speculation. The ones on the freeways are far more interesting but as only those with a death wish would stop on well populated road way here, I took a photo of one on a much safer street corner once in Swansea.

Once my daughter was set up with her group my son could not wait to head over to the beach which was just a five minute walk away. As you begin moving toward the sea side the view of the water was completely blocked by tree lined path ways that skirt along the sand edge but also leave you wondering just how close the water actually is.

However just past this trail, really feet from this spot you break through and the vast shoreline stretches out in front of you. The tide was out but this left miles and miles of the softest sand and a plethora of shells to sort and collect.  

We spent time basking in the sun, letting the sand push between our toes and thinking our life was charmed. Although the tide never did come in while we were on the beach, we picked up a nice sun burn and so felt we really had been to a beach after all. Admittedly I didn't in my mind associate Wales with sunny days and beautiful beaches I enjoyed both in my day there and have since been coming up with reasons why we would need to go back. 

Birthday in Bath

Monday was my birthday and my husband surprised me by not only taking the day off work but by planning a trip to Bath for the two of us. This was a destination that was very near the top of my list of places I wanted to visit once in the UK, so he chose well. We hopped on the train and took the 29 minute commute to our destination. As the sun poured through the windows the day was already off to a promising start, and as we exited the station I suspect I fell in the love with the city in that moment. With the warm sun shining on us and no pressing time restraints we headed into the streets of Bath. Very nearly the first thing we saw was a little park just skirting the shops and housing area closest to the station. It looked so inviting that I was anxious to get down into it to take some pictures of the foliage alas the paying of an admission did deter us for the time but didn't stop me from leaning over and grabbing a shot or two.

As we moved on through the winding streets I couldn't help observing how European it all seemed and very likely looked a little star struck as I walked around gaping at all the houses, museums, churches and parks. Before long we came upon the Jane Austin Experience, greeted by a happy gentleman dressed in era appropriate garb, and of course we had to go in. You start your time there with a live demonstration from "Jane" telling you all about her life in Bath and what she did and where she lived while there. Then she takes you down to the little museum where you can see costumes from the movies based on her works and letters from of the stars of these films. You can watch a video all about here life and writing or read excerpts from her personal letters written to her family and experience her perspective of her life at the time.  Reading them made it easy to like her as a person and left you with a desire to read all her books, again. You end in a little gift shop that sells quills, books, and "I love Darcy" pins, and really who doesn't?

After we reentered the modern world we went to another area of interest, we know because our map said so, called "The Circus". Construction apparently started in 1754 and wasn't completed until 1768. I admit that I thought the area was very nice and seemed to be a very desirable place to live, but it appeared to me to be a small green space surrounded by three equal segments of houses in a circular fashion. They were pretty houses though.

We headed back down the hill into the shopping district, which also houses the Roman bath houses and Bath Abbey. We wandered into some of the shops, including a wonderful Christmas store, but mostly looked for someplace to stop for lunch. We finally stopped into the Bath Kitchen which from our table at the back of the restaurant looked right into the front door of the roman baths. As it was such a mild pleasant day the back doors the restaurant were thrown open and we were serenaded all through lunch by a guitar soloist standing right in front of the baths.

Following our lunch of possibly the best pasta and cheese sauce I have ever had we decided to tour Bath Abbey just up the block from the Roman Baths. 

The suggestion to do the 'tower tour' was made and accepted and we experienced the Abbey in a way that I couldn't imagine. They begin the tour by explaining that you are about to climb 220 stairs that ascend straight up the bell tower with a pause or two along the way. Not really one bothered by heights or steep climbs it never occurred to me that this was anything other than a new adventure, however after we reached our first stop at 120 of the steepest and windiest stairs I had ever experienced some of my enthusiasm had waned., despite the views from the first section of roof we crossed. In our first room of reprieve we learned all about the various ways that the bells are rung and got to visit the area that the clock was reached from.

We then had the rest of the journey up the tower to contend with and with another short pause in the room where the actual bells were hung we found ourselves on the roof with the climb behind us. It would be difficult not to marvel at the view and be taken aback by the splendor of the city itself, and for a few minutes I was caught up in this, convinced the trip was worth the destination. Shortly into this reflection though the unhappy thought of the descent crossed my mind and somewhat ruined the few minutes spent on the roof top. Once safely back on the ground floor I made the commitment to myself that I would more than happily take any visitor who wanted to see this remarkable building to see it, and would wait firmly seated in the chapel while they made the climb. As the chapel is filled with beautiful carvings, impressive stained glass and many hundreds of years of history I am sure I would even pass the time contently.

The rest of our time in Bath was used checking out the shopping and admiring the charm of the city. It was a bit sad when the time came for us to make our way back to the station and head home to Swindon. Thankfully the train is only a half hour journey and I can visit this place as often as I choose, and I plan to bring any friends or family who make the journey to see me to, to see this place.

Milford on Sea

Monday was a bank holiday here in England and so we decided to take advantage of the warm weather and get out and explore. We headed to Hurst castle in, well near, Milford on Sea. It was a lovely winding, tree lined two hour drive from Swindon, which we stopped half way through at a funny little pub with witty quotes written above the bar. My tomato soup here was thick like pasta sauce and tasted a little like it also, it sounds odd but actually tasted pretty good. When we arrived at our destination parking was at a bit of a premium and so we ended up in the bushes practically, heading toward a walking trail of some sort. As we knew we had to catch a ferry to get to the actual castle and as we were unsure where said ferry was we decided to walk the trail as ways to see if that was where it lead, it wasn't. Despite this discovery we did walk along the trail a ways to enjoy the breeze and the sunshine. About five minutes into our walk the question was posed "What is that smell?", to which I replied, "I don't know but it is fantastic". We had been catching wafts of an aroma that I can only say smelled a little like pina colada, virgin of course but I was unable to pin point what exactly was creating it. We came across a large flowering bush hanging over the fence lining our path and I decided to test if it was these that were producing the scent, so I leaned my face into the thickest bunch of them and inhaled deeply. I made two important discoveries in that instant, first it was this delightful flower that smelled so nice and second that the thorns on these flowers made roses look huggable. Which I suppose teaches me that even the most desirable things come at a bit of a cost. I have no idea what type of flower they were, should anyone know please pass it on, they were possibly the most delicious smelling flora I have ever enjoyed.

We did finally find the little ferry that would take us out to the castle and before long were looking through the old building. We learned that the original structure was built in 1500's but over the next many hundred years was added to and was actually in use until 1956 after the end of WWII. It spent some of it's life as a prison during the 1700's which is easy to understand as it surrounded by water with probably five miles of ocean between it and either coast. Not strictly an island as there were long narrow strips of land that you could walk on to get to the castle or back to shore once there. However an escapee or an on coming assault would be seen coming or going for almost the entire length.

Inside the castle walls there are many weapons and comforts that would have been used mostly in the buildings later life and it is easy to forget in some ways that it is as old as it is and not just a military compound. Something that has struck me often as I wander around this country and its cities is how untouched Canadian landscape was by the wars. Perhaps the memory stays more alive in a place where so many landmarks remain that were military forts and monuments. I have realized more than once that I stood on ground that saw and felt the effects of war, this place was one such place.

Interestingly I discovered something else inside the walls of the castle that I had not  expected, you can see one peeking at you from the bottom of this photo, palm trees. I thought I had spied some in the yards of some houses as we drove through Milford before reaching the coast but as I don't really think of England as having palm trees I brushed it off, but sure enough they they were growing all through the little courtyard.

Also on the same land mass as this castle was a sharp white house that is easy to understand why it would have been needed. Although it was not open for tourists to view you could get up close and walk around it. I was struck again that as much as I love the water I am not sure that these buildings would have been all that inviting as a place to live. I find that the romantic in me can't help but imagine what kind of men, and women I suppose, chose to make their lives so isolated from the rest of the world. You can understand the drive to discover ways to make much more automated systems so unfortunate souls would no longer be required to live in the cramped lonely spaces.

As anyone who really knows me would tell you, I have a large love affair with the ocean and I am somewhat sad to say that this was my first trip to the water since my arrival here. Because of this it is probably with some bias that I say that I thought this place was beautiful and haunting. I loved the ride out to the castle, I thought the building itself was interesting, and the view breathtaking but the best few minutes for me was when I was walking the coast, collecting seashells and enjoying the ocean air.