Castles & War: Never a Bore!

            

July 2, 2013

Dover Castle 

After doing a little bit of research for the best bargain when trying to see all the history that the United Kingdom has to, we purchased the English Heritage Pass for $120 total. It allows us to see over 400 sites throughout the UK.  The pass is valid for one year so we don't have to rush from one site to another.  We decided to visit the Dover Castle since it is in the top 10 things you must see in Dover. 

Chapel on the grounds

 Throughout history it has been the gateway to England because of its strategic location. This 11^th century castle has been repurposed multiple times from Napoleon through WWII. 

Inside the chapel

Sleeping Quarter

 Inside the keep was like entering a time machine and coming out in the medieval period.  From the king’s chambers to the kitchen the décor was perfect to the era according to functionality; really immersing us in the history of the castle and grounds. 

Castle Kitchen 

The King's Throne

The King's Chamber

As we walked from room to room audio recordings create background noise mimicking what castle life was like for the royalty, their servants, and subjects.  The king’s bed was no larger than a toddler’s; while the kitchen was enormous.

The Feast Room

 WWII Propaganda

The most memorable part of our day was spent in the secret underground tunnels.  They were used during WWII and the Napoleonic wars. As we entered the interactive tour we heard Winston Church’s famous address where he tells Britain that war with Germany is eminent.  

Technology has changed so much,
a cell phone can do what it took the space of an entire room to do. 

Communication & Planning Room

After the speech we met our tour guide, who detailed the accounts of daily life for soldiers in this elaborate maze underground.  For the next 50 minutes we were directed by an omniscient voice to different chambers and down graffiti laid walls.

View from the Top 

Ross has been interested in the details of WWII since he was a boy; therefore he thought it intriguing to see and hear the accounts, with a different spin, through the eyes of the British.  To his surprise he found it insightful because as an American you are detached from the terror and heartbreaking occurrences when war takes place on your soil. After 5 hours touring the castle and ground we left with a wealth of knowledge just before the rain rolled in. 

Zoey & Joey saluting the flag

These little critters were everywhere

Cliff''s of Dover

 July 1, 2013

  I hear a picture is worth a thousand words but these pictures  can't begin to illustrate how stunning the White Cliffs of Dover really are!  They are as white as fresh laid snow and the green prairies above make them look magnificently white. White like you dream your teeth would be. They are really freaking white!!

 

As we drove through the English countryside we passed the entrance to the cliffs and boy was that pure luck that saved us a buck.  Around the next bend we noticed a collection of cars parked on the side of the road. Glancing to the right we noticed people walking freely though huge fields of wheat, towards the edge, where we could see the cliffs in their entirety as they hung over the Dover Port Authority.

                                          

We scoured down a quick bite, took a leak in a field of golden wildflowers, and headed toward the view of the cliffs. With a steady sea breeze and warm rays of sunshine we reached the edge and bravely looked down upon a beach made completely of rocks and pebbles. 

Path leading to the beach 

Similar to the Mediterranean Steps we climbed on the Rock of Gibraltar, we took the zigzag trail down.  The path was unkept, lined with wild plants, yet it offered us an up close look at the chalk like substance that makes the cliffs so white. 

         

Carving our names in the chalk rock

Inside the garrison 

Once we reached what seemed to be the bottom of the path we found two medal garrisons that overlooked the sea. Being that we still had not reached the beach we found a vertical iron ladder that dropped us straight onto the rocky surface.  The views of the cliffs from the beach were spectacular. 

                         

                       

                         Ross with the two garrisons behind him.

           

 Neither one of us had seen a pebbled covered beach so we let out our inner child and played; running, sliding, throwing rocks, and dipping our toes in the sea! Each time a wave crashed it sounded like snap pop fireworks as the rocks smacked against each other. Nature has spent decades polishing these stones into almost perfectly cylindrical pebbles.

                                

 After a full day of play we worked up quite an appetite. We wanted a traditional English meal, so we trusted Tripadvisor and enjoyed a meal at Archer’s; the #1 recommended frugally priced restaurant in Dover.  The food was excellent!  For appetizer we ate baked mushrooms covered in a bleu cheese sauce. Ross had the locally made sausage trio platter, with mash potatoes and peas smothered in brown onion gravy. My meal of choice was the homemade pie; filled with all white meat chicken, ham, and a white cream sauce, topped with filo dough, also served with mash and peas. Yummy!

Ready to sleep like hibernating bears we headed for our temporary home; the parking lot of a truck stop and car park called the Stop 24. We stayed there for 4 nights. It was like a mini mall for travelers. There were showers, an award winning loo, free wifi, KFC & Subway, and a general store; all for just 6£ per night.   

Inside the Kangoo

Movie night in the Kangoo

Somebody Swam This? Crossing the Channel

 June 30, 2013

             

As we waited in the que for our turn with the passport agent, I got a little nervous. We made it through France with only two hours to spare before our ferry departed from Calais France heading to Dover England.  It was only our 89^th day out of the permitted 90 days allowed in the Schengen zone but we did not want any complications.  “What is your business in England?” the agent asked and we replied, “We are on our honeymoon!”  He wanted to know how long we would be visiting for…. which we improvised by saying, “A month,” because we have lost all concept of time over the last 3 months. He stamped our passports, told us to enjoy the weather, then chuckled and we were off. 

Que to get on the ferry

            Rich with time and resourceful with our travel funds we opted not to take the Channel Tunnel, which takes 30 minutes to get from France to England for 80£. Taking the ferry we spent only 25£ for two tickets and our car. 

Driving onto the ship

We drove our vehicle right on, grabbed a few items and ascended to the main deck. Naïve as we are, we thought you sat in your car as you traveled but we were wrong. 

Full car deck on the ship

Main Deck Parlor

The hour and a half cruise was relaxing, not too crowded, and had a number of amenities: two bars, a restaurant, two games rooms, TVs, comfortable chairs, and access to sea decks if you wanted the ocean to spray you in the face.  As the vessel left the harbor we ventured out on the deck and were greeted with chilly high winds. After a few pictures we retreated back to the heated cabin area.  

English Channel, cloudy, cold, and grey

Warmed up by a hot cup of Joe

Trying to get a feel for British comedy we were advised by our good friend Joann to watch, “Mrs. Brown’s Boys” a hilarious sitcom done in the style of live improvisation.  After only two episodes we were directed to exit the main deck, enter our vehicle, start the engine, and drive off the ship once the exit light was green. A lot easier than we had originally expected.

           

 Arriving in England at 11:30pm was no sweat off my back, but I am not the one driving on the left side of the road for the first time in the dark.  Setting the Tom Tom in our car to remind him to drive on the left side was one of the first things Ross did.  The only tell I saw that he was nervous were white knuckles clenched around the steering wheel because he drove on the opposite side of the road like a pro.  

Pyrenees Point of View

June 28, 2013

Driving through the Pyrenees Mountains reminded us of scenes from the Sound of Music. Being nature lovers it was a haven to      us during the 5 hours we spent in them.  It was one babbling creek, field of wildflowers, and flock/herd of animals after another.  Our eyes were overwhelmed with dynamic angles from intertwined hills and mountains.

Drinking bottled water before its bottled.
Cold and straight out of the mountains.

We lolly- gagged at a slow pace over each mountain and around each bend; not only because of the narrow roads and hairpin turns, but because we constantly wanted to stop and live in the moment. 

Happy cows giving us a roadside greeting

Drinking from the creeks, breathing the fresh mountain air, and admiring the roaming animals. At one point we pulled over to see a herd of sheep and ram, their baaaa….baaaa voices along with some neck bells sounds like a crowded cafeteria.

 

At least 1,000 in the herd

As we climbed higher and higher, reaching 2,000 meters the temperature dropped from 27 degrees Celsius to 5 degrees Celsius. Just as night fell we entered a cloud. We nervously proceeded to drive but the weather prohibited speed higher than the slow creep of 5 mph; that was our sign to pull over for the night. 

We were not sure if we were in Spain or France because there was no Welcome to France billboard….or any kind of elaborate border crossing. Unless the two police standing at tiny roadblock was border control….if so what a breeze…they didn't even ask to see our passports, they glanced in the window of the driver side, realized we did not speak the language and waved us to drive on.  Perhaps it was so simple because we took the road less traveled, avoiding all toll roads, and enjoying a closer look at the mountains and hidden villages that were scattered along our route. 

Ax-les Thermes France

The next small town we found was called, Ax-les Thermes; a quaint little town that seem like something on a post card. Noticing the change in language written on buildings it did not take long to realize we were in France. The town was quiet, except for the pitter patter of rain on the cobblestone streets. We were hungry but it was 10:30pm so there was not much open to choose from.  We found a casino where we struggled to communicate with the server. Hand gestures go a long way when needed.   

Ross ordered the buffet, a nice selection of cold sliced sausages, coleslaw, cheese, shrimp salad and couscous. I ordered a delicious salad with fried ham and goat cheese fritters and a glass of red wine. As I took the first sip, I realized it was served cold, not what I expected for red. The wine was served in a carafe, which had thick red sediment in the bottom after filling my glass. Total dinner expense 18.60 euro. 

Church near our over night spot

We found a free public parking lot just beside the casino where we set up camp for the night; which we completed in 15 minutes this time instead of 45 :*).  There was a beautiful church just in front of us, a peaceful park with large oak trees beside us, and a public restroom for our     convenience.

The church bells for an alarm clock ...loved it