British Isles; White Cliffs, Castles and Canterbury
GROAN! We peek out the window and see the White Cliffs, a thrill, but the day is foggy. Morning came so quickly, and my tour, to Leeds Castle and the Canterbury Cathedral will depart at 8:15. AdventureMan’s tour, Britain at War, departs at 8:30. We quickly dress and go to breakfast; it will be a long day.
The tours board quickly, and mine goes through the countryside, full of rolling green hills and white fluffy sheep. As I talked with the tour guide, I asked if their was still any wool industry in this area, Kent, and she said there were people who grew sheep and sheered them, and and a very small artisanal group who spun and dyed the wool and sold it for a very high price to knitters, but they have a saying that it costs as much to feed a sheep as they get from shearing a sheep.
Leeds Castle is beautiful, and intimate, and informal, and we are the first ones there and have it all to ourselves until the teeming hoards arrive.
It is a very old castle, handed by kings to their beloved wives, used as a country house, and a stop before nearby Dover where people would depart for France.
Later, it was owned by a very wealthy American woman, who restored and renovated the castle several times, then donated it along with money to maintain it, to the government. The Leeds castle is open to the public, has a golf course and other entertainments, including one called Go Ape, which has things like ropes from trees, and maybe a zip line, allowing people to experience ape-like behavior, sounds like a lot of fun.
To get these photos, with no people, I hang back just enough to get a clear shot. It’s not easy, taking photos on the run. We are the first group through, lucky us, but we can see more buses arriving. Below is what it looks like with the tour groups coming through:
We have a chance to walk around (the grounds are gorgeous.)
Then we board the bus. Our next stop was Canterbury, where Viking had arranged an English lunch, bangers and mash, for our lunch in a quiet dining area within the Cathedral walls.
The Cathedral, for me, was beautiful with holy spaces. It has a long history, both as a Catholic cathedral, and then as an Anglican Cathedral, and as the place where Thomas a Becket was brutally murdered by Henry II’s henchmen with swords – in the cathedral, where he had taken sanctuary.
The guide introduced us to the cathedral, then encouraged us to tour, gave us maps, and to find our own sacred spaces. It was a lovely experience.
I love all the stained glass, but especially the one below. It is NOT a dying art! Jesus looks Ethiopian!
We all met up again outside the cathedral to make the walk back to the bus, and the drive back.
Dover Castle with the late afternoon light:
Dinner with our friends this evening at the Chef’s Table, where exquisite small dishes are served in courses. I had thought I was nearly sick; I was so tired, but AdventureMan rubbed my feet (13,897 steps) as we dressed. Conversation, as usual, flowed, and I was revived by the loveliness of the evening and being with our friends. We went to bed delighted with another great day.
In the middle of the night, I looked out and saw a wonderful Autumnal full moon, a little drifty and ghostly.
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