Day 5 – Day Excursion by Bus
I resisted the idea of a bus tour simply because it seemed so touristy and we are badass explorers. However, price, convenience, and tired feet won the battle and we signed up for a day trip. Good thing we did because it turned out to be the highlight of our visit.
Leeds Castle
This picturesque castle is maintained by an endowment from its previous owner. She completely restored it during her lifetime and she left behind a fantastic legacy. The tour guide was great and the tour itself was fun and informative. What really got our attention is the degree to which the castle presents itself for the community. There are many activities for kids, rooms can be rented, wedding hosted, etc. With barely 15 minutes left before our bus left, we decided it would be fun to enter a hedge maze. Within 5 minutes we were lost. As the clock ticked quickly towards walking back to London, my wife implored a child who had solved the puzzle to help us out and with his nod in the right direction we made it out with 5 minutes to spare. Which we then turned into 10 minutes by chatting up the bus driver and thus were lightly scolded by the guide for being late.
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| Ye Olde Castle |
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| Confidently entering the hedge maze, only to be completely lost within minutes. |
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| The main residence. |
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| A Whomping Willow on the grounds of Leeds Castle |
Battle of Britain Memorial
This stop was not on our published itinerary and the tour guide was excited to inform us that we were among the first from her company to visit it. I'm a huge WWII history buff, in particular the BoB and the London Blitz. The experience at the Memorial was phenomenal. The center itself is modest in its offerings but the appeal is in the location. It is literally perched on the cliffs of Dover where Spitfires and Hurricanes engaged the Luftwaffe to prevent them from attacking England. While still cold and windy, the sky was clear and we could see France across the Channel. To our left and right we could see the famous white cliffs of Dover. Ahead of us we could see the coast where the Dunkirk evacuation took place. Immediately behind us was the memorial to the fighter pilots who kept Germany at by in 1940 and 1941. Simply marvelous.
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| This photo covered the entirety of a stall in the men's toilet at the BoB Memorial. It was by far the most manly place that I've ever had the pleasure to have a wee. | |
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| It was a rare clear day and you could see the coast of France across the Channel. And smell the BO, cigarettes, garlic, and snails. |
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| Me and Cathy with the Cliffs of Dover behind us. Also, me wishing that I'd brought a hat and shaved. |
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| Cathy and Emma. And cliffs. They are mere feet from the edge. |
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| The actual memorial statue. He's looking across the English Channel. |
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| Replicas of Spitfires and Hurricanes |
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| Replica of a dog named B.O.B, ready to kick some Nazi ass. |
Dover Castle
This was just a drive by with the bus. We were relieved that we didn't have to stop.
Canterbury Pigs
We'd had no lunch and it was nearing 2pm so our first order of business was to find a place to eat quickly. Rather than hit the pub we chose the takeaway side of an English BBQ joint. That's right, smoked pig in England. The name of the place was Pork & Co so we knew they meant pig business. We got pulled pork sandwiches that featured properly smoked pork butt, tasty buns, unique and tangy slaw, and apple butter chili BBQ sauce. Very different from Southern US BBQ but delicious. Additionally, I was able to get a locally brewed beer which was the equal of the sandwich. Properly fortified, we began our visit to Canterbury Cathedral.
Canterbury Cathedral
True to form, we began the tour by asking one of the volunteer hosts a few questions about the origins of the Cathedral. He adopted us on the spot. Guided tours cost additional money so he wasn't allowed to offer us one for free. To compensate, he sent us to look at something and would then pretend to stumble across us again and proceed to blissfully tell us why what we were looking at was special and/or fascinating. He finally gave up the pretense of neutrality and took us to see as much as we could before the bus left. It was a fantastic and unique experience. We saw and learned things that only someone intimately familiar with the place could share. Mr. Malcolm Robertson we are in your debt!
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| Heraldic crests on the ceiling of a covered outdoor walkway. |
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| One of many separate chapels in the Cathedral. |
O’Neills fake Irish pub
The day trip ended with an anti-climactic river cruise up the Thames. We'd seen everything at that point so we just got off the boat where it was most convenient. We settled on a chain Irish pub near our hotel where the food was good, the beer fresh but not from a cask (although Irish Chieftain ale is tasty), and the staff all Eastern European. London is nothing if not diverse.
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