Castles, Cathedrals and Cliffs

March 22

Back to cold and windy weather today and it's going to be a long day. It rained a bit on and off and we even had a couple of snow squalls though were luckily in the bus when those blew over. We had booked a coach tour for a day trip out of London using Evans Evans. The tour went to Leeds Castle in Kent, then to Canterbury for a visit to the famous cathedral. Later on we had a photo stop to see the White Cliffs of Dover and we ended the afternoon at an old inn in a village for our afternoon tea.

We had a courtesy pickup at the hotel and were taken to Victoria coach station to wait for the tour bus. Our guide is Chrissy and our female driver's name is Pat. We noticed quite a few Japanese tourists on board and it turns out they do a bilingual tour on Saturdays so that was interesting, though we didn't understand a word of Japanese. I did notice quite a few English words used, however and not just place names.

We drove through Greenwich on the way out of London with descriptions about the observatory and the old palace that used to be there. The drive to Leeds Castle was mainly by motorway so it wasn't all that interesting most of the way. It was really windy and cold at Leeds which is quite open. The castle is surrounded by a moat. The bus took us down quite close to the castle so at least we were spared that walk. There's also hot air balloon rides there in the summer. The balloon was enormous!! But then, I've never seen one up close so maybe that's the size they all are.

Medieval bath in Leeds Castle

Harry Bell Tower in
Canterbury Cathedral

Our first stop was, of course, the loo. It's in a group of buildings away from the castle and the buildings include the gift shop, a café and the Dog Collar Museum!!! I'd been to Leeds Castle about 11 years ago and seen it then but it think it was in one of the castle buildings rather than back here in the brick buildings. I insisted we have a look as it's only small anyway, just a room with a few cases. It really is fascinating. On the other side of this group of buildings are the rest of the grounds including an aviary, a garden, a maze and a greenhouse but it was too cold to be wandering around outside. It was bad enough we had to brave the winds to get back to the castle.

We had some nice vantage points for photos of the castle along the way with trees in bloom with pink flowers to frame up the castle. We had to go down then up some stone stairs to get into the castle. There weren't guided tours but you carried around a laminated information sheet that told you a little about each room. The first part were rooms decorated as they would have been in medieval times. This castle is very old and was lived in by various monarchs or queens of monarchs. Later on the castle was privately owned and lived in until about 30 years ago when the last owner, Lady Baillie, died and left it to the country.

There are some wonderful windows, fireplaces and the rooms were all really lovely, both the old ones and the new ones. There was a spiral stone staircase with a carved newel post at the top depicting a cavalier which I particularly liked. The newer section was decorated by Lady Baillie and included drawing and sitting rooms, a library, bedrooms and a dining room. There are some rooms that are used for seminars and meetings even now and there's a board room as well. The castle is used for public functions and even weddings.

We had enough time to see it all and get back to the bus meeting point and we only had to wait a few minutes for the bus, luckily. It was about a 45 minute drive to the centre of Canterbury. Chrissy walked us up through the older centre of Canterbury to the Cathedral close and paid for our entrance fees. The fees for that and the castle were all included in our day trip cost as was the afternoon tea later on. I think fees and the tea probably took up at least half of the cost of the tour so I think it was pretty good value for money considering the cost of the driver and tour thrown in.

We wandered through the cathedral ourselves, snapping pictures and gazing up at the vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows. Canterbury is one of the most beautiful cathedrals I've been in. There were lots of Easter lilies too, which scented the church. There were quite a few tombs and memorials and in back of the high altar in the big chapel there, there were two in particular I was anxious to see, the tombs of Henry IV and his wife and the tomb of Edward the Black Prince. That one was topped in an effigy of the prince in full armour. I thought this part was the crypt where you weren't allowed to take photos but it wasn't . Oh well. The postcard would be better anyway.

In between these two tombs is a candle that marks the spot where the tomb of Thomas A Becket stood for about 300 years until Henry VIII destroyed it. Thomas a Beckett was murdered by knights who thought they were acting on orders from King Henry II in 1170. The spot where he was killed is to one side of the altar and is marked now by a more modern shrine.

We had time to look in the gift shop and walk through the pedestrian shopping streets here. This part of the City is quite old with narrow streets and crooked buildings, all of which have shops in them now. We didn't have lunch, just a cuppa before getting the bus for our next stop.

Off to the White Cliffs of Dover on the southeast coast. This was just a photo stop. We actually had a better if very quick view from the off ramp down into the waterfront road of the city. We parked near a rocky beach on the harbour and walked over a bit to take photos. It was horrendously windy here next to the English channel so I didn't stay long. I took a couple of shots of the harbour opening with the lighthouse, that was actually a bit more interesting! I think there are probably better vantage points to take pictures of the cliffs but that's where we were taken.

Driving inland from there to the village of Denton where an old inn called Jackdaw was our stop for afternoon tea. The pub actually dates from the mid 1700s though the back parts where the tables were set up for tea and sandwiches was probably newer. The bar and front areas had nice fireplaces and antiques spotting the corners. We had sandwiches and hot tea with scones and clotted cream and jam which were all really good. We shared our table with a couple from South Africa and a man from Brisbane, Australia which made for a very interesting break.

Driving back to London, we went through a bit of snow flying across the road but London seemed to be nearly clear and not nearly so windy. We were dropped off at the top of the Aldwych crescent which was nice and close to the hotel, just a five minute walk. We decided to have a cup of tea and then we went out for burgers at the Gourmet Burger Kitchen on Maiden Lane, also just around the corner from the hotel. Mom and Graham are both burger fans and this place does some really good ones with ground sirloin in their beef burgers. You can also get chicken, vegetarian, lamb and other styles as well and they serve their chips in big bowls. I recommend their milkshakes, as well. I had felt a bit like walking around the block after but when we got out, it was cold and dark and we all just decided we needed warmth. Back to the hotel it was.

Shopping London's markets

March 23

Fleet Street, The City

Quite cold again today. It even snowed a couple of times and was cold and blustery all day. We had breakfast but didn't leave until 10:30. We were heading east to Spitalfields Market, near Liverpool Street station. No sense sitting in a hotel room all day. We caught the bus but again, instead of getting off where it would have been fairly close, I thought the next stop would be better. Only the bus was detoured and we ended up quite a distance from where we needed to be. Again. It's getting tiresome and not a lot of fun having to walk a distance when it's so cold and damp.

By the time we got to Spitalfields, we need to have a hot drink. Just before the market was a patisserie which worked for us! Hot drinks, lovely cakes and pastries and a loo where you could take a lift instead of the stairs! Bliss!

The market, Spitalfields, is covered over in two sections. I don't know why, but I thought it was going to be in a big old warehouse but it's between several large modern buildings and just roofed over. That means it's out of the wind but still chilly. The market is full of stalls selling crafts, fashions, accessories, jewelry, hats, bags, and some food and knick knacks. It's all new stuff, where I had thought it would be some second hand. I think the nearby Petticoat Lane market had more used goods but it was just too cold for another outdoor market after we were done here.

We saw some really interesting things, some expensive, and some really well priced though none of it that cheap. Apparently a lot of young designers sell their fashions here before they get more successful. We did find a few things to buy, including a blue and white ceramic bowl for me.

We stopped in a little café for soup when we left there then walked a few blocks looking for a bus stop for the route number we needed. We decided to go to the pub in Holborn where we had set up a meet and greet for some friends though weren't sure how many were going to be able to come due to it being the holiday weekend. Again, I got us off the bus far too early so it was another chilly walk to Shakespeare's Head on Kingsway near the Holborn station.

It turned out we didn't end up meeting anyone but we ordered food and ate our evening meal anyway. I was really chilled and couldn't get warm at all. By about 6 we decided to leave and we took a taxi back to the hotel even though it really wasn't that far to walk. We were all just too cold to be out anymore. We spent the evening to our own devices, keeping warm and resting up. Tomorrow is our last day in London. Graham is going back to Manchester in the late afternoon so we might all go do a little shopping in the morning.

The last day still has a bump in the road

March 24

Another chilly day but not as bad as yesterday. We checked out and stashed our bags after breakfast. Off to Oxford Street. You guessed it, I missed the bus stop for getting off again but because we got off around the corner on Edgeware Road and had to come down a side street, we were treated to the most amazing cakes in the window of a patisserie…real works of art!

We wandered through a few shops and I picked up some Bluetooth headphones for my mobile that I'd hoped to get. We walked down off Oxford street looking for a place to find some lunch but it was all designer shops and few places to eat so we got the bus back to the hotel and ate in the bar. Still expensive but at least we didn't have to go out in the cold. We all had fish and chips and they were quite tasty.

I took Graham to the bus station at Victoria while mom relaxed in the lobby of the hotel waiting for my return. This is where it nearly all went pear shaped as we ended our trip with another heart-rending scare. When I got back, Mom went to get something from her handbag and couldn't find it !!!! Turns out her passport was in it as well! Oh heck… We looked around where she'd been but it wasn't anywhere. I asked at the concierge desk if one had been passed in, hoping against hope and the travel gods were with us! Her handbag was indeed turned in. She'd left it in the toilet just off the lobby. Her passport, id and everything was still in it too!

Next bump in the road? We were waiting for an airport shuttle that we'd booked before we left but it never arrived. Again the concierge saved our butts. He called the company and it turns out I should have confirmed the shuttle that week even though the travel agent had confirmed with me the pickup time. I guess I assumed that since she told the company, we didn't need to confirm even though it said so on the information with the voucher. In the end they booked us a private vehicle to the airport hotel we'd booked. We won't get that money back as it was up to us to confirm the shuttle. Oh well, if that's the most it cost us extra, that's not too bad. Mom still had her passport, she wasn't badly injured in that fall. So all in all, an unexpected expense that was manageable is ok.

We stayed at one of the Holiday Inns at the airport; check in was smooth and the room was comfortable though the bed not quite as nice as the ones at the Strand. We ate in the bar in the hotel and watched tv for the rest of the evening.

Home again, tired but full of memories

March 25

It's sunny this morning with a chill in the air but it's nice to see the sun. We got up pretty early to have our breakfast and catch the Hotel Hoppa to the airport for 7:30. We got a luggage trolley but they were a pain in the arse, with wonky wheels. Check in at the airport was fine and the security line went quickly. I used up the last of my cash in duty free on Bailey's, chocolate and tea. This plane seems a bit more roomy for our legs and we kept the empty seat between us again so we had lots of space. The video screen wasn't working in our part of the cabin so no movie for us though we could listen if we wanted. We were given a compensatory voucher (which I must see if I can find because I forgot about it until I typed this up and it reminded me). We had our books and our journals and the food was decent. I think I managed to doze a bit though I did find it cold. Cold. Yes. Even the cookie that came with the meal was cold. The ultimate insult!

Anyway, we got home and eventually got unpacked and sorted out. Lots of photos to go through and share and lots of great memories!!!! Mom and I travel pretty well together and this is a trip that we will never forget!