Having visited London many times, and taken in many of the local sights, I set a goal to get outside of the city and see some of the countryside and the other wonderful and beautiful places that make England so special. So, since I still won’t attempt to drive a vehicle on the “wrong” side of the road I booked a tour to visit the garden of England — Kent. Which of course involved a bus.
I walked to Victoria Coach Stationn early this morning and fell in line with all the other tourists (so many Americans!) as we jostled to ensure we were on the right coach heading to the right location. With half a dozen busses all leaving and boarding people at the same time, it was important to pay some attention. There were 50 of us on the coach with Paul the driver and Krissy the guide, and enough Japanese to warrant Krissy’s patter in two languages.
First stop, Leeds Castle, who some call the loveliest castle in all the world. Also known as the Ladies Castle becuase it had been “given” repeatedly to the wives of monarchs and lords. The original Castle was one of the 1000 built by the Normans in the 11th C; this one in 1119. During the reign of Edward I it became a royal castle, and he diverted the river Len to have the castle appear to have been built on two islands in the middle of a man-made moat. It stayed in royal hands until 1552, and then passed through five families before it was purchased by an Anglo-American heiress and restored to grandeur beginning in the 1920’s. It’s now in the hands of a trust, as this final owner, Lady Baillie, left it to the country. She is also known to have personally brought the black swans in the first class cabin of an airplane to the estate from Australia, and their images appear on the linens in the castle. (Some people just have too much money, although it’s wonderful to see this lovely place in the care of a foundation now).
Then back onto the bus and to Canterbury Cathedral. In 597 Pope Gregory sent a monk, Augustine to England as a missionary to establish a seat and monetary there. He became England’s first Archbishop. But the most fascinating story for most people is the murder in 1170 of Archbishop Thomas Becket by some knights hoping to please Henry II, who famously said “Will no one rid me of the turbulent priest”. After his death in the Cathedral some miracles were said to have occured, which resulted in Becket’s canonization in 1173. It is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and a beautiful example of Romanesque and Gothic styles, having been built and altered between 1070 and 1834. There’s ongoing renovation even now, so it was difficult to see that makes it unique.
Last stop was meant to be a quick one — a look at the white cliffs of Dover before the 2 hour ride back to London. The cliffs themselves weren’t all that amazing. I suspect it would’ve helped if the sun came out. (Seriously, they call this summer?) But with the docks and the big ships and the finest hotel on the quay along the Channel a Best Western, it was not an amazing place. It was windy and the beach was pebbly and the Channel was a bit rough. The most interesting bit were secret tunnels in the Cliffs — a network that was constructed to help stop Germain ships who appeared in the Channel in WWII. These were carved at the behest of Churchill in 1940, and housed gun battery teams. They had been bricked up and are now open to tourists, but alas, we were down below and unable to visit them.
And then the coach got a flat tire just as we were due to leave, so we had an additional 2 hours to kill in Dover, but without any touring — lots of strolling mostly. Finally got back to London around 9PM, after a lovely walk through St James and Green Parks — to get some feeling back in my legs after sitting on the BUS! The setting sun made for some pretty shots of Parliament and Big Ben too.
I could people watch at that coach station all day long!