Today's adventure was in Dover and can I just say that Dover might have the most gorgeous views I have ever seen. So, we woke up this morning and headed to the Victoria Station to get on our train to Dover. It was McKenzie, Krista, and I going on this day trip. We got to the station a little early so stood around and listened to the lady singing opera in the middle of the station. Our platform was finally posted (thank goodness!) and we headed to our train. We snagged a sweet four seater table and headed on our way to the beautiful Dover. It was another beautiful train ride. This ride was even longer than the others, 2 and a half hours. I loved listening to my music and looking out the window at the gorgeous countryside. I also got a little nap! The train ride flew by.
^^travel buddies!
^^hitting your funny bone is never funny...
^^Nap face imprint
We arrived in Dover and walked out of the train station. We had absolutely no idea where to go. I don't know why, but I figured we would see the big Dover Castle and just follow our way there. I was incorrect. So we walked through the adorable little town center and found the info tourist center. They were very helpful. We got a map a walked our way up to the Dover Castle. It was only about a 15 minute walk, but it consisted of huge stairs and up hill climbs. It was a gorgeous walk none the less. We bought our tickets from a little booth on the road and within 5 minutes, saw a gorgeous view of the ocean. I instantly fell in love with this town. That view was perfection and that wasn't even the best view we saw all day. Our first stop at the Dover Castle was the War tunnels used in WWII. There was the under ground hospital and the Operation Dynamo: Rescue from Dunkirk tunnels. They were so interesting! It was amazing to see where so much planning and important stuff for WWII occurred It was very interactive and informative. There were videos and audio recordings that made the tour so fun. We weren't allowed to take pictures, sadly. You will just have to go and see their awesomeness for yourself!
^^Dover Castle from town
^^lovely stairs we climbed
^^My first view of the sea in Dover
After the war tunnels, we walked up a bit and took some pictures on this cute little hill then we found an ice cream shop and since it was so nice out we just had to get one. We all got Magnum bars, yum! When we finished our ice cream bars, we got on the little train ride up to the Great Tower.
^^She would not take that dang stick out of her mouth to take a real picture, so I forced it out...
^^Gotcha, McKenzie!
We got to the Great Tower and had a nice look around. I found out that Krista is a direct descendent of William the Conquerer who built this castle. How cool, right?! We walked through all the different rooms and nooks and crannies. We even found this little room with stain glass that was reflecting onto the floor. So pretty! This was such a cool building with so much history. I love learning all this stuff that happened so long ago! It's amazing how far the history of England goes back. America is a baby in comparison to England. When we finished at the tower we took a walk around the outer grass area and found some cool spots. We also found a little field of daisies that we laid in for a while. It was so nice and sunny out that we just had to.
We got up from the field of daisies and got a taxi that would take us to the White Cliffs of Dover. This might be one of my favorite places we have visited. It was simply remarkable! The view was breathtaking. We walked along the cliff and even the path was adorable. I loved hiking along the cliffs. We could even see France from up there, no joke. We found a nice little spot on the cliff, dangled our legs, and ate lunch. It was so nice. I could have stayed there for hours. I am so grateful for this incredible world God has given us. I definitely plan on going back to the White Cliffs of Dover some day.
After sitting on the cliff for awhile, we realized it was time to head back unfortunately. We got to the visitors center and realized it was closed, so we were not going to be able to call a cab. So we trecked back to town by foot. It was a good sized walk, but I am happy we did it. It was such a lovely day and the town and paths were so nice. We got a bit lost, but eventually made our way back. We got to the train station and headed back to London. It was another lovely train ride back. We got to Victoria station and got on the tube. It wasn't until two stops that we realized we were going the wrong way, so we got off the tube and got on the train going the right way. We finally got to Gloucester, stopped at a shop for a treat and headed home. When we got to the flat, I skyped my amazing mother who I miss so very much! It was so nice to talk to her for a while. I then made dinner and us roomies watched The Young Victoria. If you have not seen this movie, stop what your doing and go watch it. It is such an incredible movie. I love the story or Victoria and Albert! I am seriously obsessed with them and now my roommates are. There is no love like Victoria and Alberts. It is now time for bed! One last day of travel week. We will see what adventures it hold!
More pictures to come from Krista!
