After a great night’s sleep and a wonderful breakfast (full English breakfast for Chuck), we went to see the sights of Dover.
Our first stop was the famous White Cliffs of Dover. There is a National Trust site with a visitor center and trails along the cliffs. We hiked 2-3 miles on a beautiful morning. By the end, we were pretty warmed up (it was moderately warm, humid, and there was no breeze). We had a nice cold drink (Chuck had a “ginger beer” which was quite tasty). Here are a few pictures. In the pictures below you can see the port of Dover where cars and trucks headed for Europe board ferries for the short trip to France. There were numerous trucks headed into the area to board the ferry and when a ferry landed, there was a steady stream of them leaving the port.
Close to the White Cliffs National Trust is the Dover castle. We could see it from parts of the hike. It was built by Henry II in the late 1100s. Pilgrims were coming to Dover and making the trek to Canterbury to pay homage to St. Thomas Becket who the King had murdered. The castle was built to show his power and wealth. It served as a visible gateway to England since much of the traffic from Europe came through Dover. What follows are some pictures from the castle.
The inside of a Saxon era church. Outside of the church & on its right a Roman lighthouse.
The central tower where the King lived and entertained. The entrance to the central part of the castle.
In the tower was a small chapel. The Duchess of DeGraff was promoted to Queen Caroline.