The White Cliffs of Dover

We took our first English road trip on Sunday amid a slightly soggy sky. We were determined to make it to the coast and see the famed White Cliffs of Dover made famous by a WWII era song.

We started out at 7:30am (I know, quite early for a Sunday!) with all our snacks in tow and the SatNav firmly pointed toward Canterbury. After about 1 1/2 hours, we made it to the city also known as the City of Cathedrals and also famous for the Canterbury Tales. It was a beautiful city and one we would like to return to for an entire day and not just a quick drive through. The buildings truly are beautiful and, as many things around these parts, very, very old! The city is also the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Next, we were off to Sandwich...the town, not the tuna. It was a lovely town and is one of the original Cinque Ports along the eastern edge of the English Channel. It is home to the Royal St. George's Golf Club, which is famous among golfers...so says my golf buddy Charlie...she loves to play there! It is said that the actual sandwich was invented by John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, in 1762, to sustain him while he was either gambling or working at his desk...the actual reason depends on the biographer.

We headed a few more miles down the road and finally hit water...in Deal! I was especially excited to visit this city because it has the Deal Castle, built by King Henry VIII between 1539-1542. I am really into the whole King Henry VIII history right now, so I was super excited to see some of this history in person. It is an amazing place in the shape of a 6 petalled flower and was built as a true fortress and not a residence. One of Henry's wives, Anne of Cleves, changed into her wedding attire in this castle before their marriage...although the marriage only lasted about 7 months. They didn't have cameras back then and the only way you knew how someone looked without ever meeting them was through a painted portrait. Henry never saw his bride before becoming engaged (the marriage was a political arrangement as many things were in those days) and relied on her portrait as to her looks. Well, it seems the painter made her appear lovelier than she really was and King Henry was not impressed with the real thing. His reign was truly a soap opera...Anyways, we were starving when we finished touring the castle and headed to the High Street for some down home fish-n-chips, complete in wrapped paper dripping with grease. There is nothing better on a cold, rainy day than true fish-n-chips wrapped in paper!

So now that I'm on cloud nine after visiting my very first castle, we could see the goal in site. After a quick stop at St. Margaret's at Cliffe through a very windy, downhill descent, we arrived in Dover! The White Cliffs of Dover are spectacular! Because this is the point of England closest to France, you can take a ferry from Dover and arrive in France in 30 minutes via the English Channel. The Cliffs are made of pure white lime with streaks of black flint and stand 350 ft. tall! Pretty impressive! We attempted to tour the Dover Castle, but the rain washed out our parade. However, the good news is since we are new, proud members of the English Heritage Society, we can go back as many times as we want!

This was the end of our very first road trip. I was so surprised we could pack so much into 190 miles! Edgar drove the whole way and I am so proud of him. It is not easy transitioning to the driving over here. Everything is backwards and the signs are different. He is a pro at the round-a-bouts and we are both learning to judge our distances on the opposite side of the car. I've been brave enough to drive to Charlie's house (which requires one turn) and the grocery store (which requires 3 turns and one major round-a-bout). I'm sure in 2 years it will be second nature and we will be really confused when we return to the States.

Have a great day!