Dover – Canterbury

We’re into the final stretch with two stops in England before we head to the airport for return to Seattle. First stop is the Port of Dover with a side trip to Canterbury. Here are the white cliffs looking north from the ship.

And cliffs looking south.

And from our bus on our way out of town.

Here’s a view looking across the English Channel from the fields above town. The white cliffs in France can be seen on the other side.

And here is Dover Castle. Founded in the 11th century and described as the “Key to England” due to its defensive significance throughout history. Not quite as big as Windsor Castle so almost the biggest castle in England. Lots of history here with additions to the castle over the centuries. Always a military fortress and never a residence. We just did a drive by.

Our excursion for the day was a tour of Canterbury which is about a 30 minute bus ride away from Dover. Our tour guide filled us in history – including the “Murder in the Cathedral” of Thomas Becket in 1170 at the instigation of King Henry II, along with aftermath of that event. After parking the bus, we had a nice 15 minute stroll into town.

We eventually get a peak at the cathedral spires. Forefront building is a priory that was part of the church property that Henry VIII confiscated when he split away from the Pope at the Catholics in 1535 or so.

We go by the Marlowe Theater and this statue commemorating him. He was a contemporary and friend of Shakespeare who was also a playwright. Born in Canterbury and died at age 29 with differing sensational accounts of his death in 1593.

We make it to High Street with lots of folks and shops. Here’s a look back at one of the gates through the medieval wall that once surrounded the cuty.

Here’s a statue of Geoffrey Chaucer – best known for The Canterbury Tales. He’s been called the “father of English literature”. Died in 1400. Buried in Westminster Abbey.

We pass by lots of neat old historic buildings along High Street.

And eventually get to one of the gates to the Cathedral Yard.

Which was very impressive from the outside. Much of the exterior is covered up for refurbishing. We opted to not buy tickets for the interior tour and instead cruised around the local streets for our free time.

Greenwich – London

The next morning we are headed up the Thames River to our final port of call – Greenwich. About 15 miles east of central London we pass through the “Barrier” which was constructed starting in 1974 to control flooding of London which has been a problem since Roman times. Storm surges can raise the water level about 11′ and flood about 45 square miles of the London area. There have been 221 flood defence closures since it was completed.

We pass under a gondola for transport over the river.

And pas the O2 Arena which was originally constructed at the Millennium Dome back around 2000 and then remodeled to be this big event venue. Madonna played there last year for instance. Comments from our local communitarians report that the original tab on public funds was not popular.

We turned our ship around at about this point and backed up the river about a half a mile to our Greenwich “anchorage” spot which was a few miles down from the Tower of London etc.

And do our final tour of Greenwich.

Starting with a look at the Cutty Sark – a fast tea clipper in its day but now a shoreside attraction.

Here’s a statue of Walter Raleigh whose illustrious career includes credit for establishing Jamestown and Virginia. He was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth but ticked her off when he married one of the gals on her staff without her permission so spent much of his final years as a “resident” of the Tower of London”

These two fellows need no introduction.

We visit many buildings designed by Christopher Wren, some of which started out as a hospital and retirement place for sailors. Current use for some are for Trinity Music College.

This frieze depicts the dead body of Nelson being received by Britannia (presumably into heaven?) after his death at Trafalgar.

A look back at the city from Greenwich.

And a look up at the Royal Observatory which played a major role in the history of astronomy and navigation and is the location that establishes the Prime Meridian – zero longitude.

The next morning we head to Heathrow and get a tour through London with a peak at the Tower of London, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey etc.

And that’s about all folks. Back to life in Suncadia shortly.

Cheers to all,

Marty and Charlie