We found out about a couple weeks ago that the boys had three days off from school for a teachers' training day and Ascension Day (i.e., the day Jesus ascended into heaven). The prospect of entertaining the boys at home for five days had us searching the internet for possible trips. We decided it would be nice to visit a country that spoke English, for a change.
So Thursday morning we drove the 2 hours to Dunkirk and drove our car onto the ferry for the ride to Dover.
The boys enjoyed the ride over. The boat even had a play area for kids.
Just as we pulled into Dover Jack's loose tooth finally came out (his first one)
Our first stop was Canterbury.
Our first stop was Canterbury. Kathy's working on a book about modern adaptations of Chaucer so she wanted to check out the tourist items based on his Canterbury Tales. It was also a nice stop and close to Dover. We stayed in a Holiday Inn Express near the city. It seemed luxurious and cheap compared to the hotels we were used to in the rest of Europe. It even came with a full breakfast included. We felt like we were back in the US.
The next morning we stopped at Bodiam Castle. It was one of the most picturesque castles we've been to. Unfortunately, the boys weren't in a picture taking mood so we didn't get too many group shots. It was also interesting to see a modern (1940's) pill box just in front of the castle. Apparently it was placed there to guard a nearby bridge in the event of a Nazi invasion during the war.
Bodiam Castle
1940's pill box in front of Bodiam Castle
Our next stop was the city of Battle. This was the location of the Battle of Hastings (1066 Norman invasion).
The boys trying on the soldier gear in the gift shop
A good climbing tree at the battlefield
We had some lunch in Battle then made the 2 hour drive to Stonehenge
Stonehenge!
Jack and Jesse have now played soccer at Stonehenge and Circus Maximus - where next? - maybe the pyramids.
After Stonehenge we stopped close by at Old Sarum. Old Sarum was a hill fort thought to be built around 500 BC then used by everyone from the Romans to medieval kings. The hill fort is still pretty impressive and has the ruins of a church and castle. It's also right below the flight line of the local airport, and gives a great view of the surrounding county from the top.
It's hard to get the scale of this place from our pictures so I took an overhead view from Google Maps. This 'hill fort' was much larger than I expected. The old castle is in the middle with its own secondary moat and you can see the outline for the church in the upper left.
This is an idea of the size of the moat that surrounded the entire hill
Vintage aircraft we saw taking off from the local airport
We also spotted this crop circle from the top of Old Sarum. The whole crop circle phenomenon started pretty close to here.
The next day our first stop was Portchester Castle. This castle was started by the Romans around 300 AD. The old roman walls are still in very good shape. In the middle ages a keep was added in one corner. The castle is located at the north end of Portsmouth harbor. The top of the keep gave a great view of the city and the surrounding area.
Portchester Castle
View from the top of the keep
From there we drove about 2 hours back towards Dover to visit Dover castle. The castle was interesting because they have tried to recreate the interior furniture and even had actors playing the parts of the king (Henry II), knights, and ladies. We also took a tour of the secret underground tunnels used during the Second World War as a command center and hospital.
Jack and Jesse next to an old Roman light house on the grounds of Dover Castle.
Interior of the Dover Castle keep with all the furnishings.
At the top of the tower looking out on the English Channel
The next morning we caught the 10am ferry back to Dunkirk. Our ferry ride was smooth and on time but then we hit the holiday traffic in Belgium returning south from the coast. The stop and go traffic doubled our 2 hour drive home, but we made it back in time for dinner.
We really enjoyed our long weekend in England. In many ways it was like taking a trip back to the States, with free ketchup and tap water. As the Brits like to say it was Brilliant!
Cheers.
