There’ll be Blue Birds Over - the White Cliffs of Dover…

Tuesday found us hopping the Train to head to the Coast. 

I’ve always been fascinated with WWII history and definitely wanted to see these glorious cliffs. They did not disappoint! Words cannot even begin to describe how incredibly breathtaking this was. We were blessed with a beautiful, sunny but cool day. The ocean breeze felt so refreshing. We literally relaxed in the grass for a long time and just took it all in. It was everything I dreamed it would be - and MORE! Greg said - what they need to do is plop a few lazy boys on the hillside and he would have been out like a light for the entire afternoon. His recommendation for the perfect LaZBoy advertisement - I told him he should pitch it to them when we get back to the states - "the most comfortable place on earth."  Always the idea-man, my husband. He definitely has his unique take on things. 

     We also stopped over to the Dover Castle and took a tour of the WWII tunnels they built and used for defense of the coast, including underground hospitals. It was fascinating - and hard to believe at the same time. I do wish we would have had more time to thoroughly explore the castle and all it had to offer, as well as to hike further along the cliffs - as it was just a beautiful and fascinating place. It does get a bit more challenging when you have to rely on public transportation - especially in a smaller area like Dover. Things are spread out so far, as well, it not only would have taken a long time to walk to each spot, we truly did not have the energy in us. 

     I can say that we enjoyed our time relaxing on the train - getting to see some of the English countryside - some vineyards, some sheep, and a lot of cute small towns. And we also saw quite a few school children that looked like they were about to hop on the train to Hogwarts. Its just all very quaint… and everything you would expect to find in England. 

     We had a slightly earlier evening tonight - which was much needed for some down time and resting. I decided to catch up on our daily stories while relaxing in our hotel room for the evening. We have one more day in London and then will be picking up the Rental Car and then - let the real adventures begin! After today’s taxi ride in Dover experiencing some narrow roads and seeing the locals drive like crazy - not gonna lie - that is what worries me the most. Guess they will just have to deal with me being a bit more cautious and we’ll see how it goes. Another tour guide we met today at the castle provided some excellent driving advice that we truly appreciated. As previously mentioned, the people here are absolutely lovely and it has been wonderful meeting so many friendly people. This is indeed what traveling to new countries is all about. 

     While we have been enjoying seeing the sites in London, and obviously many things I have dreamed of for years, I do think we are all ready to head out of the city and into the countryside - where we can interact with more of the truly British citizens - see the beautiful country - and get away from the crowds.  It is EXTREMELY peopley - and we are even here during a ‘down time’ - so am very thankful we came when we did.  

     With that, I am going to wrap up for tonight and take the opportunity to get some much needed rest. My dogs are tired and it’s time to say Good Night all. 

     PS - Greg and I are like two kids every time we see a dog. Dover and the White Cliffs is a very dog friendly area and we ran into a lot of people walking their dogs. We loved being able to get our dog fix as we are missing our boy Lennon so very much.  He is home with Cody’s wonderful friends who are house and dog sitting and taking very good care of him.  I have no doubt he is wondering where in the heck we went, and we will definitely be ready to see him! We are so thankful to them all for doing this for us and allowing us to take this dream trip!  

     PSS - Yes - I did play and sing the song ‘ There’ll be blue birds over… the White Cliffs of Dover….”