Our bed and breakfast was lovely and clean and we felt right at home. When we looked out the window in the morning, we saw this beautiful garden in the back. (I don't think this photo does it justice.)
Breakfast was delicious! When our hostess heard that Duff works for ancestry.com she shared with us how she solved a family mystery. Her mother's little brother drowned in the Thames during World War II. Because they were evacuated to the country shortly after his death, no one in the family knew where he was buried. It was quite a quest, but she finally found a woman in London who remembered them and she gave her information that helped her find his grave. She took her aging mother to London to visit his final resting place, which meant a great deal to her. We love hearing stories like this.
Duff and Micaela standing in front of Maison Dieu Guest House.
We braved a biting wind to walk the White Cliffs of Dover.
Dover Castle is the largest castle in England and a treasure trove of medieval and military history.
Underneath the castle, there are secret tunnels where they planned the evacuation of Dunkirk. The multimedia presentation was excellent and unlike anything I have ever seen. There was also a tour of the underground hospital but we didn't have time to see it. Perhaps next time. :-)
We did make time to see the chapel built in 1000 A.D. We love visiting churches. St. Mary in Castro Garrison Church is perched on the white cliffs of Dover and mainly serves the soldiers, though it serves the local population as well.
Canterbury was our next stop. Since reading The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett I have been even more in awe of cathedrals.
This is where Thomas Becket was murdered.
Stories in history mean so much more to me when I see the actual places where things occurred. Becket was the archbishop of Canterbury and was murdered by King Henry II's supporters. Becket and Henry had been close at one time but they had a falling-out over the rights and privileges of the church.
We asked a docent to show us the grooves in the stone where the pilgrims made their way on their knees to see St. Thomas' shrine.
Then the docent took us to his favorite place in the cathedral, the plain tomb of Odet de Coligny, a French cardinal who petitioned Queen Elizabeth on behalf of the Huguenots. He died in Canterbury under mysterious circumstances.
Duff told him that one of his ancestors was a Huguenot so he took us to the Black Prince's Chantry in the crypt, which is not opened to the public. The French Protestants still worship there and there is a list of the Huguenots who sought refuge there.
We left Canterbury to go to Hernhill, about 15 minutes away. Duff's (and Micaela's) ancestors are buried there in St. Michael's cemetery.
Micaela looked hard for one of their gravestones. We didn't find any (many of the head stones were unreadable) but we did find the headstone of our friend's ancestor.
Micaela and I have come to love these little snowdrop flowers that serve as the first sign of spring.
"I began
My story early, feeling, as I fear,
The weakness of a human love for days
Disowned by memory, ere the birth of spring
Planting my snowdrops among winter snows"
William Wordsworth
It's fun to step into the place where our ancestors worshipped.
The proceeds from this book sale will go towards the church's much-needed roof.
It was fun to see Ally Condie's book in the sale. She's a local author who has had great success.
When we travel there are always unexpected delights and difficulties.
Delight: We had to walk through a shopping area to get to the cathedral and we walked into a small tourist shop where they were selling wool coats. (I was freezing in my old, ratty coat.) Duff asked if the coats were on sale and the clerk lowered the price from 25 to 20 pounds. Just like Duff is always saying, it doesn't hurt to ask.
Difficulty: The traffic was horrendous when we got closer to London and so it was very late when we got to our hotel. They put us on the fourth floor and the lift was broken with no repair expected during our stay.
Duff and Micaela are both great traveling companions because they take things in stride, appreciate every experience and make cherished memories of even the difficulties.
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