' We must have arrived at England's shores ... the clouds are upon us.. '
I actually heard an English gentleman mutter apologies to the general passengers for the embarrassing lack of sunshine on this our last stop after such glorious golden rays in every port since Barcelona. Well, there's always a bright side to change - now we don't need to pile on the sunscreen for once...lol.
Kent ..oldest county in England
Apparently, it took 80 million years to form the White Cliffs of Dover from billions of crushed shells, sea-dwelling plants and animals
After disembarking ~ 10 am off the Serenity @ Dover port, we hopped on our prearranged taxi and stopped briefly at the historic town of Cantebury. It is amongst the oldest cities with a continuous history. We were able to spend some time strolling through its narrow cobbled streets and witness the rich heritage and architectural styles of well-storied eras gone by...
peaceful Westgate Gardens in Cantebury beside the river Stour which wraps around the city centre
Leeds Castle:
'the Loveliest Castle,..., in the World...' -Lord Conway
Elegantly resting on an island surrounded by a moat in the heart of Kent near Maidstone, strategically positioned between the cities of London and Dover with proximity to good hunting lands...no wonder the Royals seized it back in 1278. It became part of the Queen of England's dower (the settlement queens received from their husbands). Thus, over a course of 150 years it was held by six medieval queens.
Following the Norman Conquest of 1066 it became a good idea to fortify the many manors in Kent. Hence the first stone castle on this site began in 1119 by a decendant of William II's knights
Henry the VIII dining room. In Tudor times Henry VIII visited the castle, usually with his Queen, Catherine of Aragon
The last mistress of Leeds Castle was Olive, Lady Baillie. An heiress to an American fortune (Dominion Coal / Iron & Steel & Standard Oil) from the maternal side and the daughter of an English Lord, she married three times. With her second husband she purchased the castle in 1926 and embarked on extensive refurbishments
Upon Lady Baillie's death in 1974, she left the castle to the Leeds Castle Foundation, a private charitable trust charged with preservation of the castle and grounds for the benefit of the public forever...thus in accordance with her wishes, Leeds castle is kept as a living house, with bedrooms that regularly accommodate guests at conferences, banquets & weddings ( on this day this room was set up precisely for a wedding ceremony @ 4pm)
culpepper garden
we tried the maze and it was truly perplexing.. not wanting to miss our flight, we thought it best to follow one of the guides' navigation out and up to the top of the centre lookout
Below the Maze was an interesting Grotto to spook the kids .. great place for halloween
we missed the choo choo train encircling the grounds to the entrance so ended up walking the path of the swan & duck laden ponds and cedar lawn ..good vantage point - photoop!
