Bridget Comes To England!

You all know we have made some fantastic friends when we were stationed in Misawa. I am not talking about just fun people to hang out with, I am talking about the kind of friends that have become as close as family to us.  One of such friends is Bridget (and her husband, but he is not part of this blog post).  Bridget’s family moved to the states right before we moved to England, but she’s been planning to come visit us here probably from the day she found out we were going to Europe!  It is also wonderful that it was not only empty talk, and that she indeed managed to find people to watch her four children while she, her mom and her sister spent a week in England.

I picked our guests at Heathrow early in the morning, and by 9 am we were already standing by the entrance to Windsor Castle.  These ladies, although they were very tired from jetlag, were full of energy—we were not wasting any time.

This time around, we were prepared—we had bought our tickets online (the ticket that I bought in March with the Farnsworths was still valid as it is good for a year) and we were probably in the first dozen of people who entered the castle.

It was also very NOT busy and we were able to walk around freely, enjoying all the exhibits inside (no pictures allowed).

Here is Lindsey with a VERY tall guardsman. I wonder if he even fits inside that little guard tower.

Of course, I had to have them try some British pasties.

By noon, we were done in Windsor. We headed to Dover area, where we were staying the night. Bridget’s mom and sister took a good nap in the car while Bridget and I chatted away.

And we have arrived—the White Cliffs of Dover.

First, we went straight to Dover Castle area. This is the picture of Dover Castle on a hill.

We wanted to make sure to visit the secret wartime tunnels.

This is the place where, if you want to learn more about WWII, you can take a 45 minute tour that tells you all about Operation Dynamo.  The presentation inside was set up in a very interesting way using a lot of visual effects that helped us understand easily about what was happening during those ten critical days in May of 1940. That was when UK government had to figure out a way to save thousands of soldiers surrounded by Germans in Dunkirk on the other side of the channel. If you like history, you will most definitely enjoy this sight.

After the tour, we quickly walked up to the castle.  I think I have seen too many castles now, I am pretty sure I’ve said this before. I did not find anything unique about this castle except maybe its magnificent position overlooking the sea and the white cliffs. Yes, I do realize that sounds harsh. I think I am craving some cool 16-18th century palaces now:).

Soon after the castle, we checked into our B&B and headed out to dinner. On the way, we turned off the main road in search of the walking path ON TOP of the White Cliffs.

And this is the shot we came here for.

The next morning, Sunday, we left our place quite early and drove 25 minutes to Canterbury.  Our goal was to go to Canterbury Cathedral for their Sunday morning service.  We had some time to kill before it started so we enjoyed wondering around the town’s center for a while. There is the cathedral the background.

Lindsey even met the Queen.

Somehow this is the best picture I’ve got of the cathedral.  It is indeed a gorgeous building inside and

outside.

Wish we had more time to spend in Canterbury. And I especially wish that I knew more about Canterbury Tales and history of this significant town. I think we should go back with the kids.
It was lunchtime when we were finished with the service, so we grabbed some sandwiches and drove up towards our house. We stopped by Cambridge, of course, and I sent the girls on a punting tour on the river Cam. They thoroughly enjoyed it. I know there is much more to see in Cambridge, but when you have only a week to see the highlights of England, you have to go quick even through Cambridge.

The remainder of the week, Bridget, her mom and her sister, spent exploring all over! They went all the way north to the Peak District to see Chatsworth House where Pride and Prejudice was filmed, Nottingham Forest; then southwest to Bath, Stonehenge and Harry Potter Studio. They also spent two days in London during the week, taking the train from the station nearby to London.  On Saturday before they left, I joined them in London for a whole day, but that will have to be another post.

Lyana.