The South of England is heart-achingly
beautiful and idyllic, yet steeped in romantic history and dangerous battles.
We spent a full day exploring Leeds Castle, the cliffs of Dover and the ancient
city of Canterbury – and emerged with heads full of generous duchesses,
resilient soldiers and bishops of yore.
Leeds
Castle
Touted as the most beautiful castle in
England, the beauty of Leeds Castle was mainly due to the halcyon moat
surrounding it, and its breathtaking lake and grounds – complete with myriad
variety of flowers, trees and forest animals, as well as a pretty labyrinth!
There were also mysterious underground dungeons that the Bees were creeped out
by, as well as cool, dark wine cellars, and knights in shining armour
everywhere!
What I really remembered fondly of Leeds
Castle was not its lavish interiors befitting a queen, but our languid strolls
outside the blooms-infested castle grounds. It was invigorating to amble at
leisure in the cool summer breeze, amidst the stunning array of gorgeous summer
blooms in their gardens, admiring the very tame and relaxed ducks and birds
ubiquitous on the castle grounds, enjoying the relative solitude and silence in
different corners of the castle. The skies were clear brilliant blue, with only
miniscule wisps of white, snowy Cirrus clouds tainting it – a perfect day for a
walk on the grounds of an old castle!
Canterbury
I love the happy bustle in this ancient
city of 2,000 years. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. We were awed by all the quaint, rickety buildings, sometimes
in odd shapes and sizes! I find ancient architecture so much quirkier than
modern buildings with standardised skyscrapers. We were privileged to have
lunch in an old pub, complete with thick-panelled ceilings and walls,
medieval-looking chairs, as well as the good old English fish and chips!
As we
trundled around the busy town, we even spotted an inn in which Charles Dickens
stayed in! We ventured into the 1,400-year-old Canterbury Cathedral and were delved
immediately into deep peace and tranquillity. A service was ongoing, and the
hushed ambience of the antiquated cathedral was captivating. The beauty of the
architecture was inexplicably exquisite – towering arched and domed ceilings,
sanctified stain glasses with murals of saints and Jesus, and intricately
carved majestic doorways.
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| The resplendent Canterbury Cathedral, one of the oldest and most prominent churches in England |
With the girls being fanatic bibliophiles, a visit to
the bookshop was inevitable, and we were struck by the huge variety of books
there. As we strolled around town, we were struck with the ubiquity of quaint specialty shops and pretty window displays – beautifully rolled-up fabrics in a
sewing shop, splashes of colours from fresh fruits in a fruit shop, old books
peeping out from a rickety old house. We giggled at cute street names (like
Duck Lane!), and marvelled at creative doorways of timid houses nestled in
hidden alleys.
The
Cliffs Of Dover
For World War 2 history buffs like my
hubby, arriving at Dover with its incessant reminders of battle strategies and
turbulent days of yore brought shots of excitement into the usually blasé him.
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| The white cliffs of Dover |
Dover is a sleepy town, characterised mainly by its history and towering,
pure-white cliffs. Gazing across the English Channel towards the European
continent, we could understand how England was fearful for its security and
safety in times of war. We stared hard into bunks hidden in the white cliffs
where Winston Churchill reportedly hid inside to analyse his battle strategies.
We caught glimpses of the majestic yet fragile Dover Castle where it served as
the guardian of the UK for over nine centuries.
We laughed aplenty on the magnificently
pebbled beach of Dover – picking huge palm-sized pebbles polished to smooth,
sparkling treasures by the tempestuous waves in the Straits of England. Little
Bee had the greatest fun, lying on the pebbled beach, spreading herself out
into a “pebble angel”. Our hair was tousled and messy, made wild by the
capricious wind that rose and fell intermittently. The tranquillity and rustic
quietness of Dover town was truly alluring and captivating.
Greenwich
and River Thames
We did the typical London tourist activity
by taking a cruise along the River Thames, from Greenwich Pier to the city centre of
London. I am never a fan of cruises along major rivers, likening them to
tourist traps on dirty brown waters. However, a cruise on the Thames allowed us
peeks into the lives of the British, some of whom used the boat as a form of
transport from work to home along the river.
Big Bee was ecstatic over the
Blackfriar’s Bridge because it was featured prominently in one of her favourite
young adult series (“The Clockwork Prince” series). We saw major landmarks
briefly on this cruise – Tower of London, the London Bridge, the Shard – and
it was rather relaxing just sitting back and enjoying the
views and the plethora of accents around us.
It was such a rejuvenating day, being away
from the crowds of London, immersed in glorious sunlight and invigorating
breezes. I could imagine travelling around the South of England for a
protracted period of time, exploring its little villages and old, ancient
towns!
