They'll be bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover.....

Although I'm not familar with the World War II song, (They'll be bluebirds over) The White Cliffs of Dover,  it seemed an appropriate title for a blog on our day at Dover Castle.  

Last September, when Barb and Marty were in London, we saved a visit to Dover Castle for a sunny day.  Dover is especially beautiful on a clear day when you can see to Calais,  France.  Because of it's location looking over the English Channel, Dover has always been a strategic sight in England.  

By 150 A.D., the Romans had begun to develop Dover as a port and naval base.  This castle and its fortifications protected the English coast for over 2,000 years.  Henry II built the present castle in the 1180's.  It was a palace designed for royal ceremony and to house Henry's travelling court.  Henry could welcome and impress visitors coming from Europe  to England.

Dover Castle is located a mile or so from the train station in Dover.  It's situated on a large hill (long climb!)  and the view into the village of Dover and then to the English Channel is spectacular. 

Constable tower and gateway

Entrance to the Great Tower

In the middle of the castle is the Great Tower.   It was during the reign of Henry II that the castle began to take shape and today when you visit, you can imagine what it might have been like at King Henry II's medieval royal court.  Lavish interiors, furnishings and over 500 objects have been made to recreate a medieval palace.  We even had some kings and things to make our visit authentic!

                                 

This Roman Pharos (lighthouse) is believed to be one of only three surviving Roman lighthouses in the world today.

Roman Lighthouse (Pharos)

Beside the lighthouse is a small stone church, that dates from 800 to 1000AD. It is still used as a place of worship and in the summer of 1940 services continued despite almost constant disruption from air-raids and anti-aircraft fire.

One of the most interesting parts of the compound were the secret wartime tunnels. From the Napoleonic Wars through the Cold War, these tunnels have served as a strategic military role in providing privacy and protection from enemy fire.  This is also where the evacuation of 338,000 stranded British troops from Dunkirk was planned and executed.  Over nine days privately owned pleasure ships, fishing boats, cabin cruisers  sailed from England to help in the rescue.

Looking out from the castle to the Port of Dover

We were a little surprised to see sheep grazing in the moat area of the castle.  This is a deliberate effort by the Kent Wildlfie Trust and English Heritage to restore and maintain the biodiversity of chalk grassland (wild plants and animals) through re-introduction of livestock grazing.  Historically, livestock would have grazed the Castle grounds as part of the local economy. Sheep grazing promotes grassland species and inhibits tree and scrub re-growth.

sheep grazing in a former moat

view of the Port of Dover

This is the view from the top of the hill near the war tunnels.  Cruise ship harbor in the distance. 

Although our trip did not include a walk over the famous White Cliffs, it was a beautiful day out in the countryside of Kent.  History, spectacular views, history and more history!   A perfect day trip from London.  

Barb, Marty and Tom ready to  head back to London

The White Cliffs

I have loved England, dearly and deeply,

Since that first morning, shining and pure,

The white cliffs of Dover I saw rising steeply

Out of the sea that once made her secure. 

I had no thought then of husband or lover,

I was a traveller, the guest of a week;

Yet when they pointed 'the white cliffs of Dover',

Startled I found there were tears on m cheek.

I have loved England, and still as a stranger,

Here is my home and I still am alone.

Now in her hour of trial and danger,

Only the English are really her own.

~Alice Duer Miller (1940)

The last time I saw Paris....

"A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life."

~Thomas Jefferson

When my college friends Barb and Marty were in London last September, we decided to do a whirlwind tour of Paris.  Paris in thirty six hours. Of course in Paris, you could spend thirty six days and it still wouldn't be enough time, but here's what we saw in thirty-six hours.  Armed with Rick Steves' Pocket Paris guide, we took the 7:00 a.m. Eurostar train from St. Pancras and in two hours we were in the center of Paris, ready to start the adventure.

Our hotel was situated in the Latin Quarter which was very near the Jardin du Luxembourg, so after dropping our luggage at the hotel, we headed to see these beautiful gardens. The 60-acre gardens are gorgeous with fountains, statues and the Luxembourg Palace as the anchor building in the park.

The gardens are completely changed out three times a year

A short walk from the Luxembourg Garden is the St. Sulpice Church, famous for a mention in the Da Vinci Code.   The 7,000 pipe organ is also famous and has a 300 year old tradition of great organists playing there. For over a century, only two organists,Charles Marie-Widor (1870-1933) Marcel Dupré (1934-1971) were employed there.  Daniel Roth has been the well known organist at St. Sulpice since 1985. 

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A display of fresh meats and fish at a market in the Latin Quarter.

 Notre Dame.  A few pictures and minor description can not possibly do justice to such an amazing structure.  Ground was broken in 1163 with the dedication Mass taking place two centuries later, in 1345.  People working on the cathedral hauled huge stones from distant quarries, digging a 30-foot-deep trench to lay the foundation.

                               

This door is the central door- The Last Judgment Relief (completed in the 1220's)   Above the doorway, Christ sits on the throne of judgment holding both hands up. The arches are sculpted with angels, prophets, martyrs, virgins.

The interior of the church is Gothic..  A long central nave lined with columns and flanked by side aisles , designed in the shape of a cross, with the altar place where the crossbeam intersects.  The church can hold ten thousand people!

Gargoyles were supposed to protect the cathedral against evil spirits.  They are carved stone figures that were mostly used in religious medieval architecture.  They also act as gutters as they collect the water running down the roof and deflect it away from the masonry to protect it.  

Notre Dame Cathedral and it's flying buttresses

Palace de Justice, home of French judicial courts. 

Sainte-Chapelle is known for it's stained glass; 1,100 scenes of stained glass built between 1242 and 1248 for King Louis IX to house the supposed Crown of Thorns.  Fifteen separate panels of stained glass cover 6,500 square feet.  It is overwhelming to stand in the middle and take in all of the different colors and scenes.

photo: www/aviewoncities.com

Our last stop of the day was the Musée d'Orsay.  Impressionism at it's best.  Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Cézanne and Gauguin.  Rick Steve's likes it better than the Louvre and I agree.  It was a much easier museum to navigate and enjoy.

Clock inside the Musée d'Orsay.  Sacré-Coeur is in the distance.

We celebrated our first day in Paris with a well deserved glass of  French wine.

Our last day in Paris was filled with more sightseeing.  Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Arc de triomphe and Champs-Elysées, Montmartre, Sacré-Coeur and then a walk back to the Gare-du-Nord to catch the Eurostar back to London.

Eiffel Tower ~ We walked to it, took a picture and moved on!

The pyramid entrance of the Louvre with part of the Louvre  in the background

Our tour of the Louvre was brief.  You could spend a week in the Louvre and not see it all.  We saw lots of crowds, used our Paris pass to skip the entry lines and headed up to the Rubens room.   

  These paintings, the Marie de' Medici Cycle is a series of twenty-four paintings by Rubens commissioned by Marie de' Medici for the Luxembourg Palace in Paris.  Twenty-one of the paintings depict Marie's own struggles and triumphs in life. The size and scope of these paintings was overwhelming.  

Marty and Barb climbed to the top of the Arc de Triomphe.  I had climbed it once before, so I did some people watching on the Champs-Elysées.  

Luckily, the Metro (subway) is easy to use in Paris, so we were able to travel efficiently to all the highlights.  Our last stop of the day was Montmartre and Sacré-Coeur.   Montmartre and the famous Sacré-Coeur sit on the top of a very high hill  that overlooks the city.  

Picture of Sacré-Coeur  and the Montmartre hill from a Paris trip in 2003

Montmartre is a hill that is known for it's history of bohemian artists, nightlife and drinking.  Napoleon had given much of the prime land inside the city to his wealthy friends so the original inhabitants were forced to move to the outskirts where there were no rules and regulations.  During the late 1800s, Pissarro, Degas, Matisse, Renoir and Picasso lived in the area.    Today Montmartre is a stop for tourists who want to have a meal, tour the Sacré-Coeur or watch artists paint  and try and sell you a picture in the Place due Tertre .

our stop for lunch on Montmartre.  Frites!

Prawn salad: healthy!

some of the paintings for sale in Place du Tertre

The Sacré-Coeur Basilica~on the top of Montmartre

We had a quick walk back to the train station for our two hour ride to London.   Our whirlwind tour of Paris was complete!  Day one:  Taxi, tube, Eurostar, taxi, walking, taxi.  Day two:  walking, Metro, walking, Metro, walking, Funicular, walking, Eurostar, tube, walking, home and a big bottle of Aleve!

Barb and Marty at the Gare du Nord, ready for the Eurostar home to London!