Dover

And so to Dover – the end of the second leg of our trip – goodbye to 700 passengers and hello to 730 more. They’re easy to pick. The Ozzies are ok but some of the US newbies are a bit “o t t” as always. Our tour in Dover was pm. so we spent the morning in the town getting a few essential supplies. My big buy was two dresses from the Heart Foundation “recycled” shop. Wore one last night for formal night. I think I’m oh so smart!! It was trying to rain – very light and not worth considering really. We’ve been so lucky with the weather. No rain since Mumbai – and we’d left town by then! Everywhere we go people say it’s the warmest day since……. Our afternoon trip took us through Kent, past  old hop houses now converted to family homes, across Romney Marsh, to the small medieval town of Rye. We saw quaint villages and lovely rolling country side on the way. Rye itself was a fortified hilltop town. Nowadays it’s a centre for boat building, fishing and pottery making. There was a unique model of the town which we viewed to the accompaniment of a recorded history with lights coming on and off to indicate various areas etc. Lots of interesting stories of smugglers and merchants, including a naughty friar who fell in in love with a local maiden – they were both walled in by stones and there they died. We wondered if they were tied up or not,so their last moments on earth could have included some little distraction – what a way to go. Reputedly you can still hear their cries down the neighbouring lane, at night!! Maybe they didn’t enjoy their last moments after all – so BEHAVE!!We just had time left to go up Mermaid Road to the church, have a quick look, then down another cobbled, narrow lane to get back for the trip home. What gorgeous quaint houses, some wooden, and so old. Like one pub had “re built 1410” over the door – amazing,  lovely flower boxes and little gardens. The church had a clock that’s operated since the 1500s. As you go in the wooden ceiling is slotted to make way for the huge pendulum to swing back and forth about 8 feet above your head! That night, as we left the harbour and the magnificent white cliffs, the sun was shining on the mirror image of the white cliffs of Calais, France, just 20 miles away. How amazing is that – you could pop over to France in your boat for the day!!