Some English Things

This is the nicest picture we have of Calais. Let's move on.

Upon landing in Dover, we went on a walk by the White Cliffs. There was a bunny! It was eating a flower. There were bunny poos completely covering the countryside so it must have been infested with them. It was a very pleasant stroll to take. There was an old ship wreck, but we would have had to traverse a lot of steps to see it and we are lazy tourists. 

We bored of Dover quickly and moved on to Canterbury. There, we saw the Canterbury Cathedral in all its splendour. The roof in places was so high up I had to squint foolishly but it was worth it because of the beautiful decoration in some areas. The Cathedral was an interesting part of our journey north. It even had crypts and a girl's choir singing 'The Sound of Silence' in the courtyard. 

The next day we came to Maidstone and did a spot of shopping. We enquired about the train service to London as we did not want to pay the congestion charge for entering by car.

Journeying westward brought Tunbridge Wells which was very like Maidstone. Close by was Bayham Abbey, an old building in ruins. We picnicked. The man that took admissions here was friendly and sold us an overseas visitors pass to English Heritage sites. For nine days we can see some things for free, such as Stonehenge. (And I'm greatly looking forward to Woodhenge.)

Above pictured is the gatehouse which was separate from the abbey. There were loads of little flying bugs here and I breathed in between three and five of them while I waited for Yannick to take pictures of this building. 

We ventured into Ashdown Forest, which was allegedly AA Milne's inspiration for the Hundred Acre Wood in the Winnie the Pooh books. Being one of my favourite books, we had to see it. We did not find the bridge upon which the characters played Pooh Sticks (hence my expression below). 

The wood contained several old brick houses, and I like to think Milne lived in a similar one not too far away.