We finished packing, checked out of our room and headed for Westminister station. Before Gayle landed in London she had done research on how to use the underground to get from our hotel to St. Pancras rail station without having to use stairs. First you take the Jubilee line from Westminster Station and go one stop, then transfer to the Victoria Line and get off at Kings Cross. We headed out promising we would do the whole thing without rushing. On the walk to Westminster we needed to make our way through dozens and dozens of men dressed in high visibility clothing who seemed to be arriving from every direction. We had just noticed that barricades were being put up around statues along the same road. We were just steps from Downing Street. We wondered if there was about to be a strike/protest along our path. We hurried on and found the lift down to Westminster Station.
I learned some things about lifts in underground stations. There are multiple lifts that go down to different levels. You might have to transfer between several lifts to get where you are going. The Jubilee line is the lowest….deepest….furthest down underground station at Westminster. By the time we had taken a couple lifts and a couple escalators it felt like it was 90 degrees down there. I am assuming it is because we had gotten closer to the center of the Earth. We stripped off our jackets and waited for our first train. Transferring to the Victoria Line not only took several lifts but so many steps. When we got off at Kings Cross it took a couple more lifts and a set of escalators. When the TFLgo app tells you it is a step-free route, Americans should read “stair-free with many, many added steps!” But we made it and found a spot near the open doors of the train station to sit down, cool off and get something to drink.
St. Pancras rail station is where you catch the EuroStar to go through the Chunnel to Paris. The place was hopping. We were on the Southeastern Rail and we eventually headed up to find the correct platform. We waited along the train tracks in the cold.
I learned from the train rides I took with Wales 6 that if you want to stow your bags on the luggage rack in your train car you better be one of the first people on the train. We made it on first and sat down for an hour ride to Dover Priory. We were on a high speed train. It was lovely to see the green countryside as we sped by it.
The four top table in front of our seats was occupied by grandparents and their two elementary-aged grandchildren. The grandparents had obviously taken their grandsons to London for a few days and were now returning them to their parents and none too soon. Grandpa was done with them. He lectured them repeatedly about how much money he had spent taking them to London and how he was providing them with no more food. “Your parents can feed you when you get home,” he barked.
We got into Dover Priory just after 2 pm and got a taxi to our Best Western hotel right on the waterfront. It is a cold, rainy and very windy day. We had imagined a stroll along the water. Instead, we quickly checked in and went to the hotel restaurant for lunch.
I wanted to enjoy a sparkling water with my lunch but the only one they had available was the dandelion and burdock flavored sparkling water. The drink listed the ingredients as dandelion and burdock thistly roots. So I drank weeds for lunch. Burdock root is used to increase lactation. Oh great! I wasn’t looking for lactation….just something to cure my cold!
We had a nice leisurely lunch of fish and chips and marveled at the street lamps across the road. Every one had a different shape.
We finished lunch around 4 p.m. Gayle headed up to the room and I opted for a quick walk next to the oceanfront.
It is biting cold along the ocean on such a windy day. Even with multiple layers the wind whipped through my clothing. I was wondering how Gayle and I are going to manage being on a ferry crossing the English Channel tomorrow in this weather. Then I noticed three people going for a swim in the ocean.
What would entice them to get into the ocean right now? Then I saw this sculpture, which was my first clue. The shortest distance between England and France is from the beach in Dover to Cap Gris Nez, near Calais France. It is about 21 land miles. I wonder if these swimmers are preparing to swim to France.
There is also this sculpture near the water. There was no explanation next to the three people depicted. I did research when I returned to the room. Ian Fleming, the British author best known for his James Bond spy novels, is depicted on the right. The woman in the middle is Vera Lynn, a British singer and entertainer whose music was popular during WWII. She is known as the “forces sweetheart” because she gave many outdoor concerts for the troops. The man on the left is Jamie Clark, an English cricket player.
The White Cliffs of Dover surround us on both sides. Gayle and I chose to take the ferry to France and return on the Chunnel. We wanted to see the White Cliffs of Dover. We did imagine a beautiful, sunny day in June with glimmering cliffs for this crossing. It will probably turn out to be a foggy, rainy, windy experience with Susan puking over the side of the boat.
Just that quick walk and I was freezing. I hurried inside and rested for the remainder of the day.
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