Hey Fabulous Followers! Still doing a recap of our London visit.
Monday, October 14, 2024
Skip and Dawn left on their own fabulous journey, so Richard, Beth, Joe and I took a Viator tour to Leeds, the White Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury. This was my bucket list to see Dover (I don't know why, but just wanted to...reminded me so much of Ireland's Cliffs of Moher) and Canterbury.
It was a 10 hour day with most time spent on a bus. This turned out to be good, because it was a gray, cloudy and rainy day......rain all day.
Leeds Castle has a long history that dates back to 1086; I suggest you google for more reading. An interesting tidbit is in 1299 King Edward married French Princess Margaret and for the first time in history, she "inherited" the castle upon Edward's death - how shocking that a wife inherit property!!
King Henry VIII transformed the castle into a royal palace with major renovations that he shared with his first wife (whom he adored) Catherine of Aragon.
After centuries of many owners, the castle fell into disrepair until the 1920s when Lady Baillie decided she wanted to purchase a medieval castle to decorate. In the 1930's it as a lavish country house to visit and it is supported by Lady Baillie's foundation after her death in the 1970's. Today, it is a rental venue especially loved by brides to be. See below for some photos of the inside.
Next, it was off to the Cliffs of Dover, The cliffs were not as white because of the time of year, but I just felt glad traipsing through wet grass and mud to see it. It was not a good weather day, but I still enjoyed the beauty of laying eyes on these cliffs.
Also, here was a memorial to the British service men who gave their lives to fight off the German Nazis from taking over England.
On the wall to cherish those who lost their lives was the name Wilkes. Wilkes is my maiden name and I have to wonder if this young man was a relative.
The last stop was Canterbury, a very cute town, to visit the Canterbury Cathedral. The Cathedral was founded in 597 and was rebuilt between 1070 and 1077. Current renovations are underway. Can you imagine a cathedral this old? It was simply beautiful and the pictures do not do it justice.
Archbishop Thomas Beckett was murdered in the cathedral and buried here. 350 years later, Henry VIII did not like his body in the cathedral, so he had it destroyed and no one knows where Beckett's remains lie. An eternal candle burns in the place where his body used to be.
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is thought to be a storytelling contest by pilgrims as they travel from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Thomas Beckett.
Blessings!
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