Dover Castle

So, it's been a while since I've updated my blog. In part, I'm working on a fun blog that gives some insight to life in Britain. The other reason is because I've been taking advantage of the nice weather that we've been experiencing. Finally, some sun!

Dover Castle

The day planned for the Dover Castle trip, the weather was not so great. We had been experiencing some sunny and nice weather, and had hoped the weather would last. However, like usual, the weather was uncooperative and was slightly chilly and windy. Despite the weather, Dover Castle was pretty neat.

King Henry II began constructing the stone castle around 1180, survived the Great Siege led by Prince Louis of France in which the castle withstood 10 months of heavy bombarding. Dover Castle's defenses were further strengthened and became a strong symbol of England's Power, next only to Windsor Castle and the Tower of London. Tunnels run underneath the castle and were even used during the World Wars.

The World Wars saw the expansion of the tunnels, especially during WWII. The new tunnels consisted of a hospital and headquarters. Dover Castle was responsible for guarding the Straights of Dover and protect against any invasions. The castle was garrisoned until 1958.

Nearby Dover are other areas of interest: Canterbury Cathedral and Leeds Castle to name a couple.

Edinburgh, Scotland

The Invasion

Last week, our home was invaded by our parents coming to visit! We were, of course, ecstatic about them coming to visit; however, it meant 7 people, 1.5 baths, and 1 bed. Yet, we made it work with the use of air mattresses and the couch. With a little over a week, we set out to fill our days with many fun adventures! 

By the time we picked up our parents from the train station, they had been in just about every transportation available- car, plane, train, tubes, but it gave them the opportunity to experience traveling London like the locals. I'm pretty sure the car ride from the train station to our home was probably the scariest leg of their journey.

We didn't stay the whole journey in England, but decided to venture further north to Scotland, in particular, Edinburgh.

Edinburgh

We took the train then to Edinburgh. Despite the rainy, windy weather, Edinburgh was breathtaking. There were many buildings and such still reminiscent of the Gothic, medieval style. There were hills and mountains. The Edinburgh Castle, itself, was situated on a hill overlooking the city. From where we stayed overnight at the Castle View B&B. I could literally walk outside the B&B and see the castle from the street. That night we ate at the Amber Rose pub (excellent food) close by and afterwards checked out a couple of other pubs and got to see some of the nightlife of Edinburgh. 

The next morning, we woke bright and early, had breakfast and planned our day. First up, hiking Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano. Our trek up the mountain began easy enough, but the ground was pretty muddy and slippery and some areas the pathway was steep. To add to the muddy path, the wind was brutal. There were several times I felt the wind was about to push me over and I'd go rolling down the mountain! The views from so high were just spectacular! You could even see snow tipped mountains in the distance (so glad Arthur's Seat wasn't covered in snow). Some of the group decided to turn around a short ways from the top and head back to explore the castle.

Edinburgh Castle was pretty neat. We didn't explore a lengthy amount of time, but we did get to witness the gunfire that happens every day at 1:00. Someone in uniform comes out, loads the cannon, fires, and shows off the casing. It happened in a matter of a few minutes! We also saw the Scotland Crown Jewels. 

After the castle, we ducked into the Scotch Whisky Experience which is known for housing the largest whiskey collection. The most expensive bottle I saw was retailing at £27,000 (which is approximately $41,400)!!!

My watch/pedometer reading for the day was ~21,001 steps or about 8.5 miles! 

We also toured Nottingham Ducal Mansion, London, and Cambridge!

UPDATE!! Return trip to Scotland

Winter Wonderland

Reminiscing...

Growing up in the south Texas, there were few chances of snow. It was every kid's dream to see that white powdery stuff! Snow in Texas is a rare thing to come by, kind of like Big Foot or Chupacabra- you know it's real because people have seen it, but still not sure you believe. The first time I remember seeing snow (mix of sleet and snow, but some snow nonetheless) was in 1998 (I'm pretty sure that was the year). I was excited and not just because I got to miss 3 days of school... I was finally able to see snow in real life rather than on some movie or television show. It was so much fun playing and making snow angels (even though it was kind of a muddy snow slushie)! Our tank even iced over, well at least the shallow parts did. 

In 2006, it snowed Christmas Eve or Christmas day. Not really anything that stuck, but I did make a small snowman from what little snow I collected from the vehicles. It was gone within a few hours. 2009, I was in my second year of college when there was a small accumulation of snow that stuck, but by morning was pretty much nonexistent. In 2010, the snow was a little greater. I remember riding the bus to campus and some waterline had burst because of the frozen pipes near the bus stop on campus. We were warned to be careful, but I don't think anyone realized how much ice had accumulated on the sidewalk and street. The first person off the bus fell instantly on top of the ice. Luckily, the bus had few passengers so the rest of the passengers (myself included) took our time so as not to end up like the first  guy! 

In 2012, I found myself in Louisiana. I had just started a job and had to work over the Christmas holidays. Jacob had gone to visit family. When I came home from work Christmas day, it had snowed inside the house! Well, not actual snow. I had closed our pup in one room and he ate the couch. White stuffing was everywhere! I do think it even snowed a little (for real) that day, but disappeared once it hit the ground. 2013, Louisiana had more ice than snow. I got off work and headed home. The roads were already icing over and it was sleeting some. The gravel trucks had already been over the roads. By the time I got home, the spaces between my tires and car were filled with sand and ice! 

All those memories of snow are special in their own way. However, this past snow was really spectacular!

An English Snow

Friday (Jan 30), I had taken our dog out to play in a small field near our home before the forecasted rain and possible snow were to hit. We were outside for maybe 5 minutes or so throwing ball. I was already thinking we need to head in when we were engulfed by snow flurries. After about 30 seconds, came strong wind with heavy large snowflakes! I think we survived a mini blizzard!

I know I'm being a little over-dramatic. My friends and relatives that come from up north would say this is nothing, but for a southern girl, it was unlike anything I've ever seen. It was sensational! Our dog loved it! He kept looking to the sky to watch the snow fall. I decided to stay and enjoy the snowfall until I couldn't stand the cold. Finally, when my nose felt cold to the bone, we headed inside. The snow fell for about 30 minutes, dusting the ground in a thin layer of fluffy whiteness!
Saturday morning it was snowing again. It wasn't as heavy as the day before, didn't last long, and fell in periodic bursts. The last few days had been nothing but a teaser.

The real deal came Monday evening. I'm not exactly sure when it started snowing, but it was snowing when I looked outside about 8 and continued to fall until past midnight. It was like a continuous snow globe experience! This time, the snow was a couple inches high and packed that when you walked on it, the snow crunched! I would check the window about every 30 minutes or so to see if the snow had stopped and how much it had progressed. I went to bed feeling like a little kid on Christmas, excited to see the winter wonderland the morning would hold.

My dog and I got up this morning, took our camera, and went walking through our neighborhood enjoying the beautiful whiteness! When we were nearing the end of walk, it started to sleet! I got excited that maybe we'd get just a little more snow. Sadly, it was not meant to be. Now, the snow is melting away. For our dog, he's happy because that means we can go throw ball tomorrow. For me, it's good because that means the temperature outside went up (not a big fan of the cold), but sad too because it was nice to have a(nother) reason to be inside drinking hot chocolate or hot tea and curl up with a good book!

King's Lynn: Castle Rising Castle/Sandringham Estate

Countryside Drive
Sunday was a nice day (or at least one of the nicest days we've had in a while) for a drive. The sky was slightly overcast, but allowed the sun to come every now and again. We decided to set out to see something new. We drove up the A10 to King's Lynn. The River Great Ouse (or the Ten Mile Bank as its name changes) flowed alongside the A10 before giving way to beautiful countryside. The road was surprisingly well maintained, making for an easy drive. The scenery was very diverse, river bank homes and small communities, flat farmlands, and wooded areas.

Castle Rising
First we traveled to the see Castle Rising on the outskirts of King's Lynn. The castle is a medieval fortification which was built around 1140 by William D'Albini (later known as the Earl of Arundel) after his increased importance after marrying the widow of Henry I, Alice of Louvian. The castle passed down through William's descendants before passing to the de Montalt family whom later sold the castle to Queen Isabella, known for killing her husband, Edward II.

In 1544, the castle was sold to the Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Howard, and has remained in the Howard family to this day.

For a mere four pounds, Castle Rising is definitely worth seeing! The castle is now mostly ruins; most of the roof is gone. The castle was built on higher ground and there is a very large moat (or what used to be a river bed) that surrounds the castle. There is a bridge leading up to a stone archway leading to castle. Around the castle are ruins of an old chapel and an old Norman church. Even with the chilly wind, it was much fun touring the castle on our own. We went through the basement that had a deep well, then went up a narrow, spiral staircase to see the different levels and rooms.

After walking around the castle and the village, we headed to Caithness Crystals to see how glassblowing works. Unfortunately for us, the glassblowing workshop wouldn't open back up for the public until mid-February. However, the Caithness Crystal shop was very interesting to browse. When we were done browsing, we headed for King Lynn's town centre. We visited King's Lynn Minister, King's Lynn Tower (what remains) which also had a nearby Great War (WWI) remembrance statue.

The only bad thing about venturing out on a Sunday is that many of the shops and restaurants are closed. Some of the chain stores and restaurants were open and we grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading home!

Sandringham Estate

Sandringham Estate has been a private home of the royal family since 1862, so not relatively long in history of royal homes. The gardens and grounds of Sandringham are extensive, some 8,000 hectares.  The gardens were open to the public in 1908 by King Edward the VII, the museum in 1930 by King George V, and finally, the house in 1977 on Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee. It is rumored that Sandringham will be left to William and Kate as it is also rumored that the couple currently reside there as Prince William is part of a helicopter rescue team in the Cambridgshire/Norfolk area.

I really enjoyed walking the grounds and seeing all the beautiful nature. The inside of the home is breathtaking as well; however, photos aren't allowed so you'll just have to go see for yourself. The staff were very knowledgeable and not just about the home and many tapestries and objects it housed, but politics as well! We had a friendly and lively chat about American and British politicians!

Berry Picking

Who doesn't love berries- strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc! Well I do! My friends and I went to a couple berry picking place, one in Isleham and one somewhere in Norfolk. In Isleham, we picked strawberries and raspberries which I made strawberry ice cream and raspberry pies! After picking berries, we went to a nearby pub and grabbed some lunch then went to another place for sticky toffee pudding! At the Norfolk place, we picked blueberries (which I turned into fruit roll-ups) and bought some blueberry wine!