Holiday photos - summer 2024 - III.

Straight from the cliffs in Dover we drove to Canterbury. We were driving our own car and this is significant in that the steering wheel is on the wrong side for the UK (the left side) and that is completely unsuitable for left-hand driving. However, it is manageable with a passenger, i.e. the passenger - i.e. me - has to look to the right to see whether the road is clear :-))

Canterbury is located on the River Stour in the county of Kent in southeast England. In the Middle Ages it was a place of pilgrimage. The cathedral (built in 597 AD) is the center of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion and its stonework and stained glass windows incorporate Gothic and Romanesque elements. 

Its old city walls surround the medieval center with cobbled streets and half-timbered houses.

We spent two nights in Canterbury, the weather was pleasant and we strolled through the streets and alleys and of course visited the Cathedral - incredible in its furnishings and as a structure - and the Roman Museum. The onward journey took us once again along the city wall - which, as we learned, was built by the Romans.

Our next destination is the county of Sussex and we visit the well-preserved castle ruins of Bodiam Castle in wonderful sunshine.

From the towers you have a wonderful view of the complex, the nearby wine fields and farms.

We were given a fitting farewell to the moated castle... and were really looking forward to our first English garden - we chose Nymans Garden from the variety of gardens in England.

This outlook should suffice for now. I'll tell you about it in the next post. 

In my own garden, the work was done before the onset of frost, the last flowers were picked and the bird house was put up. I'm prepared... it's not far until December, the sweet, delicious month of Christmas. 

A hug for you.

 Holiday photos - big summer vacation -

At the end of August we drove across Germany - approx. 700 km - and looked at many beautiful cities and scenic highlights before continuing on to the Belgian coast, the North Sea.

We spent three days in the coastal town of Koksijde, which is close to the French border. In the district, crabs are still traditionally fished using nets and horses.  

We also wanted to visit the museum of the Belgian painter Paul Delvaux.

Visit to the Ten Duinen monastery

Nature reserve – 33 m high dune

We enjoyed it, there are many more beautiful things to see in Belgium, 

but our holiday destination was England... and we started with the ferry from nearby Dunkirk/France. 

I'm always excited to go on a ferry, we know it from our many trips from Germany to Oslo... and England was the very first time for us.

I was particularly happy about the nice weather because I really wanted to see the cliffs of Dover from the ship - imagine the sailors hundreds of years ago returning home from their long voyages and seeing the cliffs of their homeland.. .

 

In the harbor you can see Dover Castle high up.

All of our attention is now focused on left-hand traffic, which we are experiencing for the first time... it's not as difficult as we thought, at least with a passenger, because in our own car the steering wheel is on the wrong side and this results in restricted visibility... so BE CAREFUL driver and passenger too!!! At this point I have to say that driving in England, once you get used to it, is wonderfully relaxed - completely free of hustle and bustle and people pay a lot of attention to each other . I am very pleased to be able to say thank you. Thank you very much.

And now... off to the cliffs... right :-)))

The huge Castle, but we go to the cliffs...

the coast guard

The National Trust looks after cultural and nature conservation in Great Britain

 

At the time in Dover we didn't know that we would be extending our holiday in England because it would be so very wonderful. 

Have a nice weekend.