London Trip Day 3 (June 4, 2011): Is it a Slight Left or a Slight Right?
After a fantastic day exploring Stonehenge and Bath you always have to wonder how your going to top it the next day. I ended up getting woken up at around 10 AM from Jenn bright eyed and ready to make the day’s journey to Dover. We ended up heading out from the hotel at around 11 to make the 80-mile drive.
Today started very different then the last. The directions took us the complete opposite direction we had traveled the last two days. Instead of taking a few streets and hitting a motorway, we ended up going through side streets for an hour or so weaving our way in and out of roundabouts and slights lefts and rights. The Garmin GPS we were provided with our rental was nearly useless. There were more times then I could count that the GPS would say take a slight left and Jenn would say its wrong take a right and 99% of the time Jenn was right. We ended up tuning out the GPS voice directions and just went based off the map.
Around 45 minutes into the drive I thought it would be a good idea to stop at a gas station and fill up. Jenn's Dad went into pay and put down 20 pounds and I picked up a Red Bull and a Twix Bar. When Jenn's dad was filling up the car he just let the pump go past the 20 he paid for and it ended up at around 29 pounds. So we didn't think much of it and were about ready to leave when the gas station attendant ran out after us hitting the car asking why we were stealing from him. We got it resolved paid the difference and headed on our way.
Once we got through the winding roads of central London and hit the motorway the rest of the drive to Dover was pretty straightforward. We did stop at a McDonalds right outside of Dover for a pit stop and lunch. Jenn got a hamburger and fries, I got the big mac and fry combo, and Jenn's dad just did fries. All agreed it tasted literally identical to the US, however my Coke tasted awful.
Eating Some McDonalds in Dover
We ended up making it into Dover at around 2PM. Our main goal was to see the white cliffs of Dover and then head back to Leeds Castle. However while we were driving towards the coast we came across the Dover Castle and we all three quickly agreed to go check it out. So we parked, took a short bus up to the castle and spent the next 2-3 hours walking around the massive defensive castle.
Just Parked at the Dover Castle
From the moment we got out of the bus you could see everyone’s eyes light up. Unlike many castles we have seen in the past this one was still in amazing shape. One of the things Jenn and I both loved was walking through all of these Medieval tunnels throughout the bottom of castle. What was really neat to about Dover Castle is that it has been used for so many different time periods whether it was hundreds of years ago or as a defensive strategy base in WWII. The castle itself was gorgeous and worth the trip. We joked that you can always tell places we like by how many pictures we take and I would say between the three of us we took over 300 pictures during our time at the Dover Castle.
Side of Dover Castle
Jenn Looking Gorgeous at Dover Castle
Sitting on the Steps at the Front of the Dover Castle
Dover Castle
Another View of the Dover Castle
Jenn Looking Amazing In the Tunnels of Dover Castle
I Really Wanted to Take the Sword and Shield Home With Me
Another Shot of the Front of the Dover Castle
White Cliffs of Dover
We got done with the Dover Castle at around 4:30 and realized there was no way we were going to make it to Leeds Castle before it closed at 5 so we headed back for our hotel. The drive home was far smoother then the way out that morning and we made it back within an hour and a half.
Driving Back From Dover
When we got back to the hotel we parked the car and walked over to this Italian Restaurant that we had scouted out a few nights before. We all split a bottle of white wine, Jenn had a cheese pizza, I had a pepperoni and peppers pizza, and Jenns dad got a ham pizza. Jenn and her dad once again got ice cream for desert. It was one of the better meals I have had in London and one that I wouldn't be surprised if we eat at again before the trip is over.
Delicious Pizza Place Down the Street From Our Hotel
We Downed That Wine Quick
Ham Pizza
Cheese Pizza
Hot Pepper Pizza
The day itself was perfect. Sometimes the best times are those that are not planned and today was a perfect example. The original plan was to spend a few minutes checking out the White Cliffs of Dover and heading back to Leeds Castle however we were all so happy that we got to spend the day at Dover Castle.
