Sunday, March 27, 2022 (continued)
After lunch on the Viking Venus, we had free time and opted to go into Dover.
|
Viking offered a double-decker shuttle bus to take passengers into the center of Dover or up to Dover Castle |
|
Whoa, will the double-decker fit under that overpass? |
|
It stopped drizzling, but is still misty as we head to Dover Castle (KSS) |
We paid a total of 36 GBP 60, or $51.24 (ouch!) for entry into Dover Castle. (It would have been worth it if we had more time!) Dover Castle commands the Strait of Dover, the shortest sea crossing between England and continental Europe. Henry II began building the present castle in 1179-1189, on the foundations of a pre-Roman hillfort and a later Roman fort. Other additions and changes were made through the centuries.
|
Constable's Gate (c 1220, by Hubert de Burgh) |
|
View between the outer and inner walls, and a close-up of flint rock, which is formed in chalk deposits |
|
Peverell's Gate (13C) and view down on the city of Dover (KSS) |
|
Misty view of Dover |
|
Church of St Mary de Castro (c 1020 CE, collapsed and restored in 1860, by George Gilbert Scott) is an example of a Saxon church |
|
Church of St Mary de Castro interior (1888, by William Butterfield); de Castro means within a castle |
|
Roman Pharos/lighthouse (early 2C CE) was paired with another across what is now the city, and used fire beacons to guide the ships of the Roman Classis Britannica fleet into the harbor at the mouth of River Dour |
The Pharos is the most complete standing Roman building in England, and had been repurposed as the bell tower for the Church of St Mary de Castro.
|
Heading up to the innermost walls of Dover Castle, with the fenced Well House in the foreground |
|
Henry II's Great Tower or Keep (1179-1189); it is said that Henry II did not build the castle for defense, but rather to impress the pilgrims arriving by boat who would continue to Canterbury Cathedral |
|
We left through Colton's Gate (13C) and started working our way downhill |
|
Entrance to the undergound hospital (1941) |
|
Entrance to the network of tunnels (1794-1815 during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars), which were later used for Operation Dynamo during World War II |
Dover Castle was the first line of defense for England in World War I and World War II, while Dover was the base for the Royal Navy.
|
Still heading downhill |
|
The steps taking us into town |
|
Almost there! |
|
Ancient iron fence (KSS) |
|
Scaffolded ruins of the Church of St James (c 1070), which was bombed during World War II |
|
Looking SW on Castle Street |
|
St Peter's Roman Catholic Church (1867-1868, by Edward W Pugin in Gothic Revival style) |
|
Poundland is the Dollar Store of the United Kingdom |
|
Dover War Memorial (1924, by Reginald R Goulden) is now dedicated to all those lost in both World Wars |
|
The War Memorial in front of the Dover Town Council building (1665 as a residence) (KSS) |
|
Maison Dieu (1203, by Hubert de Burgh to provide hospitality for the pilgrims heading to Canterbury) is now the town hall |
|
St Edmund's Chapel (1262 as a wayside chapel of rest for the poorer pilgrims) |
|
What the heck is flytipping? Illegal dumping |
|
St Mary's Church (tower is 12C, church rebuilt 1843-1844 in Early English style) |
|
Market Square was where we caught the shuttlebus back to the Viking Venus |
|
Right on the docks are remnants of fortifications |
|
View of the White Cliffs of Dover |
|
View of the Dover Castle above the town and harbour |
|
The White Cliffs extend east beyond Dover and we would be sailing west along the English Channel |
After dinner, we had to keep ourselves busy until the stewards finished preparing our stateroom for the evening. Fortunately (or maybe not!), there was a jigsaw puzzle.
|
A 3,000 -piece jigsaw puzzle! |
|
The puzzle was 48" long and 32" wide |
|
We know of a couple women who worked on the puzzle as well |
Next: Scenic Cruising.
No comments:
Post a Comment