Fun Excursions

There will be several fun excursions beyond the every day adventures. Here are some of them.

DOVER SEA SAFARI

This will be the second trip I’ve taken with this group. The first time was a trip down the coast and back. This trip also included a visit to the Harbour seals in Pegwell Bay. The weather was beautiful and it was a thrilling, bouncy speed ride along the white cliffs! The seals were sunning themselves and took no notice of us as we glided into the cove.

Full disclosure…I got soaked! It was windy and although the temps were at an all time high, the sea was choppy and the wind blew the spray right back into the boat! BUT, it didn’t dampen the experience. If you go, bring a change of dry clothes just to be safe. If it had been cooler, it would have been uncomfortable. There is a link to their website on my home page.

ANGLO-SAXON VILLAGE, WEST STOW

I discovered this place via the internet, many years ago, when I was looking for something to show my English classes while were studying Beowulf. I always thought I would go when I was visiting England, but never was very close to where it is located.

West Stow was about a 2 hour drive, from what google maps indicated, from my summer home in Canterbury. I took the route with no tolls, so it took us through London and through Blackwall tunnel; traffic was heavy, so it added another 30 minutes to our journey. Drew agreed to be my sidekick on this trip, so I was pretty happy.

When we arrived, we were struck by the fact that this too, is in the middle of nowhere. Drew commented that like Stonehenge, there is nothing around it. Just the attraction itself. As we walked toward the entrance to get our tickets, we noticed a lot of young school kids. A LOT. School is still in session in England and does not dismiss for the summer break until the end of July. It was a Friday, so we came on a field trip day for two groups. YAY**she said weakly**… I learned that school kids in England are taught this part of history and the Beowulf epic at about 7-8 years of age. Quite a difference from it being a part of our Senior English curriculum. Needless to say, the resources they had for teachers were a bit juvenile, but I bought them anyway. I discovered that 18 year olds like to color a while back.

I am fascinated by the artistry and craftsmanship of these people. In my head, I see Neanderthal technology. I don’t know why…BUT I am amazed to see the things Archeologists found at this sight. I took many pictures and videos and can’t wait to show my classes this fall what I’ve learned. Hopefully it will give them more insight to the Anglo-Saxons and one of my favorite stories, Beowulf.

A DAY AT THE BEACH Whitstable

When the beach is only 8 miles away, you kinda want to take advantage of it. Especially when it’s mid 80s for weeks in a row and you have no air conditioning! I was nervous about driving there, only because I drove to Deal (another coastal town close by) and the roads were so narrow it was scary! The county of Kent has the tightest roads I have ever seen! It was a good drive, however, because the speed limit for most of the way is 40 mph. I like this because I can go slow on purpose and not have people ride my ass. 🙂

The town was REALLY busy and did have tiny, little roads where people park wherever they can so sometimes the road is one lane wide with 2 lane traffic! It’s a hairy situation and the aggressive driver gets to go through with a wave of the hand as a thanks for letting them go through first! BUT I’m getting better at navigating and going through first, so I found a pay and display lot pretty quickly. I parked at the docks and immediatley found it quaint and appealing!

This sailboat has 4-6 hour tours. It was almost entirely booked up for the next few weeks. Perfect weather for it!

Whitsatble has stone beaches. It was divided into coves by break water walls. People were sitting on the rocks, some had chairs, some were laying on the towels. Some of the coves had benches. The water was kind of chilly, but if you stayed in the sun for any length of time, I would have been in it without hesitation! I didn’t get a chance to go around the town, which I understand had unique mom and pop stores. I will go back and do that soon!

Football fever! World Cup.

There were alley ways with cottages and some were walk ways between roads. It was like a maze!

This guy was reprinting the bricks on this old building.

There were huts all along the promenade selling mussels. I think it would be great if you actually liked them. Maybe be I’ll give them a try next time.