Blogs from Dover, Kent, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Very eventful day today! We woke up early in Oxford and headed out for a wander through the Covered Market at 8:00. It’s a lot like Granville Island or Pike place - but likely older. We had a nice breakfast without any baked beans. From there we made our way over to Oxford Castle. We didn’t go in (because we didn’t think to book tickets in advance) but got to tour the grounds. It was mostly used as a prison from sometime in the 1600’s to the 1980’s. Now the cells have been converted to a luxury hotel. From there, we went back to Christ Church College where we did do the self-guided walking tour. The highlight was the dining hall which not only has been used for the same purpose for more than 500 years ... read more

25th September - It has been a while ! For the past two years my travel blogs have been virtually with Heygo (Previously Virtualtrips). I have travelled all over the world with them and it has been fantastic especially during the long lockdowns, but it is now time to get back to real time travelling. Our initial plan was to be on a Baltic Cruise but with changes to certain Ports of Call & dates our original cruise was cancelled. So we find ourselves on a cruise around the British Isles and then on to the Norwegian Fjords. A lovely surprise letter arrived a few days before our departure, Saga have upgraded our cabin to a suite complete with butler, so Thankyou Saga. A good journey to Dover with our friendly Saga chauffeur, an efficient & ... read more

A town and major ferry port in Kent in southeast England, Dover faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel, just 21 miles from Cap Gris Nez. Immortalized in books, movies, and songs (remember Vera Lynn?) over the years, the White Cliffs of Dover is the region of English coastline facing the Strait. The cliff face reaches a height of 350’ and owes its striking appearance to its composition of chalk, accented by streaks of black flint, deposited during the late Cretaceous period. The cliffs on both sides of the town stretch for 8 miles, and a section of coastline encompassing the cliffs was purchased by the National Trust in 2016. At this point, Britain is closest to continental Europe, and on a clear day (yes, they do get these ... read more

I’ve been on this boat for 4 hours and we’ve not gone anywhere yet. Apparently we are waiting for crew to get here from Heathrow, but it’s a lovely warm evening and I’m sat on deck supping a Tiger beer with my hubby, enjoying the view of the white cliffs of Dover. People who know us were very surprised that we chose to go on a cruise; we usually do everything on the cheap and never relaxed! However, I really wanted to go to Svalbard (which is half way between the top of Norway and the North Pole). Flying there would mean 3 flights: to Oslo, to Trømso and finally to Svalbard. It would take longer to get there and back than the amount of days you could afford to stay because it’s Norwegian and Norway ... read more

The day began with a wake up call at 3:30 a.m. I got to the lobby for a cold buffet of cereal, cold cuts, sliced cheese, and various breads. We loaded up the bus at 4:45 a.m. We are a group of 28 people! I think I am the only person traveling alone. Everyone else is either married or with family. Quite a few people from America. YEAH! Lots of room to move around and plenty of space for my carry on! Our tour guide is Scott. Nice young man. Our driver is Luigi from Italy. We traveled south to Dover and to take the ferry over to Calais, France. We had to get off the bus before getting on the ferry so the French official can stamp our passports. The ferry ride took only 1 ... read more