Above is what the view of Dover cliffs looks like from a boat. (One day I'll have to do a bunch of photo posts to complement all the writing I've done because I have a LOT of photographs.)
We took a bus to and from Dover--it was relatively successful getting there and back but very tiring. When we arrived in Dover we could see the cliffs, white and looming over the town and the ferry port. But the sky and the ocean were no where to be seen, because they were covered in a dense fog. We were lucky--on some days the cliffs themselves can't be see and, apparently, when the day starts off like that it usually ends that way as well.
We climbed up one of the cliffs to the park service center and poked around their store a bit, ate lunch, and then poked around the cliffs. One of the staff members told us to be careful since we weren't wearing hiking shoes because of slippery conditions and previous cases of people falling off the cliffs. So we edged to the edges as carefully as possible to look down the shear drops.
Then we decided to go to Dover castle, situated on another cliff top. We got very helpful directions: walk down the cliff, turn right at the leisure (pronounced "laysure") center, then turn right again, then right again, then walk up. Luckily there were also signs pointing the way, so we climbed yet another cliff and eventually reached the top.
Dover Castle is a huge medieval site, which was also used as a fortress during World War II. Because of this, not only does it have medieval weaponry and kingly beds and stuff like that, but there are also more modern military items present. It was fascinating to hear about how the castle was used as a base during WWII for rescue missions from France, and particularly interesting was the tunnel tour. There are four miles of cliff tunnels under the castle. We saw parts of the ones used as bunkers during World War II, which also doubled as a trauma center--where wounded soldiers were sent to be stabilized before heading off to proper hospitals to be better treated.
The castle also offered great views, being on top of a cliff situated right over Dover, and luckily the fog cleared, so not only could we see the town of Dover and the other cliffs, but we also got to see the English countryside stretching back away from the ocean (with sheep dotting the green fields) and the actual ocean, a surprisingly tropical-looking bright blue.
Above is the beach and the rest of town that isn't under cliffs. And you can also see a bit of the fog rolling out into the ocean.
We visited those beaches later that day and they really were, as the poem "Dover Beach" suggest, made of pebbles. Lots of pebbles and rocks, and really good looking ones at that. Some people took some home because they looked so pretty. Not only that, but after a long day of walking and climbing up steep roads and pathways, walking on the pebbles of the beach had a very massage-like effect on our feet. A few people tested the water--a bit chilly but not salty at all which was strange. And then, after a dinner with a LOT of sea food, we had to head back to London.
The hardest part about traveling in London, at times, is the fact that the city can seem to have an overpopulation problem. Never has this been more obvious than when taking the underground at peak times. However, last night was a Sunday at 11pm. Most places are closed. So this didn't really explain the sheer hundreds of people crowding all the tube stations and trains we needed to use to get back to our flat. It seemed like everyone had been out partying or something.
I suppose that's how people like their Sundays here. Or perhaps there was an event we didn't know about that we were unlucky to catch the end of.
Either way, it doesn't matter too much. The trip to Dover was exhausting but well worth it just because of the sheer beauty of its white, incredibly tall cliffs.
Though I did have to wonder just how often people falling off the cliffs is a problem.
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