Leeds Castle is known as the "loveliest castle in the world". Before we arrived, our tour guide gave us some history behind the castle. Think King Edward, Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon -- all the way to "present" day where it was privately owned by Lady Baillie until she passed away in 1974. We drove onto the grounds, and it was one of those breath-taking moments seeing the castle for the first time. I felt like we were going to run into Robin Hood or King Arthur! During the Lady Baillie years I can envision a "Great Gatsby" party every day. Apparently she was the "hostess with the mostess". We bought a fascinating book about her life (Lady Baillie at Leeds Castle) if you want to know more about her!
When we arrived we were greeted with a shot of mead. THIS IS GOING TO BE A FUN TOUR. :-)
We set off to explore the castle. We were given a little paper map/guide to lead us along the way. Here's Henry's self portrait:
How would you like to take a shower here?
A nice view into the courtyard. I can imagine music being played here and drifting through all the windows...
A closet full of shoes (little bitty feet)...
and the library. Always one of our favorite rooms in any house. Or castle!
We had extra time before our scheduled departure, so we were able to walk around the grounds. They host many events here throughout the year. They had just hosted a flower show. A few scattered buds were laying here and there.
We left Leeds and headed towards Canterbury. Part of this tour was getting the opportunity to see the "White Cliffs of Dover". The fog was heavy when we arrived, but it was such an amazing view. Did you watch Dunkirk? There was a monument memorializing the battle. The beach was definitely not white sand (like we are familiar with), but little rocks and pebbles. We MIGHT have taken two back with us.
From there we drove over to Canterbury. In high school we both had read The Canterbury Tales. We even walked around our high school dressed up like characters from the book. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of that reenactment. HA!
Canterbury was another adorable little town. We could've spent a day exploring the shops and streets. It's biggest point of interest is the Canterbury Cathedral. The design and architecture are amazing. Below you can see some of the details. Look at the little statues of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip.
The cathedral is known as the "Mother Church" of England. It is a World Heritage Site. There is so much history and intrigue; from the pilgrimage to a famous murder (Thomas Beckett), and even a fire.
The inside is breath-taking. They were doing some repairs, but it did not take away from the beauty and sacredness of the building.
Love this view of the ceiling!
We said good-bye to Canterbury and headed back to London. Our bus driver dropped us off actually in Greenwich but even though we had been earlier in the week, we ended up being able to walk through the National Maritime Museum. It was truly fascinating! If you have time to explore -- definitely check it out!
We were starving after the tour and went to a burger joint for a bite to eat. We were in the South Kensington area and had heard rave reviews about the desserts at The Hummingbird Bakery. We ran decided to pop over to split a sweet treat. We chose the carrot cake, and it was SO good. It melted in your mouth. I wish we could have tried one of everything!
Because we are crazy, non-stop adventure seekers, we decided to keep going and headed to a museum. Most all museums have one night a week they stay open late, and this was the night for the V&A museum. Little did we know this "late-night" event was more of a party atmosphere. They had a deejay, loud music, drinks, and LOTS of people. If we had not been so tired, it would have been a fun night out. During these event though, parts of the museum are closed, so we really could only see certain highlights. It was definitely one to remember, so check it out if that floats your boat. A place to be seen and people watch!
Whew. That was a long day! We covered a lot of ground. I looked up the distances, and it was an 160 mile round trip! We were able to see lots of different things, but we would've liked a little more time at each spot. It's definitely the way to go to see a lot in a short time!
We have one more day in London Town, and it ends up being one of our faves! Drinking more tea, Evensong, and finally a meat pie! Stay tuned! #SisAdventuresSaturday
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