Today we sailed into Dover. I have never seen the White Cliffs of Dover so awake to a great view from our cabin. Also Dover Castle sits proudly on top of the hills.
Helen decided to have a relaxing day on the ship, so I went ashore alone. I wanted to walk the cliffs and experience them up close, but there was no easy transport, but walking tracks were well advertised. So I caught a shuttle bus from the ship into the middle of town, taking about 10 minutes.
As I was early, most of town shops were closed, so I headed straight for the cliffs on foot. There are houses under the cliffs on the edges of town before the walking track leaves town and becomes all there is.
The walking track soon gets steep but is well marked.
The track passes alongside the Port of Dover from above. This is a serious operation with ferries coming and going, and endless lines of trucks moving in and out.
Along the way I discovered old caves, old gun placements, and some good photo opportunities looking along the cliffs.
I had to lay on the edge of the cliff to take the photo, which was a little scary.
As I continued up the hill, I started to consider that I should have brought some food and water with me. The sun was our, and it was getting hot rather quickly. Also I didn't know how far the walk can go, and had to conserve sufficient energy to make the return walk to down.
I know there was a lighthouse but decided it was just too far, so eventually turned back. By the time I reached town I saw ready for a cold drink!
Once I caught the shuttle bus to the ship, it went for a round trip up to the castle, letting me see a few more things. I had noticed in town many people speaking French and other languages, and I also noticed many of the cars driving around had European number plates. Dover almost didn't feel like England! I guess that's what you get having an international ferry port operating in your town.
Almost daily on the ship there is a music trivia quiz. People in up teams of six complete to test their music knowledge. We don't team up with anyone, but have befriended regular contestants. I usually do quite well but never win. Tonight, the topic was music by Queen. My favourite band! I got every question right, and so did three other teams, so one person from each team had to stand up for a "sudden death" question, where the first person to yell out the answer wins. I won!!!! The prize is a Holland America Pin, which Helen has been wanting for the whole cruise, and I scored on the last night of our cruise. Yippee!
Dover has been our last stop, so tonight we packed our bags. Tomorrow we sail into Rotterdam, docking at 7am and departing the ship as soon as possible as we only have four hours until our flight home.
Thanks for reading the blog for this trip, and see you again here for our next holiday.
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