Dover, England

On May 29^th our ship docked at Dover to let off passengers on the first leg of the cruise and pick up passengers who wanted to see the Baltic. A small contingent of us were remaining on board to complete the entire 21 day tour. It seems strange to us that a 10 or 11 day cruise was the standard length for most people and that completing the entire 21 days was a really big deal for most! Mum and I took the opportunity to visit Leeds Castle, something we have wanted to do for years. Our guide was a real character. Although the Americans on our tour didn't get most of his jokes or literary references, mum and I thoroughly enjoyed his colourful commentary! The English countryside is beautiful at this time of the year – lush green fields with sheep and cattle grazing, hawthorne and wild fruit trees in full bloom adding a lovely display of pink and white blossoms to the woods and hedgerows. After being dropped off at the entrance to the castle grounds we had an enjoyable half hour stroll through the woods, past duck ponds and streams, fields and flower beds to reach the castle itself. We saw a few black swans floating downstream and several peacocks displaying their beautiful feathers. A lucky few spotted the family of albino peacocks which live on the grounds and who our guide said are even stupider than the regular peacocks! Leeds Castle is built on two islands in the middle of a small lake, so the setting is spectacular. After crossing the moat and skirting the castle walls we entered through the wine cellar, climbed a spiral staircase past suits of armour, and entered the main building where we toured a series of rooms displaying medieval furnishings, paintings, tapestries and treasures. Because it was the weekend there were English families touring the castle and grounds and having picnics on the lawns. Unfortunately, by the time we came out of the castle the heavens had opened and the rain was pouring down! As we had left our umbrella behind once again, we were forced to take refuge in the castle store until the mini-train arrived to transport us back to the main entrance. Rather than wait on the bus, we took shelter under the trees along the garden path and spent an enjoyable half hour talking to one of the ship's crew who happened to be from Montreal. It was so nice to talk to another Canadian! On our trip back to the ship the bus driver and guide took us through some typical English villages just because they wanted us to see more than the motorway. It was wonderful to be back in Britain, even if only for a few hours.