It is such a beautiful spot and the history of the castle just enthralled me. I chose Evan Evans tours for my trip. Their tours leave from the Victoria bus station which is within walking distance from bed-and-breakfast. They also offer highly qualified and very interesting tour guides. One interesting tidbit I learned is that there is a difference between a castle and a palace. I had no idea. A castle was built for defense and would have fortification. A palace is just a fancy house. Who knew?? Anyway, Leeds was built in 1119 and was eventually used by King Henry VIII in the early 1500s. Henry’s son King Edward VI gave the castle to one of Henry’s courtiers and it has been privately owned ever since. The interior of the castle is as spectacular as the grounds. My favorite room was the queen’s bath, the ultimate in luxury for the time.
There were peacocks from the aviary roaming the grounds. This beautiful fellow was more than happy to pose for photos but he wouldn’t open his tail for me.
From Leeds we were off to Canterbury. It was a lovely little town and of course the cathedral was amazing. The history of the cathedral began in 597 when the Pope sent the first Archbishop of Canterbury to establish a church. I really enjoyed seeing all the crypts and reading the stories about their occupants. It was very humbling to think that these individuals had passed away so long ago and I was still reading about their life. I wonder if they thought we would still be talking about them all this time later.
Our final stop of the day was in Dover. I am something of a World War II buff so I was very interested in seeing the White Cliffs of Dover. The cliffs are strikingly white and face France across the English Channel. Pilots returning from battle saw the cliffs as a sign that they were home.
The entire day was wonderful and just made me even more excited for the next day and what I would be able to see then.
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