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Southern England

April 2013

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May 2013

A week in Southern England to escape the Queens Day festivities in Amsterdam. Across the channel with our car on the ferry from Oostende to Dover, we explored ancient towns and counties south of London, from Bath in the west to Canterbury in the east.

The white cliffs of Dover. Magnificent sight from the Calais-Dover ferry.
The Gallivant, our first overnight stay near the old town of Rye.
High Street in the lovely and very old former port town of Rye.
Rye
Rye
Rye
Rye
Typical old Tudor style buildings
The history of Mermaid Street and the famous Mermaid Inn go back to the middle of the 12th Century.
Rye
Rye
The steep cobbled Mermaid Street leads up to the front door of Mermaid Inn.
The graveyard behind Ypres Tower, the oldest building in Rye.
Rye
Bodiam Castle, built in 1385, ostensibly to defend the area against French invasion during the Hundred Years' War.
Bodiam Castle
Bodiam Castle
Bodiam Castle
Bodiam Castle
Gerrards Cross in Buckinghamshire; Hans & Toyoko lived here in the mid 70's after they left Japan.
Bulstrode Camp, Gerrards Cross
Unfortunately their old house has gone and was replaced not too long ago by these big and quite monstrous villas.
Marlborough, a market town and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire.
The Wellington Arms is one of the old pubs in town.
Mells, The Talbot Inn
The Inn has been welcoming travellers since the 15th Century, when it was built as a rest stop for coaches running the London to Wells road.
Glastonbury Abbey was founded in the 7th century and enlarged in the 10th, before a major fire in 1184 destroyed the buildings.
It was rebuilt and by the 14th century was one of the richest and most powerful monasteries in England.
Glastonbury Abbey
The only building to survive intact over the centuries is the Abbott's Kitchen (left in this picture) which served as a Quaker meeting house.
This area was frequently associated with the legend of King Arthur, a connection promoted by medieval monks who asserted that Glastonbury was Avalon.
Glastonbury Abbey
Glastonbury Abbey
The George Hotel and Pilgrims' Inn in Glastonbury was built in the late 15th century.
Glastonbury
Glastonbury
In the little white cottage with the golden lion, the Blonk family spent a memorable summer holidays in the early 70's.
40 years later, the house and surroundings appear virtually unchanged.
The Glastonbury Tor once was an island and seems to have been called Ynys yr Afalon (meaning
The Cathedral building in Wells, dating between 1175 and 1490, has been described as
Wells cathedral
Wells cathedral
Wells cathedral
Wells cathedral
Victorian fittings from the middle of the 19th century.
Wells cathedral
The beautiful roof structure of the Chapter house.
Details of the Chapter house
The stairs to the Chapter house and Vicars Close.
The Wells clock, an astronomical clock, is located in the north transept.
Wells
Wells
The 15th century Vicars Close was built to house the choral men.
Wells chimneys
Wells
Wells
Yet another 15th century coaching inn, in the town center.
La Gauloise anno 2013
We're on our way to the Cheddar Gorge which unfortunately proved to be a tourist trap, so no pictures from the gorge...
The city of Bath was first established as a spa with the Latin name, Aquae Sulis by the Romans sometime in the AD 60s.
The Romans built baths and a temple on the surrounding hills of Bath in the valley of the River Avon around hot springs.
Much later, it became popular as a spa town during the Georgian era, which led to a major expansion.
Bath
The old Roman baths are about 4 meters below the present street level and are visually connected by these late 19th century balconies.
Bath
A model with cross sections of the old Roman baths.
Bath
Photo bomb!
Bath on the river Avon.
The 18th-century Pulteney Bridge.
Bath
The Circus is an example of Georgian architecture, begun in 1754 and completed in 1768 by John Wood the Elder.
Bath Circus
Bath Circus
The Royal Crescent is considered to be one of the finest examples of Georgian Palladian architecture in Britain.
When it was built in 1775 the Crescent was situated right on the edge of the city with no nearby buildings to block residents’ views of the countryside.
Brock Street connects the Circus with the Royal Crescent.
Stonehenge
Archaeologists believe Stonehenge was built anywhere from 3000 BC to 2000 BC.
Throughout the 20th century, Stonehenge began to be revived as a place of religious significance, this time by adherents of Neopagan and New Age beliefs, particularly the Neo-druids.
Today, it is a tourist trap that feels enormously fake. So sad, considering the long and rich history of this place.
Still, it's quite photogenic...
... and with the camera near the ground you don't see the hundreds of surrounding tourists and busses...
Some overly bureaucratic symbolism
The last big cathedral of our trip: Canterbury
Canterbury's very lively town square
Gateway to the Cathedral grounds from the Buttermarket.
Founded in 597, the cathedral was completely rebuilt after a fire between 1070 to 1077.
The east end was greatly enlarged at the beginning of the twelfth century, and largely rebuilt in the Gothic style following another fire in 1174.
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
A pivotal moment in the history of the Cathedral was the murder of the archbishop, Thomas Becket, in December 1170 by knights of King Henry II.
Canterbury Cathedral
The posthumous veneration of Becket made the cathedral a place of pilgrimage.
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
These stacked chairs also become some kind of modern relics in these austere surroundings...
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Incredible that that door can still be opened!
The Friars
St Peter's Lane
Spring blossoms in Canterbury
The Relish, nice B&B in the coastal town of Folkestone, above the white cliffs not far from Dover.
The Relish
Time for the ferry back to the mainland!
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