Jolly good time in London ~ England

"There'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see

I'll never forget the people I met
Braving those angry skies
I remember well as the shadows fell
The light of hope in their eyes

And though I'm far away
I still can hear them say
Bombs up...
But when the dawn comes up

there'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see

there'll be love and laughter
And peace ever after
Tomorrow
When the world is free

The shepherd will tend his sheep
The valley will bloom again
And Jimmy will go to sleep
In his own little room again

there'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see

there'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see... " . . . Vera Lynn

 

We landed in the port city of Dover, England . . known for their famous "white cliffs."  They were beautiful indeed, but I had to look up the significance to understand them.  I knew there was a song written about them . . . I had heard "The White Cliffs of Dover" somewhere, thought I cannot remember where . . . buy why were they so important?

 

"The cliffs have great symbolic value in Britain because they face towards Continental Europe across the narrowest part of the English Channel, where invasions have historically threatened and against which the cliffs form a symbolic guard. Because crossing at Dover was the primary route to the continent before the advent of air travel, the white line of cliffs also formed the first or last sight of England for travelers." (Wikipedia)

 

Other than the famous cliffs Dover did not have much to offer us with all of the shops being closed . . we promptly made our way to Dover Priory Station and proceeded with the hour long ride into downtown London.  It was surprisingly easier to figure out the train system that I had thought and only cost us around 30 pounds for the roundtrip.  Not bad at all! 

Underground!! (Mind the Gap)

 

Once we arrived in London we, being the great tourists we are, had to first make a stop at Buckingham Palace (the official London residence of the British monarch).  We did not stay for the changing of the guards as we only had a limited time in the city and many things to see.  We then made our way to Kensington Palace, the once royal residence of Diana, Princess of Wales and the current residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.  The front gates of the Palace still held a memorial for Princess Diana . . . she will never be forgotten. We spent some time wandering through the rooms were we enjoyed viewing some famous, and fabulous, royal gowns as well as other displays throughout the residence.

Having a custom suit designer brother on the trip mandated that we take a visit to Savile Row, known for it's tailoring of men's clothing and has had such customers as Jude Law, Winston Churchill and Lord Nelson.  We also hit up Big Ben before heading back to the train station for our return journey to Dover.  We did not have enough time in London as it is one of my favorite European cities.  Clayton and I are planning on returning . . . and soon. I had spent a week in London back in 2006 and have come to love this city.  The underground train system makes traveling throughout the city a breeze and it always helps to know the language.  The people seem nice enough and the city appears clean and easy to navigate.  It also holds many attractions for the tourist; numerous theater houses, the London Eye, Natural History Museum, Westminster, Tower of London, great food, St. Paul's Cathedral and Tower Bridge to name a few.