We had a leisurely breakfast this morning and watched some little "Downs" bunnies romp in the field behind our B&B.
Our drive to the southern coast was beautiful!
This was a really typical road- with hedges on both sides and over-arching trees.
We stopped at a community "Boot Sale" near Rye, (that is boot- as in trunk of the car) and picked up some bargain souvenirs. We felt right at home here!
We drove through the ancient village of Rye. From Roman times, it was a thriving shipping town
After terrible storms in the 13th century, the harbor was suitable only for smaller vessels, which made it an ideal port for smugglers!
We stopped at a community "Boot Sale" near Rye, (that is boot- as in trunk of the car) and picked up some bargain souvenirs. We felt right at home here!
We drove through the ancient village of Rye. From Roman times, it was a thriving shipping town
After terrible storms in the 13th century, the harbor was suitable only for smaller vessels, which made it an ideal port for smugglers!
This is the gate house entrance to the site of "The Battle of Hastings"- which is NOT, by the way, in Hastings, but the town of Battle.
Remember 1066? King Harold (the Saxon) was defeated by the Norman invaders led by William (the Conqueror) in a battle NEAR the town of Hastings.
And there is the spot. It is hard to imagine all that blood and sword hacking when you see it now.
As penance for all the thousands of lives lost there, William I built an abbey on the site of the battle and a church with the high altar resting on the "spot where Harold fell".
And there is the spot. It is hard to imagine all that blood and sword hacking when you see it now.
As penance for all the thousands of lives lost there, William I built an abbey on the site of the battle and a church with the high altar resting on the "spot where Harold fell".
Unfortunately, the Norman cathedral was completely destroyed under Henry VIII, but the ruined abbey buildings remain.
The medieval abbey wall and the town of Battle below.
A pub next to the walls of Battle Abbey.
That evening, we made it to Andover where we stayed with our wonderful friends, Val and Stephen Bond.
Fascinating Observations
- British English spoken quickly is painfully difficult to understand- Are they really speaking English?
- Dorking and High Nutfield are considered acceptable town names
- It was 15 to 19 degrees most of the time we were in Kent- in Celsius of course!
- Brits do not use fitted sheets (a flat is used instead) and there is no top sheet provided. We had to ask for them!
- Nothing opens before 9:30 or 10am and everything closes by 5:30. This made for some frustrating moments.
- There are still public phones in England. (The red phone booths!) One call costs abt 40p- or about $.70US
- Brits enjoy mashed peas- this is just what it sounds like- green peas mashed up like mashed potatoes- looks..um.
- This is the land of the traffic roundabout. You start to get VERY confused with all the going around and around without a GPS.
- It is a "Toilet"- you will not be taking a bath in it will you?
- Free House- the food and beer are not free! It means that they serve a variety of brews, not just one brand.
- It was not unusual to check out on the far side of a store, then walk back through the merchandise to the exit- Is that crazy or what? They must not have a lot of shoplifting.
This is a dog parking spot outside a local grocery store!
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