Channel Crossing

After Bodiam, we parked overnight in Dover and caught the ferry to Calais and France the next day. P was excited about the boat ride, but especially about getting to France.

Not one of our best wild camping sites, but the view, Dover
Castle, was great

I took P out on deck to get a sense of the ship,
the port, the sea...but she was mostly interested
in the gift shoppe.

And in watching other ships pass by

Bodiam Castle, 2016

We visited Bodiam in 2009 (http://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2009/10/bodiam-castle.html), and as I observed then, if you called central casting for a castle, Bodiam is what you'd get. Our 2009 visit was in the later fall, and we had the place to ourselves. Not so on this brilliant July weekend in 2016. There were crowds, and the National Trust had a variety of Medieval demonstrations underway. Penelope was fascinated...took in everything and insisted on watching the 20 minute historical video twice.

P about to storm Bodiam Castle

Full frontal view of Bodiam

Many famous names associated with Bodiam and its preservation;
Turner painted it in 1817

Sword-play demonstration in the castle

Grandma demonstrating

View from one of the towers

The action below continues

All this in beautiful Kent

Stairs in the tower

At a demonstration of Medieval medicinal plants

Another demonstration

P in the armory

Grandma dressing up

At the talk on Medieval warfare

Very neat place, Bodiam

Jousting Tournament at Hever Castle

The main attraction that Saturday was the weekly jousting tournament. It was warm and sunny, so we arrived early and purchased the last few seats in the shaded seating area, right next to the royal box.

The entire affair was presided over by King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn;
Henry here striking his Holbein pose

After much pageantry, addressing the throng

The color-coded contestants

The King narrating and much enjoying the action, which was mostly prat-falls and
other entertainment aimed at younger persons

I video-taped much of the proceedings and will put a tape on
YouTube; some day

After vanquishing a foe...

In any case, P was enthralled

The Queen, however, was more interested in making eyes at
nearby spectators...

Hever Castle And Gardens

Kew was Thursday and on Friday (July 21), after the V&A and British Library, Penelope joined the grandparents for a week of travel and camping. We wanted our 5 year old grand-daughter to see a "real" castle while in England, and so we took her first to Hever Castle, south of London. Hever is actually a fortified residence, of note particularly in that Anne Boleyn did some time there in her youth. The Castle has passed through many hands and is now owned by a corporation that maintains it as a family castle and gardens experience. We were there on a warm Saturday at the height of high season, and specifically for the weekly jousting extravaganza (next post).

Walking from the lake to the castle

Very old vines

The usual folly

Gardens in full mid-summer glory

Distant view of the castle complex

But first, a visit to the demonstration areas,
here, dressing up Medieval

In the tent with real medieval weapons, it was
impossible not to reflect that 52% of these
people are certifiable morons

P in the musical demonstration tent

Family portrait

Hever Castle; alas there was a no fotos policy on the interior
tour

But I snagged one anyway

With princesses

Castle close-up; had a double moat; with water

Smelling the roses

In the rose garden

In the ever popular water maze: make the wrong turn and you
get wet

Jousting; she enjoyed Hever greatly; however, the fun was just
beginning

Kew Gardens, 2

Our tour of Kew Gardens continues.... I should mention that we did visit Wakehurst Place, Kew's southern outpost, back in 2013.

Borders and parterres all over; including the
longest double border

At the Hive, listening to bee music/conversation/whatever; you
do this with a wooden stick in your mouth, which transmits the
"sound"; did not taste like honey

Water feature in a lily pad area

Carnivores

Cactus/succulent building

In the very warm and humid lily pad building; largest pads ever,
so far

Sausage tree

Seats four

Big old tree and admirer

Kew is not without its flaws, and one a major flaw; it is on the
landing path for Heathrow, and every 30 seconds or so one of
these thunders overhead; the 2PM complex was particularly
annoying; as one of the guides observed, at least they no longer
dump fuel on the plants....

The tree-top walk

Henry Moore was here; hey, it's green!

In the very large Japanese garden

The very famous pagoda