European holiday, Part 4

We spent our first Saturday on a wonderful bus tour of Kent county with J's parents. We had a very funny guide who told us about the sights we saw along the route and interesting stories and anectdotes about the places we visited. It was wonderful just hearing someone speak in an English accent all day.
 
We started out with a tour of Leeds castle. It has an interesting history in that it was the palace the kings gave their queens as a wedding gift for centuries. It then fell into desrepair in the 20's and was eventually bankrupt in the 70s when an American woman bought it and refurbished it for use and for tours. It is now part of a trust and in wonderful condition.



It also happened to be that they day we took our tour they had a flower festival in the castle, so every room was literally filled with wonderful floral botuets and displays to match the setting of each room. It was a real treat to see a castle and we enjoyed exploring the aviary, the maze, and the tennis lawns that were on the grounds.

 
 
The English countryside is really enchanting and it was amazing to see how green and beautiful everything is. You can tell that they really know how to take care of their plants and agriculture and the views offered in every setting are amazing.

After Leeds castle we set out to see the cliffs of Dover. It turned out to be the perfect weather day and we were actually able to see across the English channel to France. We put our hands in the water and collected some rocks from the beach while appreciating the "white cliffs of Dover" and Dover castle above us.
 

Following Dover we stopped in Canterbury for lunch and to see the Canterbury cathedral. The town was quite charming, and crowded on a Saturday afternoon, and we enjoyed walking along the shopping plaza. The cathedral is the head of the church of England and it was a magnificant structure with parts dating back to the 1100s. We loved walking all through the building and there was even a choir practicing at the time so that we could hear the wonderful acoustics of the building.
  
After our tour of Canterbury we boarded the bus back to London. As we were still recovering from our trip the night before, both J and I passed out until we reached Greenwich. We passed the line of "Greenwich mean time" where time originates and then boarded a boat to take a ride up the Thames. It was a beautiful evening and wonderful to see the city from the river.
 
We stopped off at Embankment and then walked up to Covent garden, a charming shopping plaza, where we ate dinner at a lovely restaurant Le Pain Quotidien. It was a sight filled day and I think we all appreciated being with the tour group as it allowed us to see more than we could have alone.  It was wonderful to spend the day with my in-laws and see these amazing sights together and we were grateful for their expertise in arranging the expedition.