It's only a model.

Jk. It's not a model at all. No. But it's the Dover Castle! It was built about a hundred years after the Tower of London. This site makes my long list of things in England older than U.S.A :)

The Dover Castle was built by Henry II. It was a perfect place to build a castle. On clear day, standing on top of those hills, you can easily see the French coast. This convenient location was also used during WWII, to help the soldiers escape the French coast. Dover was left unbombed for the most part, since Hitler wanted to have that castle as his own once he took over England. He also wanted Buckingham Palace as his own.

Mind you these photos are taken before we have even entered the castle. We were instantly won over with the obvious beauty of the sea side castle.


Upon entering, it was agreed that I would be the prince while the other two girls wearing dresses, Camille and Lauren were going to be the princesses. I was selected mostly because I was the one wearing the black boots :) The complete story can be found on Camille's blog at: http://casqueal.blogspot.com/2011/05/monty-princess-python-bride.html


It was an amazing view on top of the castle, no matter which way you were looking!


My breath was taken away, as seen here.


The fun part about his castle is that it was quite large, and there were hardly any restrictions of where you could and couldn't go. We felt like we could really explore and wander around. I followed this dark passage that branched off from the dinning hall all by myself. I was excited as it twisted and turned about to see where it would lead. Alas, it was only a loo.

Something cool we did find as we pursued this very skinny corridor was a very small chapel. It was probably about half the size of my flat room. The only source of light it had was the tiny stained glass windows. I really felt like I was having some castle adventure or I was in a video game!

And so many winding staircases! Oh my. I thought I would be used to all the stairs climbing up the 94 steps to my flat. But you could be climbing for forever and find mysterious stairs breaking off from the main staircase. To be honest, we probably all looked like idiots, acting like little kids going "Guys! Look what I found!" and feigning a Medieval British accent.

It may just look like we are exploring the ruins of an old tower. But actually, we are preparing for our serious roles. We decided to act out our prince and princess story for a video, soon to be posted on you tube :) I was the prince who had amnesia who accidentally married two different princesses. Because the friar who married us was blind, he was also oblivious to the mistake.

Right now we are choreographing an epic umbrella fight between the prince and the friar. I eventually win by surprising him with the fact that I am, indeed, not left handed!


These were Medieval Secret Tunnels. I'm not quite sure why they were built, but they were pretty freaky. We were the only tourists in there at the moment, so we were all alone in those dark, silent tunnels. They were lit for the most part, except for some random corridors that branched off and were pitch black. You couldn't see the end. We dared ourselves to go in and find the end. Most of us freaked out before we actually got to the end.


I don't know about anyone else, but when we started to leave, I couldn't help but keep looking over my shoulder. I don't know what I was expecting to see, but I had the faintest feeling of someone following us. DON DON DON!!! True story.

This was our lovely stroll from the castle down to the shores of Dover.


And there they be. The white cliffs of Dover. They keep going on down the shore and get bigger as they go. I wished we could have kept walking down the shore, but we didn't have much time. Spent all of our time exploring the castle!

But I was happy with the little time we had left to walk up and down some piers.

The waves rushing in over a pebble beach is a peculiar nose to hear when you are used to the California beaches. It sounds a little more like water being poured through a strainer than water spilling along the sand.

The best is when you listen hard for the pebbles being taken back into the water by the waves.

I could have stood there forever. I sorely regretted the time when we had to leave. It was like waking up way too early and having to leave your warm bed after a nice dream.

Why such a pensive mood you might ask. Because the main reason I was at Dover that day was I wanted to experience what the Victorian poet Matthew Arnold experienced as he wrote this poem. I'm not lying when I say it might have been the only reason why I went that day.

Dover Beach

The sea is calm to-night.
The tide is full, the moon lies fair
Upon the straits; on the French coast the light
Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand;
Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay.
Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!
Only, from the long line of spray
Where the sea meets the moon-blanched land,
Listen! you hear the grating roar
Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling,
At their return, up the high strand,
Begin, and cease, and then again begin,
With tremulous cadence slow, and bring
The eternal note of sadness in.

Sophocles long ago
Heard it on the A gaean, and it brought
Into his mind the turbid ebb and flow
Of human misery; we
Find also in the sound a thought,
Hearing it by this distant northern sea.

The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world.

Ah, love, let us be true
To one another! for the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light,
Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain;
And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,
Where ignorant armies clash by night.