France

In summary, we had a lovely time.

More specifically, we took the bus to Newhaven from a stop at the foot of our street. The ferry ride was very pleasant - about 3 1/2 hours. Arriving in Dieppe, it's about a 15 minute walk into town to the train station.  Took the train to Rouen and found a hotel.  They whole thing took most of a day - but it was amazingly unstressful.

Our hotel:  was odd, in a very French (and not bad) way, which I will blog later.  The most important part of it was that it faced the Palais de Justice, which was begun in the 15th century, added to in the 16th and 17th century when it was a royal palace, and then again in the 19th century. It was badly damaged during 2 nights of bombing in WWII, one before D-Day and one in August of the same year.  But it has been restored nicely.

The weather:  It would be untrue to say that it rained and was cold the whole time we were in Rouen. There were moments of mere drizzle and we saw the sun twice.  In Dieppe, on the way back, the sun broke through and we had a lovely, though unexpected,  hike to the ferry.

We started wadering around an old sector of town while en route to the ferry, but we ended up getting kind of stranded on top of the cliffs over the ferry port. We were actually on a Randonee route, very pretty walking high over the sea.  There were houses and streets, but we had trouble finding a way down to the ferry.  So we backtracked.

Oddly enough, this was one of the highpoints of the trip for me.  I am  not a city girl. I like being out in nature.  The picture here is of Dieppe,  taken from the cliffs on our walk.

We are home now, in our favorite coffee shop. Tomorrow we go into London for the day.

Taking a Break from Travel Posts

Lots of fun to watch, nothing to do with travel.

Off To France

Off to France for the weekend. We will not be taking technology, so I will report on this later.

Alfriston Clergy House

Alfriston Clergy House was built in the 13th or 14th century by a prosperous Yeoman Farmer as a family home. It's a medieval type building and it reminded me a lot of the Whipple House. Fireplaces were added to the Alfriston House in the 16th or 17th centur, which made it really very similar to Whipple House.

In the 15th century it became a part of a priory. hence it's name. It was the very first property acquired by the National Trust - in 1898.

Notice the lovely wooden door tops - they were probably added in the 16th or 17th century and I loved them.

Originally it did not have a fireplace, but a firepit in the floor - one of the pictures shows this. Cooking would have been done n an outbuilding because of the danger of fire. The pictures show the Hall, where everything would have happened. On one side of the Hall, the house had a Solar, or Chamber where the family slept. On the other side of the Hall, there would have been a buttery, a cheese room, storage and places for the servants to sleep.

A Perfect Day in the South Downs

The COG and I walked from Exceat to Alfriston and back again, on part of The South Downs Way - an ancient track that runs along the coast. We had lunch in a pub in a tiny village en route. We admired the 13th century church and Clergy House. The weather was sublime. It was a Good Day.

Bodiam Castle, Tuesday's Highlight

Bodiam Castle - haven't visited for over 30 years - and it's lovely. It's a National Trust property and like all their properties, it is a wonderful tranquil timeless spot.

The castle is 14th century, built between the battles of Crecy and Agincourt by a knight who had made a lot of money fighting in France. He came home, married well, built a castle (which was also built as a very comfortable home) and went back to war again leaving a pregnant wife. That was pretty much his pattern, until he retired to hunker down in his castle and survey the countryside, keeping things safe in his little corner of Britain.

Actually, the castle was in a very strategic place - at that time. The River Rother, navigable by French ships, and strategically important, basically ends at Bodiam.

The outer wall is intact. The interior was despoiled by Cromwell's troups, like nearly every other castle in the land. However, some remains and you can climb to the top of some of the towers for views of the countryside and there are a few rooms still intact in the towers. It's a lovely little place.

The highlight of Tuesday, in between Ikea and the mostly disappointing coast.

Puzzling British Road Signs (continued)

What about Badgers? What does this mean?