From stones to bones

Salisbury Cathedral

Josh has been reading a mammoth sized book called Sarum, about life at Salisbury from the beginning of time right through the ages till now, so we had to visit this famous site before we headed to Kent to catch up with family.

An evening walk to the great Stone Henge of Salisbury

Some of you may know that the famous Stone Henge of Salisbury are visible from the road but you have to pay quite a lot to park at the only parking lot further down the road and then walk over. We got there after open hours so we couldn't park there, but found a lay-by further down the road where Josh and the girls made their way through paddocks and barrows - ancient burial grounds that are scattered around the Salisbury plains -  to the stones. I was on cooking duty so was kind of pleased I didn't have to brave the windy rainy dusk that approached quickly. When they got there it was all fenced off and there was a private tour happening anyway, but they had a good look at the massive monoliths. How did they make that thing?! Those stones are so huge, and to place them on top of other stones without a crane is mind boggling!

The next day we drove to Tumbridge Wells in Kent and met up with my Mum's Aunty and Uncle and had lunch at the house of their son and his wife - my second cousin. They live in a beautiful house made out of three old hop kilns, the famous Kentish style ones. Was so nice to see family, especially my Aunt as she looks so much like my grandmother who passed away a year ago.

Dover Castle

The following day we made it to Dover and walked through town to this beautiful castle. This castle has had a very colourful history and has long been the first wall of defense against invading armies from Europe right through the ages. It was still being used as a fort in WWII against the Germans. We went on a tour through the underground bunkers which were made in the 1700's for secret work, and were in much use right throughout the two world wars and even the cold war. The bunkers which were dug right into the depths of the cliffs of Dover, were so top secret that apparently a husband and wife both worked there during WWII and neither knew the other did until after the war!

Dover castle from the towers

It was a beautifully preserved castle with buildings dating back from pre-roman times right through to the 1950's. The tower Noa is standing in from the previous photo was built by King Henry II in 1180. The who castle area wasn't bombed at all during the second world war surprisingly, even though it is in a direct line of fire from the sea, but Hitler had told his troops not to bomb it as he wanted to use the castle once he had conquered England. Unfortunately, that meant they bombed the surrounding  city with many lives being lost.

And that was our last day on that beautiful green island. We so enjoyed Britain! I was sad to be leaving. It was so comfortable being there - so familiar I suppose. We found the people to be very friendly, the scenery just gorgeous. And I loved the price of the food at the supermarkets! I think the cost of food in Britain has been the cheapest that we have come across (supermarket food that is) and there was always so much variety. The cheese was the best!!
That night at 2am we drove to the ferry to cross over to Dunkirk. It was a smooth crossing and we were treated to a stunning sunrise as we put our wheels back on European soil once more.

Sunrise over France after landing in Dunkirk early that morning

We spent the morning checking out some of the WWI and II battle sites and cemeteries. Not the nicest type of sight-seeing really, but a necessity to appreciate our recent history and the sheer scale of death that our grand and great grandparents had to witness and be a part of.

Tynecot Cemetery  - the largest commonwealth grave site worldwide from WWI. 

And then it wasn't long before we were back in familiar ground again, Holland. It was so wonderful to see the flat green pastures and wispy clouds on the blue sky again. We visited Gouda again, where Josh's Mum lives for the first two days, parking in a small town near by and biking the 45 minutes to her place. It is an exquisite ride through farm land and canals which are full of bird life. The water is only inches from the paths and covered in water lilies. And I love how many people are out on their bikes, enjoying the sun while they can. We've been lucky to come back to some warmer weather again too, so it feels like the last little push of summer. Josh even got in a swim at the beach when we stopped on the way to Gouda.

Back in Holland

An afternoon at the beach on the way to Gouda - Burg Haamstede

Doing the dishes at a great freedom camping site outside of Gouda

This is our last week in Europe now! We fly out of Amsterdam late on Tuesday night to Saudi Arabia and then on to Oman. (Just stop-overs.) After that we'll be landing in Bangkok where we are booked in to get some fillings and crowns done on our teeth. I'm looking forward to seeing a bit of Asia now, as it will be so different from everywhere we have been so far. 

But wow, how six months have flown by! And yet, it's also seemed like a life time in the same moment. 

We are still all looking forward to getting back to home and our routine, but I'll also be missing the travelling life too. I can't imagine doing this sort of trip ever again, especially for such a long time, but you never know mind you! We might have caught the travel bug..

Gouda