Dover - hier kom ons!

Aangekom in Dover, reis Dover Kasteel koninklik uit bo die dorp en wink ons nader. Laat die verkenning begin!

The English Channel

Talle vreeslose siele is braaf (of eerder mal?) genoeg om jaarliks deel te neem aan die swemresies in die English Channel tussen Dover en Calais. Toe ons op die strand was, het ons 'n paar brawe siele in die water gesien lengtes swem - hulle was in alle moontlikheid dalk besig om juis vir hierdie jaarlikse event te oefen. As mens mooi inzoom en mooi kyk, sal mens die figuur in die foto kan uitmaak.

Die eerste persoon om die English Channel te swem was Captain Matthew Webb in 1875 in 21 ure en 45 minute. Wow!

Gateway to France

Frankryk is maar net 34 kilometer van Dover Hawe af. Dis amazing om af te kyk na die ferry crossing onder en te dink hoe georganiseerd alles is en hoe verstommend dit is dat 'n ferry soveel mense en voertuie kan vervoer. Een ferry het maklik iets soos 10 of 15 trokke op gehad!

En Holland is ook nie ver daarvan af nie - daarom dat daar soveel Hollandse toeriste en -aanwysings was, afgesien van al die Franse toeriste en -aanwysings op bordjies.

Daar is elke dag gemiddeld 500 bote wat vaar tussen daardie waters en daar is ook verskeie ocean liners wat daar anker gooi. Die skaal daarvan is mind-blowing!

So naby en tog so ver!

Ons was so naby aan Frankryk dat ons sms'e ontvang het van ons selfoon service providers wat gelui het: "Welcome to France" en ons bewus gemaak het wat tariewe van Frankryk af sal kos. As ons Britse paspoorte gehad het, kon ons lekker op 'n ferry gespring het en vir die naweek Calais toe gegaan het. Maar aangesien ons nog steeds SA burgers is, sal ons eers Schengen Visas moet kry en allerhande reelings vooraf moet tref, wat nogals 'n schlepp is. Wel, ten minste werk ons op na daardie punt waar ons eendag impulsief op 'n vliegtuig of ferry kan spring en sommer net vir 'n lekker lang naweek Europa toe kan gaan. Alles op sy tyd...net geduld he...

White Cliffs of Dover

Die White Cliffs of Dover waaroor soveel skrywers al geskryf en sangers gesing het, is opgemaak uit saamgeperste doppe van seediertjies wat in sediment verander het en is 80 miljoen jaar oud:

"The cliffs of Dover were mentioned by Julius Caesar in his account of the Roman invasion of Britain in 55 BC. Shakespeare too makes reference to them in 'King Lear' and the lines beginning "There is a cliff, whose high and bending head looks fearfully on the confined deep" are commemorated by Shakespeare Cliff to the west of the town.

The cliffs were formed in the Cretaceous Period (Mesozoic Era), which commenced about 136,000,000 years ago, and are essentially marine in origin, probably originating in deep, open sea. They consist mainly of upper, middle and lower chalk, i.e. white, soft pure limestone composed ofcountless shells. The top of Shakespeare Cliff for example, consists of nodular upper chalk with flints, the centre of middle white and nodular chalk and the bottom of chalk (glauconitic) marl and grey chalk on a base of gault and greensand.

Numerous fossils have been discovered in the chalk, ranging from shark's teeth, ventriculites, micrasters and many sponges in the upper chalk, to large pectens, palatal teeth oysters, ammonites, remains of saurians and brain corals in the middle and lower chalk." [as quoted from http://www.dover-kent.co.uk/places/white_cliffs.htm]

Matthew Arnold se Dover Beach

Baie van my generasie sal hierdie Engelse gedig van Matthew Arnold wat ons in die Hoerskool behandel het onthou:

Dover Beach

The sea is calm tonight,
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 Agean, 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.

1867

Vera Lynn se Blue Birds over the White Cliffs of Dover

Baie mense assosieer die wit berhange met die bekende oorlogliedjie wat gesing is deur Vera Lynn: "Throughout the centuries, the chalk cliffs have been a symbol of home to Britons abroad and coupled with bluebirds in the popular song of World War II, they provided a world-wide symbol of peace. Although any visitor hoping to see the bluebirds will be disappointed as they were artistic licence on the part of the song writer - obviously bluebirds sounded more romantic than sea gulls!." [as quoted from http://www.dover-kent.co.uk/places/white_cliffs.htm]

Blue Birds of the White Cliffs of Dover

There'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see

I'll never forget the people I met
Braving those angry skies
I remember well as the shadows fell
The light of hope in their eyes

And though I'm far away
I still can hear them say
Bombs up...
But when the dawn comes up

There'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see

There'll be love and laughter
And peace ever after
Tomorrow
When the world is free

The shepherd will tend his sheep
The valley will bloom again
And Jimmy will go to sleep
In his own little room again

There'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see

There'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see...

To the Lighthouse

Die National Trust besit en onderhou die Langdon Cliffs en mens kan 'n lekker 40-minute hike vat kus langs na South Foreland Lighthouse. Die ligtoring reis wit soos 'n baken van hoop uit tussen die groen weivelde en die blou uitspansel. Die mure is 1,3 meter dik en die meganika daarvan is verstommend. Ek kan nie glo daar was soveel innovasie rondom dit ook (Michael Faraday & Guglielmo Marconi) by betrokke nie:

"A charming Victorian building built in 1843, South Foreland Lighthouse was part of the system of light signals operated by Trinity House to guide shipping past the infamous Goodwin Sands. At the forefront of technological innovation, the lighthouse was used in experiments by Michael Faraday, which led in 1858 to it being the first lighthouse to have an electrically powered light. In 1898 it was used by Guglielmo Marconi to demonstrate his wireless system. The best view, well worth the 73 step climb, is from the balcony which gives panoramic views of East Kent, the English Channel and the North Sea." [Quoted from National Trust brochure]

Dover Kasteel

Na ons by die Lighthouse was het ons terug gestap en Dover kasteel besoek. Vir tweeduisend jaar het dit gedien om die Engelse kus te beskerm teen indringers. Henry II het die teenswoordige kasteel gebou in die 1180s en vir die volgende 800 jaar is die geboue angepas om tred te hou met die veranderings in weaponry en warfare:

Dover Castle dates from the rebuilding work during Henry II's reign, but the site has been of vital importance since the Iron Age.

The first castle was probably an Anglo-Saxon fortress and, on the arrival of William the Conqueror, the existing fortifications were improved with the building of an earthwork castle.

Work began on the castle in the latter part of the 12th century with the construction of the Keep (or Great Tower) - the largest in Britain. [Quoted from London for free http://www.londonforfree.net/trips/dover.shtml]

Ons was baie moeg na die hele dag se stappery, maar is bly ons het die steilte aangedurf en die kasteel ook besoek. Die kasteel is verskriklik mooi, verskriklik groot en verskriklik goed uiteengesit - elke area dien 'n sekere doel.

Die kasteel het ook geheime oorlog tonnels. Die toer werk op 'n first come, first served basis en aangesien ons eers laat die middag daar aangekom het, was die toere vir die dag reeds vol geboek en kon ons dit ongelukkig nie self te siene kry nie. Ten minste kon ons 'n paar mooi foto's neem van die uitsig bo van die kasteel af. Op een van die foto's van die Dover Cliffs kan julle die oorlogtonnels sien uitmond na buite:

"Hidden deep inside the famous White Cliffs and under Dover Castle are a vast network of underground tunnels, first constructed in the Middle Ages.

During the Napoleonic Wars, these tunnels were greatly extended to provide barracks for the great numbers of soldiers called to Dover to prepare for invasion from the French.

This massive underground complex also played an important role in the Second World War, being used as the nerve centre for planning the evacuation of troops from France.

After the war, the tunnels were prepared for possible use as a regional government centre in the event of a nuclear attack on London." The tunnels were only opened to the public in the 1990's". [Quoted from London for free http://www.londonforfree.net/trips/dover.shtml]

Daddy Cool

Hierdie is vir jou Daddio Roux. Ons het die dag afgeeindig met 'n lekker ete en toe ons terug stap stasie toe, het ons verby hierdie restaurant gestap. Julle is almal altyd by ons en herinneringe van julle is altyd in alles om ons, solank ons ons oe oophou om dit te kan raaksien.

Decadently delicious

Hier is 'n foto van een van ons pragtige sonsondergange. Londen het gewoonlik mooi sunsets in die somer as gevolg van al die besoedeling, maar die vulkaniese as wat oorwaai van die vulkaan in Ysland maak deesdae dit besonder mooi. Dis ironies om te dink dat iets wat soveel ontwrigting veroorsaak (soveel Europese vlugte is al gekanselleer as gevolg daarvan) tog ook iets so pynlik pragtig kan veroorsaak...

Skateboard mania

Johan het onlangs weer sy liefde vir skateboarding herontdek en vir hom 'n nuwe skateboard gekoop. Hy se hy kan voel sy lyf is definitief nie dieselfde as die 15-jarige tiener wat toentertyd dit so effortlessly kon doen nie, maar hy geniet dit in elk geval. As mens ouer raak "verloor" mens soms jouself of volwassenheid neem so oor dat mens vergeet om die dinge te doen wat jy geniet oor mens dink dis nie meer "gepas" nie. Ons is nooit te oud om iets te doen wat ons voor lief is nie...dis nou as die ageing liggaam dit toelaat natuurlik :-)

Dit bring ook allerhande herinneringe terug - dit was juis in daardie vroee jare wat ons verlief geraak het. Hier is 'n paar fodies van hom in aksie by Hyde Park en Madchute Skate Park.