Once we arrived in Dover, we were pretty starving, since we had not eaten at this point, and we had sprinted a marathon through the streets of London with huge backpacks. So as soon as we stepped off the bus, we found a chip shop and headed over there. Seth had his usual favorite of doner kebab, which if you don't know what that is, it's lamb meat with french fries. I had a fish and chips, thinking that since we were on the coast of England, it would be really good. My guesses were correct – the fish was really fresh and delicious. We sat in a little park and ate, watching all these skater kids trying to do tricks on their boards. Dinner and a show!
After that, we followed the directions I had written down to the house of our next couchsurfing hosts. We didn't know anything about them except that the woman, Kim, worked late hours and the man, Clive, was a musician. We were supposed to meet him at the house by 7:30 to ride with him to his gig. Guess who was late – again? That's right. We missed him, so we just sat outside of their house like total creepers waiting for Kim to get home from work. It was not bad though – they have an absolutely amazing view of Dover from where they live:
When Kim did arrive, we learned that she was also an American – yay! I had not realized how much it was going to mean to me to find another American. She has lived all over the world, but still maintains her American accent of the New York variety. She made us a pot of tea and we settled in until Clive came home.
All I can say for these people is that they were absolutely amazing! They were completely generous and hospitable to us. We didn't feel like strangers at all, but rather old friends! They are both so full of life and love, and I felt that God truly truly blessed us with this time with them after our experiences in London. It was such a welcome escape. So Kim asked what we were doing the next day, and we told her it was my birthday, and she said she was going swimming and asked if we wanted to come.
So we asked back – swimming where?
In the English Channel, of course, she says.
Isn't it cold there?
Oh yeah, it's cold. My feet turn yellow and my heart slows down, but I love it, she says.
We agree to go along. The next morning, after Clive makes us a delicious breakfast, we take off with Kim in her car to the coast. There are loads of people there training to swim the entire channel. Kim takes off in a blaze of glory towards the icy waters, while Seth and I just hang back, a little scared. When we finally take the plunge, the cold knocks the breath out of us. After a few minutes of desperate swimming in circles and shivering, we got more used to the temperature and begin to enjoy the experiences. We swam for a brave twenty minutes before getting out and waiting for Kim. Here's a few pics:
After the swim, we came back and did one of my favorite things to do: nap. After an amazing nap, we took a shower and asked Kim and Clive for recommendations on where to eat for my birthday dinner. We headed to the closest one they told us about, the Railway Bell. It was a quiet little pub off the beaten track – and we had a great time together there! My birthday truly was a blessing from God, as He allowed us some time to rest and recoup after London. As Seth said, we still do not fully understand everything that happened in London, but I do trust that it was for a reason and a part of His plan.
We did learn about Clive's musicianship, as he let us listen to the album of his band. They are called the Zen Bicycle Band, and I really enjoyed the music. They base their music off of the performance – meaning nothing is written ahead of time. They simply get to the place they are performing and make it up as they go. You would think this is a horrible idea, but listening to the recordings, it was very good with everything flowing together. They have a guy who plays all different kinds of flutes, a guy on keyboard and drums, and then Clive, who plays double bass, electric bass, and classical guitar.
The second day of our time in Dover, we went hiking on the White Cliffs. Before I tell you about the journey, here's a few pictures:
We started around eleven in the morning and our adventure did not end until around eight or nine that night. The cliffs were beautiful – you could see the port and the whole city of Dover from up there! There was also the huge Dover Castle, which we didn't get a chance to see, but we plan on returning to Dover to experience it:
After passing the cool lighthouse, we had lunch on the cliffs, from this little spot:
After this, most people turn back to go home, but we just kept on going. We walked and walked and found ourselves at the little village of St. Margaret, which Kim had said had a nice beach to sit on. Eventually, we found the beach – which was just what Kim had promised:
At this point, we were pretty exhausted but we realized- we have to go back! So we headed home, all the way back through the woods and onto the cliffs. Once we reached the cliffs, Seth wanted to head down into this valley. It was beautiful down in there, but as soon as we reached the bottom, the BOTTOM fell out – meaning it poured rain. So there we were, about 3 or 4 miles from Kim's house, stuck in the storm. We trudged our way back up the cliffs in the mud and the rain. I couldn't get the camera out, as the water would have ruined it, but it was a truly amazing view to see the wind whipping the rain around on the cliffs, the sea getting big, angry and white. It was beautiful, with not another soul around.
Eventually, the rain stopped, and we were left muddy and tired in our descent from the cliffs. From there, we had at least another hour walk back to Kim's house. Bad news was, we got a little lost. We ended up in a neighborhood, no idea where we were and eventually I had to shamefully call Kim and tell her we had no idea where we were. She looked up it, and then headed out to get us. When she found us, she thought it quite hilarious that we were covered in mud, exhausted and lost, so I'm glad someone got some entertainment out of it.
That night, we hung out with Kim, Clive, and the other couchsurfer – a French woman who was trying to find a place to live in Dover. I can honestly say that if you are going to travel to the UK, you need to visit Dover. It's a beautiful city with plenty to do, and the views are mind blowing. Plus, it's the gateway to Europe via the ferry port! So yeah, we both loved it.
After London, Dover was the most welcome escape. Now we are in Paris, which is intense in its own ways, but also a great place to be. Hopefully we can write more on that soon!
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