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| Blenheim Palace entrance |
The next day our friend picked us up and we visited together Blenheim Palace, not far from Oxford. The palace is named for the 1704 Battle of Blenheim, and thus ultimately after Blindheim (also known as Blenheim) in Bavaria. It was originally intended to be a reward to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough for his military triumphs against the French and Bavarians in the War of the Spanish Succession, culminating in the Battle of Blenheim.
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| Blenheim Palace ready for Halloween |
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| posing and freezing in front of the palace |
The day had started cold but sunny but very soon it was overcast, windy and rainy which stopped us from walking through the huge park.
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| Lewi, the guide who gave us insights on Blenheim Palace |
After we had visited the inside of
the palace including an exhibition on Sir Winston Churchill who was born
here, we found the restaurant at the Orangerie and had a nice lunch
there with an amusing Spanish waiter entertaining us.
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| Winston Churchill, part of the Blenheim history |
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| copy of a provided air view of Blenheim Palace |
Back at the camping we spent
the rainy afternoon with radio communication as a world wide contest
took place and with planning our last days in England. During a short period
without rain we walked to the next supermarket and that was it. It was
freezing cold and we truly enjoyed the warmth of the caravan.
We
left Oxford and drove in direction to London and then south until we
reached Chartwell, the family home of the Churchill family. It was well
visited and the house was full of people. Nevertheless we enjoyed the
visit with so many memorables of this great man and his wife Clementine.
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| Chartwell, home of W. Churchill |
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| very nice garden @ Chartwell |
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| the cigar of Winston … |
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| tea @ Chartwell |
Nearby there was a different house, which
we visited this day: Ightham Mote, a medieval moated manor with 700
years of history, with big effort restored by the National Trust.
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| Ightham Mote |
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| nicely restored in 2003 and saved from destruction |
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| the court yard of Ightham |
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| hail @ Ightham Mote |
We found a lovely pub afterwards, where we finally had our Sunday roast, before we stopped at a little parking for the night.
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| Sunday Roast for Veggies |
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| parking for the night |
In the morning we discovered the boulders next to our parking and took a walk along this 800 meter long stone formation.
Our last castle on this trip was Scotney Castle. Once a medieval castle with moat, later partly demolished to create a romantic folly as the center of the park surrounding the new house from 1827. This manor was lived in until just a couple of years ago by the Hussey family.
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| the medieval Scotney Castle |
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| and the new manor of 1827 |
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| dinner table with a view |
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| wonderful garden @ Scotney Castle |
In the afternoon we reached Canterbury, which is an exceptional town in England, as it offers a caravan parking at the Park & Ride with service station. For only 3,50 Pounds a day we could park there very comfortable and even had the bus into the center included in the price – a big plus of this beautiful town.
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| maybe rain is coming? @ Canterbury |
The weather had changed to cold and rainy, but we could visit the huge cathedral and the center.
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| Canterbury Cathedral |
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| modern art @ Canterbury Cathedral |
In the morning it was a short drive to Dover and onto our ferry back to the mainland, this time with big waves and a gray and rainy sky.
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| bumpy sea on the way to Dunkirk |
