My Dover Beach

So after our romp around the castle, were obviously starving. Well, at least I was. (I may or may not have been hinting at my current lack of nourishment from the beginning of the trip...) So we went down to the main street and found a little fish and chips shop. Best prices for fish and chips I've seen yet--4 pounds 60 pence! And having made our catch of the day, we tromped down with our food to the beach to eat there.  

 Yes, it was the best fish and chips I've had so far here in Great Britain. Dee-licious. Greasy, yes. But who cares? This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience we're talking about here!

The two main things on our "Things to Do in Dover" list were to 1) go to the castle, and 2) go to the beach. Some of us have been in landlocked states for far too long. Now, I love Idaho, but I do like to see the water every once in awhile. Some of us were even crazy enough to want to get in the water (cough cough, Becca). She was optimistic that it would be warm enough to at least go wading in, and wore a dress with her swimsuit underneath.

I was not so optimistic, and wore several layers, including leggings under my jeans and a sweatshirt under my jacket. I'm a very fair-weather swimmer. As in it has to be at least 80 degrees and full-on sunny for me to even consider getting in the water. Today's weather, needless to say, did not match those conditions.

The cold, muddy-brown water. 

There was no way I was getting in that freezing cold water. I agreed I would touch the water. With my finger. Maybe.

The first attempt.

Laughing, because I had to jump back with a squeal to avoid getting my feet soaked. It took a couple more attempts, interspersed with leaps back onto the safety of the rocks, to accomplish the feat.

Look, I touched it! I touched the English Channel!

Despite my amazing feats of agility, I still managed to get my shoes wet.

Darn. 

But they dry out, so it's okay.

Believe it or not, Becca and Eva did actually get in the water. They only waded, though, and only for a minute or two. The water was obviously rather cold.

A seagull. Because obviously it's hard to tell if you've actually been to the beach if you don't get a picture of at least one seagull. Obviously.

Train ride through the countryside. Castle. WWII Tunnels. Fish and chips on the beach.

In spite of the chilly weather, it was a perfect day.