Joyful June: Bluebirds Over... (Walmer Castle: Part 2)
So, on Thursday we decided to visit Broadstairs, which I'd not been do in a very long time. I love that it has a Dickens connection, and is where the real-life Bleak House is located.
We had tremendous difficulty parking mostly because of parking charges that were too high, and after a lot of trouble, we were grateful when a woman at the information kiosk gave us some useful advice and we moved the car to a better spot.
We had lunch, and then walked along the beach, paddling in the sea for some of the way, until we spotted a crab, which may or may not have been dead.
We bought ice creams at what is apparently a famous ice cream shop, and then walked back to the car, passing Bleak House as we did.
We booked a nice restaurant for our evening meal, though it was cosy to say the least. This one man was effectively stuck out by our table with no room to get behind him. I saw about four people attempt to pass, only to realise how tight it was and go the other way.
The next day, I tried to see if I could speak in a warm and friendly manner to others, as we had a walk near the White Cliffs of Dover (made famous by the Dame Vera Lynn song).
There were lots of teenagers doing what was confirmed as the Duke of Edinburgh's award, so were trying a bit of orienteering. Eventually a group of them started asking for directions, which we just about managed to do (though I'm not sure if they're meant to ask for help, rather use their own map reading skills!)
Going to top up my water, I got chatting to a man who was out hiking with his girlfriend; he was telling me: "We found (Dover) Castle closed, so we headed out here", at which point his girlfriend showed up. They seemed friendly, like some of the people we meet out on hikes.
Then, walking back, we got chatting to a man who had asked us if the walk to the lighthouse was worth it for the view, which we said it was.
Here's the lighthouse:
We stayed at the White Cliffs for longer than planned, but eventually headed over the Whitstable to get dinner. The place was quite busy, since it's a seaside place. I bought drinks in Costa, and we headed towards the sea front.
I even managed to be friendly and congenial with a young dad who was blocking the path while he tried to sort his family's stuff. He was apologetic, and I remarked about how much stuff he had; I guess I felt some empathy, since I'm often bringing too much things, although this was mostly his kids' things.
He laughed, and after a few moments smiled and replied: "Be prepared, mate!"
Mum bought us fish and chips in a restaurant by the harbour, before we travelled back home.
We had tremendous difficulty parking mostly because of parking charges that were too high, and after a lot of trouble, we were grateful when a woman at the information kiosk gave us some useful advice and we moved the car to a better spot.
We had lunch, and then walked along the beach, paddling in the sea for some of the way, until we spotted a crab, which may or may not have been dead.
We bought ice creams at what is apparently a famous ice cream shop, and then walked back to the car, passing Bleak House as we did.
We booked a nice restaurant for our evening meal, though it was cosy to say the least. This one man was effectively stuck out by our table with no room to get behind him. I saw about four people attempt to pass, only to realise how tight it was and go the other way.
The next day, I tried to see if I could speak in a warm and friendly manner to others, as we had a walk near the White Cliffs of Dover (made famous by the Dame Vera Lynn song).
There were lots of teenagers doing what was confirmed as the Duke of Edinburgh's award, so were trying a bit of orienteering. Eventually a group of them started asking for directions, which we just about managed to do (though I'm not sure if they're meant to ask for help, rather use their own map reading skills!)
Going to top up my water, I got chatting to a man who was out hiking with his girlfriend; he was telling me: "We found (Dover) Castle closed, so we headed out here", at which point his girlfriend showed up. They seemed friendly, like some of the people we meet out on hikes.
Then, walking back, we got chatting to a man who had asked us if the walk to the lighthouse was worth it for the view, which we said it was.
Here's the lighthouse:
We stayed at the White Cliffs for longer than planned, but eventually headed over the Whitstable to get dinner. The place was quite busy, since it's a seaside place. I bought drinks in Costa, and we headed towards the sea front.
I even managed to be friendly and congenial with a young dad who was blocking the path while he tried to sort his family's stuff. He was apologetic, and I remarked about how much stuff he had; I guess I felt some empathy, since I'm often bringing too much things, although this was mostly his kids' things.
He laughed, and after a few moments smiled and replied: "Be prepared, mate!"
Mum bought us fish and chips in a restaurant by the harbour, before we travelled back home.