Been {to} Dover?

Ah... 

nothing like a 7th grade style joke

to kick off another travel post.

In fact, I think it's the best way.

One of the day trips I never get tired of taking

is to the coast of England to visit Dover.

You may know it for it's famous white cliffs...

but if you are looking for a good day out of London

you'll find that this little town has SO much more to offer 

than just gorgeous white cliffs.

When you come,

you can come via train from London.

It's about an hour and some change out there 

on the high speed train from St. Pancras

and about 2 if you leave from Victoria.

When you get to the station ("Dover Priory"),

I'd call for a taxi.

I mean, you can walk,

and I know some people do...

but the taxis are cheap.

{Editor's Note: I use Dover Taxi,  No. 898 222}

Last time it was around £6 for a car to take 4 of us

across town and up the cliff to the castle entrance. 

IMO, totally worth it.

So you get to Dover Castle,

you buy your tickets at the gate

and then you cruise on in.

The castle itself is VERY cool.

It's got a bunch of facilities 

and has been restored to feel like 

a working castle of the medieval era.

But beyond just the castle,

there is one of my favorite sites:

the war time tunnels.

As you may know, 

Dover is the closest part of England to France.

In fact, on a clear day you can see the coast...

which in England is super often.

{Editor's Note: I've probably been 5 times and seen it 1.5 times.}

So throughout France/England's history,

it's been a strategic point for the two countries.

During the Napoleonic war, 

they carved tunnels into the cliffs

to spy on France and observe the channel.

During WWI, they dug another layer and added more.

Than in WWII they added a third tunnel level

and it became a full working hospital & military office.

Today, they have restored the tunnels to replicate the hospital of WWII

and to show how the workings of Operation Dynamo 

rescuing 300,000 stranded troops from the Germans.

It's super cool.

Then go into the adorable town below,

grab lunch somewhere cozy... and probably some tea & cakes, too.

You should also probably head 

to the beach to stick your toes in the English Channel.

And then, hop the train back to London.

It's that easy!

Have you been to Dover?

*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy