Day 3 - Rye (revisited)

This was a day for changing towns so we knew we had to be up early. We started with breakfast in our room and then a quick change over to Victoria station to catch the Gatwick Express to the airport to pick up the rental car. For Drew, there is something bitter sweet about the car. First – it’s a wagon. Not that great. Oh but wait, did we mention they gave us a free upgrade to an Audi A4 Wagon? That makes a wagon all that much better.

Our first stop was the London Temple. We were hoping to do some temple work on this day, since it was our Anniversary, but the Temple was actually closed. Apparently this was a last minute decision since the temple is usually open for a few hours on Conference Saturday yet very few people come. So we walked around the temple, took a few pictures and talked with a few of the matrons who were going out to work on the gardens.

Our next stop was Leeds Castle. We should probably say something about the weather at this point. Our first two days in London were a little cold in the morning and then sunny the rest of the day. Today started with lots of cloud and a bit of a drizzle. By the time we got to Leeds Castle the rain had stopped (of course it did, we bought an umbrella right before that) but things were still a bit overcast and cold. By the time we left the castle, it was down right warm. We both were removing our jackets and trying to get cool. The AC was on the moment we started the car.

Leeds Castle – This is actually a rather huge estate with an old castle that had been renovated many times. There are actually different parts of the castle that have been changed over time. In addition to the castle was a fun hedge maze with a rather cool grotto underneath the castle as the exit. We had lunch on the castle grounds and another good offering of Fish and Chips. This time they offered up some HB sauce which the girl said was slightly spicy and usually the men enjoyed it with their chips. It was similar to a barbeque sauce but slightly different. Cheri also grabbed a few scones and we shared those.

After leaving Leeds we stopped at Sissinghurst Castle Gardens. Drew picked well bringing Cheri here on their actual anniversary. The gardens are very romantic and entertaining as well. In the middle of the grounds is a large tower that has a large spiral staircase and multiple landings. One of the landings is a very nice library and sitting area. Unfortunately picture photography was not allowed of those rooms. The garden actually has an intriguing history where it has been built and rebuilt over the years to the state that it is in now. While none of the gardens are fully in bloom yet they are still a site to see.

This picture below was taken from the top of the Tower in the Gardens. Is this Cheri and Drew in the future? Well, certainly not the bald head or the nylons with trainers (sneakers). Now look closely, do you see where his hand is? He moved it there as if it were a place of comfort for him. And she didn't mind one bit. 

From Sissinghurst we traveled the back roads to Rye. Rye is a harbor community near Dover. To walk around the town is rather amazing. Old cobblestone streets. Quaint little shops. Small little alley ways. Homes that say they were rebuilt in 1400’s. Yes, REBUILT. This is because the French attacked and burned most of the town down.

We are staying at a little place called the Durrant House. A small like B&B ran by a nice couple. The room is a bit smaller then we thought it would be but it is still very nice. 

There was one bit of a bad news today. Drew has a little tiny GPS that attaches to the camera and automatically puts the location of the where the picture was taken into the file. A very handy little thing. Well for some reason that simply stopped working. Not sure why, but Drew is NOT happy about this.