As this was our last morning in Paris, and a beautiful morning it was, too, I decided to take some last pictures of the architecture of Paris as the taxi wove through rush hour traffic. The pictures turned out well, if I say so myself! The apartment buildings of Paris that rise 3 or 4 or 5 stories above the shops at ground level have a distinctive style that is unforgettable. Most have wrought iron balconies some with potted plants and tall trees lining the streets. This style is very French and sets Paris apart. When we arrived at the train station, I don't know if it was because the French employees were trying to be so careful to help Reed or if it was because they couldn't read our English tickets - but they put us on the wrong train!! Well, it was the Eurostar and we did cross the English channel back to England, but the station we had tickets for was not a stop on our route, and we knew there was something wrong when the train started moving an hour earlier than our tickets said! But they were so nice to give us first class seats so we would have more room for the scooter and the walker. We got a free breakfast out of it! Well, when we arrived in London (we were supposed to arrive in Ashford) the English Eurostar employees said that "a very, very big mistake had been made!". They were very apologetic and said we were being "right happy and bubbly about it all". I told them "well, we're on vacation, and this is just another adventure!" They put us on the correct train back to Ashford ( about a 30 minute ride south of London) and from there we caught another train to Maidstone. Then we walked into town and picked up our rental car. Now we're driving ourselves around for the rest of the trip. No more trains and buses. |
Driving on the left is not easy - it plays tricks on your brain! The skill is coming back slowly for Reed - and I am getting more assertive in shouting the directions (I'm the navigator!), so he can hear them and know what I mean! We drove to the small village of Rochester where there is a 900 year old Cathedral that is still being used as a church today - that is what is known as a Living Church. This church dates from 1100 but there has been a church building in this spot since A.D. 604. The interior of the church is just beautiful. There is a huge pipe organ that was installed in the early 1800's. While we were there, the organist came to practice and it was so beautiful and majestic sounding in the tall nave and even better sounding in the smaller choir area! I'm so glad we got to visit at that time.
On the audio tour we were impressed with the explanation of the symbolism in the layout of the church. The entrance doors were at the west end and the altar was at the east end. This symbolized a person coming from the west (the old life) and walking toward the east (approaching God). The cathedral floor is laid out in the shape of a cross and the audio commentator explained that Jesus died for the sins of all mankind and maybe you would like to contemplate giving your life to Christ? This bit of Christian testimony is very uncharacteristic of tours of English historical churches.
On the audio tour we were impressed with the explanation of the symbolism in the layout of the church. The entrance doors were at the west end and the altar was at the east end. This symbolized a person coming from the west (the old life) and walking toward the east (approaching God). The cathedral floor is laid out in the shape of a cross and the audio commentator explained that Jesus died for the sins of all mankind and maybe you would like to contemplate giving your life to Christ? This bit of Christian testimony is very uncharacteristic of tours of English historical churches.
After visiting the cathedral, we went to see Rochester castle which is a ruin, but has been there as long as the cathedral. We then walked all over the small "old town" of Rochester. When they say "old town" they really mean OLD! Some of the buildings were so cute and had been standing there for centuries.
Now we are back in the same B&B in Brasted and settling in for the night. Tomorrow is another big day!
From Reed -I loved Paris, but am glad to be back in England. As Jan said driving on the left side of the road is coming back to me, and Jan and I are remembering how we're supposed to do it: she is the navigator and keeps on top of which turn I take when, and which highway/street I am to be on. I worry about how to make the turns, and how to drive on the left without hitting the curb with the left tires (I did it twice today), or grazing the cars parked on the left. It is very typical for the cars parked on the left to be halfway on the sidewalk and halfway in the driving lane, which means you have to move right slightly out of your lane to get around them. And you're to do that with oncoming traffic moving rapidly on your right. It's a fun experience. When I get on to a freeway, it is very easy to drive way too fast. At one point I was driving 80km in a 50 km zone. Good thing our GPS sounds an alarm when we are approaching a speed camera. I was able to bring it down in time. I just love technology! The pipe organ music in Rochester Cathedral was awesome - I loved it. And we ate dinner in a pub/tavern in Rochester called the City Wall. A small piece of the original city wall is just to the right of the pub. Good grub and good piped in love music from all genres. Tomorrow an early start to get to the Isle of Wight, and Jan's first lighthouse.