This is Anya and Rhodes - Broadcasting to you after a fantastic day of site-seeing in Dover, a port city that is about 20 miles from the coast of France!
We started the day strong with a coach ride from central London to Dover, arriving at about 10:45. The first thing to greet us when we arrived was the famous White Cliffs of Dover! The coastline is made up of jagged cliff faces that are a bright white. Made up of chalk and limestone, these cliffs are a majestic view and served as great locations for Churchill to place large turrets to defend the coastline. We enjoyed a beautiful walking tour across the landscape, that doubled as an interesting history lesson. Learning that Dover was where soldiers were evacuated to when fleeing from Dunkirk, the last line in France before it became completely controlled by Nazi powers. These beautiful cliffs were absolutely breathtaking, and full of stories from the war.
Rhodes and Dr. Millichap on top of the cliffs
The Beautiful White Cliffs of Dover
Lilia, Ella, Katie, and Kali by the Cliffs
Afterwards we stopped at a cafe nearby, where we enjoyed some time to sit and chat over food and drink. Still overlooking the Dover Strait, this cafe was a great place to rest as we had an exciting day still ahead. A few of us ordered cream tea and had tea and scones in true British style. (Did you know that there are two ways to eat cream tea in the area? Devon style puts cream first then jam, while Cornwall style puts jam first then cream. Careful how you eat it where you are, or you just might get sent over the Strait... )
Just 15 minutes away lay the Dover castle, a beautiful castle stood high upon the hills overlooking the city and sea below. But below it lay many secrets... Before exploring the castle, we had the opportunity to explore the 4.5 miles of tunnels beneath it. These tunnels were vital during WW2, where messages, orders, and large decisions were made and sent to the British empire. Deep underground we had a chance to see the main war rooms, repeater stations, and learn even more about just how important Dover was in the war. Some of the tunnels also functioned as emergency hospitals, dorms, or dining. Although we just saw the tip of the iceberg with these tunnels, it is astonishing just how many secrets lie below the castle. History built upon history!
The castle itself was a veritable maze of passageways, helix stairways, rooms of all sizes, and battlements and towers galore. The view from the roof was absolutely spectacular, with the strait and the harbor on one side, the White Cliffs opposite, and the town and green fields on other sides. We could see for miles and miles around!
Makayla, Ava, Anya, Joseph, and Nick in front of the castle
Part of the castle roof view
After visiting the castle, we explored the rest of the surrounding structures. The Chapel of St. Mary's, still functioning today, was built next to the oldest building in the fortress - a Roman lighthouse built in 130 AD. The WWI signal station nearby offered another sky-high view of the cliffs and harbor, as well as information on communication during the wars - it even had an imitation telegraph machine that we could send Morse Code messages through! Rows of battlements encircled the castle complex, with more tunnels running beneath them and strong towers emerging from above, creating multiple layers of defenses around "the key to England."
"The Key to England"
After almost 4 full hours of exploring Dover Castle, some of us lay on the grass to relax, before we all piled back into the bus for another 2.5 hour drive back (complete with a rush hour traffic experience). Several of us fell asleep... Upon arrival back home, we scattered for dinner, homework, and sleep at various times.
Check back tomorrow to hear about the various individual wanderings of all our cryptologists!
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