Cockles, Winkles and british seaside

We had a lovely day excursion with Sam and Joog (Sam is Fi's friend from Australia who we've now befriended in London). We wanted to go to brighton but there was a big festival on and we wanted to avoid the crowds. So we headed East South East to Whitstable, Kent. The day started off very glooming and threatening but as you'll see by the photos by the end of the day it was stunning.

Whitstable
Famous for Oysters. Mum you oyster freak -I was thinking of you a lot as I walked through this quaint little old school town. Oysters everywhere!! So I sampled some for you - you would've been proud. I also learnt the difference between cockles and winkles (an essential thing to know really)


When random meets random...




Our first glimpse of english seaside... Hmmm... I guess it's ok... and apparently those beach shacks set you back 25,000 pounds!!


Josh got this group of party starters to pose outside their little beach shack. The weather was still gloomy but that wasn't stopping them.. We were admiring the long narrow gardens between the rear of these homes and the sea wall promenade when we began to hear music and then came upon this party (Josh)


We had a lovely beer and lunch in this pub by the sea called 'The Neptune'. It was that kind of pub that I wish Australia had more of. Slanting bar bench, old posters and photos, a local dog.. you get the picture. It was there that we met some locals who sent us in the right direction of better beaches nearby.. and their second recommendation wasn't wrong!!
The pub was right built right on the sea wall. Inside there there were plenty of old photos showing waves crashing into the side of building. One even showed the sea frozen around it, with beached icebergs (40's and 50's) Hmm... Pity we never took aphoto of it. - Josh

Winnis Bay
The locals first recommendation..I was so determined to jump in the ocean nothing was going to stop me. So even though it was still gloomy and the water didn't look that inviting at all I was still getting in.
This lot had tangled thier kite in the power lines. This kept sam and i entertained whilst Kelly 'swam'. - Josh

Smelly seaweed, murky water..Not quite the fantasy - but it will do.. At least the water was warmer than Canadian glacier fed lakes!!

Almost, but not quite Australian scenes..






Still felt amazing afterwards... love that salt water!!

Broadstairs

This was the locals second recommendation. It was gorgeous. Really quaint and helped by the fact that the sun came out when we got there. This is where Charles Dickens used to holiday and there's people and places here that he based things on in his books.

This was where Dickens used to stay.. and where a bird shat in my hair!!

And what's a british seaside moment without a random nudie run!! Look closer at your own risk - but very entertaining (he had a crowd of blokes cheering him on from the deck)

Dad - this one's for you. The Albion Hotel with the best view in town (almost like Albion in Brisbane!!)

and then on the way home some random roman ruins dating back to the 2nd century (maybe). [bulk earth works are only remenant evident] The rest of the fort is now been claimed by the sea but they're protecting this last bit left. [including the replica the non-roman church towers which were retained for navigation and then safely reconstructed for navigation + tourism i wonder? - Josh] Beautiful but didn't rate a mention in my lonely planet..

Oxford with the Smiths

I loved Oxford
It was a sweltering hot day (30 degrees!), but that meant clear skies and a beautiful evening. We met up with Richard and Kristina (Oxford is a good half way point for us from London and they from the Cotswolds). It's the kind of town that you imagined it would be.. So much history and beautiful buildings. I have always had a hidden desire to be an academic and I swear I would've been so much smarter if I had of attended a university like this .

Gargoyles, statues, amazing detail everywhere.. Buildings that have been around for a ridiculous amount of time and a great Jamie Oliver Restaurant (which we tried out).

Mum - maybe I would've stood more like a lady as well ;)

Oxford is not one big university campus but a series of colleges (depending on what you were studying). They seem to be always arranged around a square and a chapel and had stunning lawns.

This is a garden dedicated to the students who discovered penicillin. It looked so beautiful but they lock these gardens up early..

Down along the river and canals was a nice respite from the sun and beautiful and peaceful.

Punting

It looks oh so graceful and easy... and it's oh so not! Josh graciously volunteered to punt his lady down the river. It sounded romantic but we started off beside some raucous teenagers, hitting the sides of the canal, Josh running into the trees etc but he soon got the hang of it and gave me a delightful ride. I had to have a go as well (thinking I'd be a natural) but no, I was useless!

Don't look too closely at my feet (it ruins the romance - they're all muddy)

Josh navigating through the obstacles

Now he's got the hang of it. What a fine manly punter he is!!

This photo gives me way more credit than was due..

Bridge of Sighs from Venice replica

Yep. it was that hot!! bikes were melting and Josh was exposing chest again!!

Harry Potter scenes were filmed in the Christchurch college. You can see why. These grounds were also the inspiration for the Alice in Wonderland story (Alice was based on the Dean's daughter)

This is the pub where JR Tolkien and CS Lewis used to hang out for over 30yrs.. Imagine the discussions those two would've had!!

We had to have a beer there of course and Josh taught us how to play Jenga (the rest of us had never seen it). Good fun actually.