White Cliffs of Dover

All my life I have wanted to see the White Cliffs of Dover.  It started with Kate Smith......those of you who are as old as I am will remember that large woman with the deep contralto voice singing "There'll be bluebirds over, the white cliffs of Dover........

It was a WWII song, that was sung long after the war was over. It actually was written by an American who did not see the White Cliffs until the late 1980's.   Vera Lynn was the British singer who made it famous.  She became the Forces' Sweetheart and was later  made a Dame in recognition of lifting wartime morale through her music. 

 And sure enuf.....the white cliffs look just like they do in the pictures!

 ~They are actually chalk formations that are found throughout that entire area.

 We toured the castle grounds, Richard played war......bang, bang, bang!

and we wandered thru the castle.  But the real treat was a walk through the war tunnels beneath the castle.  They were first built to protect the land from Napolean, but during the 2nd World War they were brought back into use and became a fortress and command center guarding the coast.  Dover was virtually bombed out during the war but the tunnels provided direction and refuse.  The French coast is only 23 miles away and from these tunnels the rescue of 318,000 British troops from the enemy was executed.  They were both erie and moving.  We bought a CD of old war songs and played it over and over again while we read much of the history of the people who survived that terrible war.  Living in bomb shelters, sending your children to safer places in the world  -- sometimes for years, fearing your own death, struggling to find food and shelter and never knowing a single moment of peace, is something that we have never had to do....

It's great to be an American!