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On Saturday, Leah, Ellie, and I went to Bodium Castle and a town called Rye. It was a trip through the Chaplaincy here, and for £15, you could travel by coach to see a castle and then one of England’s old, historical towns.
First, we set off for the castle. If you haven’t yet read my post about Leeds, then continue reading allowing me to paint the picture of what this castle was like. If you have read my Leeds Castle post first of all thanks and go you but totally wipe out that image in your head. Bodium Castle was nothing like that. It was much more authentic and much less done up than Leeds was. I suppose because of course the one in Leeds is still a functioning castle where Bodium Castle is not. That being said, it was more visiting ruins than a majestic castle. Don’t get me wrong though, it was still way fascinating! The castle is over 600 years old, built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dallingridge. They are not quite sure even today if he built the castle for defense or simply to show off his wealth and power. During the English Civil Wars, the castle had trouble being maintained and was no longer livable. What you see today are the remains of what was once a very impressive, picturesque castle. You can still climb any one of the four stone towers (which pilgrim friends- these steep, windy stairs made the accent up into the cupola in Saint Peter's seem like a cake walk!). Once you reach the top, it is quite the incredible view looking down on the castle remains and the surrounding countryside.
While we were here, one of the workers of the castle, dressed in proper medieval attire, gave a narrative of what life would have been like at the castle during its working years. The fun fact I took from it was that the concept of “no elbows on the table” originated here!! During those times, the long dining table wasn’t supported very well, so, if one rested his or her elbows on it, it would result in the table overturning and you getting covered in whatever not-very-appealing-looking food you were supposed to be eating. So, Dad, I concluded that really me putting my elbows on the table isn’t bad manners but rather me just appreciating the fact that we have sturdy tables ;P
After the castle, the Chaplaincy treated us to a nice picnic lunch and then we got back on the coach and set off for Rye. Before we went into the actual town, we first stopped on the outskirts so that we could walk down and see the coastline. Can I just say… WOOFDA. Honestly… this was one of the most breathtaking sites I have ever seen. Like, holy bologna. I could have stood there looking at it all day. There is just something about certain sights… it’s hard to explain but they just have this captivating power that make your mind wander far from your body. Standing here looking at the sea, it was as if the tide swooped in and totally engulfed me into another world. You suddenly realize that life is so good. Yes there are hardships and yes the waves can get awfully rough (especially on windy days), but the cycle of the sea continues. The sand beneath may shift a bit, but it’s still there at the end of the day. Ahh the little things, ya know <3
After what was not nearly enough time at the beach, we headed into the town of Rye. I’m sorry but I’m gonna be way lazy and let you read all about it.
Elyse translation: awesommmmme town. Got to walk down the legitimate cobblestone streets and everything (: Ooh, and what was particularly noteworthy, got to walk down the famous “Mermaid Street” where Paul McCartney’s house is! (Well one of them at least...) We didn’t know which one it was exactly, and obviously because he still lives there, there wasn’t a little blue-circle plaque. It was still awesome knowing maybe at that moment, he was looking down on us. Ha okay that was creepy… but it made me laugh so I’ll leave it :P
We decided Rye was definitely a place we wanted to go back to (:
Keep Calm and Don’t Get Too Deep Dwelling On the Sea.
Cheers!
E