Gaffers Abroad: WWII Tour of England & France

  FERRY 'CROSS THE CHANNEL May 4 Ferries in Dover Harbour After a quick breakfast the Dunkirk Jerks assembled in the motel lobby, suitcases and backpacks at the ready, and walked the roughly 1/4 mile to the rendezvous point for P&O Lines' "foot passengers" (their term for ferry passengers who are pedestrians rather than the majority, who were traveling with vehicles). To keep us from getting underfoot with the many vehicles loading on, P&O required us to arrive at least 90 minutes before departure so they could load us onto a shuttle bus, take us to security/passport control, and get us screened to ensure we weren't 21st Century Crusaders. Other than one of our crew's having left his cellphone in the shuttle station (which the kind bus "captain," who empathetically recognized the necessity of the cellphone for travelers in a foreign land, had us detour and retrieve ... 🙏 Bless you, kind sir! Undoubtedly not his first rodeo.), the check-in an...

  DOVER: CASTLES AND TUNNELS AND WHITE CLIFFS ... OH MY! May 3   With apologies to Gen. Erwin Rommel, whose quote became a title for Cornelius Ryan's classic book and and the subsequent Oscar-winning movie, May 3 was the Dunkirk Jerks'  longest day -- in distance walked, if not passage of time. Following our Stephen Covey 7 Habits -inspired "Putting first things first" game plan of putting the critical pieces in place first, our day began at Dover Castle https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dover-castle/. The castle, which dates back to the 12th Century, is built on the site of earlier Roman and Norman fortifications high on a hill overlooking the Strait of Dover, where the castle owner  du jour could spot trouble coming. Covering about 80 acres (30 hectares), Dover Castle played an integral part in Operation Dynamo through a part that has become known as the Secret WWII Tunnels (https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dover-castle/history-and-st...

  RIDING THE RAILS TO DOVER May 2 Although train travel is fairly uncommon in most states outside the Northeastern corridor and the Far West, it's popular in Europe, where the trains are comfortable, fast, and dependable. That would be the mode of transportation by which we would use to travel steadily eastward from Portsmouth back to London, then after a change in trains and even stations, from London to Dover. Each leg was about 75 miles, but the train to Dover was a fast one.  We rather enjoyed the train travel. In addition to the relative speed and comfort, one gets to see the countryside -- and not just the castles, but the architecture of homes and businesses in towns and cities. Here are a few samples ... The disadvantages of train travel vs. air are twofold: 1) You don't check your luggage and have it magically appear at your destination; instead you haul it around with you wherever you go and stow it on your train car yourself. Not a big problem if you travel light, ...