We took a train to deal from Dover. It only took about fifteen minutes for the ride.  After arriving in Deal, we stopped at a bakery for my husband to get a delicious donut. Everything looked lovely, but I was not hungry. I believe the shop was called Albert’s.  It was on the main pedestrian street.  There were quite a few people out and about on a Friday morning.  It was quite windy.  We walked to the castle from there. 

Much like the castle in Guernsey, this was more like a fortress to me.  It was different from other castles I have visited in that it was all round. We walked around the outside battlement areas first and then went inside and upstairs.  There were several rooms up there where the soldiers and keeper of the castle slept. There was one original wall that they preserved. 

There was also an area under the castle that had a tunnel with openings to fight anyone in the moat area.  Even though it went all 360 around the castle, we only explored half. The other half had a sign that said flooding. It was quite dark and I didn’t want to get my feet wet.  

I loved all the tiny doors and nooks and crannies you could explore in this castle. There were very few people there since we arrived when it opened.  I think it only cost about 5 euros each to enter. 

We were going to take a bus to get to Walmer castle, but it would take just as long to walk there, so we walked. There is a lovely walking trail near the water and even though the wind was strong and it misted rain every so often, there were still quite a few people walking. 

Walmer Castle was very different.  Both castles were commissioned by King Henry VIII and were built with the stones of the missions that he tore down. He had three built, but the one in Sandwich is nothing but ruins because it was so close to the ocean. They actually used the stones from Sandwich to build another apartment onto Walmer Castle.  Walmer Castle was also more expensive. We paid 16 euros each to enter.  

The main attraction is in the first apartment section because it was a favorite of the Duke of Wellington.  You were not allowed to take any pictures inside this apartment. There were three rooms downstairs and four rooms upstairs that you could enter.  One room had some of his memorabilia including his boots (Wellington boots).  Another room was the room in which he died. The description of his final day indicated that he had a heart attack.  He was seen by a doctor in the morning, but he passed away in his chair around 3pm.  The chair was in the room so you could see it.  Apparently his children moved his belongings back to the castle from his main home because they thought their father would have wanted it there. 

We took a walk around the gardens. The hedges were incredible.  I didn’t take a picture of the kitchen garden, which they were still planting, but it was also very impressive.  They have two places to eat at the castle, one is outside in the gardens where you can grab drinks and snacks and the other is inside and has more substantial food offerings.  

There are another set of apartments that just opened to the public about a year ago. These are for the keepers of the castle which are ceremonial positions and named Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. They used to be responsible for the defense of the castle, but now just their residence. The Duke of Wellington and Queen Elizabeth once held that office.  They still have chairs that the Queen picked out and enjoyed sitting in and you can also sit in if you want. They are actually quite comfortable. 

This was a large apartment, but we were confined to just see the main rooms.  It was rather contemporary.  The former Lord Warden spent a lot of time there with his children and grandchildren. They have quite a few pictures of them all throughout. 

We had the staff of the castle call us a taxi to get back to the main area of Deal.  Taxis are quite expensive, but we were exhausted from battling the wind and rain.  We got some take away at a rotisserie chicken shop and stopped for coffee and hot chocolate before heading to the train.  

Azamara Cruises has a special night on their cruises that is called Azamazing Night. Ours was an evening at Dover Castle.  We were taken by shuttle up to the castle and they had a medieval camp set up outside the entrance.  There were different tents set up with people making coins, jewelry, games, and weaving.  In the middle they had knights fighting.  There was also a minstrel band playing as you entered the castle area. 

Inside the walls of the castle, they had one of the exhibitions open that you could go see and read about the history of the castle. This one was Henry I, who is famous for having Thomas Beckett killed.  It’s a bit of history that I am familiar with because I produced the play Beckett when I was involved in theatre.  There is also a shop you can buy souvenirs of the castle.  My favorite stop was one in which they had traditional mead for you to try.  They also had a lighter version with elderberry and lemonade and a regular fruity drink that was non alcoholic.  I tried the mead and was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it.  I think this version was heavy on the honey, which gave it a thick feel.

They also had an area outside in which you could practice archery.  It was very windy and the line was long, so we passed it up to go inside the castle.  On the steps there was a man playing a lute and singing a song, which we stopped to hear.  We climbed up the steps and someone was waiting for us at the top.  He was the steward for the King. He asked us if we were pilgrims and I said yes.  He said we could stay there and meet the king.  We were taught how to bow our heads and kneel and not stand or look at him until he granted us permission.  I thought it was fun.  

Inside the throne room, the king talked to us for quite awhile.  He told us a fable and then he talked about Beckett, claiming he did not know he was going to be killed.  Then he said he kept his finger in his chapel and we could go see it.  We then spent some time exploring the castle.  Each room had some type of furnishing.  

In one of the bedrooms a woman offered to sing us a song.  I picked one about a donkey that she sang in Latin. That is not something you hear often. 

The dining hall had an attendant there that you could talk to about food. 

In the kitchen there were quite a few servants working on something.  

This was a proper castle.  I really liked that they had the rooms set up with furniture, even if it was modern trying to look medieval.  

I love exploring castles, which I am sure you know if you had read any number of my blogs.  This one was especially fun because you ran into people as if they lived there and they interacted with you as such.  It was like a renaissance fair, but better.  I thought it was a fun night that you would not get to experience any other time.  It was a special part of the cruise.