Friday
Imagine: Friday began with another train ride! Michael and thought we had allowed plenty of time to get to the St Pancras railroad station. We actually arrived at the station a good ten minutes before the high speed train to Ashford International on our way to Rye was to leave. The St. Pancras station has been extensively modified in the past few years. The original building is a historic landmark. A vast new addition has been added from which the Eurostar train to Paris leaves. The tracks for regular service have also been moved. We wandered, lost, in the vast space since the signage was mostly lacking. Various gate attendants gave us conflicting directions. We were certain we would miss the train before we finally found the platform. The escalator to the platform was hiding behind a Starbucks. A quick sprint and we just made the train. The conductor, a lovely lady told us not to run. She apologized for the poor signage. It seems the National Trust has to approve any changes to signs in historic buildings and they have not yet approved signage in the old part of the building directing passengers to the new tracks.
The high speed run to Ashford was quick and relatively uninteresting as a large portion was underground. The above ground sights were mostly suburbs and marshes. Our train, operated by Southeastern railways, was comfortable and the conductor made sure we debarked at our connection. There was no breakfast service, however, unlike Virgin Trains. We left the high speed train at Ashford International station. All the stops on the London to Paris route appear to be called International. We transferred to a branch line also operated by Southeastern Railways and made our way to Rye, southeast of London, at a more leisurely pace. There were great views of the Kentish countryside which featured lots and lots of sheep.
Rye is in East Sussex and dates to before the Norman conquest of England (1055). It is less commercially developed than Chester. Little remains of the ancient castle and city wall. The buildings are medieval Tudor and Georgian. Rye is a very pretty town with quaint shops and candy stores. It originally overlooked the sea but its local river long since silted up and it now overlooks the Romney Marsh. It's large church has one of the oldest still operating mechanical clocks in England. The weather had been spitting rain during our train ride. As we climbed the hill into the old portion of the town the sun came out making the setting wonderfully picturesque. We followed the walking tour in Michael's well used guidebook and only took one wrong turn. A pleasant stroll took us back to the station for our continued journey to Hastings, on the real seacoast.
The town of Hastings is not where the famed Battle of Hastings in 1066 was fought. The actual site, in a village now called Battle, is about 15 miles inland. Hastings, to my surprise, is a seaside resort at the bottom of a sandy cliff. It reminded me a lot of Atlantic City, New Jersey in March. There is a miles long beach and an amusement park near the water. Instead of salt water taffy and funnel cakes, there were lots of shops selling fish and chips. Souvenir shops and game arcades lined the streets. There was even a tacky casino. We took a funicular railway to the top of the cliff. Suddenly we were in a different world. There we saw a cliff top restaurant with a spectacular view, beautiful lawns and expensive old hotels. The view to the east showed Hastings Old Town a much more attractive place than the tourist area. A short hike from the top of the funicula we encountered the ruins of Hastings Castle. It was cold and there was a stiff breeze but the view was well worth the small discomfort. I tried, but I could not see France to the southeast. Back at sea level we searched for but could not find authentic fish and chips. All the shops used the same commercial batter mix and previously frozen fish. Additionally, prices had gone up due to a shortage of cod and haddock. We lunched on trail mix and water at the train station.
The next train ride, all of 10 minutes, took us to Battle. I had talked Michael into touring the site of the battle of Hastings. The site of the battle is accessed through the Abbey Gate. After he won the battle in 1066, William the Conqueror established an abbey on the site. Only the ruins of the original abbey remain but the fortified gate survived and now houses the visitors center and museum. The price of admission included a hand held device that played commentary at each numbered stop on the walking trail. In addition to Michael s guide book, we had a narrated history lesson. It was great to stop and hear the details of what happened at a particular spot, as well as the whole story of William's invasion and the step by step progress of the battle. What I took from the lecture was that the battle could easily have gone either way and English history could well have been different. A thousand years of cultivation has altered the appearance of the battle site somewhat. It is crowned by the ruins of the abbey and buildings added later that now house a boys' school. Even so it was really special to stand at the foot of the hill and hear "on this spot..." English history was made.
We had timed the day so as to get back to London in good time to have dinner and attend the theater (theatre in British). Another high speed train took us directly back to Charring Cross station in London. Most London train stations look like palaces to nineteenth century technology that have grudgingly been modernized. Charring Cross is definitely late 20th century Post Modern from the rear. In the front the Georgian facade has been preserved. The steel and glass structure really stands out as viewed from the river.
We went back to our hotel to shower and change, then headed for Victoria Station by underground. The Victoria Palace Theatre is only two blocks from the Victoria Station transportation hub. The theater dates from 1910 and retains its Edwardian splendor. Michael and I had a very pleasant dinner next door at the Duke of York pub. I finally got to eat authentic English fish and chips. It came with peas which, thankfully, were not over cooked. Michael had a steak. He said it was very good but definitely had a different flavor from American steak. The beer was cold, not warm. Not authentic. Most of the diners were going to the theater so service was relatively prompt. I would eat there again.
Our seats for Billy Elliott could not have been better. We were in the middle of the "stalls", the orchestra in America. I enjoyed the play immensely, especially the dancing. The star, a boy of about 14, was amazing. I especially loved the encore. All these burly men who played miners in the show came out in their mine uniforms with tutus over them and did a ballet turn. Hilarious.
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