Dover is everything I had assumed it would be and even more. If you think about all the stereotypical things you know about English castles, Dover Castle will fit the bill and not disappoint.

In the photo on the right, you can see the castle in the upper right hand corner overlooking the white cliffs. Vistas like this dominate the landscape at every turn and cannot be missed. Undoubtably, this is the most beautiful part of England that I have yet to see.

I'm not sure what these guys on the right were all about. They were getting dressed up in the parking lot when I arrived at the castle in the morning. I didn't think anything of it and was soon climbing around on the battlements. The next thing I know, here they come marching along with their fife playing. I have no idea, but it was pretty neat to see.

Dover is a seaside community and those gulls are everywhere. I guess you can hear them squawking in the background.

I knew I had seen this castle before and it took me a few minutes to recognize it. If you remember Mel Gibson's role in Franco Zeferelli's Hamlet, you'll remember these walls. This is my favorite version of Hamlet, so it came very quickly to me. Hamlet was actually set in the castle Elsinore which is actually in Helsingor, Denmark. I have to be honest and admit that this castle impressed me far more than Helsingor did. So much for the power of fiction.