Dover, Canterbury and Lost Lambs

New update from Mom:

"I've never been to Dover Castle so I was excited to go. It was actually sunny. As we've planned these trips we find that many places aren't open to tourists during this part of the year. Dover Castle was open but a big chunk was under construction. We first went through the secret war tunnels. It's all pretty sobering. The castle was the main defence (that's how they spell it here) as early as 1100 and the tunnels, which may have been caves, were carved out by them and expanded as time went on. By WWII they were hidden war rooms, a hospital, and even living quarters for servicemen and their wives. Everyone wanted to see the white cliffs of Dover and so Tony drove by them and they were able to catch a glimpse. Nothing like seeing it from the ferry.

We then went to Canterbury. First we went to St. Augustine's Abbey ruins -- they opened it especially for us. The girls played some sort of hide and seek game behind all the broken walls. Then we walked to the cathedral. They split us into groups and we had guides. For awhile I thought I was locked in the cloisters all by myself. I went in there to go back to the the chapter house where we [Utah Chamber Artists] rehearsed last spring. Anyway, when I was done reminiscing and tried to leave, I couldn't figure out the handle.

There was a cathedral cat in the cloisters (remember Wolfie from Salisbury) but not another person. I could not get the huge wooden door open and finally found a way out around the back and so now I know how to get in there for free.

Meanwhile, Dad made the mistake of asking the guide a question and spent the next half hour with him. He and I got separated so I wandered around Canterbury on my own for about a half hour. It was fun to just take pictures and wander. We were all supposed to meet at 4:30 to walk back to the coach. When we did the count off (Alyssa who is #6 is always late in answering and dad has to go ALYSSA???? and it is just like that guy screaming ALVINNNN!!!! in the chipmunk Christmas song) there were 3 girls missing. We waited and waited. We threaten to leave if someone is late, but there were three girls and it was getting dark. Dad was really scared. Dave and Terri were still back waiting for late girls at the meeting spot, but they weren't there. All the leaders have cell phones and the girls are always supposed to carry the emergency phone #'s with them but we hadn't heard from them. We finally decided to try and drive around to find them. Astonishingly we drove right by them on the other side of town. They had gotten a policeman who was walking around with them. Dad was traumatized."


I (this is Laura talking now) recently wrote a post on my personal blog about always losing my cell phone. Dad sent me an email letting me know that I'm not alone in losing things because (as Mom explained above) the students seem to lose themselves. Here is Dad's account of Canterbury:

"Be back on the bus by such and such" is an order understood and absorbed by most of our students. But every time we stop our touring bus and re-board later, most of us wait for the lingering, oblivious few who remain to take that last digital picture, or are still waiting for their hot chocolate at Starbucks, or still in the gift shop or bathroom. In Canterbury, 3 of our group got so lost on the way back to the bus, I got concerned and feared the worst. By luck, we did a loop around the town and found them at the main bus stop in the center of town, instead of the Coach Park on the edge of Canterbury. Sigh. Even though we have passed out to everyone a card to keep with them on all trips that has my cell phone number on it, well...of course they don't bring such things with them.

So...I taught everybody a song that contains my cell phone number. We practice it, sing it on the coach, and it sinks into their little brains so that if they get separated from our group and have forgotten the card with my phone number on it, all they have to do is sing this tune back to themselves and call me up.

The tune is the first phrase of a familiar tune popularized by the Harvard Glee Club back in the 1930's.