Ramsgate

 

Ramsgate was one of my favorite cities, yet I have few photos of it; not sure why. It was famous as a seaside resort and fishing town in the 19th century and Queen Victoria spent time there as a young woman. There were some pretty streets, a beach, interesting buildings from Victorian times. But what stood out for me was the incredible white cliffs.

We got up at 5:00 AM one morning to walk out past the edge of town to see these chalk cliffs, and then back to the ship again in time for work at 8:30. 

The closest point to mainland Europe, Ramsgate took more than its fair share of bombing in WWII. They carved a network of tunnels deep into the chalk, enough to house the entire population to keep them safe during the war. Now a section of the tunnels is open as a museum. Like the park benches in my previous post, this bitter history is being kept in memory.

Massive front entry, after walking past what I've come to expect as typical seaside resort frontage, fish-and-chips shops, arcades, and pubs.

There are miles of tunnels.

Now you can spend a night in the tunnels as an excursion for scouting troops, but during the war people spent months here.

The front part of the tunnels is set up as a museum open for free; we paid for the more comprehensive tour deep inside.

People tried to set up comfortable areas with a tiny touch of cheer while stuck down here for extended periods.

Imagine running down these steps toward safety when the air raid sirens went off. Eventually people just planned for it and came down here to sleep every night instead of running from home in the dark if they were awakened by sirens in the middle of the night. 

Another corridor, lined with bunk beds.