Hi, I'm Rick Steves, back with
more of the best of Europe. This time, we're enjoying both
historic and natural highlights just hanging out on
the southeast coast of England. Thanks for joining us. Traveling across
the south of England, we'll ponder
the military underpinnings of a maritime society that hasn't been invaded
in 1,000 years. At the same time, we'll have
some fun with the Brits at play and connect with
their great outdoors. We'll admire
Henry II's formidable castle, prowl through Britain's
most historic warship, see where the archbishop
of Canterbury works, glide on a dreamy stream,
holiday on a Victorian pier, marvel at a royal seaside
pleasure palace, and hike an unforgettable bluff. Great Britain
is dominated by England, and we'll explore its southeast
coast. Starting in Dover, we'll visit Canterbury, the site
of the Battle of Hastings, Beachy Head, Brighton,
and Portsmouth. The White Cliffs of Dover
overlook the English Channel. Ever since ancient Roman times, those traveling from
the Continent to Britain set their sights
on these famous cliffs. If they're enemies, troops
based here fended them off. Today, the crossing between
the Port of Dover and France is a shipping thoroughfare. Ferries and freighters
shuttle passengers and an endless stream of trucks
back and forth. France is just 23 miles away. There it is, within sight
on a sunny day. Southern England sits
upon a foundation of chalk, and there are miles
of white cliffs towering above its beaches. The most famous are
the White Cliffs of Dover. And Dover, with its bold bluffs
and mighty castle, symbolizes
the defense of Britain. Sitting atop those cliffs is
the impressive Dover Castle. This site was England's
primary defensive stronghold from ancient Roman
until modern times. For many centuries, English troops were garrisoned
within these walls, protecting the coast
from any European menace. This Roman lighthouse
is a reminder that 2,000 years ago
the Romans landed here and established their colony
of Britannia. The Roman fleet was based
here in Dover Harbor. To guide their boats
safely home, they burned wet wood by day
for maximum smoke and dry wood by night
for maximum light. Long considered the key to
England by potential invaders, Dover Castle provides
a quick review of England's
defensive military history. Upon an earthen mound originally
part of an Iron Age fortress is a many-layered complex
with remnants from each age. In the 12th century, the Norman king Henry II
had this fortress built, making Dover's castle
the most secure in his realm. With his troops at the ready
and walls 20 feet thick, King Henry slept soundly
on the top floor. Much later, around 1800,
with the threat of Napoleon, Dover's fortifications
were beefed up again. With the advent
of artillery, the English dug defensive
tunnels deep into the chalk. With the outbreak
of World War II, more bomb-proof tunnels
were dug. Today, visitors enjoy
a fascinating tour. As if frozen in time,
the rooms give an intimate look at how the British foiled
the attempted Nazi invasion. They used an elaborate
communications center to coordinate critical decisions with what was, at the time,
state-of-the-art equipment. One command center
coordinated the defense against German ships. As an island nation, control of
the seas around Great Britain, for the free movement of both
naval and merchant vessels, was critical. Another command center defended
against the German Air Force. Attacking Nazi aircraft
were charted on screens, and Battle of Britain defenses
were plotted. From these tunnels, Winston Churchill
and Allied commanders defended a battle zone
nicknamed "Hellfire Corner." The underground hospital's
operating room is a reminder
that this strategic bluff was under constant fire. Emerging from the tunnels,
visitors gaze toward France. Thankfully, more than
70 years after the war, this bluff oversees not bullets
and bombs, but trade and tourism. While Dover was
of great military importance, a half-hour drive away
is Canterbury -- long one of England's most
important religious centers. For centuries, Canterbury
welcomed crowds of pilgrims to its grand cathedral. While these days you'll see
more tourists than pilgrims, the town is rich in history
and architectural splendor. With thousands
of university students and a thriving pedestrian zone, Canterbury has a lively
and youthful energy. The town center is enclosed
by old city walls and cut in two by its main drag. Patches of modern architecture
are a reminder that much of Canterbury
was bombed in World War II. For a leisurely water-level view
of Canterbury, take a calm cruise
on the Stour River. Students propelling their punts
by the traditional single pole offer an easy-going commentary. Rick: So, this is the "Stour." Student: The Great Stour River.
The "great" part's important because there's about six
River Stours in Britain. Rick: This is the "great" one?
Student: This is the great one. The Anglo-Saxons
weren't very imaginative when they named things. Rick: And their other rivers
were pretty small. Student: Yeah!
Rick: The water's pretty clear. Student: It's crystal clear.
It's 'cause it's a chalk river. Obviously, Kent is very famous for having chalky soil
with the White Cliffs of Dover. And chalk rivers,
the chalk filters the water, so you get this
clear, clear water. Rick: On Butchery Lane,
the surviving medieval buildings jut out with each floor --
that was to maximize usable land as the population crowded within the town's
protective walls. A square called "Buttermarket,"
originally the dairy market, still functions
as the center of the old town. The buildings here
were originally designed to house and feed the pilgrims, whose money
essentially built the city. For generations, those pilgrims
passed through this fancy gate to reach their destination,
Canterbury Cathedral. For centuries, an important
Roman Catholic church, the Cathedral
had a tumultuous path to eventually become
the headquarters of the Church of England -- known outside of England as the
"Anglican" or "Episcopalian"
Church. Stepping inside,
you're swept away by the graceful bend
of soaring Gothic lines, stirring windows,
and fine stonework. The bell tower soars
about 200 feet high. Gaze way up at the delicate fan
vaulting at the highest point. The finely-carved
15th-century choir screen is decorated with statues
of six English kings. This wall, or "screen,"
separated the church into two
distinct zones. One side was for the public. Then, stepping through,
as if entering another world, you enter the private space
of monks, where each day
they'd gather to worship. The cathedral grew
in importance, and wealth, after an infamous murder
back in the 12th century put it on the pilgrimage trail. In an attempt to gain power
over the Church, King Henry II appointed
his friend Thomas Becket to be the new archbishop. But Becket unexpectedly
took his position and his religion seriously --
very seriously -- and Henry was stuck
with a strong church leader blocking his power. As tensions rose, King Henry complained bitterly
about Becket. Finally,
his knights took action, hacking the arch-bishop to death
as he was worshipping on this
spot. The murder shocked
the medieval world. Soon, word spread that miracles
were occurring here. The Pope made Becket a saint,
and masses of pilgrims came. With the steady stream
of pilgrims, the church grew bigger
and more important. Several centuries
and several Henrys later, King Henry VIII
broke away entirely from the Roman Catholic Church
so he could run his affairs without popes and bishops
meddling. Implementing his Reformation,
Henry VIII purged the nave of its ornate decorations
and Catholic iconography. He destroyed
the relics of Becket, and pilgrims stopped coming. Henry made this cathedral
the leading church of his now independent
Church of England. And today Canterbury Cathedral, seat of the Archbishop
of Canterbury, is the mother church
of Anglicans worldwide. A scenic hour's drive takes us
to the town of Battle -- where, in 1066, the Normans,
invading from France, conquered
the English. The town,
with its medieval abbey overlooking the main square, is named for
the Battle of Hastings. For the English, a visit here is a kind of
historic pilgrimage. The site is a mix
of abbey architecture built on
the actual battlefield. Just a vast field today, with the help
of the audioguide commentary, you can imagine Europe's
epic medieval battle. Audioguide: Norman troops
relentlessly hammer at what remains
of the shield wall. There's fierce and bloody
hand-to-hand fighting. William is in the thick of it,
and loses another horse. But more and more holes
in the English defenses open up. As the English position weakens, the Normans press home
their advantage. Rick: 7,000 soldiers
died in one day. It was the most memorable date
of the Middle Ages: October 14, 1066. Across the Channel in Normandy, the nine-century-old
Bayeux Tapestry tells the complicated story. Basically, the English king
died without a clear heir. An Anglo Saxon noble
named Harold and a French-born duke
of Normandy named William both claimed the throne. William and the Normans
crossed the Channel. They fought furiously
on the fields of Hastings. Harold was killed -- according
to legend, by an arrow in the
eye -- and William became
"William the Conqueror." The Battle of Hastings
was a big deal. From here, the Norman invaders
swept into London, where William
was crowned King of England and built the Tower of London
to defend his realm. The Norman conquest of England established
a strong centralized government and propelled what had been
an isolated island of Britain into the European mainstream. Today, nearly a
thousand years later, this successful invasion
is seen as a good thing by the people of England. But enough war history.
Let's hit the beach! Brighton is
south England's Coney Island. Britain's royalty helped
establish Brighton as a resort back around 1800, when Napoleon's wars shut down
vacation travel on the
Continent. King George IV chose Brighton to build a vacation palace
for himself, and royal followers began
a frenzy of construction along the nearby seashore. Soon, this once-sleepy
seaside village was transformed into
an elegant resort town. In 1840, the train
connected London with Brighton. Suddenly,
these beaches were accessible to the working-class masses, and Brighton has been "London
by the Sea" ever since. Two landmarks
line the promenade; the latest eye-catcher is a
futuristic observation tower. But the big draw
remains its pleasure pier. Built in 1899
and jutting far into the water, it gave everyone a chance
to enjoy the sea. Glittering
and loaded with amusements, Brighton Pier is the place to go
for a fix of junk food, including some "candy floss" --
that's cotton candy -- and to survive dizzying rides. [ Cheering ] If you can ignore
the garish arcade games, you might be able
to imagine yourself as a Victorian Londoner
out on holiday. Just a couple blocks
from the people's pier was the king's palace. Brighton's Royal Pavilion,
with its eccentric exterior, recalls the city's
flamboyant heyday. Its interior,
which retains its 1820s decor, is even more outlandish. As a prince, the man who would
become England's King George IV was lively, decadent,
and trend-setting. He loved to vacation by the sea
and host glamorous parties. George was enamored
with Asian cultures, styling his vacation home with exotic decorations
from the Far East. Music was a passion of the king. In the music room,
the royal band gave concerts and serenaded
high-society guests as they danced
under Chinese-inspired decor. The king's other passion? Hosting elaborate dinners. His king-sized kitchen was one of the most innovative
of its time. The huge rotisserie
could cook enough meat to feed 100 hungry guests. Here in the banqueting room,
the table's set for dessert. Imagine England's
pre-Victorian elite munching cream cakes
and sipping liqueurs under the extravagant,
dragon-powered chandelier. ## You can imagine: King George
was an extravagant spender, and he left piles of debt. Shortly after his death, his niece Victoria
took the throne. Queen Victoria wanted
more privacy and less decadence, so she sold the Pavilion
to the city of Brighton, which owns it to this day. After visiting a resort town, England's natural beauty
provides a delightful contrast. These chalk cliffs
are often mistaken for Dover's, but they're the white cliffs
of Beachy Head. Same chalk, same coastline,
but further west. Beachy Head is carpeted
by a vast grassy field -- wild, yet smooth
as a putting green -- reaching up to a
dramatic drop-off. With the open sea beyond and white chalk cliffs
plummeting 500 feet into the
surf, this scene thrills hikers. From here, a long,
undulating series of cliffs stretches for miles. Long ago, these were dubbed
the "Seven Sisters" by groggy sailors at sea who gazed lustily through
the mist from their ships and imagined a can-can
of seven maidens lifting their lacy petticoats. While this chalk
may have looked like lace -- from a distance in the fog,
in a drunken stupor -- it's actually the shelly
sediment of the seabed solidified over
a hundred million years and then raised high
by the slow-motion collision of continents. The handy hamlet of Birling Gap
has an inviting visitors center. Its stairway provides the only
convenient access to the beach. Early birds get the sandy spots
among the pebbles, and the tide pools are a hit
with the kids. Beachy Head is just one stretch
of the South Downs Way, one of many beloved public walks
that crisscross Britain. The English love to ramble and enjoy historic points
along the way. Around here, as this
mysterious horse illustrates, art has been carved
into the underlying chalk of the hillsides
for generations. Towering figures like
the Long Man of Wilmington go back many centuries. The countryside feels
made-to-order for easy walks. A delightful stop
is the hamlet of East Dean, which still gathers
around its medieval green. When hiking in England, it seems you're never far
from a friendly pub. By the way,
we're here in August. I like England in peak season --
long days, best weather, and there are enough people out
for things to be lively but never really
a crowd problem. A major city
on England's south coast is the busy port
of Portsmouth -- long the home of the Royal Navy. For centuries, Britain,
a maritime superpower, relied on the fleets based here to maintain and expand
its vast empire. As an obvious military target, Portsmouth was nearly flattened
by World War II bombs, but has been rebuilt since 1945. Its cathedral survived
only because the Nazis used it as a beacon
to help guide their bombs. With post-war construction
hasty and poorly planned, the city became infamous
for its bad architecture. But an impressive gentrification
is under way. As the Navy shrinks
and tourism grows, Portsmouth is enjoying new life. Underneath a
sail-like tower, its formerly gritty
industrial waterfront
has been transformed into a vital shopping
and restaurant complex. The once-formidable ramparts
are now a park-like promenade lined with historic
points of interest, mostly ignored by those simply
enjoying a refreshing stroll. With the notoriously
blustery weather, local kids gather
at the base of the wall. Nicknamed the "Hot Walls,"
it's out of the wind and retains warmth
from the unreliable English sun. At the tip of the ramparts,
formerly salty old pubs now serve not sailors
but a trendy crowd. Their conversation is punctuated by the passage of massive ships
and ferries artfully powering through
the narrow mouth of the harbor. Back when Britannia
ruled the waves, it did so with its mighty navy, based here in Portsmouth's
Historic Dockyard. This sprawling museum highlights England's
storied maritime heritage -- both very old
and relatively new, like this gunboat
from World War I that saw action
at the Battle of Gallipoli. In a modern building
just steps away is the oldest ship
in the collection -- the "Mary Rose...
" or what's left of her. This awe-inspiring
in-its-day warship, King Henry VIII's favorite, sank in 1545 while fighting
the French just off the coast. The ship
and its doomed crew of 500 sank and settled into the mud, where it rested
for about 450 years. The surviving bits of the ship,
with a rich trove of artifacts, have been preserved
and are beautifully displayed. All sorts of Tudor-era items
were found: personal belongings, weaponry,
a backgammon board, and even the skeleton of Hatch,
the ship's dog. These artifacts humanize the
everyday life of English sailors from five centuries ago. Three centuries later, another state-of-the-art warship
was the "HMS Warrior." Built in 1860,
it never saw a day of battle. That's because the "Warrior
" was so formidable, it was considered unbeatable. Its very existence was
sufficient to keep the peace. The "Warrior" was the first
ironclad warship, a huge technological advance. It had about a 10-year window
of invincibility, but after 1870, with the advent of guns
on turrets and stronger steam engines
replacing sails altogether, the "Warrior" was
mothballed. About 200 years ago, the most
important British ship ever, the "HMS Victory, "changed
the course of world history. The French Emperor Napoleon had
been terrorizing the continent. By 1805,
he had amassed a huge fleet and was preparing
to invade England. Admiral Horatio Nelson, who commanded the British fleet
from this ship, cornered the French fleet
at the Cape of Trafalgar, off the coast of Spain. The huge Battle of Trafalgar
ensued. While Nelson was killed,
the British emerged victorious. Today, the dry-docked
"Victory" feels ready to haul anchor
and set sail at any moment. For the British, this ship is
more a shrine than a museum. The Victory bristles with cannon
lining several gun decks. It took well-trained
British sailors only two minutes to ready a cannon for firing,
aim, and shoot, compared to eight minutes
for the French. Inside, on the gun decks, you can imagine the noise,
smoke, and confusion of battle as cannons fired in unison,
recoiled, and where reloaded. All the while, enemy fire
crashed into and splintered the
ship around the men. Climbing through the ship
with its low ceilings, you can feel how cramped
the living conditions were. There was no such thing
as privacy, and the tight quarters
created a forest of hammocks. Often, sailors slept
right where they fought. When not in battle, they ate at tables
wedged between their guns. The great cabin
was Admiral Nelson's quarters. Imagine Nelson and his officers hunched over charts
to plan an attack. While it looks like
an officer's living quarters, everything was designed
for action. In minutes, the furniture
could be folded and stowed, turning this space into
a fully-functional cannon deck. During that fateful Battle
of Trafalgar, Nelson was shot by a sniper. A golden plaque on the deck marks the spot
where Nelson fell. The crew rushed him below deck to care for their leader
in his dying hours. It's on this spot
that Nelson died. Docent: So, this
spot here was -- When Lord Nelson was mortally
wounded on the upper deck, he was taken down here. Just before he's about to die, Captain Hardy come down
and said to him, "Sir, we've won the battle." And he said, "Thank God,
I've done my duty." Rick: Romantic paintings
show the admiral lifted to heaven by angels,
like a saint. Two centuries later, Nelson's England clearly enjoys
its hard-won freedom. We've seen that
with its love of nature, with its knack for family fun,
its appreciation of heritage, and at its convivial pubs. I'm always impressed by how much
there is to see and experience on this amazing island. I hope you've enjoyed our look
at southeast England. Thanks for joining us.
I'm Rick Steves. Until next time,
keep on travelin'. -Your one finger looks like
it's cut off -- your forefinger. -He's --
-Yeah, that's better. -[ Laughs ] While Nelson was killed,
the British emerged victorious. [ Laughs ] Did my --
My thing just fell down. I hope you've enjoyed our look
at all these little bugs that are flowing around.
-We don't see them. -But they bother me. Okay. I hope you've en-- [ Coughs ]
