My daughter has a interview at Kent University on 5/12 so I had booked a hotel room at The Inn on the Lake which cost £49.50 gbp for a standard room. We left home a day early and it took us about four hours to reach the hotel. It was about 5.00 p.m. when we checked in so we took a rest for two hours and went out for dinner. I had accidentally booked the night at the hotel about half an hour away from the university. We went to dinner at Gravesend Town Centre. Had an Italian dinner and then we have a little walk at the town but there was nothing much to see in this little town so drove back to the hotel.
As Trixie's university appointment tour start at 10.00 a.m. and we must leave at around 9.00 a.m. to reach the university. As usual I woke around 6.30 a.m. and ready to take some early morning photos of the lakes surrounding this hotel and the natural reserve park that near the hotel. Unfortunately, we have a snow storm early in the morning which created chaos to the nearby airports in London, railways and motorways. I can't go any where further due to the heavy snow storm.
Thanks to one of the staff, whom showed me the way to the hall where it leaded to the lakes and I am able to stay in the hall instead of getting totally wet. I stayed for two hours to take some photos but due to the heavy snow storm so I didn't manage to trek to the natural reserve park. Went back to the room to let Trixie know that it was snowing heavily and we need to make an early start in case there was difficulty to reach the university in time for the appointment.
After Trixie and my husband had their breakfast we drove to Kent University and it took us about half an hour to reach the university. We were able to park our car at the Historic Dockyard car park at Chatham. We went to the students' gallery which is directly opposite to the car park. After handed over the portfolio of Trixie's works then we walk all the way to the University where the talks and tour will be conducted by the lecturers and students. After the talk we went to get some lunch and then Trixie's went to attend her interview and tour and we will wait at the car park for her.
We slept in the car for 3 hours and while waiting for Trixie to be back so I venture out around this Historic Dockyard. This is a beautiful place where there is a lake directly in front of the students' galleries/workshop. Luckily, the sun came out and no longer snowing anymore. Enjoying myself taking photos around the lake and met an old artist enjoying himself with a remote control of a 70 years old sail boat which had been left by his father.
He told me the history of this docks where there were 3 lakes and one river but the government have drained the two lakes and make it to lands for car parks and buildings.
Chatham Historic Dockyard is a maritime museum on part of the site of former royal/naval dockyard at Chatham.
Chatham Dockyard covered 400 acres (1.6 km²) and was one of the Royal Navy's main facilities for several hundred years until it was closed in 1984. After closure the dockyard was divided into three sections. The easternmost basin was handed over to Medway Ports and is now a commercial port. Another slice was converted into a mixed commercial, residential and leisure development. 80 acres (324,000 m²), comprising the 18th century core of the site, was transferred to a charity called the Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust and is now open as a visitor attraction. It claims to be the world’s most complete dockyard of the Age of Sail.
We had waited till about 4.00 p.m. and we still haven't see Trixie. We were getting panic and went around to the university twice, trying to find her but unfortunately, we had no ideas where she was. We had drove around the university and then went back to the car park as been told by the staff that the student will get their portfolio back at the students' gallery/workshop. We drove back to the car park at the Historic Dockyard again and hopefully she will be able to find us there. It was so dark around 5.00 p.m. and we waited for another half hour and she was out with a group of students. I had no ideas that their tour and interview was for one whole day.
We drove to London Leicester Square for our dinner. Enjoyed ourselves with the roast duck noodle and rice. We took a stroll at the Lesicester Square but we didn't linger long as we had another 3 hours journey to drive back home. On our way, we by passed Oxford street and the Christmas decorations were so beautiful. The traffic in London was horrible, it was a long traffic jam and it took us one and half hour to get out of Central London.
Finally after four hours of driving we reached home around 2.00 a.m. in the morning. It was a long journey to travel by car to Kent but at least the petrol cost around £60.00 gbp for to and fro from Kent. It was cheaper to travel by car than by train as train ticket cost £80.00 gbp per person and by coach £40.00 gbp per person. As for food, we spent about £50.00 gbp dinner for 3 persons at the Italian restaurant on the first night but it only cost us £24.00 gbp for 3 persons at the Chinese restaurant in China Town. There is a congestion zone charge of £10.00 gbp in the Central London.
Kent is a beautiful city but we did not have times for sight-seeing. Trixie has been accepted by Kent's University and it now have to wait till her final "A" exam and if she can score the 1 x A and 2 x B there will be a place for her in this university. I love this university for the art students' workplace/shop which surrounded by a lake and the students can use the maritime museum facilities to create their works also.
Place: The Inn on The Lake, Shorne, Gravesend, Kent University, Chatham, Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Lescester Street, London and Oxford.
Scored: 7 stars
Dated: 4/12 and 5/12/12
Photo by: Catherine Suen
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