My Favourite Places and Sites in Southern England

Hey guys, as I told you in my previous blog entry , this entry is about my favourite places and sites I haven seen during my language trip in England.

First there is Durdle Doore which is the most picturesque  place I have ever seen. This breathtaking sight with its white, sharp cliffs covered with the velvetiness of the fresh green grassland on top of them, gave me the best view I have ever had on a coastline. While standing on top of the cliffs I could smell the salt of the rough sea and feel the keen wind on my cheeks. The sun fought its way through the clouded sky. I was totally entranced by the fascinating limestone arch with its great hole which gave me the impression of a gate to a new adventure. After savouring this amazing outlook, I went down to the beach on very small, slippery stairs which are made out of stone. It was an overwhelming scenery. Going through the sand, searching for some mussels I totally enjoyed the sound of the forceful waves combined with the infinite view at the English Channel. All in all, standing on the cliffs and enjoying this fantastic scenic place, Durdle Doore is the most beautiful sight I have ever been to.

Another mystical place was New Forest. This national park in southern England is the most beautiful forest I have ever seen. We drove through the landscape which had a lush green grassland with small violet flowers in between. The natural colours soothed my eyes and soul. Furthermore there were free living horses which followed our car at a full gallop. Then after a while, they fall back and we drove into the forest. The trees had big, lush green leaves and with every meter we drove deeper into the forest the light got fewer and fewer.. However, it was not a scary darkness, on the contrary, it was a peaceful aura. Sometimes, the sun sparkled through the leaves and the light spots fell onto the road like spots from a disco ball. We drove very slow and carefully because we wanted to enjoy this wonderful image. Suddenly a good dozen horses crossed our road directly in front of our car. Sharon could stop the vehicle, and with our mouths wide open, we watched the horses running from the right woods over the road, into the left woods. After two hours driving through this fairytale like forest and enjoying this marvelous place  we returned home. All in all, I think this was the most beautiful and magical forest I have ever seen.

Next there is Boscombe Pier. As I was walking down the promenade from Bournemouth to Boscombe I saw this impressive pier. Actually I wanted to see the landscape from a different perspective and this is the reason why I stepped on the wooden panels of the old pier. I was totally surprised that there was an exhibition directly on it and it was for free. It showed the history of Boscombe and the importance which the Pier had in history. Also there were some music exercises. I read carefully the instructions and then I started to  drum with my hands or drumsticks onto iron bars in a certain way. After a few minutes I got an old sailor anthem out of the iron bars. It made a lot of fun. After playing music I went to the end of the pier and felt the breeze. I watched wakeboarders nearly flying over the sea. It was amazing how high a wakeboarder could jump out of the water. In conclusion, I will never forget the following image of me standing at the pier, letting my hair blowing freely in the wind, listening to other peoples music exercises and watching this brave men on their wakeboards.

Finally I am going to write about the very pretty Bournemouth Lower Gardens in the center of Bournemouth. They are typically English, with a wonderful green lawn, many colourful flowers and little streams which divide the gardens into several parts. On some places there are lovely wooden bridges where you can cross the sides. The gardens are very lively, not only there are many parents with their children, but also many students and retired people. It is a great mixture of generations which makes the atmosphere really enjoyable. Everyday there was  live music at the Pinewalk bandstand with local bands. I lent a deck chair and enjoyed with many other people this unique event. All in all the Lower Gardens offer everything I need to feel comfortable and relaxed.