I grew up in Middletown, CT- right across the river from Portland. Portland CT was famous for it's brownstone quarry, which supplied the stone used in the famous Manhattan brownstone residences. Today, we docked in Portland, GB on the Jurassic coast of southern England. This Portland is also famous for it's Portland stone, which is used in many of London's finest buildings. There are still two quarries working stone here, with a 150 year supply of material left in the ground. Portland has one of the largest harbors in the world, and was an important naval port during world war two. Most of the ships are gone now.
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We didn't get to see much of Portland, as we boarded a tour bus for a drive through the Dorchester region of the coast. Like Cape Cod, this region is inhabited by mostly retired folk looking for a quiet life. Also like the Cape, they get inundated with visitors in the summer months who come to enjoy the countryside and shoreline. Our guide pointed out that this is called the Jurassic coast not because of the retired population, but because of the important fossil record of many millennium.
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We went through the town of Weymouth, which is a typical British summer destination. In addition to a small sandy beach, many penny arcades, and fish and chips on every corner, there is a historically important harbor here. Many of the small ships that made the rescue of the British and French troops cornered on the beach in Dunkirk came from here. The recent movie of the same name has scenes shot in the harbor here, and many of the boats used in the film are docked here.
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The Osmington White Horse was created in 1808 as a tribute to King George III who regularly visited his seaside residence in Weymouth. Legend has it that George was very angry that the horse was carved riding away from Weymouth, and that the artist was so distraught he ended his life. Probably not true, since George had stopped coming to Weymouth before the horse was made.
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Our destination was Corfe Castle, a 1000 year old relic way up on a hill
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The adjacent town has a large amount of quaint bars, eateries, candy and souvenir shops. I guess you could say that their economy is an extractive industry. We were well off season, and glad of it.
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A bit of failed English diplomacy?
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A thatched roof. Many have small animals sculpted of straw and grace the roof lines. It's said that a roof with a rat sculpture meant that the thatcher's bill was not paid.
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Ye olde town
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A bit of spring
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Old WWII gun stations
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Leaving Portland
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The other two Portland's in the title refer to Portland, ME- a great foodie town, and Portland, OR- founded by some folks who left Maine but liked the name. They're not related to anything in this post, just a couple of other places I've been.
Gracias
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