A Man's Home Is His Castle

Lesson 5, Ex. 2 and 3

A –Aneka S – Sophie

S: Hello, Aneka! How are you! I haven’t seen you for ages. You didn’t appear on line for such  a long time. Where have you been?

A: Oh, hi Sophie! I was travelling for a week. Can you imagine, I visited seven castles of Europe.

S: Oh, my! But why did you go travelling in the middle of the school year?

A: You see, I took part in an international competition “Sight Hunters”.

S: “Sight Hunters”??? What is it all about?

A: Well, you have to look for an interesting sight in your country which you want to become well-known around the world. Then you have to make a poster about it which you send to the judges. They choose a hundred teenagers who have sent the most interesting posters and invite them to Germany to the Knights’ Days. There you present your sight and 5 winners who have been chosen by voting get a chance of visiting seven European castles. I got the second place!!! Can you imagine?

S: Congratulations! So the trip is a prize in a competition.

A: That’s right.

S: So, which castle did you like best?

A: Oh, I loved all of them. But the most exciting was Dover Castle.

S: Dover Castle?

A: Yes, well, in fact it’s not just a castle, it’s a fortress.

S: A fortress? What’s a fortress?

A: A fortress is a building which is constructed to protect a castle from enemies.

S: Got it!

A: So, our plan of staying in Dover Castle included visiting the dungeons and the watch towers. We also planned to go to the Great Hall for a concert. Besides we wanted to go round the castle to see the moat and the drawbridge.

S: Oh, wait a minute! What’s a moat first?

A: Oh, it’s a deep canal which was built around a castle to protect it. There usually was a drawbridge across it. It’s a special bridge that can be raised to block the entrance to the castle. 

S: Oh, I see. And did you mention the dungeons??? Do you mean the underground rooms that were used to keep prisoners there?

A: Exactly!

S: It sounds really scary!

A: No, there’s a museum there now! And the watch towers, they are the towers that were used for observing the territory around the castle and signaling any possible danger. They are fantastic. You can see everything around you from up there.

S: So you went to the dungeons and the watch towers…

A: Yes, but, unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to see the moat and the drawbridge because the concert was too long.

S: A concert? What kind of concert? Rock? Pop?

A: No, no. It was a concert of Medieval music. We listened to minstrels. They are musicians who traveled from place to place to sing and entertain people in the Middle Ages. Their show was unforgettable. They played and danced in the Great Hall of the castle. And after the concert there was a knight battle show. Do you know who the knights are?

S: Of course, I do! They are medieval soldiers who fought in tournaments. They always belonged to an order.

A: That’s right! So to cut a long story short my day in Dover Castle was fantastic! I’ll send you the pictures later.

S: Oh, I’d love to see them. Thanks. Now what about that….