Canterbury

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Today I took a day trip to Canterbury which turned out to be my favorite part of the trip so far. There is a speedy train from London’s St Pancras station that arrives in Canterbury an hour later. The central part of the town (where I was) has a friendly medieval vibe and there is an impressive medieval gate at one end of the main street that cars have drive around (or through). I signed up for a walking tour of the town and enjoyed strolling through back lanes while hearing about the history of the place. The major sight is Canterbury Cathedral, the mother church of the Anglican/Episcopal faith. Much of the building (inside and out) is undergoing renovation, but as the cathedral website points out, work on the cathedral has been ongoing for much of its history, including when Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales. It was (and is) a pilgrimage site because Thomas Becket was murdered there in 1170. His tomb was later destroyed by Henry VIII, but a single candle burns in the apse to commemorate his martyrdom. During WWII the city was bombed, but the cathedral was saved from fire by brave firefighters who stood on the roof to put out any fires that started there. One side effect of the bombing was that several medieval buildings were destroyed and ancient Roman ruins were discovered underneath. Today Canterbury is home to a very good Roman museum. NB Unfortunately I am experiencing difficulty with my photos and can’t show you any at this time. I hope to have problem resolved by tomorrow.

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