Exploring the United Kingdon - Canterbury & Dover

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Canterbury & Dover - May 15th, 2009

Because we had unlimited access to a car for free, for our next day trip we decided to head out to the fabled town of Canterbury. Located about 55 miles southeast from Sidcup, it took us only one hour to drive on the A20. Arriving there, the first thing one see's is the main center tower of the famous cathedral, soaring 297 feet into the air, much higher than any of the surrounding buildings.
I have been to many of the famous cathedrals in Europe, and this one knock's Paris's Notre Dame off the number two spot of most amazing ones i've seen (second only to Gaudi's Sagrada Familia in Barcelona). The cathedral is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and for good reason. It is one of the oldest churches in all of England, and home to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the leader of the church of England. Luckily, we made it to the cathedral just 20 minutes before the closing of the Trinity Chapel, as not seeing it would have been disappointing. The chapel was added to the cathedral as a shrine for St. Thomas Becket, who was murdered in the cathedral by the knights of King Henry II. It is a major pilgrimage site in England, holding the remains of King Henry IV and his wife, as well as The Black Price (son of King Henry III and father of King Richard II). After our tour of the cathedral, we walked into town. Canterbury is another one of those old English towns that could literally be stuck in time (except for the McDonalds & Subway's). Around the perimeter of the town, the old wall fortifications are still standing in some sections, complete with gates and guard towers. As the old town itself is pretty small (one can walk end it end in half an hour), we finished our tour and and decided to head out to Dover, about 16 miles away on the coast.



The only thing I wanted to see in Dover was the White Cliffs, but as we approached through the fog we quickly saw another place where we would go, Dover Castle. It was originally built by Henry II, although it was continually upgraded up to the Second World War, when it was used to control the British coastal artillery. The castle itself is in great shape, and as we drove up the hill to try and get in, they literally closed the gates in front of us and we had to make do with snapping a few pictures from around the perimeter. Driving our way around the castle, we stumbled upon the entrance to the White Cliffs, which were closed as well. As that was the only thing we came there to see, we simply walked around the gate and got in. By now it was foggy and raining, but that made for some great picture opportunity's. We didn't get to see too much of the cliffs (they run for approx. 12 miles along the coast) but i assume the coast all looks pretty much the same. We tried to find our way down to the beach, but by that time it was getting dark, so we called it a day. Back to Sidcup once more...

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Photos

Canterbury Cathedral
Inside the Trinity Chapel

Trinity Chapel
People must have been much smaller when this place was built 1000 years ago.

The Black Prince
The original helmet, shield, gloves and coat of Edward Plantagenet, also know as The Black Prince. These relics are almost 700 years old.

White Cliffs at Dover
The remains of World War II coastal artillery emplacements can be seen in the foreground.

Dover Castle
A fortress in every sense of the word.

Dover Wildlife
Not very wild.