Blogs from Canterbury, Kent, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 2

Geo: 51.2773, 1.08052We started off today as passengers in an above ground vehicle: a cab. We would call it a van, but would later be corrected that it was a people mover. Vans here are large trucks. We made this choice because of the tube strike. It turned out to be a wise choice, much easier than dragging our luggage on a 61 minute underground maze of a journey. Despite the heavy traffic, we made it to London City Airport in a little less than an hour. Along the way, we got to see London's “lovely” East End as well as some residential neighborhoods.We picked up our own people carrier and headed out for Canterbury guided by Siri. She was pretty accurate with the many roundabouts. After going below the Thames though Black Wall Tunnel, we ... read more

Geo: 51.2773, 1.08052... read more

TravelMat.... well they asked for a 'nickname' for this blog, and I thought it was a good play-on-words (my name is Matt if any stranger is reading this).. until I realized it makes no sense. Unless you actually travel with a mat.. then it works. I, however, brought no mat with me to England. So, after that little preamble, I'll start off by telling of my adventures.. or lack thereof. Well actually, just a little more preambling to give this blog some good ol' context. I left the cold, dead city of Winnipeg to work/live abroad in the southeast of England for a year. I am volunteering at an organization called L'arche, which has care-homes around the world for mentally disabled persons (that may not be the most politically correct definition, but I'm trying here). Also, ... read more

Originally we had planned to return home straight from London however we were enjoying ourselves so much that we decided to extend the holiday and drive a few miles further into the garden of England Kent. A county full of architecturally interesting oast houses, hop farms and blossom in the spring. The weather today though was somewhat colder and there were no flowers out anywhere. Just bronze leaves falling into piles on the ground. We drove Suzy down narrow lanes until we found ourselves at the picturesque village of Ightham. Our route was going to take us to the National Trust property of Ightham Mote. We had checked opening times and it seemed the Mote had closed for a few days after summer opening but had now re-opened for the winter season. What we hadnt realised ... read more

As today was my only day in Canterbury I had to fit as much as possible in today. My first stop was at Canterbury Tales. Occupying the former parish church of St. Margaret is a re-creation of medieval life. You get an audio guide and follow along on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas Becket. As you go through the different scenes from the town, to the woods to the Cathedral you hear different tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. My favorite tale was The Pardoner’s Tale, about three young men who are looking for Death. They are in an ale-house and ask an old man where Death is. The old man sends them towards a tree in the distance. Once there they find a large pile of gold. The decide to stand guard over the gold ... read more