Tuesday June 24th ~ Canterbury, Kent

Westgate Gardens along the Stour River, Canterbury

After arriving in Dover, England on the 22nd we took a taxi to a local Bed and Breakfast that we booked online a few minutes before leaving the ship.  It was still morning and we could not check in until after 4:00 so after dropping off our luggage, we hopped on a bus and 30 minutes later were in Canterbury.

Located in the district of Kent on the river Stour, it is the second most visited city in England.  It may be best known for the Canterbury Cathedral (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer, and the martyrdom of Thomas Beckett.

FUN FACT:  The term, Canter (a smooth gait, especially for a horse, paced between a trot and a gallop) originated from Canterbury.  Here is a link with a bit more info.

That first afternoon we walked the main street through the old historical district, listened to several street musicians, purchased some delicious Kent cherries and toured through the Cathedral.

Canterbury Cathedral 

Canterbury Cathedral

Ceiling of Canterbury Cathedral

The tomb of Edward Plantagenet, The Black Prince

We returned late in the afternoon to attend Evensong.  One of our very favorite travel memories was attending Evensong at Westminster Cathedral years ago when we got to sit WITH the choir as they sang.  I still get chills thinking about how the sound encircled us. There is nothing quite the same as the acoustics in a large cathedral.

I knew we could never recreate that moment, but we did come close.  We asked upon entering if we could sit as close to the choir as possible.  We got placed right NEXT to them!

Taken from the choir section of the church

This was a combination choir of young boys (age 8-14) and adults.  Once again I was carried away as I closed my eyes and they sang the Anthem, Cherubic Hymn by Mikhael Ivanovitch Glinka.

The service ended just in time for us to catch our bus back to Dover for the night.  We were so interested in spending more time in Canterbury that we decided to return the next morning, this time with our luggage with plans to spend two nights.  The two nights has now turned into five nights as we are booked through until the morning of the 28th.

We are staying at the Abode Canterbury Hotel which is located right in the center of the old historic district.  The location is ideal and our room is comfortable.

In the past two days we have taken a walking tour, visited the abbey and St Martin’s church, traipsed through two parks, explored more of the town itself, bought Tim some new shoes, gone to both the bus terminal and the train station, eaten some good meals, and walked a LOT.

St. Martin’s is the oldest church in continuous use in the English-speaking world.  It is also part of the Canterbury World Heritage Site along with St. Augustine’s Abbey.

St Martin’s Church

Here are a few more pictures taken during our time in Canterbury:

“Bulkhead” by Rick Kirby

Old Weavers house from 1500

Guild Hall, Westgate Gardens

Roman ruins

Gratitude Moment:  Today I am grateful for fresh, ripe fruit!  For the past three days we have eaten some of the best cherries and flat peaches I have ever had.