Canterbury Cathedral
Welcome again, to the Tiny Paper. I realize that we have back to back entries, but with Neil in London today I felt that it would be nice to blog about our latest tour while it was still fresh in my mind.
On Tuesday we packed our overnight bags and drove south east. Taking the shore all the way to Dover, and finally ending in Canterbury. The drive itself was peaceful and relaxing, and it was a beautiful day. We packed cheese and tomato sandwiches, grapes, and water, and we stopped at a South African specialty shop in Newhaven to pick up some biltong. We spotted some dried mango and picked that up as well. Then we drove along the shore toward Hastings, where we stopped to get a few pics on the beach, and of the net huts along the shore. Hastings hosts a re-enactment of the 1066 Battle of Hastings every year during Hastings Week, which I would love to attend on 17 October for the Bonfire and Fireworks display.
the Hastings net huts and a cool vendor kiosk
We then drove on to Dover, to visit Dover castle. The Keep was closed for renovations, and had been since October-- to re-open on Saturday. Still, the castle has loads to see, and we walked the very steep, heart attack inducing grounds to the lowest point (the war tunnels), to the tip top (the lighthouse and abbey).
With the magnificent sea views--on a clear day you can see the coast of France, which we did-- fabulous and numerous buildings and museums, and the unique and intriguing wartime tunnels, we decided that coming back to Dover with Michael would happen soon enough. We enrolled in the English Heritage program, so that we can attend for free entry in the future, and bring up to 12 children with us!!! (ew...why?) ;P
The castle keep
The lighthouse and abbey
We had a picnic lunch of our cheese and tomato sandwiches and grapes whilst sitting against the wall and admiring the view in the picture above, then trudged downhill (thank God), to the car and proceeded to Canterbury, where we had booked a room for the night.
We arrived about an hour later at The House of Agnes. We couldn't have been more pleased with the location. We were told that due to renovations we would be unable to use the parking that was alloted, so we were given a ticket to park in one of the pay parking lots. It was only a few steps away from the Inn, so we weren't bothered at all by this supposed inconvenience. The Inn was only a block away from town center, where a quaint pedestrian High Street waited.
As we walked down High Street, admiring the old and unique architecture, we were amazed to look down a side street and spot the Canterbury Cathedral. Of course, we walked that way, and spent the next few hours exploring the grounds of the Cathedral and some of the rooms. We did not take the tour, as we decided, again, that we would come back with Michael and do the tours with him, but there was no need, as our time was filled with all of the sites one could see in a day.
The cathedral has many distinct architectural features, gardens, and ruins. Our favorite location being an herb garden surrounded by ruined walls of a building that we can only imagine was once there.
The cistern below, was one of the water collection points that provided water to the entire Cathedral.
We ate dinner at The Weavers Restaurant, which not only provided an unusually cozy atmosphere, but delicious food and lovely service. Neil had a T-bone, and I had a turkey and cranberry pie. I am still craving more of it. It was amazingly good. The Weavers also is the host of the river tours that are pictured below. There are many river tours in Canterbury, as well as a host of museums and gardens all within walking distance.
I am eagerly awaiting our return to Canterbury. We have fallen in love with this gem, and highly recommend it as a weekend getaway.
Til next time
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