Canterbury and Dover

We awoke bright and early this morning to meet our ISA group at the tube station to depart on our bus trip to Canterbury and then to Dover, both areas in Kent. Canterbury is about 2 hours east of London, and is, of course, the site of the martyrdom of Thomas a Beckett, making it a hotspot for pilgrimages, featured in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. During Medieval times, Canterbury was completely surrounded by stone walls, and every evening they would ring the bells to announce the closing of the gates in fifteen minutes. After that, you wouldn't be able to get through until morning. So anyone riding their horse, heading for Canterbury, would hear the bells, and know how much time they had to get there. Galloping would tire the horse out before reaching the destination, and trotting would be too slow, so they would pick up a pace in between a trot and gallop. Thus, from the town of Canterbury, we get the term "canter" as the name for that gait that is between a trot and a gallop. Who knew?

It is a beautiful town with plenty of old architecture, beautiful gardens, and a canal flowing through the center of it. We had the opportunity to take a boat along this same canal; it was so peaceful and pleasant.

We had lunch in a lovely garden near the ruins of Greyfriars Abbey. After Henry VIII threw a fit and the Anglican Church became a thing, many of the Catholic churches were  claimed by the Anglican Churches. Thus, Canterbury Cathedral became Anglican, and they were going to destroy Greyfriars Abbey, only it also served as the only bridge at the time. So rather than destroy and then have to build a new bridge, they left it alone, after, of course, ransacking it and stealing any important artifacts.
For lunch, I had cranberry sauce and Brie cheese on a whole-wheat baguette. I think it has actually been one of the best meals I've had here yet!

We moved on to Dover, about a 30 minute drive from Canterbury. Dover Castle is stunning.

There was so much to see that of course we weren't able to see it all, but we saw the bulk of it. Of course, we climbed up to the highest turret. The view was absolutely incredible, and the air was fresh and there was a wonderful breeze.

We also went down to the gift shop, where they had free samples of preserves, and wine, and, of course, free samples are never to be passed up. I tried a tiny bit of Marmalade Vodka, apparently the drink voted #1 by some big convention in the U.S. I spluttered and coughed; it was terribly strong. I also tried a sip of Elderberry wine, and that was enough. Didn't like that either. But, I can say now that I've tried it! 

Also, the White Cliffs of Dover? Take a gander at this:

I know I said yesterday that Brighton is my favorite so far, and I hope you won't think that I am fickle if I say that our excursions of today were even better! I loved seeing the English countryside; so green and peaceful! The air is just as fresh as Brighton, and it smells like the wildflowers that cover the rolling hills. It was wonderful.

And as if yesterday and today weren't enough, tomorrow we'll be visiting the Tower of London! Cheers, everyone!