Canterbury and the Sea

On Sunday we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, read the newspaper, then drove to Canterbury. The center of this city is still largely a Medieval town, with twisting, narrow streets and countless buildings that date back five centuries or more. But all of this is a thriving, modern, pedestrian-only shopping district.

Shop buildings do not necessarily stand straight after 500 years.

The Cathedral here is the "mother church" of England, supposedly founded by St. Augustine, and dates from the late sixth century. The present church has portions that are at least a thousand years old, it holds the grave of St. Anselm (d. 1109), and a candle burns at the spot where Thomas Becket was murdered by agents of the king, while standing at the high altar, in 1170.

A candle marks the spot where Thomas Becket was murdered.

But the building has been expanded time and again over the centuries, and parts are shrouded in scaffolding today as renovations continue. In many respects, a cathedral is never finished.

High Altar at Canterbury Cathedral

The Cathedral is very old and has some interesting ancient accents, but it is neither as large nor as grand as many others built later. We attended a choral Eucharist on Sunday morning. The Christ the King Sunday service was well attended, and the choir was excellent. The incense smell was rather intense at some points.

Medieval painting on the wall in the Chapel of St. Anselm, Canterbury Cathedral

After the service we explored the cathedral, including the crypt and side-chapels. We then visited a pastry shop we'd passed earlier and sinned boldly in chocolate.

Medieval shop doors did not anticipate people six feet tall!
(Notice long shadows -- and this is a mid-day. The sun stays low here!)

Our next destination was the seaside town of Whitstable. Described in the tour books as "an overgrown fishing village," Whitstable is a thriving shopping center and known particularly for seafood restaurants.

Mary on the beach at Whitstable

We enjoyed a mussel and prawn soup, and some lively banter with the cooks, at a kiosk near the beach. They complimented us on finding such an out of the way place not visited by many foreign tourists.

Brits picnic on the beach in November

We rushed to get back to our "pay and display" car park (parking lot) before our time expired, and began the long drive home, slowed somewhat by fog and road work (the M25 beltway around London has been nick-named, "the world's largest circular car park").