Canterbury Cathedral, Roman Museum, & St. Augustine Ruins
I woke up after 12 hours feeling pretty good! I was glad I didn't sleep too late because I definitely had a plan for the day. My body awoke at about 7:00 am, but I tried to fall back asleep until 8:00. At that time I got up and started to get ready because the cathedral opened at 9:00 and I like to be at these things early. I arrived to the cathedral gate almost exactly at 9:00 and was the second tourist inside. Perf.
I do have to say that I was fairly disappointed with the cathedral because the outside and even parts of the inside are undergoing refurbishment. I knew this before I arrived, but didn't realize it was happening to the extent I encountered. Basically it was impossible to get any good outside photos because it is truly a construction zone.
It was still impressive, though. I especially loved the cloisters and stained glass. I love learning the history of these places and thinking of the generations who have come through.
The cathedral was built between 1070 and 1077 for Christianity on the ruins of the Anglo-Saxon cathedral. In 1162, Thomas Becket was appointed archbishop by the king. Thomas took his role and religion seriously, which meant that the king was often blocked from what he wanted to do. The king had him murdered here in 1170. Soon thereafter, it was rumored that miracles were happening; it became a huge pilgrimage site.
Pilgrimage to the cathedral built Canterbury. It is the spiritual home of the Church of England.
I happened to be in the right spot at the right time when a tour came through. I was just sitting, taking in a small and somewhat secluded area when the tour guide explained that it was in this spot that Thomas was murdered! I got lucky to hear a guide tell the story!
After the cathedral, I needed coffee so I scouted one of the breakfast spots I had researched called Kitch. A friendly kid took my order of a bacon sandwich and a flat white.
I decided to sit outside because the street was nice, but also so hot! After I got my coffee, a kid sat on the street nearby to play guitar and sing, so when I left I gave him £2 for the ambiance and his talent.
I decided to head to the Canterbury Roman Museum nearby after brekkie. Canterbury was a major Roman settlement. Lots of Roman artifacts like pottery, tools, and hair accessories. The jewelry was intriguing. The Romans were so advanced for their time, offering heated flooring, gutters for rain, and even central heating to rooms via air ducts powered by a furnace room in a different part of the building.
The main draw for this museum was a section of decorative Roman tiled flooring. I didn't know this, but Canterbury was bombed during WWII. Apparently the Germans looked at a tourism book and knew that the city meant a lot to England and was like, "Cool beans, that's the one to set ablaze!" Luckily the cathedral was mostly spared, but the bombings unearthed all of these Roman artifacts. I couldn't get a great photo of the tiled walkway, but it was pretty cool. Again, it's somewhat mind-boggling to imagine these previous civilizations living life right here. This was well before Jesus's time!
Next up was St. Augustine's Abbey. Augustine was the one who brought Christianity to Britain in the year 598! This place was neat because they offered an audio tour, which definitely helps my learning. I was pretty distracted by the heat and tried to stay in the shade as much as possible. Another 90 degree day!
The timer on my phone is such a handy resource!
I do like a good ruin.
The abbey was destroyed in the dissolution in 1582, when King Henry VIII left the Catholic Church, put himself in charge, and created the Church of England. The buildings you see in those photos were reduced to this rumble within 15 years of the dissolution.
After this I went to the Dane John Mound because I wanted to see the view of Canterbury from above.
There was a nice breeze up there!
I took a break and went back to the AirBnB at this point to dry my sweat, charge my phone, and edit photos.
On the way to my dinner spot, I ran into the park below the Dane John Mound, so took a pic from below.
White Hart is where I ate dinner and it was superb. I had a chicken, ham, and leek pie with a side of mash and mushy peas. Also I pointed at a pale ale on tap and had a half pint of that.
I do have to say that I was fairly disappointed with the cathedral because the outside and even parts of the inside are undergoing refurbishment. I knew this before I arrived, but didn't realize it was happening to the extent I encountered. Basically it was impossible to get any good outside photos because it is truly a construction zone.
It was still impressive, though. I especially loved the cloisters and stained glass. I love learning the history of these places and thinking of the generations who have come through.
Pilgrimage to the cathedral built Canterbury. It is the spiritual home of the Church of England.
I happened to be in the right spot at the right time when a tour came through. I was just sitting, taking in a small and somewhat secluded area when the tour guide explained that it was in this spot that Thomas was murdered! I got lucky to hear a guide tell the story!
After the cathedral, I needed coffee so I scouted one of the breakfast spots I had researched called Kitch. A friendly kid took my order of a bacon sandwich and a flat white.
I decided to sit outside because the street was nice, but also so hot! After I got my coffee, a kid sat on the street nearby to play guitar and sing, so when I left I gave him £2 for the ambiance and his talent.
I decided to head to the Canterbury Roman Museum nearby after brekkie. Canterbury was a major Roman settlement. Lots of Roman artifacts like pottery, tools, and hair accessories. The jewelry was intriguing. The Romans were so advanced for their time, offering heated flooring, gutters for rain, and even central heating to rooms via air ducts powered by a furnace room in a different part of the building.
The main draw for this museum was a section of decorative Roman tiled flooring. I didn't know this, but Canterbury was bombed during WWII. Apparently the Germans looked at a tourism book and knew that the city meant a lot to England and was like, "Cool beans, that's the one to set ablaze!" Luckily the cathedral was mostly spared, but the bombings unearthed all of these Roman artifacts. I couldn't get a great photo of the tiled walkway, but it was pretty cool. Again, it's somewhat mind-boggling to imagine these previous civilizations living life right here. This was well before Jesus's time!
Did you know that the average Roman man's height was 5'6"? Now you do!
The timer on my phone is such a handy resource!
I do like a good ruin.
The abbey was destroyed in the dissolution in 1582, when King Henry VIII left the Catholic Church, put himself in charge, and created the Church of England. The buildings you see in those photos were reduced to this rumble within 15 years of the dissolution.
After this I went to the Dane John Mound because I wanted to see the view of Canterbury from above.
There was a nice breeze up there!
I took a break and went back to the AirBnB at this point to dry my sweat, charge my phone, and edit photos.
On the way to my dinner spot, I ran into the park below the Dane John Mound, so took a pic from below.
White Hart is where I ate dinner and it was superb. I had a chicken, ham, and leek pie with a side of mash and mushy peas. Also I pointed at a pale ale on tap and had a half pint of that.
Luckily this pub has better wifi than my AirBnB; I've written the majority of this post here at the White Hart! The sun is starting to set now, so the temperature is quite comfortable. I think tomorrow we're back to more normal temperatures, so I am grateful for that!
Here's a pretty row of houses I found today.
Also, I walked 5.4 miles today!