Simply Me: Canterbury Tales

Today we took a day trip to Canterbury. The only exposure to Canterbury before today was in my early British Literature course (which I really didn't like) where we read Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. I much prefer the actual place to the collection of stories.

Our first stop was Canterbury Cathedral. This is purportedly the oldest cathedral (though that fact is disputed even among the employees there) and it has the longest quire. It was pretty. The crypt in the cathedral is enormous and--this is actually really cool--contains a chapel that has pre-Reformation art on the walls. Not only is that incredibly old, but it is incredibly, incredibly rare. It's so rare, in fact, that I don't know of another cathedral or abbey that contains it.

After the cathedral, Sarah, Lizzie, Kenna, Caitlin, and I wandered around Canterbury. It's a charming place and I loved our time there. We stopped in at a fruit stand Kenna remembers fondly from previous visits and Lizzie and I purchased peaches and strawberries. The peaches were far from ripe, but the strawberries were delicious. I have eaten so many strawberries here it's ridiculous. And also incredibly amazing.

We boarded the coach again and headed towards Bodiam castle. At this point, I was feeling quite ill (coach trips make me carsick like nothing else can), and the last thing I wanted to see was a castle. I wanted to be outside, not under another stone roof, and I wanted a chance to stretch my legs. As it turns out, Bodiam castle was the perfect place to be.

The roof of this castle was removed a long time ago, so we were in open air as much as we wanted to be. There were stairs leading up to towers that gave incredible views, and I was able to get to know a sweet girl in my program a little better. It was such a good experience and I'm so glad we went!

Our last stop was Beachyhead. I wasn't sure what this would entail, to be honest, but it was all I could ever want after a long coach ride. Beachyhead consists of beautiful white chalk cliffs, a blue ocean, green expanses of grass, and freedom. We walked with Professor Talbot for a ways before he set us free, and I ran (voluntarily. Multiple times! I think the world might be coming to an end) with a couple of girls, Chloe and Amy, along the cliffs. The wind was blowing and I felt like I could have flown away if I had just been wearing a larger shirt. I was grinning the entire time, and I couldn't soak enough of it in. I feel as if I could have walked/ran along those cliffs forever.

I came back from the cliffs invigorated and so excited about life. I turned to Caitlin and Kenna and told them that that was my favorite thing and Caitlin pointed out that I say that after every place we go. But life is my favorite thing so everything else automatically falls under that, right? ;)

During the travel weekend Sarah and I wanted to make it to Dover. We didn't go because we were so exhausted, but Beachyhead was just as incredible. According to Professor Talbot, Beachyhead cliffs are like Dover but higher and whiter. So, basically, more incredible. I loved it so much and it definitely ranks as one of my favorite things I've done here. I think I say that about everything we do that takes us outside of London, but it's true. England is a beautiful country.

We then returned home and found a pizza place with incredible pizza. Seriously. I'm not usually a pizza person, but this was so incredible. It was like New York pizza, but in London. I wish I'd been able to drink root beer, though. I've been craving a root beer float for weeks now and those have proved extremely elusive as nobody here sells root beer! I'd never realized how much I take root beer for granted (because I don't actually like soda, either). Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder.

Because I had spent so much time sitting on a coach today I didn't want to sit anymore. Everyone else was exhausted because today was such a big day (and I was exhausted, too, but my desire to move won out) so I took myself on a walk in Hyde Park. Have I explained how much I love this park? It is seriously the most wonderful place and it's right by where I'm staying! I really should go there more often.

Now for some pictures!

This river was beautiful and it sort of reminded me of home.

Right outside the gates of the cathedral (the gates are to my back). There was a guy playing on the guitar. He was pretty good.

Cantebury is charming.

Canterbury Cathedral

I feel like every time I visit a cathedral or an abbey I walk out with a lot of pictures of vaulted ceilings, and an obscene number of pictures of stained glass windows. But they're so pretty, how can I not?

There was a compass on the floor of one of the halls.

I love how worn these steps are.

Beautiful tiling

Okay I don't know if I was technically allowed to take this picture because it was sort of in the crypt where photography was prohibited, but there weren't actually any signs saying I couldn't take a picture of this and I was there with a director who was snapping pictures on her phone so. . . Yeah. Behold, a hanging man made of nails.