Canterbury

I spent last Saturday in Canterbury with my sister and brother-in-law. The best sight in Canterbury was the cathedral. It was founded in 597 but the current building was finished in 1077. 

The chairs are removed during visiting hours so that it looks the same as it did in the Medieval times. I really liked the look without chairs because the openness made the nave look even longer. 

The stained glass window featuring the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was really impressive. It was one of my favourite parts of the cathedral. 

The area in the photo below is where the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, was murdered in 1170 by knights of King Henry II because he conflicted with him over the rights and privileges of the Church. 

The ceiling in the Chapter House was really impressive. It dates from the early 1400s, is constructed of Irish oak, and is the largest of its kind in England. There was a children's choir practicing when we visited and the acoustics were incredible. 

The Trinity Chapel was built for the shrine of St Thomas Becket. This is also where King Henry IV's tomb is located. 

One thing I love about England is that even in February the grass is green and beautiful. It adds to the look of this impressive cathedral. 

After the cathedral we went to Pork & Co. for lunch. They serve pulled pork sandwiches. They roast an entire pig for 14 hours every day and they close when they run out of meat. 

It comes with one topping, one sauce, and a piece of crackling. The toppings included different kinds of coleslaws and stuffing. The sauces were apple butter, apple sauce, chili sauce, and barbecue sauce. 

You can get it on a brioche roll or in a container. We tried one of each and both were good. I ended up only eating one half of my bun because it was so big so I would probably get the bowl if I went again.

The other highlight of Canterbury was the fudge. We stopped by Fudge Kitchen and sampled a bunch of their flavours. The toffee and maple walnut fudge were the best flavours we sampled. 

There were loads of bakeries and sweets shops. I've never seen a "gypsy tart" before but the bakery worker said it is only made out of brown sugar and sweetened condensed milk. 

I love sprinkles and the only cookie with sprinkles was this super weird clown one! The sprinkles were crunchy and made me miss Eileen's cookies in Omaha. I look so happy in the photo below because I had not yet been disappointed by this cookie. 

We also visited the remains of St Augustine's Abbey. It was originally created as a burial place for the Anglo-Saxon kings of Kent. It was used as a monastery until the 1500s when King Henry VIII had it dismantled. 

Canterbury was a cute town but not one I'd go back to. It wasn't a visual spectacular but it did have some fascinating historical sights. It wouldn't be a town I'd recommend to others unless you are really interested in English history. We also wished there were more references throughout the town to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.