May 2014
Canterbury has been a tourist attraction since the 12th century. In fact, The Canterbury Tales, written in the 14th century, were exchanged among a group of tourists on their way to Canterbury.
The story goes that King Henry II grew angry with his old friend, Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, over Becket’s refusal to defer to the king’s wishes in matters Becket saw as the province on the Church. In his anger, Henry was heard to remark, “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest.” Four of his knights overheard the remark, traveled to Canterbury, and murdered Becket inside the cathedral.
According to the story, Henry was aghast, traveled to Canterbury in sackcloth and walked down the main aisle of the cathedral on his knees in penance.
Becket was quickly canonized and miracles were reported through his intercession. Soon Canterbury began attracting pilgrims from all over England.
The main attraction in Canterbury is, of course, the cathedral. Like most medieval cathedrals it is awe inspiring. A plaque commemorates the site of Becket’s murder.
We took the train(under 20 pounds r/t) from Dover to Canterbury, which took only about 30 minutes. From the train station to the cathedral and the center of town is an easy 15-20 walk.
The center of town had a well-developed shopping and dining scene. We had a lunch at a pub in one of the alleys and used Wifi.
Official tourist information: click
Small Wide World 