Canterbury

Britain has been enjoying glorious summer-like weekends in the past few weeks, and I was enticed to go out and enjoy the spring.

My first excursion...Canterbury.

I must confess I have never read the "Canterbury Tales" cover to cover (shame on me for being a history major,) partially deterred by difficulty reading the olde English, but what little I've read, I find them full of medieval raw humors (potty and sexual), and quite enjoyable. So I was delighted to find the attraction called "Canterbury Tales" in town, which is basically an abridged walk-through (literally) version of Chaucer's famous tales. The attraction recreates the atmospheres of medieval inns and towns, including filthy smells, with narrated audio-tour of 5 most famous tales (the knight's tale on Greek princess, town folk's tale on infidel wife, tale by wife of Bath, tale of the monk on fox and cock, and the tale of death and 4 brothers) in an old converted church, and it was a good blush-up session of the tales that I probably won't be motivated to read in near future.

The next stop was the Museum of Canterbury, which is built on the re-constructed monk's hospital. The building was absolutely beautiful, especially the beams and view of the Franciscan Walk and gardens, but exhibition was a bit of disappointment. The only take away was that I learned an awful lot about Thomas Beckett.

I went off the popular path to the remains of the Norman castle, and this was a real find. The castle was built in the 1000's and was used as a prison for ages before it was abandoned and now a ruins. May be because of almost non-existent visitors, but the castle had stillness and serenity that I did not find elsewhere in town. There are stairs to go up and it is worth a climb to get an intimate view of the ruins.



St. Augustine was the next stop, another ruins but former glory in grander scale. Even with the audio guide, my poor imagination could not conjure up its magnificance, but the view of Canterbury Cathedral from the mound of St. Augustine was truly beautiful, and I was glad to have visited the place.



Finally, the Cathedral...
I can say that Canterbury is worth a visit, just to go to the Cathedral. The first thing I noticed was its lightness...unlike many churches and cathedrals, it felt airy and light, filled with warm white grow...even with tall stained glasses and cold stone structure. The illusion may have been created by the height of the structure, or the lack of (or less) buried bodies on the floors (unlike, say Westminster Abbey, where everywhere you go, you feel like you are stepping on someone dead.) Either way, this cathedral felt friendly and welcoming, unlike many that are foreboding and aloof. Even the crypt carried warmth that are dark but comfortable, with no creepy feeling that you get from many of the underground structure without much light, except I felt a chill when I saw a tomb of one the famous priests (forgot what his name was), who was lying peacefully surrounded by curved angels and saints...only they are thoroughly and meticulously defaced with their head knocked off thanks to Oliver Cromwell's armies.

While I was at the Cathedral, there was a choir practice, and this was the highlight of my trip. The voices echoed across the airy and magnificent stone structure, and it was simply otherworldly. The sopranos, the chorus, the voices bouncing off the walls...my soul was pulled up but held back at the same time. Closing my eyes, I felt completely relaxed with floating sensation.

I really don't know what makes Canterbury Cathedral so different from other equally famous cathedrals, abbeys, and churches...perhaps it was built on primitive ground that used to be a place of gathering for long-gone religion that worshiped nature, or perhaps it was a coincidence of architectural magics....but this Cathedral is unlike any other place I've visited, and I now see why the pilgrims flocked for visits in olden days.




Few notes on Canterbury:

• It's only one hour away from London on fast train, so I don't think overnight stay is necessary if traveled from London...unless Ghost Tour is the purpose of your trip.
  
• Visitors cannot enter the main part of the cathedral while the religious ceremony is going on...but there is a good chance that the Choir will practice after the ceremony, so it will be worthwhile to time the visit toward the end of the scheduled ceremony.
• Franciscan Walk and surrounding gardens are beautiful...when sunny, this will be a good place to have picnics.
• Canterbury is a student town, with University of Kent and other universities and schools packed in and around town.