Swords

We had planned a day trip to Calais, but ferries and strikes (in France) were against us, so it was . . . 


. . . a bus trip to Canterbury. From Hythe to Canterbury is a meandering, scenic journey through the Kent countryside and slightly more urban areas. It is enjoyable and far better than driving and trying to park, especially as it is free for us. 

We had thought to follow a Dickens route through the city, but in the end decided to bite the bullet and pay the exorbitant ticket price to go to the Cathedral. We have been once before, but a long time ago*. We got as far as the entrance last year, but the cost and the number of people put us off. Today we paid (getting a slight discount because of our English Heritage Membership) and went in. 

What a great time to go - there was hardly anyone around. It was so quiet that the Volunteers were quite bored and eager to talk. The atmosphere in the crypt, the oldest part of the Cathedral, was wonderful - such a quiet, peaceful place to sit and ponder about the number of people who have passed through. My blip is of course the site of the Martyrdom of St Thomas Becket in the north-west transept. This dramatic sculpture was installed in 1986, the work of Giles Blomfield of Truro - swords with reddened tips. 

We had a lovely lunch and returned on a different bus and by a different route! 


* I thought our previous visit was a long time ago - then I found this.