Dover

Birthday lunch 2 - this time for Jemma. 

We went to Canterbury, to a vegan cafe (because Jemma is a vegan), so I decided to use the Wincheap park & ride. For those who don't know the area, Wincheap is an area of Canterbury. It's just outside the city walls and about 1.5 miles on the park & ride bus to Whitefriars shopping centre, the only place the bust stops after leaving the parking area. Today though the road from the parking site to town is blocked by roadworks, as we set off the bus diverted onto the A2 - the main road from the M2, past Canterbury and on to the coast. Two ladies sitting opposite me were clearly concerned that the bus seemed to be heading away from Canterbury, one leant over and asked me where the bus was going. I pulled on my best "I am a credible person to ask such important questions" face and said

"Dover"

Oh my, I wish that I'd have been able to photograph their faces. 

I relented and explained that the road was closed so we were going the other way round - it's an extra five miles.

The cafe was brilliant and I cannot recommend the food highly enough, they have sites in the London too. Check the extras for some shots of the food and the menu - I had veggie korma.

Then a mooch around Canterbury, the weather wasn't great and it added to a sense that the town is suffering. The bigest retailer (by space) in the twon centre was Debenhams and that's boarded up, so is Nansons, an independent department store that had a big footprint on the High Street. The town lost a great deal of income and footfall when European schools stopped spending time at local English language schools. 

So, you've got a shot of the Christ Church gate - newly refurbished. Doesn't it look smart?