today the entire Honors group set out in a doubledecker bus to Canterbury and Dover. of course, we all have to write a paper about the experience, so it isn't all fun and games, but it mostly was.
first stop: Canterbury Cathedral.
Fun Facts: the cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury (AKA head of the Catholic Church in England). it is also the famous site of the martyrdom of Thomas Becket in 1170 AD. Let's all go back in our memories to our history books and remember that name. Henry II killed him, Henry VIII desecrated his shrine. those scalywags for kings! Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury at the time of his death (Henry killed him for desagreeing with him)and he was murdered by four knights and four sword blows to the head. he could have fled but chose to stay in his church and be killed. three years later he was made a saint and Henry II walked to Canterbury with bloodied feet and was flogged by all 80 monks in the church for having done such a terrible thing to so holy a person. so goes the story.
on to the pictures!
This is the scupture at the spot he was killed. it is a cross with two blood stained swords, and the shadow of two other swords. underneath the name Thomas is written on a stone in the floor and made to look like it was written in blood (sorry for the blurriness)
This is the outside entrance to get into the abbey grounds. one boy on our trip looked at the statue in the middle and asked our professor if it was Thomas Becket. and she deadpanned back "no. it is christ" and we all laughed at him.
This picture cracks me up. it is a candle placed where the shrine to Becket used to be, with his bones and underclothes worn when he died, but that Henry VIII destroyed in the 1500s. but the candle is worth seeing - whatever
This however, is my favorite picture. these stairs have been worn down from the thousands of pilgrims from the last 1000 years (!) that have come to see the Becket shrine (or candle)
in the 1600s crazy puritans came through and smashed the stained glass windows in the cathedral, and not all of them have been replaced. the other picture is of a street in Canterbury
and then we drove to Dover.
...Which has a castle!!!! and I got to go into the castle! because I am cool like that!
Look! me in the castle! me on the drawbridge! me in the highest tower!
and then there are the views! English Channel on one side, greenery on another, and the town on the other!
there is a think white line above the roof of that building. yeah, it is France! I've seen London. I've seen France. I've seen...well nevermind what I have seen. :) Dover is only 17 miles from the French coast. isn't that amazing?
oh, and have you heard of the White Cliffs of Dover? they are talking about these:
4 comments:
Hi Kay see,
I didn't study Engulund much when I was in skool so your blog has been a reel treat. Now I feel like I know almost everything about that kuntry. As you can see I didn't study much atall.
Now seriously, sounds like you are having a great time and we are truly enjoying your educational experience. Just remember this--there is a reason it is so green and that reason falls frequently and for much of the year, coldly.
Casey, you are so cool!!! How will we ever hang out again now that you've been-gasp-in a real life castle!!!! No, seriously, I think that is too cool for wqords. A real castle! I wanna go too! I love the pic of the worn stone steps. I have read of these things many times, but since I live an a relativley newborn country, actually seeing them is pretty amazing. How many feet does it take? Just like a Tootsie Roll Pop, the world may never know.
I am not as ignorant as unca dave. I played one of the four knights that killed Becket in a high school production. Ask Margie, she knows a thing or two about high school productions and the great director we had. I guess the steps prove that stone can wear out, so that is why they don't let people climb around on stonehenge, innit. One item of curiosity. The dover cliffs are chalk, write? So can you rub a slate on them and create take out graffiti?
Okay, when you move to UK, I am going to come visit so be sure you have a place for me! Bill says, how about we and us. Okay, I'll go along with that!
We're enjoying hearing about everything but we're heading off to no civilization country for a few days. We'll check in when we rejoin.
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