Canterbury Tales

We got to wake up ridiculously early yesterday to head out on our long drive to Dover Castle! The countryside we drove through was really beautiful, and entirely green. I kept waiting to see this huge castle come into view at any moment, but it never came. Instead, upon hitting the city limits of Dover, we were engulfed in a massive fog for miles around! I'm sure they piped it in from somewhere for effect. It was like out of a movie! Jokes were exchanged about accidentally driving off the White Cliffs of Dover. But low and behold, emerging from the mist...

Dover Castle!

Once again, due to the unique way that our itinerary is structured, we had to make a mad dash about the castle to see what we wanted. Dr. Facinelli highly encouraged seeing the Secret Wartime Tunnels underneath the castle first, since that takes the longest, and then branch off to see other parts of the castle. We got great views along the way in trying to find the wartime tunnels, and even caught a glimpse of the ocean (people kept trying to see France across the channel. It was a thick fog. You can see the problem with this).

One of the guard outfits and an entrance to the tunnels!

The Secret Wartime Tunnels were utilized in WWII for Operation Dynamo, and the people at Dover tried to re-create this effect by adding some educational videos and audio for us to see as we traversed the tunnels. It was an incredibly cool experience, and we got to see what life would have been like for the soldiers of the time, running deep underground! Luckily, someone glanced at their watch while we were about mid-way through our tour and discovered we were way past our meeting time! At some heckling from Dr. Facinelli, out tour guide wrapped up the tunnels and we sprinted back up the hill to our coach.

The fog! We got to see the exterior of the castle, mostly.

Although the Wartime Tunnels were very exciting to see, I was kind of disappointed that our tour ran over and we couldn't see the rest of the castle. I love architecture, and it would have been wonderful to see a real, live castle! But I got my fill of architecture at our next destination, Canterbury Cathedral!

The gates and the first tower!

We arrived to some gorgeous weather and got some lunch in the square outside the cathedral. Luckily, we were allowed a free-for-all tour of the cathedral on our own, so there was nothing to worry about in terms of seeing what I wanted to see! I'm a sucker for the gothic style, and Canterbury was definitely drool-worthy.

Check that vaulting

The site of Thomas Beckett's gruesome murder and the shrine to him that Henry destroyed

Stained glass!

Edward, the Black Prince's tomb and the altar

Some scenic outside shots in the cloisters!

Overall, a wonderful visit. The area was packed with tourists and the dreaded French teenagers, but we all had a good time. The coach ride home was long, but I got two seats to myself and slept on the bus. The rest of the night was spent finishing our readings and writings, and preparing to pack for our last day in London!