Garden Party, Canterbury, and Dover

The garden party went well. Tea, champagne, and sunshine make for a nice afternoon. The weather's been cooperating recently. No more rain. Just enough cloud cover to give us a pleasant temp with a cool breeze. Hope it holds out. We'll probably pay for it next week. We went to Canterbury today, a bustling town from which Chaucer's famous Canterbury Tales takes its name. The town hosts an abundance of fine restaurants (Strada serves fantastic Italian) and the famous Canterbury Cathedral, quite possibly the largest church I've ever seen. Colossal stain glass windows, elegant Norman arches, and cavernous chambers that could swallow a modest cathedral like St. Patrick's and still have room for its usual congregation. 12th century architecture is mindblowing. To think they could make such gargantuan structures, which were in and of themselves works of art, with such limited technology is nothing short of amazing. Nothing today can compare. After we toured the cathedral we went to Dover Castle on the coast. The castle was used as a military fort during WWII and there are still a number of anti-aircraft batteries stippling the perimeter. The view from the castle is beautiful. France is just 22 miles off the coast, on the other side of the channel. Below the grassy hills surrounding the structure is the sprawl of a modest port city. The waters are clear and serene and the white cliffs of Dover loom in the distance, great chalky masses that have been eroded over the years by the unwavering force of nature. Not much on the schedule for this evening. We had dinner at Browns, a nice restaurant up the street. Probably going to go to bed early. Had a late night last night, and tomorrow we're off to London.