Anglophile Friday - Canterbury, UK

A street scene in Canterbury

Hi blogger friends! 

Although I posted photos of our Nov/Dec England trip daily on Instagram, I know that many bloggers aren't on IG, so thought I would share some here too. I'll have to say that it was one of the best ever. We went to old favorites, but added in some places we'd not seen before, had 17 days, did a lot of walking, and enjoyed every minute of the trip, even the days we were slogging through soggy grass/mud in Avebury. I'll get to that in a later post. And because it was Christmastime, (technically Advent, but...) the whole place was decorated for Christmas. It made every place we visited even more special.

 Canterbury Cathedral, one of the sides that currently does not have scaffolding. Repairing, restoring, replacing is a huge and never-ending job in these old cathedrals, so we appreciate all that we are able to see and enjoy.

 The Canterbury War Horse
to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the First World War

I've been thinking about doing a series of blog posts on travel, including all the planning, packing list, accommodations, cost breakdown, etc. I'm not sure if anyone is interested in that, but we've learned that travel that many think is impossible is really very doable, probably far more affordable than they think, provided they are willing to prioritize. I mean, really. What's more important: eating or seeing interesting places? ;-) Actually, I'm kinda serious, but we'll discuss that another time.

Christchurch Gate

and some very interesting information HERE, which includes
the fact that the original sculpture of Christ, which had been destroyed by Puritan iconoclasts, was replaced by the current sculpture made in 1990, after a gap of 347 years!

 This is similar to the large framed photo that hangs on the wall above my desk.
The Christmas tree was not on the altar, btw. It just looks that way.

 Altar marking the spot of Thomas Becket's martyrdom
If you're not familiar with that tragic story, you can read it HERE.
He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.

Boat of Remembrance

From www.canterbury-cathedral.org

"Under an Equal Sky will bring together major new works reflecting on themes of war and remembrance and focusing in particular on the civilian casualties of war. Baldwin & Guggisberg’s use of glass as their principal medium in the exhibition is intended to reflect the fragile nature of humanity, with the symbolism of boats and empty vessels bringing to mind sadly familiar images of our times: refugees packed precariously into boats, fleeing for their lives, and migrants seeking new horizons. The context of Canterbury Cathedral – itself a place of refuge across the centuries – underpins the exhibition’s intent. Each work has been created in dialogue with the building and with its rich history and community in mind.

The works will be exhibited throughout the Cathedral building, beginning with Boat of Remembrance, an installation in the Cathedral’s Nave of 100 clear glass amphorae hanging in the shape of a ship, each one representing a year of remembrance but also underscoring the continuing consequences of war: the 22.5 million people currently seeking safety abroad as well as those still losing their lives in conflict."

 Artists Philip Baldwin and Monica Guggisberg commented: ‘The focal point of the exhibition, Boat of Remembrance, would not have been possible if it hadn’t been for the Nave roof being covered by a safety deck, giving us the perfect hanging opportunity. In some ways the restoration project has been the making of the show. The building is a World Heritage site and so it’s been a challenge – but also an honour – making pieces that work with the space.’

Isn't that incredible!

We were grateful for the privilege to see these glass installations, for the original plan was that they would be on display through November 11, but I believe it was later decided to keep them up through early January. 

On the west end of Canterbury Cathedral are the newly-installed statues of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip. There's something about the way Prince Phillip is holding that cloak that looks rather sinister to me.

 And here they are again.

 Another little street scene from Canterbury

And lest we die of starvation, we shared a piece of delicious orange cheesecake.

So these are just a few of the huge number of photos in my phone, and I've left out many photos of Canterbury because I've shown them before in other posts. There might be a Part 2 to this because, surprisingly, there's more to Canterbury than the Cathedral. :-)

ANYWAY, I hope you'll all have a great weekend. Thanks for stopping in!

Happy Anglophile Friday!

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