Has anyone been to Canterbury?

[loira]

Hi all, I normally post a little bit over on GP *waves to blushing *. Am Canadian, living with my American H in London (4 years and counting) and before that, Korea. I've also lived (by myself) in France and Brazil. Pleased to meet you!

Has anyone been to Canterbury? H and I are going for a minibreak (2 nights) just before Christmas, and I'm hoping to get some recommendations on what to do aside from wander the pretty streets drinking mulled wine.

This might be a bit of a post and run, apologies in advance.

[Wanderista]

Hi there, I went to Canterbury on a day trip which I did feel was sufficient and enjoyable. 

I went to the cathedral which was spectacular. I remember that taking a while. I also walked around some Roman ruins and walls. I did the standard walking around in the scenic city center and looking around at all the cute architecture. I also went to a pub on the "main drag". I couldn't tell you for the life of me which pub it was, but it was a standard enjoyable gastropub that had historic decor. I'm pretty sure I had dinner there. It was typical of most historic pubs in smaller cities outside of London. 

I was with some British academics so they were the types to look at all the ruins and then about 4 pm say, "Ok, time to start drinking until we have to run to the last train of the night." I enjoyed my visit though and I would go again.

It was definitely worth a day trip and is quite quaint. It's a bit of a change of pace from London. I think it's a good idea to get out to some of the various cities and towns that are outside of London. I definitely have done that and did not regret doing so.

I see from your post that you will be there for two days. If you like reading, perhaps you could try reading the Canterbury Tales. I'd like to do that actually. There may be activities that you can do related to that. I also see that there is a Roman museum. I'm not sure that I actually went to the museum. Now I have an excuse to someday go back. 

There is also St. Augustine's Abbey, I have a feeling that I did see that.

There also appears to be theatre, so it might be worth looking into that if it interests you. The city is home to the University of Kent-Canterbury which may also have cultural activities. Here is a link to the website for their cinema/theatre: Gulbenkian
I can't attest to what that is like but it's an idea. 

There is probably more to the city than I saw and there is likely the opportunity to explore. It may also be a good opportunity to relax.

[blushing]

Hi! Welcome to the board! I have not been to Canterbury so no advice, sorry. (This board is quite a bit slower than the GP board, but that's because we have fewer members spread across many time zones)

[loira]

No worries, I appreciate all the advice, everyone! Wanderista I saw that they had a Roman museum, I'll be sure to check it out and let you know if it's worth a trip back for you. I don't mind if the pace is a lot slower than London - it'll do me good. I'm pretty burnt out this year because I've had practically no hols since I a) changed jobs and b) ended up having emergency surgery on our last holiday. jamaicam, we won't have a car, but I have heard the countryside is pretty. We will definitely check out the cathedral.

[mrsukyankee]

loira - welcome to London (a long time coming) - would love to meet up! There's a ton of us in London.

[stever]

We went there 2.5 years ago. We were only there for 24 hours but we really liked it.

We stayed here. Very nice and very central. The cathedral's beautiful and the town is gorgeous with lots of pubs and cafes - uni town, after all.

[loira]

mrsukyankee, thanks! Let me know when the next meetup is and I'll try to make it.

stever, that place was one of our considerations - we're staying at another B&B though, called the White House. I'm glad everyone's given Canterbury good reviews so far. We'll definitely go see the Cathedral. Am also planning to brush up on my Chaucer before we go.