Canterbury & Hastings

So i definitely dont like that my whole family is together because a. they are having fun without me and b. cause they are off having fun without me and as a result are not home to leave me any comments or email me! well you are all going to have to read a lot once you get back.

Besides having to get up freaking early this morning, today was amazing! We had a day trip, and although it was optional I figured it would be good to take advantage of it and go out and see more sites outside of London. We had to meet at metrogate at like 7.30--but of course got there late--to head out to Canterbury. The ride out there was about 2 hours so i got a nice nap in. Canterbury was great. First off its a really cute small town so that just fits me perfectly. Canterbury is a very significant place during Medieval history, it was a spot where the archbishop was always a very important person and especially because of Thomas Becket. But the most exciting part is that it is highly significant due to Becket who I am totally obsessed with. Which is a really funny thing to say but its because of my friend Matt. Matt and I took medieval history class together and we both loved the class. We learned about Thomas Becket and watched a ridiculously funny movie clip about him and we tried so hard to find the movie at Blockbusters so we could watch the whole thing together, but we never found it. So Matt and I would always talk about Becket together and how much we love him. here is the history behind it all--So Becket was a friend of the King of England and he placed Becket as the archbishop of Canterbury because he thought that Becket would help him in the struggle of church vs crown. But actually once Becket was appointed he didnt side with the King, which of course made the King mad and in a drunken rage he kinda ordered Becket to be killed. So four of the king's knights drove off to Canterbury to have him killed and they killed Becket off to the side of the nave (pictured with the swords). After his death he was was given status as a saint and so his body was kept in the cathedral as holy relics. As a result this has become a site for pilgrims to come and worship. Although Beckets shrine has been moved it was still so cool to be there, i was so giddy! Just to be able to have learned all about him and then to be at the place was really exciting. and plus it was an amazing cathedral, i thought it was gorgeous, i think hands down it is my favorite cathedral we have been to. A funny story of the day was when we first got to the cathedral there was a boy outside singing and playing his guitar for money and he was playing the song "When you say nothing at all" which always reminds of Laura and Matt's wedding video so I was really excited and M'kynzi and I were both singing. And he was really cute, so that was a plus. We told each other that if he was still out there when we were done that we would give him money. So afterwards when M'kynzi and I came out he was still there and I went up to give him a pound and i told him that I would only give him money if he sang that song again. So he did and we kinda just stood of to the side and listened, we felt like the biggest dorks ever, but it was fun.

Then off to Hastings--another really significant historical spot and not just for history but for the English Language too--hence thats why we went. The place that we went to was the spot of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It was a battle between the English led my King Harold against the Normans led by William. We were able to walk all around the battle site and listen to an audio guide on it (again with this new technology trend). It was such a beautiful site and really really pretty and it was really peaceful, but it was kinda ironic because it was a horrific battle site--so interesting to think about. Well the battle ended with Harold being killed and as a result the Normans took over and two months later William was crowned King of England and became known as William the Conqueror (and no longer William the Bastard). So this battle has huge historical significance because the England that we know of is heavily influenced by the Normans. We have learned a lot about this in class that the English language has borrowed numerous words from the French language because of this conquest. So it was really cool to be there--a huge spot that changed the course of history. After we walked around the battle site we walked down the little main street. It was kinda cute cause lots of the stores and pubs were called Battle or 1066--definitely marketing to the tourist visitors. After we got back on the bus and had to endure through about a 3 hour bus drive home. Luckily i slept through lots of it and listened to my ipod, so it wasnt too bad. I came home and did my laundry which is another funny story. We all know that im not very good with doing laundry--but i have done so much better the past two years. Well so i got to metro gate and loaded the washer and then couldnt remember what button to press to get the right temperature of water, so i had to press all of the buttons until the screen finally displayed cold. Then i was about to walk way and then i realized that i never even put soap in the washer! My excuse is that in this washer you have to put the soap in a little container instead of just putting it straight in with the clothes, so i think it was a little harder to remember. And the room is cramped and super hot, so i tried to get out of there quick. And then i didnt even put in enough money in the dryer to dry my clothes so i have hanging all over the room to dry. Im pretty happy though that i only had to wash clothes twice while i was here. kinda gross when you think about it, but nice since i didnt have to spend lots of money and put up with walking all the way there.

after washing my clothes i came home and lillie, cathy and i went back to the crepe place that i have been before with m'kynzi. i got a really good (and fatty) chocolate crepe. we decided to get it for take away since its cheaper and we went and sat on a bench outside. well cathy got a mixed berry crepe and it was pretty hilarious watching her eat it since it got all over her face and then she spilled it on her pants. on the way home we decided that lillie and i are going to write a biography of cathys life once she gets famous and expose all of her secrets--too funny.