Leeds Castle and Canterbury

Today I went to Leeds Castle and Canterbury. I did not sleep very well last night, partially because we can't control the heat in our room and partially because some of my flatmates decided to have a loud discussion in the hallway outside my room at 4:30am. So getting up at 7:45am was not fun.

The bus ride to Leeds Castle took about 2 hours. The castle and the grounds were beautiful. Unfortunately, we had to pay for an audio tour, but it was pretty good.

Leeds Castle

The Moat and Millhouse of Leeds Castle

Katie with Leeds Castle

Steve and Meg in front of the Castle Grounds
Leeds Castle (It's built on 2 islands.)

Castle Grounds and lots of ducks

Leeds Castle

Leeds Castle Garden

Leeds Castle Garden
Loch Ness Monster

Pretty Castle Grounds

Make Way for Ducklings

Pretty flowers

There was a maze in the garden. We only had 20 minutes to spend, and Katie had a theory that if you put your hand on one side of the wall and do not remove it, then you will eventually make it out of the maze. We were in the maze for about 10 minutes, and we wanted to get out. Finally, we made it out the way we came in, so we're not sure if the theory worked or not.

Katie, Meg, and Steve leading us through the maze
Me worried about the maze. (PS The maze was very Harry Potter Book 4 -ish. Minus the monsters.)

The lady of the house at Leeds Castle had a bird obsession, so there was an aviary, too.

Very, very loud bird.

Another bird.

We left Leeds Castle and it took us over an hour to get to Canterbury. Traffic was horrible and we were starving by the time we arrived. So our first stop in Canterbury was a pub called The Seven Stars and I had delicious fish and chips. We walked around the town a little and checked out Canterbury Cathedral.

This is a building in downtown Canterbury that looks like it could tip over. Our tour guide assured us that it has been inspected and will not tip over. I'm not so sure...

Entrance to Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral (It's huge and wouldn't fit in the picture.)

Carvings above the opening door to Canterbury Cathedral

Indoor arches


Pretty Stained-Glass Window

Pretty Stained-Glass Window 2

Saint Anselm! (Bridget may appreciate this picture.)

"This candle burns where the shrine of St. Thomas of Canterbury stood from 1220 to 1538 when it was destroyed by order of King Henry VIII."

The bus ride home took forever because we hit a lot of traffic. I fell asleep for half the ride, though, so that was nice.

I'm not sure what's going on tonight, but I might take a power nap if we decide to go out.