Leeds Castle

Our final day together is at Leeds Castle in Kent, just a short drive from Canterbury. Already we have said farewell to Peter, Judy and Marcus in Paris, now we say goodbye to Hume, Paul and Helen as they set off very early for London. Ruth decides not to join us for the excursion, so she remains at the hotel in order to prepare for her trip to York.

We enjoy our guided tour of the castle with our local guide, Ali, she is a delight and like our other guides throughout the trip, very knowledgable and helpful. We have time to visit the magnificient castle gardens but most of us spend precious time in the warm cafe away from the biting wind.

We say goodbye to Laureen who is off to Perth, Jim and Jenny off to Ireland all flying out of Heathrow. The remaining pilgrims press on to Gatwick airport. We swing by the railway station at Maidstone to enable Rebecca and Tig to catch a fast train to London, they will spend a few days in the capital and attend a family wedding before returning home. Steve, Raylene and Di are hiring a car and travelling in the south of England, Robert and Jill also are soon at the car hire counter alongside Ray, Glenys, Robyn and Hilary. The latter group are going to share a holiday together in Cornwall, the former are not travelling far, catching up with family- Robert's brother tomorrow celebrating his birthday and then their son in Windsor.

We leave Robert and Jillian on the coach who alone are making the Emirates flight out of Gatwick at 9.20pm tonight, they will be stopping over at Dubai for a couple of days. It has been a wonderful pilgrimage and a fabulous group of people who have cared for one another and enjoyed each others company. Most of us will be looking forward to some time out after our busy schedule.

            Scenes around Leeds Castle

Canterbury Tales - 2015

A full English breakfast is always a great start to the day, we have a big program of events so we will need plenty of stamina. It's a fair walk from our beautiful lodgings outside the town centre of Canterbury to the Cathedral, we are off to explore the ancient church by guided tour. We are broken into two groups and agree to meet outside the Anselm Chapel to connect with the Director of Choristers and Cathedral Organist, Dr David Flood. Our guides tell the story of the growth of Christianity in this place from the mission of St Augustine and his group of 40 monks in 597 AD. We hear of the murder of St Thomas a'Becket, the grizzly story that comes alive in this place. We enter the Crypt to explore the oldest parts of the building some dating back to medieval time.

We are on a mission ourselves to find memorials of three Archbishops - Anselm, Crichele and Mepham. Although Judy Read is no longer with our group we promised to find the memorial for her ancestor, Archbishop Henry Crichele, which turns out to be elaborate and quite spectacular. Hilary Viney is on the lookout for her ancestor Archbishop Simon Mepham and his tomb is found, much to our amazement, right there along the wall of the St Anselm Chapel. St Anselm has been our focus for the last sixteen days and it is good for the pilgrims to finally step ino the little chapel where his body lay under the ancient stones. A modern marble altar stands as the focus of the chapel, it was given in recent years by the Archbishop of Aosta, Anselm's birthplace, and we will learn more about it when we meet Canon Chris Irvine later in the day. The Chapel also contains some modern depictions, in stained glass, of Anselm and his contemporaries.

We meet Dr David Flood and begin our second guided tour, this time focusing on the organs, choristers and music of the Cathedral. David has been in his role since 1988 and he expresses enormous enthusiasm for the work he does and for the projects still at hand, particularly a massive rebuild of the cathedral organ. He takes us to the organ loft where we have a most amazing and commanding view of the whole Cathedral building. We are privileged to hear him play and demonstrate the qualities of the present organ. Robert Heatley, who has organised this part of the tour, is in his element, loving every minute. We are taken to the nave where David plays the smaller nave organ and we gather on the steps of the chancel for a group photo.

Time now for a bit of lunch and to explore Canterbury in the sunshine before our next appointment with  Canon Chris Irvine who is the Diocesan Education Officer. Chris leads us back to the St Anselm Chapel and focuses his talk on the modern marble altar, which we learn is the work of Stephen Cox and the remakable fact that the hill like shapes and snow capped mountains abstracted in the marble were a surprise even to the artist, but are so like the view we had from our hotel to the mountains across the road when we began this pilgrimage back in Aosta.

We have just a little bit of time to shop or take coffee or explore the Cathedral and the town before Evensong and it is a delight to see Dr Flood, Canon Irvine and the boys and men of the Cathedral Choir all in action. It is Monday night and the Quire is full of visitors including our group. We return to our hotel for a final eucharist, a freshen up and then off to dinner at Thomas Beckett Pub. The pilgrims have completed their journey and have plenty of tales to tell of their journey to Canterbury.

Canterbury

Today the pilgrims are off to our destination and the centre of England's spirituality- Canterbury. Unlike our hero Anselm we are making the journey from the Continent via Eurostar at around 250 kph!

We have a quick bus trip to Gare du Nord (Paris), leaving Judy and Peter at the hotel, they will be continuing their holiday in Holland and Germany in coming days. Marcus has also left the group and returned to Switzerland for work. 

So the remaining 20 in the group say farewell to Pernille our wonderful French Guide and check in and do the immigration, border control. Soon we are smoothly rolling and several pilgrims are able take a nap, others read or play cards. The journey to Ashford International takes just two hours, but with the time zone adjustment it's 11am as we make our way out of the station.

We meet our coach and enjoy a 30 minute drive to our hotel in misty rain, hopefully the weather will clear and as we enter the outskirts of the city the sun breaks through and the driver turns off the windscreen wipers. We are too early to check in to our rooms but a complimentary drink resolves any of our concerns. We head for the town centre and a bite to eat.

Evensong is at 3.15pm so there is a bit of time to explore the Cathedral grounds before the Service. There are about 300 people at the Service and our group receives a special welcome from the Dean at the beginning. To quote Hume "the music is simply stunning" the organ and choir lead us in a most memorable way. The misty rain is returning so we agree that this is a good time to visit the Canterbury Tales attraction, a simple but graphic depiction of Chaucer's stories about pilgrims making their way to Canterbury in the early 1300s. It's a bit of fun and by the time we are finished the rain has gone. It's now time to return to our hotel Abbot's Barton about a 10 minute walk away to settle into our rooms before dinner.

Dinner is at Parrot Pub, the oldest pub in the town dating back to the Chaucer era. We have a large table and the whole upper floor in this incredible medieval building, even the food on the table slides a bit, such is the slope on the floor. Most of us enjoy a two or three course meal and sample the local refreshments. It's been sixteen days of solid travel, lots of tales to tell on our pilgrimage, and tomorrow we will focus on being in Canterbury.

Two busy days in Paris - Day 1

Today begins with a lesson from Tour Guide, Pernille, on using the Metro and a bus trip whisking us through Friday morning traffic to the Musee d'Orsay. As predicted there is already a queue to get in but it is not too long before we are inside enjoying this wonderful building - a recycled train station containing some of the world's greatest pieces of art. The  group soon divides into several parties and some realise that they are not going to see much in the time available so they opt to stay on for the day. Most head straight for the Impressionist galleries and are thankful for what we have learned from Ian Gutheridge's DVD on the coach and our visit to Giverny.

The rest of the group are soon wandering through the Tuilleries Gardens and decide to stop and enjoy a leisurely coffee. Steve and Pernille head for the Apple Store to attempt to resolve his mobile phone problems. The  Champs Elysee is our next experience and we walk to the Arc de Triomphe noting where the Lido nightclub is for our visit tonight. We return to the Metro exploring our way to Montmartre to visit the working artists, enjoy French Onion soup for lunch and to spend some tiime around Sacre Coeur. 

Most of the group take up the option for soup and bread for lunch and to stroll among the vibrant community of artists in the village. It is very busy with tourists and the lunchtime throng. Our  visit to the wonderful Basilica of Sacre Coeur was a great experience made even better as we are able to listen to the fine organ and a mass in progress with the strong clear voice of a nun.

Two busy days in Paris - Day 2

Pernille greets us bright and early in the hotel lobby keen to get us early in the queue for our visit to Sainte Chappelle, as it turns out the bus has no traffic problems we arrive to be first in the queue and time to take a coffee at the corner cafe. The chapel is one of the highlights of our trip, it has been recently restored and we are lucky once again that there is no scaffolding and we benefit from the whole structure having been freshly cleaned. The stained glass windows are, to use our guide's words, "a pure marvel". 

On our way to Notre Dame Cathedral we are given 10 minutes to have a wander in the flower market such an amazing array of plants, building on the Giverny experience, we have even grander ideas for Jim, Jenny and the St Silas Garden Group.

The queue to enter the Cathedral quickly disappears and we are inside this great medieval church, that was started in the 13th Century.  We have plenty of time to explore the multitude of chapels to wonder at the construction, the windows, the decor all amongst hundreds of tourists.

Boarding the metro we make our way to the station of St Paul where we have time for lunch and then a walking tour of an area known at La Mahais. It was delightful with its shopping precinct and stately homes gathered around a beautiful grassy square. The home of Victor Hugo was here. Once the homes of the aristocracy returning to Paris  after the days of the monarchy in Versailles.

Back on the subway again we make our way to Trocadero and the Eiffel Tower and the obligatory photo opportunities before making a quick dash to board the boat for our river cruise on the Seine. It is a glorious Saturday afternoon and we all enjoy relaxing on the top deck watching Paris go by and resting our weary feet.

We disembark and stroll towards the bus stop passing large crowds of people sitting on grassed area all watching on a large outdoor screen Raffael Nadal playing at Roland Garros nearly in the French Tennis Open which is on at present.

As we conclude our River Cruise, and this is the last time the majority of the group will be together we thank Pernille for a week of fantastic tour guiding and we present her with a beautiful pure cashmere scarf and an envelope of tips. She has been superb.

Tonight is free time and the group disperses into small groups to find an evening meal and prepare for our next day travelling from Paris to Canterbury via Eurostar.

Giverny, Versailles & Paris

We depart Rouen bright and early for a day of art and culture at Monet's garden in Giverny and later in the day to the Palace of Versailles where for a century the French monarchy called this place home.  It was a delight to be driven along small country roads in the early morning and we watch a DVD by Ian Gutheridge on Impressionist painting. 

We arrive at Giverny mid morning and have nearly three hours to explore the house, the garden, the water lillies in the Japanese Garden and of course the gift shop. Stepping into this garden is like stepping into a Monet painting and the experience was enjoyed by everyone. There is much talk to revitalise and revamp the church garden after this, Jim just smiles. We take a quick snack in Giverny and are on our way to Versailles, which is not far from Paris. 

Thirteen members of our group desire to visit the main Palace with our guide, Pernille and the other 10, including Ray, visit the small palace called 'Petit Trianon' given to Marie Antoinette to be used as her own palace. She loved this place and became almost a recluse living in this house and away from the main Palace. She also built a hamlet for her farm animals, not far away and this is gradually being restored. This was a delight to visit with its quaint farm buildings of wattle and daub, small lake and fish and a variety of animals.

So both groups were very busy with their time and back on the bus there was much swapping of stories about all our experiences.

Reaching our Hotel next to Gare de Lyon through the crazy Parisienne traffic we thank our driver, Isam, appreciating his skill and care for us over the past 6 days, since leaving Italy.

After prayers we take a short walk to the Cafe Barjot for a 3 course meal. We all have enjoyed an outstanding day and are pleased that we can return to our hotel and put our feet up in preparation for the first of two full days in Paris.

Bec Abbey and Rouen

What a beautiful day to be driving along a narrow country road in our comfortable coach. Often we have to make room on the road for large farm vehicles. Well done Isam (our driver) who seems to cope with such things like a breeze.There is a lot of gasping and ooing and aahing about the local landscape - farmhouses and villages and rural scenery. Many of the buildings have been constructed in wood and daub with thatched roof - this is particular to Normandy.  Often a row of irises can be seen growing along the top ridge of the house (could be the next garden group project at St Silas!).

We arrive just in time for our organised tour with Fr Mark who is one of the Benedictine community at the Monastery in Bec. He is proud to tell us something of its history and renowned occupants including our hero, St Anselm. Fr Mark has a delightful sense of humour and we enjoy his commentary translated beautifully by our guide Pernille.

After the tour we gather in the garden and offer our prayers and the Canticle of St Anselm together in the brilliant sunshine.

We are off to Rouen, not too far away for lunch in the Cathedral square, prior to our guided tour of the Cathedral inside and out. This is the place where Claude Monet sat for months on end to paint the light as it fell on the intricate and fantastic facade of this great Cathedral. The  actual building where he set up his easel at the time (then a lingerie shop) still stands. 

Inside among the many interesting features is the monument to Richard the Lionheart which apparently actually houses the late King's heart! We are fortunate that a massive scaffold has just been removed from the facade of the Cathedral. At the side of the Cathedral Helen and others are particularly intrigued to see the peal of bells in the process of being removed from the Bell Tower - we presume for renovation.

We take a short walk through the fabulous old city centre with its cobblestone road, numerous buskers and wonderful mediaeval buildings, including an ancient clock - the first in the city.  We arrive at the place Joan of Arc was burned at the stake, where now a Church and memorial commemorates her life.  This modern church is quite spectacular and proves that good design can be both modern and beautiful.

We check in at our Rouen hotel and prepare for dinner.

Mont Saint Michel

The team gathers as usual on time and heads on the journey. Today's destination is a small island off the Normandy coast called Mont Saint Michel. About 1400 years ago a Benedictine monastery was established on this rocky outcrop, the story goes that the local Bishop had a vision of St Michael telling him he must build a church there. Eventually he built a small chapel and the monastic community grew and grew. 

The Benedictines have had a topsy turvy existence on this site but despite this it is amazing what they have built. Words can hardly do justice to describe this amazing place so let's use some extra pics to tell the story.

On our return journey we say prayers on the coach and many are inspired to go in search of galettes and crepes for our dinner back in Caen.

Bayeux and the Normandy beaches

Today has a more relaxing start with the coach rolling off at 10 am to Bayeux. Several of us take advantage of the pleasant morning to make a quick visit to the local Castle, once the home in Caen of William the Conqueror. We also visit the adjacent church of St Peter which was heavily bombed during WW2. 

Bayeux is only about half an hour's drive, or as Pernille calls it "a short hour" away. Our first stop is the famous Bayeux Tapestry, after queuing for our tickets and headsets we are able to enjoy the commentary and this remarkable piece of mediaeval art. This was apparently commissioned by the Normans to explain William's victory at the Battle of Hastings. We learn that this embroidery/tapestry is really a political comic strip of its time. After our tour we enjoy the film that further explains many of the scenes of the tapestry. The group are of one accord that we love this experience and show our appreciation appropriately in the gift shop.

After lunch and exploring the beautiful village of Bayeux and its wonderful Cathedral we board the coach and head for the Normandy beaches, and in particular the US Cemetary at Omaha beach. There is  a lot to see and do here exploring various sites, the memorial, the Visitors' Centre and the thousands of graves, the chapel and the magnificent gardens. 

Now we move further along the beach to Pointe du Hoc which was the vital place held by the Germans but strategically the turning point of the Second World War with the invasion of Europe after the Americans managed to capture this stronghold. There is no doubt that the Germans stationed here had nowhere to hide. The landscape still bears the scars of a massive bombardment.

So today has been about battles, Hastings and the Second World War. We reflect on these things as together we offer our prayers back at the Hotel in Caen.

Caen via Chartres

Today is Sunday and Ray has arranged to celebrate the Eucharist in the bar complete with black and white, very French, furnishings in our hotel lounge. Most of the group make the early start, we move quickly because our first stop of the day is just down the road at the Beaune Hospice.

This turns out to be one of the great surprises of our pilgrimage so far. The flamboyant hospice, the Hotel Dieu, is a masterpiece dated from the 15th Century. More than just a decorative building this was a charitable institution that provided hospital care for all stratas of society and at the same time produced rare wine to provide funds for the hospital. People come from all over the world to look at the architecture and to appreciate its decor and magnificent rare art including the altarpiece - 'The Polyptych' by Roger van der Weyden. What a fantastic start to another big day of driving.

Our next main stop is not until after lunch at Chartres. We had taken lunch at an autogrill along the way nevertheless we are very pleased to stretch our legs and walk through this beautiful city to the Cathedral. Our guide, Pernille, has organised an audio set for each of us and she is able to take us on a guided tour around the Cathedral. Today is a busy day as it is part of a long weekend in France so there are lots of tourists. The Cathedral is undergoing major restoration work and so a good deal of the interior is under scaffold. Nevertheless we can see how the restoration is progressing and it will surely be an amazing building, soaring columns and the best stained glass in the world. Towards the end of our visit we are able to sit for a few minutes and listen to a large choir singing Bach.

Now it is getting late in the afternoon and it is time to push on to our destination the City of Caen in Normandy.  On the way the group listens to relevant stories of William the Conqueror and how his success in battle is depicted in the Bayeux tapestry. Ruth gives an address and Peter follows with some interesting relevant comments and then recites, beautifully and impressively, a poem about the Battle of Hastings. This is met with a rousing ovation in the coach. Arriving at Caen and our hotel we are met by Marcus Alexander the 23rd and final member of our group. We quickly freshen up and go down to dinner at a nearby local restaurant. 

Aosta to Beaune via Lyon

Today is one of our big driving days, but first we must wait for the arrival of our French bus. The well trained pilgrims gather in front of the Hotel and the coach appears on time much to the relief of our Group Leader.

Soon  we are making the gradual ascent through many lengthy tunnels towards the French border and the foothills of the mountains. Mont Blanc towers above the highway over 11,000metres high, it and the numerous other snow capped peaks are simply breath-taking. The tunnels and bridges that traverse this part of the world are engineering masterpieces.

We enjoy a DVD "France beyond Paris" by Ian Gutheridge which helps the rest of the morning and our journey to the great city of Lyon. After dropping one of our two drivers at the train station and negotiating with the other driver who spoke no English we head for our destination of the Cathedral. This is not so easy we discover for our non English speaking driver also has no idea about traffic movements in the city and how to ascend the mountain to the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral of Lyon.

Happily we make contact with our local guide, Nicholas, and meet him at the bottom of the mountain and he is able to guide the driver. After a quick lunch we begin the tour of this amazing Cathedral. We began by touring the massive crypt which carried themes of sin, heaviness and darkness. It is brilliantly done because the architecture and art are perfectly matched.

The main church is extraordinary. Every inch is decorated with meaningful windows, stories of 2,000 years of Christianity, murals in Murano glass and tiles depicting some of the great events of church history. The artisans knew a great deal about the careful use of colour and gold highlights. It is hard to tear ourselves away from the Cathedral and the magnificent view we have from the lookout.

Our drive to Beaune is uneventful and pleasant, we arrive with a few minutes for some of the group to explore the town, they bring back to dinner reports of a delightful village. We all enjoy a raucous evening, great French cuisine and a drop or two of the local specialty!

After dinner there is time to explore the town on foot, but we wish we could stay longer...how often have we had that thought in the past week?