Canterbury: Funky Paradise

Canterbury Abode Hotel entrance - #1 in my book

After I wrote the post on Canterbury exposing the things I didn't like about it, I felt bad, disappointed in myself for not liking it more. Like a lot of places, it isn't perfect but it really isn't all bad either. I spent two days there and I did like a lot of things. As I said earlier, I loved the Abode Hotel. Information can be found here


Of course after I raved about it, I got a message from the hotel that they didn't like me posting one of their employees with a thumbs up on tripadvisor. I don't know what to say about that. Where is their sense of humor?

If you want a small town feel, medieval charm and a great place for walking, Canterbury can't be beat. I also loved the funky feel of the place. From the musician singing and playing for spare change to the Third Eye tattoo and body piercing shop, Canterbury is as much a 60s throwback as it is a medieval tourist destination.

Tattoo and body piercing shop

Street musician

Street vendors

Canterbury is also pretty famous for its graffiti, so this will be a graffiti post. Have not done one in a while. The following photos are compliments of Canterbury Bombs

No post would be complete without an architectural detail or two, so here goes.

Funky door stop

Rooftop of the Prezzo Building in Canterbury

Canterbury: Mixed Review

Sarah & Liam in Canterbury 

I have mixed feelings about Canterbury, England, which I visited after my Barcelona to Dover cruise. On the one hand, it was great to see my niece Sarah and meet her boyfriend. On the other, the town was just so so. I adored the Abode Hotel and was welcomed like a princess and loved my room. Hats off to the Abode Canterbury!

Abode Hotel Canterbury staff including Nick, Housekeeping Manager

Cute shops many from London

There are plenty of cute shops as well, but the amount of cigarette butts and dirt and garbage on the street surprised me. Add the weather, which nobody can do anything about ... it was just so windy, it made it hard to enjoy walking around. The Marks and Spencer's was a real plus, what a store! My niece took me there for the first time, and I went back three times during my two day stay. Got hooked on the bacon sandwiches. There is nothing like bacon in the UK. It is delicious.

Canterbury Cathedral from outside gates

Square by Cathedral gates

The Canterbury Cathedral was not at all what I expected. It was nice, but not really to my liking. Maybe I have been spoiled by all the gorgeous Cathedrals in Italy that I have visited. It seemed very sparse and plain. 


The town itself has a travel agency, where the staff were actually rude to me when I walked in to inquire about tours. I walked in behind two women and the man said, "Picked up somebody, did you?" And the women turned up their noses and said in unison, "She is not with us." And the three of them began to laugh. Obviously I left without booking a tour. 


There was a street musician who was quite good.

Street musician

Of course the highlight of my time in Canterbury was the few hours I got to spend with Sarah and Liam. It had been three years since I had seen my niece, so it was worth it to go.

My niece Sarah

Highlights: family and the Abode Hotel
Lows: Canterbury Cathedral & the town itself