The cathedral is amazing.

I had a very strange epiphany here. After visiting the cathedral, I walked to the town square to find a store that sold some sort of caffinated beverage. As I approached the center of the town square, there it was… Starbucks. There is something really odd about enjoying my favorite beverage, and seeing one of the oldest cathedrals in England. It sounds lame, but for some reason, this is one of my most fond memories of my travels through the UK.

The Mother Church of the Church of England, Canterbury Cathedral was built in 602 for the coming of the first archbishop from Rome, Saint Augustine. The Cathedral is most famous for the shrine of the Christian martyr, Thomas a Becket, which attracts thousands of pilgrims each year. Unfortunately, Becket’s shrine was destroyed by Henry VIII in the 16th century, but miraculously the beautiful stained glass windows survived.