A little blurb

Good Morning everyone,
I got back from Italy last Saturday and have been really consumed in classes since. Those little trips really back homework up. But, that country was AMAZING, so it works out I think. Throughout the week we visited the Churchill War Cabinet rooms and Museum. It was the secret command centre for the war. Then, we went to Leeds Castle and Canterbury as a whole class with a coach bus.

Canterbury was incredibly uninteresting and very very cold. I am satisfied though, that now I understand why it was such a popular place. Thomas Becket was the Arch Bishop of Canterbury, and used to be good friends with Henry II. There was a falling out and the King did not like the power Becket was trying to grab, so he had him killed. He was cleaved and beat with swords by four knights sent to the Catherdral, where he was praying. Soon after, when he was buried in the building, people claimed miracles by praying over his tomb. Bam! It became the foci of Anglican religion.

Leeds Castle was a fantastic place, hardly meant to be a battle castle. In fact, it seems to have just been built to be beautiful, and the only way to cross the moat is to walk through the gardens. The gardens themselves have about five new types of ducks I've never seen before! In addition to that, there was an aviary with birds from all over the world. In the aviary I was so impressed over this talking Cockatoo that I laughed. The laugh was returned by the parrot, and I laughed again, and he laughed back! I swear I heard some rude mockery in it.

Yesterday I visited Dover, on the coast of the English Channel. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't very pretty, and it was very very cold. Turns out, Dover has a Castle. It's high up on the cliffs of Dover, overlooking the channel. Originally, a castle was built there in 1066. Many years, and additions later, brought the huge castle up to 1939. Being just over the creek from France, this castle became the command centre for Royal Navy, organizing the rescue at Dunkirk and the invasion of Normandy. Underneath the foundations of the fortress is four miles of tunnel, built first during Napoleanic war and added on to later. The tour of a section of the tunnels was amazing, and I may have seen a ghost. When I asked about ghosts he told me about a couple stories. We missed the Haunted Dover tour by a day and a few hours. Oh well, I'll have pictures later of all four of these places.

Dance clubs aren't my thing. But Callaghan's has live music that plays lots of covers to make everyone happy! None of that beat-heavy stuff. It's rock, it's twang, it's classic and southern, all through british amps, guitars and voice boxes.

Have a great Sunday,
Ben