In-Spired

Your modern day pilgrims have arrived in Canterbury. The trip was not without its Chaucer moments. While the journey from the Tabard Inn in Southwark had moments of hilarity, I must say the end of our journey had its fair share as well.

Our car was almost a goner. Who knew there would be another passenger with the surname Porter going to Canterbury. The imposter Porters took our vehicle but after they loaded the boot for the journey they realized it was the wrong car hire company.

When the "true" Porter party arrived, the fun began. I had communicated with the dispatcher about the bag of bags, box of bags, vestment bag, our regular bags plus the assorted electronic paraphernalia and conference materials including a five pound report on the Millennium Development Goals that is so environmentally unfriendly it makes my carbon foot print a size 4. She said not to worry.

Packing the car gave new meaning to the old clown car joke. The box of bags was in my lap for the 2.5 hour drive and Bishop had my electronics bag on his feet (that's the closest he's been to a computer in a long time).

Finally, we reached the city outskirts and visible in the distance were the Cathedral spires. They were breathtaking.

This great Cathedral built by St. Augustine in the 6th century has withstood the ravages of time including the bombs of the German Luftwaffe during World War II. I pray it survives this gathering.

It is my current fantasy that Mrs. Alexander Stewart had been a pilgrim to Canterbury and was inspired by the spires.