The tour did not start until 5:00 pm, so I had most of the day to wander Canterbury on my own. I got up early to start my explorations back at Westgate gardens, then I walked the path along the river. I wanted to visit St. Augustine's Abby and St. Martin's Church since they were not part of our tour. St. Augustine's Abby, built in 598 AD and destroyed in 1538 during the dissolution of Henry VIII, was a much larger site than I thought it would be. The audio guide was very informative. I took my time at the site and really enjoyed the visit. There were not a lot of tourists there so I almost had the place to myself. Then I headed over to St. Martin's Church. It was only about 20 minutes away by foot. I discovered when I arrived that it was closed on Monday, but would be open on Tuesday until 3:00 pm. I hope to come back tomorrow during my free time.St. Martin's Church is the oldest parish church in continuous use and the oldest church in the English-speaking world! It was the private chapel of Queen Bertha of Kent and dates back to 580 AD.I headed back towards Canterbury Cathedral and enjoyed looking in the shop windows and took pictures of the old city wall. There were several window displays dedicated to Queen Elizabeth's birthday. I headed back to the Abode hotel where I met our tour group at 5:00 pm.Once we were all gathered and met our tour guide, Roy Nichols, we had introductions, took a brief walking tour of Canterbury, then headed to Deeson's, a local restaurant for our first group dinner. Everyone is so pleasant and friendly. This is going to be a great tour! (Be sure to click on the picture for full-size view, then use arrows to navigate.)