A Definition of the Middle Ages

The Middle Ages conveys images of heavily armed knights jousting, minstrels playing instruments in a noble court, tall castles with thick walls, Gothic cathedrals with lofty ceilings soaring high above the nave, peaceful monasteries echoing with polyphonic chant, wheat fields attended by poorly clad peasants armed with scythes, and crowded city streets where narrow timber framed buildings almost lean against each other.  Important rituals involved visual, audible and olfactory elements, like the mass with colorful vestments, ringing bells, plainchant, and incense. 

Herr Kristan von Hamle is raised by his lover (Codex Manesse, Early 14th Century, Heidelberg)

The Dover - Calais Ferry

In 2014 we drove from Flemish Brabant in Belgium to Canterbury in Great Britain, via Calais and the P&O Ferry service. The first couple hours of the trip were not so spectacular, just the normal heavy traffic and steady flow of trucks on the E40 as we crossed the plains of Flanders. Just north of Calais we found the massive ferry terminal with miles of check-in booths and lanes for boarding, most of which were occupied by hundreds of semi-trucks from all over Europe. The atmosphere was that of a truck stop combined with the international duty free character of an airport. Once we checked in and showed our passports, we were directed to Lane 220 for the next sailing, which was in an hour.

Trucks lining up for the Ferry to Dover, 2014