York

I am working on this post as I am sipping a coffee and watching the trains roll in and pull out of York Station. I have had a lovely stay in York and it is a city that I could visit again.   

I know that there are going to be ups and downs while travelling solo. So far my spirits are still pretty high and I am enjoying this adventure. Being a homebody, I do miss home. I miss my family and friends. I miss eating properly all the time (although I really am doing my best). I enjoy all of the learning that is happening. I love all of the walking that I am doing. I feel happy that I am able to navigate on my own and get to where I want to be (although this has been so much easier with my cell, gsp, and a data plan). I have loved running by the rivers of each of the places I have visited so far. I am looking forward to being in one spot (London) for a week and am also feeling a bit apprehensive about navigating London. Before I head there though, I am on my way to Manchester for two nights and then Gloucester, in the Cotswolds, for two nights. Europe is approaching ever closer and I really have no plans for what I will do there and where I will go but I will have some time in London to sort out at least the beginning of that part of my trip.   

I arrived in York on Thursday afternoon after a lovely train journey. I felt like I was going to like this city as soon as I got off of the train. The walk to my bed and breakfast was about 2.5k and was mainly along the River Ouse. I stayed on the top floor (3 flights up) in a large Victorian home, which I later found out would have been the servants quarters. I threw my stuff down and went for a walk to the city centre. City Sightseeing Bus tours always help me to get the lay of the land and so I hopped on one from Exhibition Square and took off. The guide was an elderly man who did not stop talking the entire hour long tour. He was so informative about so many things. He reminded me of a history professor. Obviously, the guide loved the history of York, the city itself, and, as mentioned by him frequently, did not love the architecture of the 1960s.   

York's history includes Romans, Saxons, and Vikings (the name York comes from the Norse Jorvik). York is a haunted city. It boasts being haunted by over 100 different ghosts. There are, therefore, a number of ghost walks. This is something that I have wanted to participate in for a little while but I am still working up the nerve to do so.   

Having completed the bus tour, I strolled around the city centre on my own. York is a very easy city to navigate and is extremely pedestrian friendly. There is a wonderful open air market in the centre of thecity. It was there each day I walked around so I imagine it is rather a permanent thing. There are lots of beautiful, old buildings, many churches, including the impressive York Minster, cobbled streets, Tudor style homes, and lots of people out and about.   

The bus guide had mentioned a walking tour that takes place daily at 10:15 and 2:15. I really wanted to participate in the 10:15 tour. So, Friday morning, I ate breakfast, completed a 3k run along the River Ouse, showered and power walked downtown so that I could make the 10:15 walking tour. The tour lasted over two hours and covered a lot of history of the city of York including, King's Manor, The Wall, a couple of bars (which are like gates that were entrances and exits to the city walls back in the day), St. Mary's Abbey remains, The Shambles (a super old street in York where trade was conducted), and York Minster and the grounds. The guided walk was run by volunteers and there was no charge. So this was excellent value.   

After all that walking, I was ready for lunch. I found a little shop that sold me a delicious chicken quesadilla to go (or take away as to go is refered to here). I sat in the square and enjoyed my lunch.   Then it was off to the boat tour. The boat tour was about an hour and covered a small part of the River Ouse. We were provided with some historical information that simply added to my education of all things York. Plus a boat ride is always a good idea.   

A short walk from the river is Clifford's Tower. Originally built by William the Conqueror, the tower is all that remains of the original castle. This tower is located on a really high hill that was strategically situated for defense of the city. From an ariel view, the tower is shaped life a four leaf clover. There is no roof on the tower. That has been missing since 7 larges guns were fired at the same time and blew the roof right off. So you basically visit the tower for two main reasons. You are able to get a bit more history of York and you are able to climb to the top of the tower and look over the city and surrounding area. There are a number of steps that lead from the road to the base of the tower. Once inside the tower, you need to climb narrow, spiral staircases to readh the top. Once at the top, you are able to walk around the circumference of the tower and gain a 360º view of York. There are maps to point out different points of interest from where you are standing. This is well worth the clmb.   

No trip to York would be complete without a walk on the city walls. So I made my way back to one of the gates that housed stairs up to the wall and did just that.

While on the walking tour in the morning, our guide let us know that if we wanted to head inside York Minster for free then we could attend evensong, which took place at 5:15 each evening. That sounded like a great idea to me as attending a service that involved a choir singing in a large church was on my list of things to do on this trip. There is a little pink cupcake trailer outside of the minster so I sat and enjoy a cup of Yorkshire tea while I waited for 5:15. As I sat there, a young man began to play the violin. He also paused and sang in between playing. Especially wonderful was his rendition of "Oh Danny Boy" which he played a couple of times while I sat and listened. He voice was very powerful and the violin was beautiful.   

At about 5, I entered York Minster. This cathedral is impressive. It is breathtaking. It is difficult to understand how such a huge and impressive cathedral was built. (although I do have a better understanding of how something of this magnitude was accomplished after reading The Pillars of the Earth). The minster was built in the early 1300s and took almost 100 years to complete. It is home to half of all of the medieval stained glass in England. The largest stained glass window is a big as a doubles tennis court but was being restored currently, so I was only able to see a life sized picture of it hanging against the back wall of the cathedral.   

The evensong service lasted about 45 minutes. There was a reading from the old testament and one from the gospel. The choir consisted of two rows of young girls and two rows of grown men. The choir master led the choir through the Lord's Prayer, the Magnificant, Psalm 89, and a few hymns. The acustics in the cathedral gave rise to a beautiful sounding choir. It was very peaceful and I sat with my eye closed for most of the service, taking it all in.   

I met a lovely couple in the B&B who were visiting York for the weekend. They mentioned to me that The Dungeon would be a great place to visit. I really only had plans to visit The Castle Museum on Saturday so I added The Dungeon to my short list of possibilities.   

Horror of horrors, my B&B did not have wifi. I did need to figure out where I was going between York and London and needed to know how I was to get there. So, Starbucks to the rescue. I was able to sit and enjoy coffee and the free wifi. After organizing my time, I headed to The Castle Museum, which was in the shadow of Clifford's Tower. The bus guide mentioned that the exhibits included a recreation of a village, a WW1 exhibit, and an exhibit that focused on the 1960s.   

The Castle Museu is an excellent museum. First, I was taken though a bunch of different room vignettes. There were different rooms set up from different eras. These rooms showed what a Victorian dining room, a 1960 kitchen, a 1980s kitchen, a Victorian farm house would have looked like. It was so interesting comparing the different eras and noticing the stuff of daily life that people found important enough to house in their homes.   Next up was toys through the eras. I loved seeing the different Nintendo systems and hand held games.   

Then it was on to the part of the museum named from Birth to death. There were glass cases that focused on birth, Christening traditions, marriage, death, and burial throughout the ages. it is interesting to see how some things change so drastically and some things stay the same.   

Next, there was an village street set up in the museum. This was great. Not only were their sights, but believe it or not, there were smells. The museum was trying to get the visitors to really know what it was like back in the day. So, the place where horses would be shoed, smelled like horse manure. The back alleys, smelled like - back alleys. There was a confection shop, a watch maker, a dress maker, a public house, a place that sold odds and ends, and a school house. Down the middle of the cobbled street was a horse a carriage. This part of the museum was amazing. I was able to enter into all of the shops and experience a taste of what it was like before cars, electricity, and indoor plumbing!   A special exhibit in the museum currently was the exhibit to World War 1. This part of the museum was specifically focused on the role that the men and women of York played during this part of history. There was a focus on how World War 1 changed the course of history. I always like learning more about the sacrifices made by men and women that allow me to live the life that I do now. Learning about the past helps me to remember and appreciate the freedom that I have experienced my entire life.   

The final aspect of the museum was an exhibit that focuse on the 1960s  - music, counter culture, women's liberation, politics, fashions, the home, and toys.

My final stop in York was The Dungeon. This was the spot that was recommended to me by the couple I met in the B&B that morning. Essentially, The Dungeon is a spot where actors are employed to act as different characters form the history of York. The focus is on the bloody and possibly horrific part of York's history. I was really unsure about participating in this dungeon thing but I try to do something at least once, even if I am unsure about it. Then, if I don't like it I will know and will never have to do it again.   So, a group of about 25 of us climbed up a set of stairs into the darkness. We waited in a small, dark room (all of the scenes take place in small, dark rooms) until an actor came out with a scream and scared the people at the front of the group. We were guided into a room where the actor told us about Henry VIII and his propensity to hang, well, just about anyone. As she is talking, "Henry VIII" begins bangin on the door, the room shaking.   

This 80 minute tour continues on like this. Each room has one actor and focuses on another terrible part of York's history. So, we also went through a lesson the the plague, a ghost story, the brutality of the Vikings, beheading (where, when the beheading took place, the lights went off and we all got doused with the "blood" splatter), The story of Guy Fawkes, the burning of witches, a trial for a few of the audience members, and an executioner. So, now that I have done that, I don't really think I need to do that again. Although, I will say, it is a fairly engaging way to learn about the darker parts of history. The actors are really into their roles and I imagine that the things I learned there will not soon be forgotten.   The entire time I was in York, the weather was perfect. It was sunny. It was warm (up to 17 ºC). Overall, it was a wonderfully pleasant stay in York.   Next stop, Manchester - and specifically - The. Coronation. Street. Tour. Need I say more?