Day Nine - A New York for My Kids to See

How About Another Look at Those Windows?

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This isn't the reknowned Rosette Window, but it was also very colorful and actually cam out pretty well when I took a picture.

Dodging Traffic in York

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Whether it's Olde York or New York pedestrians take their lives into their own hands in either city. After spending quite some time in the cathedral giftshop, we headed West and through the city wall to try to find the old Roman settlement.

Bootham Bar - Another City Gate in York

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"Bootham Bar is one of York’s famous gateways through the city walls. It stands at the point originally occupied by the Roman entrance known as the Porta Principalis Dextra although the outer archway dates from the Norman period. In 1501 a door knocker was added to the entrance as Scots were required to seek permission to enter the city of York. Indeed, local custom has it that there is still a law permitting a citizen of York to kill a Scotsman, using a bow and arrow, if he apprehends him within the city walls after sunset." (I had to add that commentary form the UKattraction.com website.)

Where I Want to Work in My Next Life

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The green sign indicates that the building houses the archaeology department of York University, specializing in both Medival and 18th Century studies. I can dig it. Somewhere in this direction or EF tour leader James back in 2006 showed us an extensive area of old Roman walls, graves and statues. But just as we started back that way the York New Year's Day Blizzard of 2010 started.

Interesting to Me and Probably No One Else

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Even though my college major was English literature, to fully understand it I had to minor in English history. The only period of English history that I found boring at that time was the period of the Protectorate and the Restoration. Forty years later after reading a number of historic novels taking place in that period it has suddenly become fascinating to me. So much of the Irish Troubles, the current state of the English monarchy and the beginning of English world supremacy began during those times. And once again during that turbulent period York was usually on the wrong and losing side of things. Yet most of the time what the Yorkshiremen and other Northerners wanted was much of the same stuff our American patriots eventually fought to win from the British.

The Blizzard Begins

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We wisely decided to start walking back to our useless-in-the-snow-wagon when the flakes began to get as big as a farthing. This is nothing yet.

OK, I Know We Parked Somewhere Near Here.

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I kind of underestimated the curve of the old city wall. I expected to reach our car just around the next block. The next block turned out to be about 6 blocks. And the snowstorm continued to grow in intensity.

How Much Is It Gonna Cost Us to Sleep in York Tonight?

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I was getting more and more nervous when each subsequent corner failed to look like the street our car was on. The way the snow was coming down I wasn't sure we might not find the car until the Spring thaw.

It's Starting to Pile Up

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It was probably less than ten minutes from when the snow first started until we found our VW, but it seemed like much longer. In that short time the snow was already accumulating on the ground before the city walls. Fortunately it was not laying in the roads....yet.

And Then the Winds Began to Howl

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As I get into our car the wind suddenly came up and I noticed the snow coming down diagonally. It would be blowing right into us as we head back to Thirsk. The best news was the fact that hardly anyone else was out on the roads. 90% of the difficulty in driving in the snow is worrying about the other muttonheads out there.

Fast Forward Now to More Pleasant Memories

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We made it back to Thirsk safely because almost as soon as we left the Greater York area the snowstorm ceased. After taking a little unintentional tour around Thirsk, we went back to our rooms and prepared to go out for dinner. Not wanting any controversy we all agreed to return to the Three Tuns. Gail had this cheese and onion pasty, chips (fries) and the omnipresent baked beans the Brits insist on serving at every meal.

Doug's All-American Dinner

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I was hungry for some stick to your ribs food. I ordered the giant burger topped with lots of cheese and almost as much Canadian bacon as hamburger. They skimped quite a bit on the chips though.

Grandma Phoebe Goes Cockney

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By this time I think Gail's mother was getting a little tired of the English food. You can only have fish and chips so many times and she was certainly no fan of Indian or Asian cuisine. Bangers and mash was something new. Sausage and not just mashed potatoes, but also mashed peas. No thanks.

Yes, I Have a Problem

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I have a wierd fascination with European bathrooms. I seem to take a picture of every hopper I use. The bathroom in my room was pretty obviously an afterthought added on in modern times when the old home became a bed and breakfast. It worked for me. The shower was hot, the toilet flushed and I had the choice of a number of different hair products and soaps.

Back at the Gallery

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I really liked my cozy warm room that I had all to myself. Check out the flatscreen TV and on the desk was a nice collection of coffees and teas to brew up in the water heater upper thingie. The thought crossed my mind that this too could be another haunted old building, but I fell asleep so fast that I didn't even have time to think about tempting my imagination.