York

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Imagine you are driving along a tree lined highway. No garish billboards obstruct your view of the forest which is broken by fields and pasture land for cows and sheep. Through the trees you catch glimpses of a city. Then the trees break off and you see red roofs and brick fronts stretching as far as the eye can see. Skyscrapers soar into the sky with their glinting steel and glass. And then breaking into the modern airspace is a church spire or church tower or ruin of an ancient building older than anything you have seen before, older than you can imagine.
In the town, the unfamiliar surrounds you. Street signs are posted on the corner buildings, traffic markings and patterns are foreign. The streets much narrower, and there is no "right" side of the sidewalk to walk on. And all around you is history - from the information plaques to the buildings to the very ground you are standing on.
This then was the impression I got from being in York and driving past other towns and cities. We arrived in York on Friday morning, dropped our stuff off at the youth hostel and headed into town - a 20 minute walk. I first went to the Information Center for a map and then headed towards the river to the Jorvik Viking Center which had information about when the Vikings held York and what life was like and the dig that took place there. It had authentic smells, which were not good at all. Also the "people" - robot like figures - were speaking Old Norse so I couldn't understand a thing. After Jorvik, a few of us went to lunch at The King's Arms, a pub by the river, and had fish and chips. The haddock that I had was huge and very good. After lunch we headed northwest to the Yorkshire Museum and Gardens which contained the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey. At 3 we had a tour of the York Minster. This minster took 252 years to build and is the fourth church to stand on that location. It contains the most medieval stained glass in England and is the largest Gothic cathedral north of the Alps. The interior was just as beautiful as the exterior and our tour guide, Brian was great. He seemed to think that everything made in the 18th or 19th centuries was rubbish - anything that had to do with churches anyway. It amazed me how old everything was; the mister was older than any building in the U.S. Which doesn't even compare to the age of the Roman walls that are still standing in the city.
Once these walls were the border of York and now they are enclosed in the town. We went walking on the walls after our Minster tour. Imagining the view that the romans must have had mad me stop an think. On one side of the wall I saw house fronts, streets and cars; on the other hotels, shops, and the Minster. The Romans would have seen a completely different landscape.
Dinner consisted of eggs, chips, and ham. The meats of England, so far and excluding the fish, have not quite or at all matched up to the Midwest standard for beef and pork. Their chips though are good. Being too tired to explore any more after dinner, we headed back to the hostel to showers and bed.
The next morning we were up early for breakfast - the sausage was rather bland and mushy - and a walk back into town. I explored by myself and hunted down Guy Fawkes' house and church where he was baptized. I also took another spin along the walls, this time the southwest side of the walls by the River Ouse. At 11 we jumped back in the coach and headed off to Fountaines Abbey.

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Photos

York Minster
The fourth church to stand on this site, it is the largest Gothic Church north of the Alps. Also home to the Archbishop of York.

York Minster
Typical Layout of a large church.

Roman Walls
On the floor of the Roman Walls that once surrounded York.

City Walls
View of the Roman Walls

Guy Fawkes
Guy Fawkes, leader of the Gunpowder Plot of November 5, 1603, was born, baptized, and went to school in York.

Guy Fawkes
Where Guy Fawkes' house used to stand - now a book shop

Guy Fawkes
The church where Guy Fawkes was baptized

Comments

[Jackie]

Holy Cow!
Erin, this sounds amazing! You frame the countryside so well. I feel like I am there. I hope you get use to the food and that you are having a very wonderful time (it sure sounds fascinating)! I miss you so much!

[Happyface]

Fun fun!
Hey lovey, sounds like you are seeing some amazing stuff! I miss you so much clone, I can't wait to see you again, hope you continue having an amazing time!