Shall We A-York?

I fell in love. Again. Wrapped up in it's intimate embrace, York succeeded in stealing my heart. Not that it's really that hard to accomplish when it comes to European cities. Yes, you heard me right. I've fallen in love [AGAIN] with yet another city over here across the pond. Some days, it doesn't get much better then that.

Even though we--that being Lisa and I--returned on Sunday, I'm still nostalgic over the tiny city of York, England. Let me start at the beginning shall I? There is simply too much that cannot be forgotten!

Friday afternoon happened to be quite a windy occasion when I was hurrying back to the chalet to meet up with Lisa. She was waiting for me to get back from class so that we could leave as early as possible. The night before we had been huddled around my computer, traversing through search engines to find accommodation in York for the weekend. Because the hostels we found didn't look that...appetizing...we instead decided on a bed and breakfast instead. It was only a few pounds more expensive then what we've paid for a hostel, so of course we booked the one we liked called The Foss Bank Guest House. Fortunately for us, it was only a short ten minute walk from the city centre. So, after throwing our bags together (by the way, if you can believe it mother, I was able to keep everything to a minimum and only brought what would fit in my shoulder bag!) we hopped on a train in Stirling that took us to Edinburgh Waverley station where we hopped on another train that would take us into York.

It didn't come to my attention at the time, but the train that Lisa and I got on at Edinburgh happened to be at five o'clock. On a Friday evening. Are you starting to get the picture? I should've known by the number of people standing on the platform beforehand that there was going to be a problem. And as we boarded the train, finally finding a place to sit on the floor of one of the available corners near the constantly used bathroom--I finally figured out that taking a train at five on a Friday hadn't been the smartest route. Nonetheless, Lisa and I sat for two and a half hours by that bathroom, which happened to cause many people trouble. Not that we were in the way. No, it was the bathroom itself causing a stir. No one could figure out how to open and close the sliding door and after watching who knows how many people struggle with it, Lisa and I felt like public-transportation-washroom-experts. "Push that button behind you" had become a commonly used phrase on that train. Finally, though, we arrived in York.

It was full dark by this point, so Lisa and I grabbed a taxi that took us to our bed and breakfast. Along the way, I got my first look at York Minster, and what a sight it was. Illuminated by a golden glow of lights, the Minster dominated the surrounding architecture. Here is one of my first pictures of it, although it certainly wasn't the last:

It's a powerful feeling, standing near bits of history like this. Not only does it make a person feel insignificantly small, but it also takes your breath away at the ingenuity of humanity. I stared at this building for I don't know how long, and I'm still in awe.

When we made it to our B&B, I was so glad we had gone this route. Not only was it SOO much nicer than a hostel, but our room was adorable and the inn keeper was very accommodating. After freshening up there, we departed once more to make our way into town where we were meeting up with some of Lisa's friends. It turns out that the walk into the centre of the city was much shorter than we thought it would be, mainly because the city itself is so small. It took no longer then ten minutes, something we were grateful for later that night when the wind had picked up. Once we made it into town, and I was able to drag myself away from the beauty of the Minster at night, we stopped for dinner and drinks at a place called "Ye Olde Starre Inne". There we met a bunch of new people, many of whom worked there, I discovered later. The range of accents made it a fascinating experience. Not only was the British accent distinguishable, but I also met a few guys from Ireland, another from Wales, yet another from New Zealand, and even one from Australia. It was definitely a feast for the ears. Later that night, we made our way to another place called "1331" which was a cafe-bar type of establishment where we spent a few hours before calling it a night (or early-morning I suppose I should say) and heading back to the B&B.

Saturday morning, Lisa and I crawled out of bed bright and early (well not too bright--it was foggy and a bit rainy out) and enjoyed a complimentary breakfast before hitting the streets. The first thing on our list was York Minster of course. We paid the full student price of eight pounds to not only see the Minster, but also the Undercroft (where the foundations go back to the age of the Romans and crypts can be seen) as well as the tower. Unfortunately, we never did climb those 257 something steps to get a view from the top. Something I both regret and yet don't mind. Well, my rear end doesn't mind I should say. After taking part in a tour that gave great bits of information of the Minster, Lisa and I left a couple of hours later to see other things. I'm still amazed at how many people were clogging the streets when we started walking down them. We found out that York happens to be a very touristy place on the weekends. As we manoeuvred through the throngs of people, my senses were fully engaged. There were tea shops on every other corner (what ecstasy I tell you!), a Crabtree and Evelyn shop (how hard it was not to purchase anything there...) and the beat of music coming from a shopping square. Boutiques lined every inch of space available, interspersed with pubs, cafes, and historical sites. I was even lucky enough to pass a Jorvick Viking Centre, but didn't find a Viking to take home. Another interesting fact about York - there are 365 pub establishments just in the city. One for every day of the year I'm told. No, father, I didn't try my hand at this.

Upon leaving the Minster, Lisa and I followed the streets and signs to the York Castle Museum, which was situated only about ten minutes away. We didn't actually go inside the Museum, mainly because we didn't want to pay the entrance fee, but checked out Clifford's Tower instead. Built of stone in a round, circular fashion, the tower was built by William the Conqueror and stood atop a grassy knoll. We were lucky enough that the sun had come out by this point and even though the tower was quite miniature, it was still remarkable how long it had stood there for, the sun creating a halo of light behind it.

After a bit more exploring, Lisa and I met up with Laura and Fraggle (new friends I've made through Lisa) at the City Art Gallery. From there, we made our way to the City Walls to walk part of them. I've seen part of the city walls that are left in Stirling, but York happens to still be surrounded almost completely by the walls. Pedestrians are allowed to walk along them for free throughout the daytime, and the views from them are superb. Lisa and I also stopped for a photo and this is one we had taken of us. Of course we happened to be blinded by the sun at the moment, but it was still quite fun. Finally, our walking led us to an exit from the city walls and we decided to go back to the B&B for some freshening up and relaxing before we headed out again for the evening. Along the way, Lisa and I split up so that she could head back to the B&B. I still wanted to wander a bit more, not quite done with the sights of York. As I walked, taking in the smells and sounds, I came across an arts and crafts fair which I walked through for a bit. From there, I found a tea shop where I succeeded in purchasing some fine, loose-leaf tea and seeing one of the guys I had met the night before. Of course he was quite lovely and just happened to like tea. York just kept getting better and better.

It was starting to get later, so I started heading back, stopping for awhile in the park I found near the Minster. The sun was starting to go down and the wind picking up, making it the perfect time of day to simply sit and absorb the atmosphere. It was only when I realized I was going to need to head back or my fingers were going to freeze, that I unglued myself from the bench I'd found.

For our last evening in York, Lisa, Laura, and I went to a place called "La Tasca" which is a Spanish-style restaurant that is big on "tapas". I was able to enjoy my first experience with Sangria (an amazing combination of wine, soda, and fruit) and I'm thinking I'll need the recipe for it. It was amazingly good. From La Tasca, the three of us decided to head back to the Olde Starre Inne for a few more "beverages" ( I think that's a safe word choice) but it wasn't long before we were ready to call it a night. We'd been out really late the night before, gotten up early on Saturday, and now all we wanted was sleep. Of course, once we started walking back to the B&B the weather decided to show us who was boss, by opening up with a downpour of rain and wind. Lovely, just lovely. At least I know why it stays so green in this country.

After checking out the next morning and saying our adieus to our B&B, Lisa and I made one last stop before heading back to Stirling. The place was called Betty's Tea Room and Cafe. We'd seen it the day before, but the line (I guess I should say "Q" because I'm in Britain) had been stretched clear around the building. Luckily for us, though, we got there early enough that we only had to wait in a very short Que before being seated. It was one of my favourite tea houses I've been to so far over here. There was live piano music being played, the tea and scones were delicious (of which you can see pictures), and there was also a two minute silence held for remembrance day. It's no wonder it's starting too feel so much like a second home over here. All too soon, though, we were leaving the tea house and making our way back to the train station. It was sad to leave, yet it also makes me look forward to exploring even more cities and sites. There is so much history here, it's mind-boggling to even think about seeing everything. I think I'll settle for what my eyes can handle. That should do to start with.

And so, once more I'm back in Stirling. It's no hardship saying "I have to go home to Scotland" I'll tell you that much. With so much adventure to be had, I'm glad to have Stirling as a home base. Besides, when you have Highlanders on your side, is there really room to complain? Nope. I don't think so either.

Sending my love
xxoo

P.S. In addition to uploading new photographs, I was also able to add some video. The links are located underneath the photo links, and like the photos, if you right click on the link and say "open in new window" or "new tab", it will open the pictures or video in a new window, instead of taking you away from the blog site