This view is from the top of the city wall. It was my first glimpse of beautiful York.
This is also from the city wall. This is one of the more main streets in York. It's just as beautiful at street level!
I can't remember where exactly I found this particular seal, but the awesome thing about English cities is that their seal is all over the city! And it's beautiful!
This is in front of the York Minster. It seems like the entire city is built around the minster!
This building is gorgeous. For all of you Americans, think Saint Patrick's Cathedral, but how it probably was about two hundred years ago. But the thing about minsters is that they're slightly different from a Cathedral. A cathedral is essentially a church, whereas a minster is kind of a church, school, and community center all rolled into one.
After Constantius died, Constantine the Great (his son) was crowned emperor here in the year 306 AD. There is a huge statue outside of the minster in his honor.
Many places in England have Disney World-esque signs like this. I love it! Functional and fun!
This. Was. So. Cool. This piano was just sitting in the middle of a footpath/street. It wasn't like the ones in NYC, though-- how anyone can just come and play (Did that once!); it was locked. At first I found it a bit frustrating, but I later found out that this was for good reason. You could be a block away and still be able to be serenaded by the sweet sound of this unsuspecting instrument! The pianist played "Memory" from Cats. If you don't know it, look it up; this is one of the most beautifully heartbreaking Broadway songs.
Oh yes we did! Where am I? Halfway to the top of the York Minster! There is a reasonable fee to climb to the top with a "guide". It is certainly quite difficult, though; nearly the entire way is an old, narrow, spiraling staircase. Worth it? Yes.
My wonderful friend Nikki! This is the incredible lady who, among many other things, is the reason I was able to come!
Nikki and Wes not looking too touristy in the beautiful streets of York. Notice the old architecture and the narrow street.
I think York was possibly more crowded than London. Anyway, this photo is a perfect opportunity to appreciate the stone street and the detail in the architecture. Beautiful.
See? I'm pretty sure York is more crowded than London. And so GORGEOUS!
So we're walking around the city near the museum drinking delightful fruit coolers from Costa, and all of a sudden-- wow! Beautiful ruins just... there! That is definitely something to love about England.
This was taken on the bridge that you will see in the photo below. Are ferris wheels a European thing? It seems like so many places in Europe have ferris wheels.
Can anyone say, "AMAZING"?
Below the bridge on the right side there was sand. (Mind you the water, beautiful as it made the scene, is filthy.) There were people down there acting as if this were the Jersey shore! I thought it was the funniest thing!
This makes me want to cry.
This was a slightly newer part of the city. But.. Narrow streets? Check. Stone? Check.
This is only rarely seen Stateside. The menu is posted outside of the restaurant. Notice Wes's thinking face? We walked blocks, and he could not decide on a single restaurant! I've gotten the impression that maybe menus outside aren't so much a good idea... But he did finally decide on this restaurant (By the way, the first one we looked at.) It was very nice and even had a riverside view. Wes said it was the best food he had tasted since coming to England and that it wasn't right because I was not experiencing true English food.
That is the fanciest Subway I have ever seen.
This is one of the coolest castles I have ever seen. (And that hill is way more steep than you might think.) When I got into the castle, it seemed like more of a tourist trap than anything; there were historically inacurate props to take photos with and a cute little gift shop. When I got home, I was watching a history documentary and I realized how rich this castle's history is. Here's a quote from HistoryofYork.org.uk:
"Together with the Abbey and the Cathedral, the Norman Castle was one of the great architectural power statements made in York following the Conquest in 1066.
The site has remained in use by the Crown for nearly 1000 years - as a military base, a tax office and treasury, an administrative headquarters, a prison and a court. The Crown Court is still on the site.
The castle's history is bloody - with battles, massacres, fires, executions and burials."
The outer walls are still standing from 1000 years ago! I wonder what they do when it rains....
We were actually able to climb to the top. We walked up another set of old, narrow, steep stairs for this view.
This is the York Castle Museum. I think it's an old train station. The photo was taken from about the same place you see me in the photo a couple above. We didn't go into the museum, but I love the building.
This is by the river. Ugh! I miss this place so much!
I think it is only fair to show how amazing this building is.
The brick riverside townhouses with ivy! I love this place!
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