I am currently sitting in the cafe in my hotel, waiting for the chef to arrive to have some breakfast (hope it's soon) so I thought I'd take the time to write a little bit about my trip here.
Saturday, May 1
I woke up around 5:30 AM to prepare myself for the day. This was a little rough as the three of us went out to see a movie the night before ("The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks and starring Miley Cyrus...really good chick flick, as always). The reason why I had to get up early was because I had to catch an early train heading to my destination: York. By taking the 7:28 AM train, I didn't have to worry about making any changes - considering I have 2 changes to make on my way back home on Monday.
Anyhoo, I surprisingly stayed awake for most of the journey (those of you who know me, know that I have a tendency to fall asleep to the rhythm of vehicles in motion when I'm not driving). Arriving at York 3 hours later, I was instantly greeted by a beautiful wall and lovely spring blossoms on the trees in a variety of colours (pinks, whites, etc...). I walked towards the city centre - first stop: Visitor Information Centre. I got a quick book that gave some history on the city, a "York Pass" that got me into all the attractions, a few post cards, and some directions to get to my hotel.
After passing by the lodge, I finally found my way to my room, dropped off my bags, then went in search of food. (I ate at an Italian restaurant called "La Vecchia Scuola" - the old school - as it was once the York School for girls...and I WOULDN'T recommend it). I then got to take in the beauty that surrounded me. My hotel was actually a two-minute walk from the famous York Minster - the largest medieval gothic church north of the Alps. It was absolutely beautiful, and I got to go into the undercroft that talks about the excavations found (from Roman streets, to saxon and viking additions to the area). From the church, I made my way to Treasurer's House (once owned by a gentleman called "Frank Green" who had a keen eye for collecting and decorating...and he also had a bit of OCD - wishing his pieces to be EXACTLY in the places he put them even when he handed it over to the trust to be taken care of in his passing). It was absolutely gorgeous inside - but you will have to take my word for it as pictures were not allowed. I ended that part of my day by enjoying a "cream tea" and the best scones with butter and jam EVER!!!
I did a little bit more walking around, exploring the streets. I found York's first teddy bear store - Stonegate Teddy Bears - before I decided to take a break and rest (very worn out). I didn't really wake again until the morning.
Sunday May 2
Had to wake up early as I didn't have a bathroom in my room, so I had to use the separate bathroom in the hotel and didn't know if I'd have to fight for it. Going downstairs to the main floor, I was greeted by the owner and ordered breakfast. I had a traditional Full Breakfast (complete with blood pudding...and Yes I ate it and it WAS good - much better than the bangers that came with it). Much like Paddington, I also had toast with Marmalade and tea...mmmm!
Grabbing my coat, I went on my way to walk the streets of york in the early hours (as things didn't open before 11 - giving me an hour to wander). I was able to see the Alfa Romeo exhibit taking place in the centre of town to celebrate it's centennial. (Awesome vehicles)
I eventually made my way to the city walls - walking along them until I got to my destination: Clifford Tower and York Castle Museum. Went to both (nice view from the tower), and made my way into town again - stopping at Jorvik - the viking experience. When I say "experience" I also mean that they included the smells of the time...and believe me, it was enough for me to be sick! (Vikings really stink!!!) Although the ride was interesting, I was glad it was over.
Next stop was Fairfax House - the oldest Georgian house left in tact...even with a couple of years being used as a place of entertainment. A LOT of man hours went into restoring the place, but it was gorgeous (again, no pictures could be taken...but I'm sure you could look it up).
With a quick stop for lunch (a complete roast dinner including Yorkshire pudding), I made my way into the city centre to get to the Roman Baths before the museum closed. Strangely enough they are found in the basement of a pub bearing the same name. How they were found was that the owner of the pub, wanting to expand the cellar, began to dig the foundation and happened upon this find. The guy who was giving me information about this place turned out to be a fellow Canadian who is studying Medieval studies at the University of York but originates from Vancouver (awesome!). He gave me a couple of other places I should check out...but more on that later.
I was in need of a snack, so found a cart that sold crepes. (BTW, when you order a chocolate and banana crepe anywhere else, you would have nutella spread on it. In York, they LITERALLY put chocolate chunks along with the banana topping...it was very yummy). The next stop: a cheesy exhibit known as the York Dungeon. There really isn't much to be said about it - Google it and you will see what I mean. I made my way back into town and found that Betty's tea room was still open, so I went to the famous tea room for their version of cream tea. Funny enough, I enjoyed the taste more of that from the Treasurer's house, but liked the ambiance of this place more - complete with pianist.
Belly full, I went for another walk along the wall - starting at the Monkbar, and along the Art Gallery. From there, I took a walk in the Museum gardens (which was recommended at the Baths) and saw some beautiful ruins of the Abbey that once stood there. Many pictures and a bit more wall walking later, I found my way back to the hotel and rested for the evening. It was a VERY full day!
Monday, May 3
Being that it's apparently a bank holiday, I still find myself in York - making my way back to "reality" on the 11:24 train. So, I currently sit in the dining room of the hotel - Galtres Lodge - eating my breakfast and writing on my blog. Today will be a relaxing day - I hope!
Cheers!
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