York

On Friday, we took a train to York--a city whose history dates back to AD 71, when it was a provincial capital of the Roman Empire.  In the 300s, Constantine was declared emperor when his father died on a visit here.  York is an important religious site, with its spectacular Minster, seen in the background above.  The Archbishop of York is second in "rank" only to the Archbishop of Canterbury.  It is a very old city with a rich history--we were only able to scratch the surface!

A church is desginated a "minster" to signify its importance.  The York Minster is built on an ancient site--underneath its foundations are the remains of a Roman fortress built in the first century, and also a Norman cathedral.  In the 1220, the building of the current Minster began, and took more than 250 years to complete.

I wish I could capture the enormity of this cathedral--the pictures don't do it justice.  The stained glass windows are simply exquisite--made up of of hundreds of thousands of tiny panes which have been painstakingly dismantled and restored to prevent buckling and for cleaning.

Many of the windows tell stories from the Bible, or local tales.  The west window, seen above, has portraits of past Archbishops of York.  I read that the reason for the grandness and majesty of these ornate cathedrals was to try to create a feeling of heaven on earth.  We were definitely in awe of the amazing architecture of the Minster.

More scenes from the Minster

Davis with Constantine

We introduced Mom and Dad to pub dining at the Royal Oak Pub, which dates back to the 16th century.    While they are more interested in serving ale than lunch, we had a nice rest and a hearty meal!

We took a stroll through the "Shambles", a market street that has looked the same since the 14th century--it was a fun mixture of shops and tea rooms.  We couldn't resist a place called "Chocolate Heaven"!

In the background is Clifford's Tower, the remains of the 13th century castle that once stood in York.

We visited the Castle Museum, which was an interesting collection of artifacts of life in England over the centuries, from Victorian wedding gowns to the evolution of chamber pots to toys from the ages to an exhibit of the sixties!

Mom and Dad strolling through York.

Ouse River

Our last stop was the National Railway Museum--an massive collection of trains from old steam engines to the modern Eurostar.  My favorite exhibit was the collection of Royal trains.  You could peer into the cars and see the elaborate bedrooms, parlors, and studies of the likes of Queen Victoria and King Edward VII.  They really travelled in style!

A great trip to a city with an amazing amount of history--you could spend days exploring the vibrant, windy streets and learning its colorful past.  A lovely day was had by all!