The Ins and Outs of a Medieval City

Whew!

What a day. I'm sure a pedometer would have registered at least four miles.We walked into town, and saw some gorgeous homes along the river:

Our first stop was another city bus tour, which gave us the lay of the land. Again, quite helpful to get our bearings.

Here is the York Railway Station and the Royal Hotel in the background (no Royals stayed there!)

Queen Victoria stayed in the original station hotel, shown below, with Albert and the children. When a server gave her a bill for their meal, she was furious, and vowed never to come to York again!

Then we went to the visitor's centre, and received some very helpful advice for our trip to Ripon via auto tomorrow. Not surprisingly, I have bitten off more than we can chew, and have been attempting to eliminate some destinations, which is extremely difficult for me. But, alas, it must be done.

Then, we peeked into the famous Betty's Tea Room:

And walked by a very Dickensian Starbucks:

And on to the York Minster:

                     

                                       

                                                           

Next, the Yorvik (original Viking name for York) Museum. Fascinating recreations of the social life of the Vikings and the archaeological remains that helped them piece together their way of life:

After lunch, we returned to the York Castle Museum to visit the Debtor's Prison:

And hear the sad stories of its occupants:

The same museum also had a WW1 exhibit. This is a "dummy head" the soldiers would hold up from a trench, hoping it would receive a bullet. When it did, they would remove it and determine which direction the enemy fire was coming from:

We took a last stroll through the city:

The old homes with their uneven surfaces and structure, along with streets designed for horses and carts:

We found the new mixed in:

Exquisite hats!

Then, we walked up to Clifford's Tower, the castle's central stronghold:

And finally, walked on top of York's medieval walls, which are the most complete walls in Europe. They were broken in three or four places. . .

                

                                 

                                                  

                                                                          

                                                      

                                      

Tomorrow I will face the biggest challenge of the trip. . .hiring a car and driving on the left side of the road for five days, as we scour the Brontë territory. If you think of it, say a prayer for us. We are hoping to get a GPS with the car, but it's first come, first serve. But, we trust a God who guides our paths daily, without the aid of a human device! Now, on to Ripon. . .