We had originally planned to spend a couple of days in the Scottish country side, but as we looked at the logistics, it was clear that we that left way too long of a drive on Sunday to get to Heathrow. I didn't fancy an 8.5 hour drive with an arrival time of 4 PM. So, we looked for a place that was about half way and found York which turned out to be a great choice. Our drive took us along the coast of the North Sea. It was cloudy and breezy so it was a good day to be in the car, if there is such a thing.
We stopped for lunch in a little town. When you order fish and chips in England, you get a fish and chips.
It was quite good actually, and not as huge as it looks. But, as you can see from Caroline's expression, it was a little daunting on the plate. I had a goat cheese rarebit, which as nearly as I can tell is an open faced sandwich that has been broiled to melt the cheese. It was also quite good.
In the restaurant, I had noticed a photograph with the Harry Potter cast (Harry, Ron, Hermion) with autographs. I asked the servers if they were original autographs. The answer was yes. They explained that the castle
where some of the movie was filmed was nearby. So, we walked up there to take a look. Quite an imposing structure. It would have been to go in and take a look, but it cost 18.5 pounds (nearly $30 person). We only had time for a quick look, and that seemed an excessive price so we skipped it.
Geepers took us straight to the B&B with only one driver error just after the Tyne Tunnel
which was quickly corrected. Roundabouts
in heavy traffic are nerve wracking and I forget that that easiest thing to do if you are not sure is to just keep going around until you figure it out. Anyway, we arrived in York about 4 PM.
York is famous for several things: the York Minster (a Minster is a church that is normally served by Monks), and Romans walls and ruins, among them. In conversations with the inn keeper, he told us that evening prayers were celebrated in the Minster at 5:15. So, we gathered up what we needed for walk and headed down to the old part of the city.
The Minster is spectacular.
More about that tomorrow because we are going back to have a closer look. It is impossible from a single picture to capture the magnitude of the building. Evening prayers were spoken (no music) and were done in a small chapel. The Dean (the head dude) read the scripture and the service was lead by a priest. We used the book of Common Prayer from the Church of England. Worshipping in a church like this always brings a sense of awe that people have been worshipping in this building for centuries. In the case of the Minster, it is nearly 1,000 years of uninterrupted worship. Amazing.
Her is a sample of the age and importance of this church.
After the service we wandered around the old area looking for a nice restaurant to eat in. A couple of pictures from the old town.
Another Church.
A place we tried to eat at, but it was too crowded.
