A Short Trip to York

Last week, a friend (G) and I had a quick trip to nearby York. Her son is in the same class as Lily, so we had limited time to get there and sightsee before heading back for school pickup.

After dropping off the kids in the morning, we walked to the train station in the town center. The train ride was fairly short, and G shared interesting bits of information about some of the stops and areas in between.

York train station

Once we arrived in York, we made the short journey inside the old city walls. The city was established in 71 AD by the Romans, although most of the walls that are standing now are from the 12th-14th centuries. In fact, no other city in England has more miles of intact wall.

Here are views from the Lendal Bridge crossing the River Ouse.

Once we crossed the bridge, we stopped for a cup of coffee and a snack for the babies. Then G took me to York Minster Cathedral.

Although this location has been home to places of worship since 627 AD, construction of the current building began in 1220. I wonder if I'll ever cease to be amazed by just how old anything can be here. The entire cathedral is intricate and breathtaking. Inside, the ground floor holds church services, and you can wander around to see various artifacts. Downstairs, a museum with an historical timeline,contains items from when the Romans and the Vikings ruled the area, as well as much more. You can also climb the central tower, but there are restrictions due to health, mobility, and age.

Anyway, here are my random photos.

Statues of several of the first kings...

starting with William the Conqueror

These are seats for the high ranking church officials of the country

There are several tombs to see, although I was unfamiliar with the names I saw

There's a nice memorial dedicated to the women who lost their lives in the Great War. They have different panels to represent different countries.

We were allowed to take photos (without flash) downstairs, but the few I took didn't turn out very well. I think if we'd had more time, we may have opted for a guided tour, which I think would have been even more interesting.

After leaving the Cathedral, we stopped in a pub to have a quick bite before catching our return train.  Overall, I had a great visit, and it definitely left me wanting to see and learn more. It feels like we barely saw anything, but we didn't have much time or a structured plan (which allowed for a nice, relaxed pace). With such a short train ride, though, I'll definitely have the opportunity to return.