We woke up in York ready to go. We checked out of our hotel and stashed our luggage and then walked over the river into town and it was delightful. All the hustle and craziness of the night before was gone. The streets were deserted.
Traditional English Breakfast
Today we had a lot of traditional English food. One thing we knew we had to do was get a full English breakfast. We went to Weldrakes and loved it. The ambiance and service was great. Mark got the FULL and I got the half which I was grateful for because it was a lot of food!
A traditional English breakfast includes: sausages, bacon (and their bacon is SO much better than American bacon), black pudding, eggs, baked beans, mushrooms, hash browns, sourdough toast, and a little dish of chutney.
Mark ate every bit of it. We were laughing because we both couldn’t remember what black pudding was, but we knew it was gross. It wasn’t that bad though, but Mark made me promise not to look it up until AFTER he was done eating it. So, in case you were like us and don’t know what black pudding is, it is a type of blood sausage that is traditionally made from pork blood, pork fat, and oatmeal or barley. I don’t think we will be incorporating this into our American diet. But we were happy we tried it!
The Shambles
After our English breakfast we walked around town some more. As we have learned, nothing opens before 10 so we wandered and window shopped. We walked around the Shambles a little, which is like a farmer’s market with various stalls.
York Walking Tour
Next, we met up with a group for a walking tour. It was like what we did in Bath, but I will admit, I didn’t like this one as much, but I couldn’t tell you why. Our tour guide was Wendy and she was great. She has been doing this for over 30 years just because she loves it and it keeps her active. She took us to St. Mary’s Abbey, Multangular Tower, Exhibition Square, walked the wall, Ogleforth (also known as the Dutch House), the Treasurer’s House, Snickelways, and Constantine. After two hours, our tour was going a little long, so we thanked them and went on our own to visit York Minster.
York Minster
York Minster really is the crowning jewel of York. The details are spectacular. It is the largest Gothic church north of the Alps. “Minster” means it is an important church chartered with a mission to evangelize. It is also called a cathedral because it is the seat of a bishop. We learned in our tour that King Henry VIII destroyed many of England’s great abbeys, but this was not part of a monastery so was untouched (thank goodness!).
Semaphore Saints
These sculptures on both sides of the Great West Doors create letters of the alphabet using semaphore code. They are new and were only created in 2005 but have remained in these niches ever since. The saints spell out “Christ is here” in semaphore.
The Great West Window
This window was created in 1338 and at the top has a shape that is known as “The Heart of Yorkshire.” It is meant to represent the sacred heart of Christ, meant to remind people of his love for the world. The window shows scenes from the lives of Mary and Jesus, the disciples of Jesus, and various saints and archbishops.
The Nave Dragon
This red and gold dragon is high up in the Nave and nobody knows for sure why it is there. They know it is medieval and its head can move up and down. It is carved out of Scandinavian oak, so many consider it part of the earlier church built during the Viking times.
The Bell-Founders Window
This window shows an industrial scene. It dates from 1310-1320 and shows scenes from a bell foundry (because this window was funded by a man who owned the bell foundry).
Tower Climb
Remember earlier on the trip when I said if there was a tower, Mark was going to climb it. It continued. This time we went up 275 steps (almost twice the height of the church in Oxford) to see the view from the top. The view is incredible and Mark loved it.
The Five Sisters Window
This window dates to 1255 and is the oldest window in its original spot. It is made up of over 100,000 pieces of glass. It is the largest medieval grisaille window in the world! A lot of the history of the window is a mystery, but it was rededicated to women of the British empire who died in the First World War. It is the only memorial in England dedicated to these women.
The Astronomical Clock
This is a monument dedicated to the men of the Royal Air Forces of the Commonwealth and their allices who died in the Second World War. There is an illuminated book of remembrance in front of the clock that contains 18,000 of their names. It was given to the Minster in 1955.
The Chapter House
The octagonal Chapter House is beautiful. It is surrounded by medieval stained glass and the ceiling is amazing. It was built between the 1270s and the 1290s and served as a meeting room for the Dean and Chapter and is still used occasionally today.
The Quire
The intricate details in the wood are amazing. This is a fairly new space because there was a fire in 1829 that destroyed much of the original work. The fire destroyed the roof, choir stalls, organ, organ loft, and much of the music. As a result of the fire, the Dean and Chapter called for a watchman to keep vigil over the Minster day and night. That still holds true today.
Crypt
The crypt is where you see the old Norman church and some of the old columns from the Roman fortress that once stood here. It is also where St. William of York’s tomb is.
Undercroft Museum
This museum underground has a lot of old artifacts from the cathedral. You can also see the remains of Roman barracks (that the cathedral was built on). We also saw the foundations of the Norman cathedral that was a previous version of the Minster.
Walter de Gray Tomb
Walter de Gray was an Archbishop of York for 40 years from 1215 to 1255. He is buried in the South Transept of the building.
The Rose Window and South Transept
Afternoon Tea
Another thing we knew we had to do on this trip was a traditional Afternoon Tea. So, we made a reservation at Betty’s Tea Café in York. We definitely felt a bit like a fish out of water, but it was a neat experience. I was not converted to herbal tea (I have never liked it), but Mark enjoyed the tea. I had the raspberry and cherry tisane while Mark had the peppermint tisane. It also came with various sandwiches, scones, and treats. We had some favorites and others that were not so great. Here was our menu:
Yorkshire sausage roll with black pepper with a red pepper choux
Sandwiches:
- Coronation Yorkshire chicken on turmeric bread
- Yorkshire smoked salmon and dill with lemon cream cheese on whole meal bread
- Basil houmous and cucumber on white bread
- Egg mayonnaise and pea shoots on caramelized onion bread
Miniature Scones:
- Lemon and poppy seed scone
- Plain scone
Served with Yorkshire strawberry preserve and clotted cream
Miniature Cakes:
- Gooseberry Tartlet
- Yuzu and Raspberry Slice
- Swiss Dark and White Chocolate Mousse
We both decided we could eat lemon and poppy seed scones with clotted cream all day. So yummy. We were also a little surprised that our favorite treat for both of us was the gooseberry tartlet. Delicious.
Train to London
After our tea, we walked out of historic York across the river, picked up our luggage, and made our way to the train station. We were excited that this was going to be our last exchange with our luggage until we went home. We boarded our fast train to London and had a relaxing trip down. By the time we made it to London, the sun was going down, and we were both pretty tired.
But I must have a moment for our hotel. When I was looking for hotels, I kept having this ad pop up for this hotel but dismissed it. You know it always sounds great from the ad but then when you actually go to book there are all these extras that you must do to get the deal – so I ignored it. But finally, I investigated it and we got A DEAL! This was the nicest hotel I have ever stayed at and was in the most perfect location. We were right across from a nice Underground station which made things so convenient, but we didn’t even need to use it all that much because we were right down the street from Big Ben, Westminster, and Trafalgar Square. The location really was incredible. We loved our stay at the Royal Horseguards Hotel.
