Remnants of the old Roman walls encircle cobble-stone streets, as fleets of cars whiz by. Somewhere, the sounds of a riotous street percussion performance blend with the mournful toll of York Minster's mid-day bells. Endless rows of breezy fashion outlets line the cramped medieval lanes, punctuated occassionally by quaint, old-world tea rooms.
Welcome to York, where the past and present collapse into each other in charming fashion!
York is a 2.5 hour train ride away from Edinburgh. It's a small city - the streets invariably lead back to each other and you get the distinct sense of
deja vu after about an hour's worth of walking/ sight-seeing. However its thankfully not a small
and sleepy city like Dunfermline, which would have been very maddening. I went on a Saturday when the streets were positively thronging with people. The place has a good vibe to it - it's bustling, but at the same time, it's not stressful. The roads in the city centre have restricted vehicle access so everyone just mills around the roads in a care-free fashion.
I loved the sounds of the city. When I was there, I was treated to a loud outdoor performance in an open square, as revellers bounded by in a snaking congo line. Then I escaped the madness momentarily by ducking into a nearby church which offered almost unearthly quiet and sanctuary. You'll see lots of old churches in York.
So some highlights!
1.
Ditch the Map
The mark of any self-respecting tourist destination: good signage. And if York is anything, it is
touristy. This can be good and bad. Well, on the good side, these little sign posts are
everywhere in the city - you can't turn around a corner without having your destination flagged prominently for you. It helps also that the city's fairly compact and easy to navigate.
So if you're up for it, leave those maps at home. You can wander around the side streets comfortably lost, and emerge on a main trunk road fairly sure you'll be pointed somewhere familiar.
Alternatively, when you've stepped off your train, head straight to the visitor centre which is within the station itself, and pick up your free mini guide and map of the city!
2.
York Minster
Some say this is the
raison d'etre to visit York. The largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, I have to say York Minster really holds its own against its illustrous counterparts in Italy.
View of York Minster from the front 
An on-going service inside the Minster
The entire complex consists of the Minster itself, the Undercroft and the Tower. You can purchase a variety of entry tickets depending on which combination of attractions you want to visit. I chose the 'Minster Plus' which allowed access into both the Minster and the Undercroft. My advice - skip the Undercroft unless you really want to see a random collection of Roman artefacts. It's not that exciting. If you're up for it, choose the Minster and the Tower combination - although note, you have to climb about 200 over steps to reach the top of the Tower!
The Minster itself however, is gorgeous. The stained glass windows are first-class - all 128 of them. Unfortunately the famous Great East Window is currently under restoration. You can, however, see a full-size graphic of the window hanging over its original location. Whilst its a poor replacement, it gives you a sense of the window's immense scale and breath-taking detail - fitting, given how it is after all, the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world.
A tip - bring along binoculars to take a closer look at the stained glass. There are rather hilarious irregularities. The Virgin Mary as depicted on the Five Sisters Window, supposedly has a beard! Possibly a restorationist or cleaner accidently damaged a panel, and decided to replace Mary's face with a man's hoping no one would notice! Similarly, a medallion on the roof depicts Mary feeding the infant Jesus with a
milk bottle! The early Victorians who cleaned up the Minster felt the original image of the breast-feeding Virgin was scandalous and decided to make it more palatable. Hence the inclusion of the rather amusing bottle.
The Five sisters window, which was completed in 1260.3. York for nothing
If you're planning to visit all the major attractions in York, be prepared to spend. Not much is cheap. I think Edinburgh's amazing collection of free museums and galleries made me rather adverse to paying a 7 pound admission fee for similar institutions in York. Nevertheless, there are things you can do in York for absolute nothing!
I highly recommend going to the
Museum Gardens, which is a lovely patch of green just five or ten minutes away from York Minster. Here, you can feed the pigeons and watch ducks waddle contently along the slow, placid banks of the River Ouse.
On site, you can also see some artistic ruins, including
Saint Leonard's Hospital - once the largest and most important medieval hospital in Northern England. All that's left of it are the crumbling remains of the chapel, and the crypt. There's also the
Multangular tower which forms part of the famed city walls.
The best part of the Gardens for me however was glimpsing
Saint Mary's Abbey, one of the most influential Benedictine abbeys in Northern England during the 11th-century. Like the hospital, it lies in ruins but particularly
pretty ruins I must say!
I adore the pointed arches and the honey-coloured facade. And I love how it just seems to rise organically in the middle of, well, nowhere. Definitely worth a look-see.
While on the subject of parks and gardens, something else I'd recommend is walking along the nearby River Ouse - if only because I like water!
If you're up for paying a little more, hire a YorkBoat and take an evening cruise up the Ouse. I'm sure it'll be delightful :)
And finally, my last suggestion for York on a shoestring: Definitely definitely definitely do a walk around the city walls. These are seriously ancient walls dating back to the Roman era - possibly the best preserved stretch in England. Just run your hands across them and feel the history wash over you. Peer through the cross-shaped archer's slits which now look out at modern roads and red-bricked residences, and have a quick poke around the 'bars' - the main gatehouses which restricted entry into the city. You could do the entire perimeter of the city just by walking around these walls, and it doesn't cost a thing.
4. Walk the Streets, Splurge at Betty's Check out the winding medieval streets of York, including The Shambles, which was actually mentioned in the Domesday book. It's a fairly short street, with overhanging timber roofs that lean so close together, they're just barely an arm's length apart.
There are plenty of shops along this side of town, including the invariable touristy ones which push souvenirs. Just a little further, at St Helen's square, lies one of the biggest tourist draws - the venerable Betty's Cafe.
The queue outside Betty's. It continues outside the frame.
Store front of Betty's. Who can resist?
I ignored the online review which bemoaned Betty's as "death's waiting room," compared to the livelier pubs down the stretch. I'm in York damnit - I
want the quintessential English experience of sipping tea off dainty saucers, in a cosy tea room! Nevermind if that's the favourite past-time of over-60s. Unfortunately, the queue outside Betty's was far longer than I was willing to wait. So I skipped down to the nearby Stonegate, to patronize it's sister establishment...
Little Betty's.
You'll enter a small little shop on the first floor which sells a delectable assortment of chocolates, cakes and biscuits, in addition to a wide range of teas. It's fun just browsing even if you're not intending to head up to the cafe on the second floor.
There was a short queue for Little Betty's but thankfully of a more reasonable length than the one of St Helen's square. Was ushered by a waitress to a little round table in the corner, and shown the rather pricey menu. Having already had my lunch, I just ordered a pot of Ceylon Blue Sapphire tea and a Lemon and Lime Sponge cake.
Voila voila.
Ever given pretend tea-parties when you were young? Relive those childhood fantasies for real here. The set-up is utterly quaint and cute! Betty's is the place which makes you sit up a little straighter and take dainty sips out of your tea cup. You almost have to resist the urge to say in a posh British accent if you'd like "one lump or two." The tea, by the way, was pretty good and came with a whole little saucer of honey, and an extra pot of hot water for refills - great if you can drink like a camel. The sponge, whilst small (and hence expensive) was lovely, with an excellent zesty tinge.
It's an old-world establishment - an image which it strives quite consciously to maintain I suppose. The place is popular as I've already hinted - this also means that the staff are busy and rather frazzled-looking. You do get the feeling sometimes of being rushed a little through the experience - though to their credit, the staff are generally friendly and welcoming. But oh well, who said you could have everything.
Go if you're willing to spend and wait a little. But I think you should go. It wouldn't be a trip to York without some good tea with honey, even if it is completely predictable and old-fashioned. But who cares haha.
Alright, I've exhausted my blogging session for the day. I would end this post on a bit more polished note but I do need to run. So apologies for the abruptness but see you world!
