Yep, you guessed it. We took full advantage of the bank holiday weekend (Monday holiday) and headed north to the famous city of YORK. Here is a run-down of our latest adventures:
Day 1: City of York and the famous York Minster cathedral.
Amy in the quire.
Ceiling of the Chapter House.
If you're interested, you can take a virtual tour of this remarkable building at http://www.yorkminster.org/visiting/virtual-tour/.Next, we headed out to see some of the city. The downtown area of York is so old that the roads are far too narrow for anything but pedestrian traffic. We enjoyed browsing the many unique shops and found a "yummy-scrummy" (per Amy's description) lunch at a fabulous carvery. Mom & Dad enjoyed a roast dinner complete with potato and veg stuffed inside a giant Yorkshire pudding and the little girls ate their roast tucked inside a giant bap (hamburger bun).
We listened to some Celtic musicians and a military drum corps.
After lunch, we headed to the Jorvik Viking Centre where visitors can journey through authentic Viking-Age streets (a real archaeological site), reconstructed as they would have been in the year AD-975. The centre also offers three exciting exhibitions, several hands-on activities, and the chance to actually come face to face with a 'Viking'.
For more about the Jorvik Viking Centre, go to:
As part of our Jorvik experience, we continued onto the "DIG" facet of this tourist attraction and got the chance to try some field archaeology. There were 4 areas we could excavate dating from the Roman, Viking, Norman, and Victorian eras.
After excavating, we practiced identifying objects (bone, glass, pottery, etc.) and sorting it appropriately.
After our archaeological experiences, we decided to treat ourselves to a snack at the local bakery, then browse the famous shopping area, The Shambles.
The Shambles is reportedly called one of Europe's best preserved medieval streets, although the name is also used to collectively refer to the surrounding maze of narrow, twisting lanes and alleys as well. The street itself is mentioned in the Domesday Book, so we know it has been in continuous existence for over 900 years. The Shambles has the effect of a time machine, transporting you back to the Elizabethan period. The houses that jostle for space along The Shambles project out over the lane in their upper stories and in some places the street is so narrow that if you stand with arms outstretched you can touch the houses on both sides.
The name "Shambles" comes from the Saxon "Fleshammels", which means, "the street of the butchers" because it was here that the city's butcher's market was located. Notice the wide window sills of the houses; the meat for sale was displayed here.
The butcher's shops have now been replaced with shops catering to visitors, including jewelry and antiques; indeed, the Shambles is now one of the premier shopping areas in the city of York and we managed to find ourselves a few special treasures including an hour glass fashioned out of wood pieces from the old Yorkshire textile mills.
Above: the girls outside the wood shop where we bought our hour glass. Notice how short and narrow the door is.
After our archaeological experiences, we decided to treat ourselves to a snack at the local bakery, then browse the famous shopping area, The Shambles.
The Shambles is reportedly called one of Europe's best preserved medieval streets, although the name is also used to collectively refer to the surrounding maze of narrow, twisting lanes and alleys as well. The street itself is mentioned in the Domesday Book, so we know it has been in continuous existence for over 900 years. The Shambles has the effect of a time machine, transporting you back to the Elizabethan period. The houses that jostle for space along The Shambles project out over the lane in their upper stories and in some places the street is so narrow that if you stand with arms outstretched you can touch the houses on both sides.The name "Shambles" comes from the Saxon "Fleshammels", which means, "the street of the butchers" because it was here that the city's butcher's market was located. Notice the wide window sills of the houses; the meat for sale was displayed here.
The butcher's shops have now been replaced with shops catering to visitors, including jewelry and antiques; indeed, the Shambles is now one of the premier shopping areas in the city of York and we managed to find ourselves a few special treasures including an hour glass fashioned out of wood pieces from the old Yorkshire textile mills.
Above: the girls outside the wood shop where we bought our hour glass. Notice how short and narrow the door is.Clifford's Tower, York Castle
Day 2: National Railway Museum
Our ride on the Hogwarts Express:
Perhaps the most exciting part of our ride on the Hogwarts Express was entering the coach and finding it exactly like in the film... except that Harry Potter didn't sit with us.
Here is the famous petrifying well. It was first recorded in history during the year 1538 when King Henry VIII's Antiquary John Leland was sent to investigate its reputation. For many centuries people believed it had miraculous healing powers and used to carry their sick and dying relatives to bathe in the well pool, to shower under the falling waters and drink it. In modern days, it has been tested for bottling, but was determined to have have a "much too high mineral content" so it has been labeled un-drinkable.
Day 2: National Railway Museum
Our ride on the Hogwarts Express:
Perhaps the most exciting part of our ride on the Hogwarts Express was entering the coach and finding it exactly like in the film... except that Harry Potter didn't sit with us.
Then on to other activities: giant outdoor chess, then back inside the museum to see some more trains.
Right: the Duchess Hamilton Engine
Right: the Duchess Hamilton Engine
Then, outside to walk the famous York city walls.
Day 3: out to the nearby village of Knaresborough to bask in the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales.
We stopped for lunch at the local pub. Their sign nicely sums up the ideals of customer service in Britain.
Below: The Viaduct in Knaresborough was built between April 1847 and March 1848 for the East & West Yorkshire Junction Railway Co. It was almost completed, when at noon on March 11, 1848, it collapsed due to long heavy rains, and obviously, poor workmanship. Tom Collins - MP for Knaresborough - narrowly missed being crushed. Miraculously, no one was killed, but nearly all the fish in the river were killed by the lime from the cement that dissolved in the water.
The collapsed Viaduct completely dammed the river causing flooding to many properties and covered Waterside with mud. The total cost of repair was £10,000 - a large sum in these days, nevermind in 1848! Some local people attributed the fall to one of the prophecies of Old Mother Shipton - the village witch!
The collapsed Viaduct completely dammed the river causing flooding to many properties and covered Waterside with mud. The total cost of repair was £10,000 - a large sum in these days, nevermind in 1848! Some local people attributed the fall to one of the prophecies of Old Mother Shipton - the village witch!
Speaking of the witch, we visited her birthplace - a cave in a historical park that is famous for its petrifying well. This is the view from the top of the well.
Here is the famous petrifying well. It was first recorded in history during the year 1538 when King Henry VIII's Antiquary John Leland was sent to investigate its reputation. For many centuries people believed it had miraculous healing powers and used to carry their sick and dying relatives to bathe in the well pool, to shower under the falling waters and drink it. In modern days, it has been tested for bottling, but was determined to have have a "much too high mineral content" so it has been labeled un-drinkable.
The magical waters come from a natural underground lake, about a mile underground. As they climb to the surface they travel along a narrow band of porous rock (an aquifer) and dissolve the massive amount of minerals (mostly calcium), just right for turning things to stone! Compared to a stalactite or stalagmite, the items turn to stone or petrify very quickly, a small teddy bear taking 3-5 months to be completely solid; 6-12 months for large porous items.
Next stop: the wishing well. Rules are you must use your right hand, place your hand under the water, then drop in a coin. You must keep your wish a secret... until it comes true!
Mother Shipton's Cave: This is the legendary place where, in 1488, a 15-year old girl gave birth to a baby girl she named Ursula (who became Old Mother Shipton in later years). The child, Ursula, was described as "round-shouldered, deformed and twisted, unable to walk without a stick and with large hooked features." Many people at that time thought she was a witch and according to the written histories, she looked pretty much like one. It is also said that as she grew into a young woman she "realised she had a gift" - she could predict the future, small local things at first, but more powerful things later on. In fact, she gained such a reputation for her fortune-telling that even King Henry VIII himself sent members of his court to seek her out.
She prophesied many things that took years, sometimes centuries before people understood them. Here are some of her legendary prophecies; do you understand them, and what they are referring to?
Iron will float on water as easily as a wooden boat
Thoughts will travel around the world in the twinkling of an eye
Chariots without horses shall go and accidents fill the world with woe
Man shall talk and sleep under water
Man shall be seen in the air.
I think I am going to need to get a sign just like that one from the pub to hang in our kitchen. Sounds like Patrick's motto too! hahaha
ReplyDeleteHow extraordinary. The whole thing. I had been looking at your pictures and reading when I thought to myself, "Hmm. Looks like stuff from Harry Potter." And then, whatdya know.. there was the Hogwarts Express! Haha!
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