A Splendid Day in York

On the 5th day we left London.. we rented a car for the rest of our trip.. the United Kingdom has a great public transport system and while we did take trains all through out our spring break trip we M opted to drive this time around. It was a rough start with driving on the other side of the road.. and figuring out the road signs etc.. I must say that I think the roads in America are marked so much more clearly.. and the roads are also so much wider and smoother.

But very soon our rough start got a little rougher.. H threw up before we even got out of London. We had over three and a half more hours of driving left before we got to York. The drive itself was fine.. but when we were just about twenty minutes away from the hotel D threw up! Thankfully he was able to alert us beforehand and we were able to stop and he was able to get out of the car. Phew. We suspect it was the dinner form the night before.

York is a walled city in northeast England that was founded by the ancient Romans. We stayed in the Queen Hotel on the River Ouse, the location was perfect. Unfortunately the hotel was not. It was the worst hotel we have stayed at in a long time.. the carpets were damp.. three of us showered in cold to warm water before the fourth finally got hot water. The toilet needed several flushes.. 

We checked in and headed out around 3pm. We crossed the bridge and started to wander through its shop lined streets. We hadn't had lunch so we popped into Thomas the Baker for some savory stuffed pastries. Yum and just enough to tide us over till an early dinner. 

I must say.. York was delightful.

We took a walk through the Shambles, an old street in York. While the street was initially known for and home to many medieval butchers it is now known for being the inspiration behind Diagon Alley. 

and home to many Harry Potter themed shops.

We saw York Minster the second largest Gothic Cathedral in Northern Europe.

We walked up to the ruins of Clifford's Tower.. did not go inside. It was nice to just go up the stairs and get a view or the area. Shakespeare's Rose Theater was in the same parking lot. 

Afterward, we walked the walls of the city.. the wall is approximately 2 miles long, we didn't walk the entire length of it. They are beautifully preserved and are the longest medieval town walls in England. 

For dinner we found a little Thai place.. it was a real hidden gem call Mommy Thai.. so so good.

The next morning we had breakfast at Brew and Brownie. Yum!

Then we took a short walk.. just outside the walls of York to the National Railway Museum.. also free! It was a terrific museum.. we had to make sure we spent only a few hours there which was hard because it had just so much information and so many trains. They had donation jars scattered about and when a museum is so wonderful it makes you want to give back.

As you can see my hair has started to get wild.. the UK water did not agree with it.. and my hair straighter did not work. I had a converter.. and I have had no problems with voltage in Morocco or Eastern Europe.. the hotels did provide hair dryers but I can not use a round brush to save my life. So as the days went on my hair got wilder.. think Monica in Barbados (it's a Friends reference)

All in all it was a perfect 24 hours in York. 

                  Etsy           Instagram           Twitter           Bloglovin