London, Day 6: York

I had seen a picture of the York Minster in doing research for this trip, and decided within 2 seconds that York would definitely be something we saw while we were in England. York Minster is the largest Gothic cathedral in Britain. It was one of the few Catholic churches that was not destroyed by Henry VIII, to the benefit of the rest of history. We caught an 8 a.m. train and were in York by about 10 a.m. The train seemed a little crowded to me, and we learned upon arrival that it was horse racing day in York! York was very crowded on the day we were there, but it was still an enjoyable day. We headed in the direction of the Minster, but first stopped at a café for breakfast. Hubby had been wanting to try a traditional English breakfast, which included eggs, toast, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, and baked beans, and he is able to do so here (I do as well, although getting the vegetarian version). It was very good, but very large—I don’t even think I ate half of what was on my plate. We go to the Minster, and…Wow. We saw many churches in Europe during our trip, but this was my favorite. We spent a good two hours here—I attended a Communion ceremony while Hubby climbed the Tower, and we both saw the Undercroft/Crypt area. It is just an amazing building. Here are some pictures:

Above: York Minster

Above: Stained Glass window inside the Minster

Above: View of the Minster and York from Hubby's Tower view

After the Minster we walk back through York to see the Shambles. The Shambles is an old street in York that used to house several butcher shops--the hooks that the butchers hung their meat on 600 years ago are still there. This is yet another sight I can’t believe—that something hundreds of years old can still be not only standing but functioning (it's now gift shops).

Above: The Shambles

Our last stop in York was the Roman Wall. This wall was built during Roman times around the then city of York. And like so many other things in Europe--yep, it was still standing. There is a walking path next to it, and for those who so choose, they can follow the wall around the city. We only chose to walk next to some of it, but it was still quite an experience.

Above: The Roman Wall with the York Minster in the background.

Dinner that night was a chain restaurant in London called Pizza Express. There was one right across from our hotel, and Hubby had been eyeing it for a few days. Hubby had pizza that was okay, but the mushroom ravioli I ordered was…awful. The bottom was burned, and the part that managed to not get overcooked was mushy from being drenched in the Cream of Mushroom Soup they used for a sauce. I didn’t think it was possible to top McDonald’s to earn the title of Worst Meal in London, but the mushroom ravioli at Pizza Express did this with flying colors. (In the travel forum I originally posted this report in, another traveler commented that her mother had the exact same experience with the mushroom ravioli at a different Pizza Express, so I know it wasn't just me.)

I'll do one last post to wrap up the London portion of our trip, and then get back to posting about present times. :)