I got to sleep in this morning and Iain made an “English Breakfast” which consists of putting cut potatoes, mushrooms, sausage, and egg into a pan and cooking them together. I am getting the distinct impressive that the mantra behind English cuisine is “Just add sausage.” In the afternoon, we headed off for a visit through York proper.
We started off at the Castle in York. It was pretty rainy and cold and the roof had collapsed long ago in the castle tower, so it was pretty wet. I got to climb my first spiral staircase, and it was probably the most difficult one so far. The whole structure is leaning at an angle. I didn't really notice it until trying to go up the staircase. I managed to get some nice shots of the city all around and got somewhat confused about the structure of the castle.
Shrugging that off, we went to Fairfax house which is a replica Georgian home half a block from the castle. It was a really beautiful home with super ornate plaster on the ceilings and lovely furnishings. There was an exhibit throughout the house about clothing of the period and I liked looking at all the beautiful dresses shoes etc...
Then we went to Yorkminster, which is essentially the equivalent of a cathedral or basilica for Protestants. Iain is a verger there, so he was a great tour guide! The Minster is the largest or its type north of the alps and it is an incredible structure. It took centuries to build and it is eternally under repair, which seems to be the state of most of the old buildings here. The stained glass was stunning, and it was cool to see all the old memorials built into the sides of the corridors. The chapter house is particularly spectacular. It is a circular room that has a huge domes ceiling that is painted. Along the walls are small recesses where the various important clergy people sit. The room was constructed so that everyone can hear each other easily from across the room without needed to speak loudly. Above all the stone seats are striking stained glass as well as small faces carved into the stone. All of them are different.
Iain wasn't feeling too well, so I went up to the tower alone. This was a far longer spiral staircase than York Castle. It got to what I thought was the top and was admiring the view with a mother and daughter from California and suddenly a voice on a loudspeaker told us to keep going up. I was perfectly fine with the height that I was at. Turns out, I was maybe a third of the way up! The sky began to clear when I got to the top so it was perfect to get a great view of York and the Minster.
September 21: York to Edinburgh
The next morning I got on another train and headed off to Edinburgh to meet Anne and Wilf. Anne is a childhood friend and second cousin of my grandmother. They were generous enough to have me stay with them. They picked me up from the train station and we wen to the New Museum of Scotland. This museum outlines the history of Scotland and was absolutely AWESOME! It was beautifully laid out and there were a number of unique art pieces integrated into the exhibit. It was a good way to start off my time in Edinburgh because I'd forgotten a frightening amount of my Scottish history.
After spending the afternoon at the museum (with a great deal of hassle since Anne and Wilf kept getting lost) we headed back to North Queensferry, a small village just outside of Edinburgh. We had a nice supper and they wouldn't let me help clean up. So spoiled. Went to bed early because I had a big day in Edinburgh the next day.
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