Mint Chocolate City

Yesterday morning, after taking a taxi, the tube, and the train from London to Cambridge, the three of us had the pleasure of worshipping at Resurrection Lutheran Church. 

My parents got to meet my pastor/tutor, I changed into casual clothes, and we were off to the train station once again. This time… to York!

We had to get off the train at Ely, hop on a bus to Peterborough, and then make the train to York from there, since the tracks from Ely to Peterborough were under construction. On the second train, we had quite a bit of trouble finding our seats. We couldn’t even find our section! So we sat down in three open seats, only to find out five minutes later that they were reserved for someone else! So we got up again in the moving train, fought our way through the aisles (if you can call a passageway that small an aisle), only to find that the next seats we nested in were reserved as well! So after three moves, my dad getting off the train, looking on the outside for our section, and finally finding it, we made it to York.

And boy, was it worth the trouble! I think it’s safe to say that York is my favorite city in the UK so far. We got off the train, made our way past the ancient city walls, York Minster Cathedral, and Monkbar Gate to our hotel. After asking the receptionist where he would recommend we eat, we headed for Cross Keys pub. Here, I got my third and best (so far) order of fish and chips and the best half-pint I’ve had so far. Then we made our way back to the hotel to make our plans for the next day.

This morning, we enjoyed a full hotel breakfast before embarking on the town. Our first stop was a street my girlfriend recommended that we go to while in York. Christa got the opportunity to visit York while in England for the International Piano Competition last September. And now, it’s my turn! The road (called The Shambles) had two buildings on either side of the street, which was so narrow that you could stretch out your hand from the window of one of the buildings and shake your neighbor’s hand in the other.

Our next sight was Clifford Tower, a twelfth century lookout post and military building. Following the York Castle area, we went to Betty’s Tea Café (another must-see from Christa). After enjoying what was the best cup of tea I’ve had so far in England, we walked on the city wall, from which we could see the Cathedral. Speaking of the Cathedral, our next stop was the Cathedral.

York Minster was my third cathedral and my parents’ first. It was, in their words, “unbelievably huge.” And was it ever! While I’d say Canterbury was slightly more beautiful on the inside, York Minster is the most stunning from the outside. It has been a place of worship since 627, but was made into the grand cathedral that it is over a period of 260 years, starting in the thirteenth century. It has always been dedicated to St. Peter, so on the inside, there is a stained glass window of him holding the keys to the kingdom of heaven in one hand and a miniature York Minster Cathedral in the other.

My favorite part of the sight, aside from perhaps its two identical towers at the front entrance, was the statue of Constantine the Great at the side entrance. Constantine was proclaimed Emperor of the Roman Empire in 306 right here in Yorkshire! He was the emperor who ended the persecution of Christians by converting to Christianity and making it the religion of the empire.

I proceeded to stop by a Turkish barber to make myself look a bit more presentable, after which we grabbed some lunch and hopped on another train. This one is taking us to Manchester, then to Cardiff, where we’ll be spending the next 24 hours. Three cheers for York!