Day 1 23/2/08 - England

London -> York -> London

Highlight

• Long train ride, only made easier by learning French.
• Arrived at 9am, was disappointed that it was overcast the whole day and very cold.
• Started hunting around for Betty’s as we had very little for breakfast. We found lots of interesting architecture on the way, but no Betty’s.
• Made do with a sausage roll from Thomas The Baker instead. It was nice but would’ve been better if it was not cold.
• Marvelled at York Minster, climbed the tower, and had to pay £4 for the privilege. I would say the best thing about it was the climb up a long flight of narrow winding stairs. The view from the top was ok, but not spectacular. Plus, you were really wired in, and there were only tiny gaps for you to look out of, so the view was quite restricted.
• By the time we got back down, after waiting for ages at the top, as there were only 1 set of stairs, so you have to go in a group, York has really come alive. The footpaths and the roads were over spilling with people.
• Browsed around the shops, tasted some wonderful fudge at the Fudge Kitchen, and picked up the seasonal Autumn special. Tried on hats at a cool hat shop, and peered into windows of butcheries with their pork pies.
• Had the best lunch ever at J Bakers. It was cool, stylish, innovative, delicious and not even that expensive. I love this place. We wanted to go back for dinner, but they were totally booked out.
• Walk around the old wall, but after a while, it wasn’t that interesting, and parts of it was so crowded, so went down after a while.
• Had a look at Clifford Tower, but it was a real disappointment. Nothing spectacular to see and not even that high to get a view of the city. Plus, it was £3 to enter!! Needless to say, we didn’t bother, after all, we didn’t see much we liked from the much high Minster Tower
• People recommended the National Railway Museum to me, but as it was the only museum that was free in York, I didn’t expect it to be such an excellent museum. There were loads of trains to peer into, blasts from the grand old days to the modern day shinkensen, all housed in a former train depot.
• Unfortunately, there was a Thomas the Tank Engine event on, so the place was full of kids and their parents. We ventured to some of the less visited exhibits, including the flying Dutchman (and I still can’t figure out why it was so famous).
• Tried to find Betty’s again. We knew where it was after we asked at the Tourist Info, but there was a huge line, so decided to come back later.
• Had to waste some time before evensong, so walked around the shops. Mostly high street stuff but a few interesting gems.
• Evensong at York Minster, quite boring and long, but the cathedral was magnificent, and you can look around for as long as you like afterwards, saving you the £5.50 entry fee.
• Took some night pics of the church and various lit up places.
• Ventured back but there was still a huge line at Betty’s, so had to end up getting takeaway. Btw – the stuff was not that nice, it’s the experience you’re after.
• Dinner at Cross Keys pub for very cheap, filling but not very spectacular food.
• Caught an earlier train home because the one we were booked on was 45 minutes delayed. There was a bunch of really loud, drunk people on. Sang songs at the top of their lungs and spilled beers everywhere. One lady told them to stop the swearing because there were lots of children there but got ridiculed for having to put up with it on a Saturday night.

Food

• Thomas The Baker chicken and stuffing roll (£.49)
• Lunch at JB:
  • Smoked almonds
  • Little boiled potatoes
  • artichoke and split pea whip
  • Grazing Plate (£10.00)
  • Tasty Lancashire Cheese Pudding ~ Curly Kale, shallot jam (£10.00)
  • Baked beans, goose fat and parsley (£2.00)
  • Yorkshire Triangle Rhubarb Fool (£4.50)Summer Fruits, Pistachio and Chocolate Sundae (£4.50)
• Cross Keys dinner:
• Betty’s chocolate éclair (£1.20)
• Betty’s Engadine Torte (£2.35)