York

As our upcoming trip to England draws nearer, I’m finding it harder and harder to contain my excitement.  You see, as much as I loved our trip to France, I’m an Anglophile at heart.  And while I can’t wait for the new discoveries that I’m sure to make on this next trip, I’m feeling a bit nostalgic for some of the parts of England that we loved when we visited back in 2008.  So I thought I’d share some of those pics with you, since they pre-date this little blog.  We started our journey in York, so that’s where I’ll begin my recaps.

First stop – the pub, obviously.  We hadn’t slept since D.C.  Hubby wanted ale and I wanted mushy peas.  (Hubby has his priorities straight; I might not.)  So we hit up Ye Olde Starre Inne – York’s oldest pub.  The mushy peas were glorious.  I can’t speak for the ale. 

You don’t visit York without spending some quality time at the Minster.  It was astoundingly beautiful both inside and out and was hubby’s favorite cathedral of the entire trip.  (I liked Westminster Abbey because I’m a history booknerd.  But York Minster was a very close second.)

Inside the Minster – gorgeous carvings.  I loved the light-filled nave.

York Minster choir stalls – pic snapped for my father-in-law and sisters-in-law, who either have in the past or currently belong to Episcopalian church choirs.  Hubby and I were lucky enough to catch an Evensong at York Minster and it was one of the highlights of the trip.

A walk around the Minster reveals… FLYING BUTTRESSES!  Oh yes, I went there.  Holla back, A.P. European History!

Walking through the medieval York streets, we stumbled upon this guy.  Anyone know what it meant to have a devil above your shop door?  In medieval times, the devil was a sign that the shop below was a printer.

Clifford’s Tower – site of a mob riot in 1190.  Okay, history lesson over for the day.

St. Mary’s Abbey.  Ah, York, how we loved visiting you.  Even though your ghost tour did give us nightmares.  Gorgeous medieval streets, a stunning cathedral, great food… it was a perfect low-key but still breathtaking place to start off our U.K. adventure.