York Minster looming over the bustling streets of the old town
Next up was another two-night stop, this one the city of York. I found it a little odd to see all the signs referencing “York” without a “New” in the front but you wouldn’t really confuse the two cities. And somehow it felt appropriate to come to this namesake town after visiting the original Cambridge just a few days ago.
Founded by the Romans in AD 71 at the confluence of the Ouse and Foss Rivers, the city has a bit of history behind it. Perhaps most important, Constantius I was serving as Emperor here – one of the original four Tetrarchs when Emperor Diocletian decided the empire was too big for one man to rule. When Constantius died in AD 306, the troops quickly proclaimed his son Constantine his successor. Constantine, of course, went on to overthrow the tetrarchy, become sole emperor, convert to Christianity, and relocate the capital of the empire from Rome to Constantinople. In other words, he was kind of a big deal.
Some of the medieval city walls are still standing
And a more recent big deal is Judy Dench, perhaps England’s greatest actress, who was born here. Sadly though we didn’t see her.
The main tourist attraction here is the Cathedral, known as the York Minster. Begun in 1220 explicitly to rival the cathedral in Canterbury, it wasn’t completed until 1472 and is today the second-largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe. Mark was here some 33 years ago and remembered it almost magically, the massive size and beautiful architecture. And after all these years and all the cathedrals that we’ve seen since then it still packs a pretty powerful punch.
Most impressive here are the enormous stained glass windows, some of which date back to the 12th century. The window on the east side of the church – furthest from the entrance – is the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world. Perhaps even more impressive are the 53-foot high windows known as the Five Sisters. Painted in a monochromatic gray, they are simply stunning, unlike anything I’d ever seen.
These windows blew me away
To go along with just wandering around the Minster, we took a “tour” up to the central tower. I call it a “tour” because even though it was advertised as such it was just an opportunity to climb the 275 steps to the top of the tower. Because there’s only one set of stairs and they are quite narrow tickets are sold for a specific time: everyone goes up together and then you come down before the next group starts. The views were nice but for me most fun was listening to the woman in front of me act like she was going to die climbing those 275 steps. It was quite the show.
Otherwise the stop included a bit of wandering around the old town, a nice run and a couple long walks along the River Ouse, some decent food, and even a little shopping. From here we’re off to Edinburgh so we’re leaving England for a couple weeks. I’ve never been to Scotland so this will be a big adventure for me!
Mark enjoying perfect weather and a pre-dinner cocktail in a lovely square. What’s not obvious in this picture is that there is a guy in back of him with a microphone and big speaker singing show tunes very loudly and very badly. Made the whole experience decidedly imperfect.
After touring the Minster and climbing the tower we sat in a little park to read while enjoying this view
The view from the top of the central tower
Flying buttresses seen while climbing to the top
Boats tied up along the River Ouse for miles outside the city
This statue of Queen Elizabeth – head of the Church of England, of course – was added to the front of the Minster in 1977 in honor of 25 years on the throne
Back inside the church
The massive East Window, depicting stories from the Book of Revelations
Enjoying an excellent Perfect Manhattan
After our first lunch Mark went in search of a haircut while I wandered around. And then I stumbled onto said haircut in action!