On the way to York

Today we took a tour of the Roman auxiliary fort, Vindolanda, which is in northern part of England near the Scotland border. This fort was under Roman occupation from about 85AD to 370AD. It is an active archaeological site. Exceptional ground conditions have preserved thousands of items such as clothing, shoes, writing tablets, and tents. Quite an impressive site and museum.

Close by is Hadrian’s ancient Roman wall. He was a Roman emperor who ordered it built around 122 AD. It’s 73 miles long. He wanted to separate the barbarians (people from Scotland) from the Romans. Well, in what I believe were hurricane strength winds, I climbed that darn mountain (seemed like one) to the top just to see a view of the wall!

We arrived in York where we’ll be for 2 days. York is a walled cathedral city with Roman origins back in 71 AD. The city is also influenced by the Vikings presence who were here 1000 years ago. We took a short tour of the area with a Yorker and even climbed and walked some of the ancient 2 mile long wall. I’m looking forward to roaming The Shambles—the oldest shopping street in Europe. Once home to butcher’s shops, it’s now filled with many shops. The Shambles is also said to be the inspiration for Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley.

The group ate at an Indian restaurant and though I did sample the many different foods, I did not like any of it at all…too much heat and spice for me.Read more