25 hours in York

We arrived in York just before noon and had a very nice visit. We had already booked a 2 hour walking tour at 1:15 and entrance to the York Minster (cathedral) at 3:45. We had a short walk to our room at the Georgian House and Mews. Fortunately, our room was ready and we were able to check in.

Along the way to our lodging, we passed the York Theatre Royal and saw that the musical Military Wives was opening that night. We went online and booked tickets to the 7:30 performance.

On our way to our tour, we grabbed a sandwich and gathered for our truly free walking tour. York is a city steeped in history and this tour was all about it - trying to cover 2000 years in 2 hours. Eileen was less than impressed.

The York Minster is one of the largest gothic cathedrals in Europe. While the original church was established in the 7th century, the current building wasn't started until the 13th century and was finished in the 15th century. Originally a Roman Catholic structure, it is now part of the church of England.

Interestingly, there is a recently opened school to train stone masons. They use hammer and chisel to carve stone and new figures. About half of the new masons are women.

We went back to our room for a quick shower, then out to dinner. We ended up at the Taas, an Indian/Nepalese restaurant. The food was good and a nice change from what we have been eating.

We enjoyed the performance and the venue (relatively small). There was a pre-show performance in the lobby by actual military wives choirs.

On Thursday, we explored more of old town, particularly the area known as the Shambles. The word Shambles comes from a word that is derived from the butcher shops or the tables used for the meat. Now it is area full of shops and eateries. There is a Shamble St and it seems like it could have been Diagon Alley from Harry Potter, including a number of magic shops.

Before heading back, we sat along the river enjoying a latte and the sun. There were crew teams practicing as well as older adults who were seemingly taking lessons. The river cruise boats were fairly busy with most passengers being older.

After going back for our bags, we hustled back to the train station and boarded the train with a minute or two to spare. We are off to Bath, where we will begin our Cotswold Way walk tomorrow morning.Read more