A closeup of some of the panels of the Great East Window, York Minster
York advertises itself as a place where history is just around the corner. I'm glad that it isn't just marketing hype. There's enough to experience in York that any tourist could easily spend three days in the town and not see the same sights twice.
York Minster - We were in York for only a few hours on this visit. However, it was enough time for us to visit the key sights of the city. Our first stop was the magnificent York Minster. While I still think Ely is more interesting on an architectural level, it's hard to top York's Gothic brilliance. I've often been told that the point behind Gothic architecture was to create an atmosphere with the soaring walls and stained glass that reminded the worshiper to focus their attentions upward to heaven. That description fits York Minster perfectly. The sheer size of the cathedral immediately imposes humility on the visitor, as they realize how small they are when compared to the deity for whom the building honors. The stained glass and the other ornamentation bring beauty (and a not so subtle reminder of the beauties of heaven) to the building. Visitors should spend a few minutes studying the Great East Window. The only word I can think of for this stained glass masterpiece is spectacular. While the cathedral proper has plenty to see, no visit to the Cathedral is complete without climbing the central tower and touring the Foundations. £2.00 will allow you to climb to the top of the central tower. Along the way, you'll get a closeup look at some of the flying buttresses that support the structure and some breathtaking views of the city and the surrounding countryside. Be warned that the trip to the top is not for claustrophobics or people who suffer from vertigo. You have to climb about 250 stairs in a spiral staircase that's wide enough for only one person to get to the top. In fact, they only let people up once the last batch of people has come down because there's not enough room in the staircase to let both parties pass. If that trip doesn't sound like fun, then you should go down into the Foundations of the building. There you'll find some of the walls of the original Roman basilica (where Constantine was crowned emperor) and the original Norman cathedral. They even have a working Roman aqueduct. It's a great living history lesson. Cost to go into the Foundations is £2.00.
The Shambles - One of the nice things about York is that all of the main sights are clearly pointed out with signs. So, we followed the signs to the Shambles, a street where many of the original medieval buildings still stand. All I have to say is that if this is what conditions were like during the Middle Ages, then I'm glad that I'm living today. The houses hang over the street so that they almost touch each other. Now, picture people dumping garbage and raw sewage out into the streets and you have a pretty ugly picture of what must've happened to the casual stroller of those times. Now, of course, the street's been cleaned and the refuse is removed through other means. But, it's still an evocative place. There's no charge to walk the street.
Places to Eat - We ate at the Henry J. Bean's just north of Clifford's
Tower and across the street from the York Story. Prices for most dishes
are around £7.00. The place is a shrine to American culture, with
movie posters and street signs decorating the walls. While the food is pretty
good, I thought the service was very poor. It took our waitress three trips
and the manager two trips to get our order right. And we didn't order anything
special that wasn't on the menu. So, I'd recommend care if you plan on eating
at this branch of Henry J. Bean's.
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