As I write the JVC is undergoing a bit of a refurbishment. The "time car" journey back from present day York to Jorvik might have been both at the very cutting edge of technology and groundbreaking for a museum in it's day, but the problem was that it's day was in the 1980s, and it was decided that it was in need of a facelift. Having read the reports in the Yorkshire Evening Press and on the JVC's web-site (see links section), as well as speaking to the Vikings at the temporary Jorvik Story exhibition, (see below) it sounds very much as though we won't be given a chance to become sentimental about those time travelling trips of yore accompanied by the dulcet tones of Magnus Magnusson, simply because we will be blown away by the experience of the all new JVC, especially the new time trip and the all new multi-story dwellings.

I "did" the old JVC twice, and both times walked straight in! The trick is to go early on a week-day in late Autumn! The first time was truly thrilling, with perhaps my only criticism being that the time car journey was over far too quickly, there was simply too much to take in in too short a time. I remember this odd sensation akin to Deja Vu, probably caused by the number of times I'd already "visited" JVC just by watching local TV news programmes. Finally I was able to see Jorvik "in the flesh". I'll never quite forget my first encounter with the famous "stinkpots", those odour releasing jars that recreate the less than subtle fragrances of Jorvik. I was prepared though - one of the things I remember from the TV coverage in the early days was the length JVC had gone to to make things look, smell (!) and sound right, such as the two kids you can see shouting at each other. One is apparently yelling "Jorvik Vikings rule OK" in Old Norse! On my second visit the time car trip was interrupted by a member of the museum staff, dressed in work overalls and complete with his electric power drill striding through the centre of Viking Jorvik, no doubt en route to fettle some bit of the exhibition or other, which did tend to spoil the illusion somewhat! On that second trip I also remember noticing for the first time the glowing "Emergency Exit" signs suspended above the harbour!

It did always seem to me that a lot of the visitors, especially the younger ones, had only come to experience the time car trip, and had little or no interest in the museum proper and the exhibitions in it, which was a bit of a shame really. The items themselves tell the real story of Jorvik I feel, the combs once groomed Viking hair and the keys once locked up Viking gold chests. The all-new Jorvik Viking Centre is due to open in March 2001, but until then the old exhibition has been relocated next door in St. Mary's Church as "The Jorvik Story". It was nice to be able to see the old Coppergate reconstruction on foot, and take time to look closely at the houses and the people. I had never seen the "Skullsplitter" exhibition on death in the Viking age, with it being only a fairly recent addition.

I also finally got to mint my own Viking age coin, something I missed out on during my previous visits. As we visited on an early December morning, the museum was not too full, so I got to gossip with the coin-minter about everyday Viking things, from latrines to variations in the rules of Hnefatafl!