A Day Discovering Beautiful York

Today, we strolled only five minutes from our front gate into beautiful York. It was hard leaving our cosy house into a cold and slightly windy day, but we could see the Minster from our front door - beckoning.
First stop, of course, was York Minster - a beautifully striking and imposing cathedral, towering over York. Just behind it is the Treasurer's House, a National Trust property once owned by wealthy Frank Green. His former house has 13 magnificent showrooms with furniture spanning four centuries. The highlight, however, was the small guided tour of the cellar. Here, in 1953, apprentice heating engineer, Harry Martindale, reportedly saw Roman soldiers marching through the cellars. The details in his accounts of what he saw - from the colour of the soldiers' tunics to the style of shield they carried - have been shown to be astoundingly accurate. We wished we could have witnessed what Harry did. See if you can find his 7 minute account on You-Tube. It was such a fascinating tale.

Typical York street scape, near York Minster

The imposing York Minster

Beautiful stained glass window at the Treasurer's House, York

Frank Green's Sitting Room, Treasurer's House

Frank Green liked order - not a bad motto!

Sean, Eloise and Brett at Stoneygate, York

Tempting cafes everywhere!

The Shambles, York

York Minster - a natural compass over York's intertwining streets

After  meandering through York's famous streets such as the Shambles, Gillygate, Stoneygate and Coppergate , we slowed down a little in the afternoon before venturing back in the evening for a warm meal. Rain tumbled down as we hurried home over York's uneven, cobblestone streets and scrambled through our front door. There's nothing quite like shaking off umbrellas (well, ok, I was the only one smart enough to take one!) and wet clothes and settling down in a cosy English house. Thank you, York, for a lovely day. Tomorrow, we hope to learn more about your fascinating Roman and Viking history - hail, rain or shine!     Tricia