Monday 29 July 2024

Friday in York

Another day of unbroken sunshine at a pleasant 20C; we had arranged a trip to York for Friday (26.07.2024).

My sister-in-law had the day off and drove the three of us to the small end-of-terrace house her daughter and her boyfriend bought last year. They moved in in March, and there is still a lot of work needed, but it is habitable now with a lovely modern kitchen, and my niece‘s good taste is evident throughout.

We left the car there and walked into town along the river, on a pleasant path occasionally shared with cyclists and dog walkers.

The river Ouse

Ice cream vans are common, ice cream boats are special.



It was lunch time when we arrived in the city centre, and The York Minster Refectory was the perfect place for our meal. We had the dog with us; Ruby is a quiet, friendly old girl and absolutely no trouble. A table outside provided plenty of space for us to sit and and Ruby to stretch out underneath. The food was very nice, and service attentive and friendly.

Our table was to the left just outside the range of the picture.
A stroll around offered many sights of historical buildings, some of them beautifully quirky. The statue of the late Queen Elizabeth is a new addition to the minster‘s front.






The Shambles were way too busy for our liking.
My niece lead us to a hidden gem, Bedern Hall. It is amazing how peaceful and quiet the city can be, just a few steps off the beaten track. An elderly lady gave us a brief oral history of the hall, then we were free to look around.



Ice creams were next before we made our way back to my niece’s place, this time on the other side of the river. 


The three of us plus Ruby were soon in the car again and on our way back to Ripon. A beautiful day with plenty to see, and a nice walk along the river.

16 comments:

  1. Your sister and you had such a pleasant time on your getaway. It helped that you have family there which made it even more special. I'm glad you had a lovely time, Meike.

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    1. Thank you, Ellen. We‘re still here all week, only travelling back on Monday, August 5.

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  2. You did have such a beautiful day to visit York! I do remember the statue of Queen Elizabeth from the BBC, but I didn't remember where it was, thanks for telling me. Were you able to go into the cathedral itself? I only ask because I would certainly want to see the inside!

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    1. We didn‘t go into the minster. They charge £10 admission per person, and we wanted to see the place my niece wanted to show us. But years ago I have been inside. You can of course find video tours online 😊

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  3. Thank you for sharing your holiday - I don't know the area at all and it looks lovely.

    Ceci

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    1. It is a beautiful part of the world, Ceci, well worth a visit.

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  4. You keep bringing up memories for me - I visited York during my stay with a Yorkshire family one summer back in my teens. Thanks for showing the new sculpture added to the cathedral, I did not know about that!

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    1. You are welcome, Monica. I had not known about the statue, either, but my sister-in-law and my niece pointed her out to us. At one side of the minster, the stonemasons’ workshop can be seen through the fence, and information boards tell you all sorts of things about their work in the past and present.

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  5. York is a truly special place if you know how to avoid the crowds and congestion. Pleased you had a good day.

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    1. Thank you, Tasker. Yes, it is a special place, and we are fortunate to have good local knowledge through my niece.

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  6. I have never seen an ice cream boat before! And I've been to York! I also didn't know they'd added QEII to York Minster.

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    1. Steve, the ice cream boat even offered ice cream for dogs!
      We had not known about the new statue, either; see my reply to Monica above.

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  7. It's many years since I was in York and it was lovely to be shown around again and reminded of some of its beauty. Thank you.

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    1. The first time I visited York was with Steve around 20 years ago. My niece moved there a few years ago, and we‘ve been visiting her both at her former flat and now at the ‚new‘ house (which is from the 1930s), and went into the city with her. With so many historic buildings, I could have taken pictures at every corner, but limited myself to the few in this post.

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  8. An ice cream boat is a novelty!

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