York.

HELLO!


ok, this whole not blogging thing since last friday, is not ok.
i'm going through withdrawals. 


i have alot to talk about.. and surprisingly not enough time to tell you. i'm going to break it up into a few blogs so its not to over whelming.


I put all my pictures up on facebook, so if your not my friend, cant see them, or dont have a facebook this link should work for you.. i have an album for each place... York Photos. 


so here it goes...first stop

York: where romans ruled, vikings rampaged and medieval monks meditated. 

Our weekend started bright and early at 6 am saturday morning. the earliest ive been away since i have been here. (ew) We met outside at 7:00 to leave and of course, nothing goes as planned. a guy we were waiting for overslept so we lets at 7:15. then once we went to switch tube lines, the one we needed was closed. sweet... so we ran around and had to figure out how the heck to get there. we took a long way around and got to the bus at 7:45 ish.. and we were supposed to be there at 7:30. so we were legit the last ones on the bus. later come to find out they were only holding the bus for some  girl who had called and said she was running late. they ended up leaving her behind though. so if it were for that girl, we would have missed the bus... and i would have been pissed. 


After a 3.5 hour bus ride up to york. our first stop was york minster.

York minster is the largest medieval gothic cathedral in Northern Europe. Not all cathedrals are minster: not all minsters are cathedrals - but york minster is both. 

not that i understood this before i went, but heres my attempt at explaining it to you...

Cathedral: the mother church of a diocese. This is where the bishop has his cathedra aka "seat" which is only found in a cathedral. York hold the seat for the Diocese of york. 

Mynster: the anglo-saxon name for a missionary church. a church build as a new centre for christian worship. the first minster in york was built in 627 A.D.

make sense? 

well regardless all you have to know is its old and has sick stain glass window, statues and architecture. 

i took a few videos so watch them.. nothing of me speaking, but the video captures the buildings better.. 

we then went on a tour inside the church. i must say, this church and the others we saw, show up america by far. its kinda crazy to even fathom how old these buildings are and how the had the skills to build them back then. personally, i love the stain glass! 

as we were walking around the church, we came across a section with prayer candles... 

so this ones for you grandma. 

love you forever. <3 

after the church, we had some free time to roam around the town. cute little place. reminds me alot of brick alley in newport. cobble stone streets with little shops all around. we had about an hour or so to see the town on our own before we met for a walking tour. now we just decide to roam and explore. but can i just show you what our itinerary said..

During free time, enjoy some scones and clotted cream in one of York’s many tearooms.

now i'm all about trying new food and experiencing their culture, hell thats why im here right? but honestly... clotted cream! you couldn't have come up with a better name. that just sounds...nasty. needless to say, i didn't try that one!

after free time, we meet with our group to go on a walking tour of the town. walking tour... of course. thats all we do ... walk walk walk. we saw some cool stuff, not nothing worthy of me blogging about except for the ruins outside of the york museum.

erin. lauren. kristin. me

and then came to downfall.. we all had a good day sightseeing and such, but were crashing pretty quickly. so around 6 pm we walked back to the bus to drive to our hostel. now knowing this isnt a hotel, i was trying to keep an open mind... until we pulled up. then i freaked. correction, not just me, all four of us! after about 20 minutes of waiting and checking in, we got our keys to the room, headed to get ready for dinner. and let me tell you, longest walk of my life. not necessarily distance wise, but hypothetical situation....

combine the smell of salvation army / thrift store

with..

hallway clips from  "the shinning"

equal our walk to the room. 

and before i go on to my experience, allow me to enlighten you with the trip description of this lovely place...

Accommodation is at the York YHA Hostel which is approximately 10-15 minute walk from the town centre. Towels are available for hire at the youth hostel, but we do recommend that you bring your own towel as they cannot promise towels will be available for hire for the whole group and are at an additional cost.  Rooms will be allocated during travel to York so that you will be able to choose your roommate/s.

NOTE TO EVERYONE: NEVER RENT TOWELS!!!! 

we were welcomed with two bunk beds, and unit of four cabinets and a sink. woooo, high rollers. we then proceeded to examine the beds for bed bugs. EWWW! Happy to report there weren't any, but it sure all heck felt like it. after about a solid 20 minutes of the roger williams girls bugging out, our friends came down the hall to go out to dinner. and what is their first comment..

guys, this is kinda cool. not as bad as we thought? 

uhhh. EXCUSE ME?! 

ok ok. i'll be the first one to admit that we are spoiled girls, straight up. but im ok with it. Someone send me back to my apartment in bristol!  i wasnt mentally prepared for this... at all. kickin it summer camp style.

tish dont like. 

picture says it all...

extra security! 

well. we walked to a random resturant for dinner. and they had no idea what they were doing. long story short, majority of the group ordered burgers and fries, the burgers were charred and the size of a hockey puck. and my pizza was straight up frozen sams club style. but hey, its food right. after a few brews we headed back to the hostel... and those beers were needed!

ohh and you cant forget the wonderful breakfast the next morning...

thrilled. 

btw. they're faking smiles! 

Agenda for Sunday:

Fountains Abbey. Wander the cloisters where monks prayed, ate, slept and worked. From there, we travel south through a land of stonewalls, waterfalls, and rolling dales towards Haworth, a Victorian town that will take you back 150 years. Home of the Brontes perched on the edge of the haunting moors that inspired Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre.

<3. SKEEVED OUT.