The Noble Duke of York

I love York! And now Caitlin loves York, and I'm happy that she does! It is always a must to visit York whilst in England. I was so pleased that as we drove into the car park (parking lot) that it was familiar to me. I knew that when we left the car park we would walk along a river and in which direction we would walk. Familiarity feels good.

We had come to Britain with winter clothes... at least I had. The weather in England was beautiful, often quite hot and I wished I had brought lighter clothing. The temperature in York that day was much cooler (actually cold) and the wind blew.

Our first stop was the open marketplace which was an immediate hit with Caitlin. Afterwards we went to my favorite eating place in York... Petersgate Fisheries. But it was no longer Petersgate it was now called Drakes. The fish 'n chips were still fabulous. Afterwards we headed to York Minster. Caitlin and I went into the Minster which is one of the largest cathedrals in Northern England. You used to be able to go in and make a donation if you chose, now, you are required to pay to enter. It is not cheap. Every hour on the hour a prayer is offered. We stopped as did everyone else and reverently listened to the prayer (I said "amen" but I'm not sure anyone else did... oh well, that's what I do). There is something stirring about being in a catheral in England and hearing the one offering the prayer asking God to bless the people of Boston. This was just two days after the tragedy at the Boston Marathon.

Christmas Angels is another favorite in York. I remember telling a dear friend years ago that she must go into Christmas Angels when she visited York. I remember her telling me when she came back from her trip, that while in the shop she thought, "Lesley was here." It's an interesting thought process to consider while thousands of miles from your home... this time I remembered, "Janet was here."

Doesn't this look just like a Dickens village? I love the shops, the cobblestone streets, the windows and doors, the signs, those three people in the picture.

My mother told me to have a cream donut while in England. Caitlin and I were standing on the street and turned around and there was a bakery right in front of us. There is no bakery like a British bakery and no cream like the fresh cream in Britain... at least none I have ever tried. I can now cross while-in-England-eat-a-cream-donut-for-your-mother off the bucket list.

When we returned to the car park after a wonderful afternoon in York, we found a duck sitting on it's nest. We watched it for several minutes. Derek and Dorothy are real animal lovers and enjoyed it. I actually didn't mind and took a few pictures. Caitlin I fear, may be more afraid of birds than me. Just look at the picture at the top of this post (birds in the background) and the look on her face. There are a lot, and I mean a LOT of birds at some of the touring sights in England.

Just for fun! 10 pts. if you can tell me who the Duke of York is (no googling).