And a very pious couple inside:
It was truly interesting to see all the inscriptions and plaques........ the choir........ the chapter house.... I really loved it.I did also visit a needlework shop called the Viking Loom, very near the Minster, and it was interesting, but did not have a large variety. I did buy a small scroll frame, some small scissors and some brooch backs for the knitted rosettes I make from time to time. Also visited a yarn shop called Sheepish, and bought a couple of balls of Kid Silk Haze, but York is not a needlecraft paradise. Lovely town, though, I wouldn't mind living in the historic part, it really is well preserved and very picturesque. Lots of streets called Something-gate, very Scandinavian (in Danish we call a street "gade", and the Swedes and Norwegians say "gata").
Today I came down to London on a quite fast train - trains have improved here, I find, they are faster, have free wifi and the attendants offer you coffee every five minutes. I left my case at Kings Cross for a couple of hours and went to John Lewis in Oxford Street, where I was told that there was a good selection of Louisa Harding yarns, I'm in love with Louisa, she did the accessories book I have been knitting my way through. So I bought a new winter book from Louisa, plus several balls of yarn for things from it.
Then I got a taxi to my hotel, the Thistle City Barbican, and it is very nice, so nice that they have given me a suite!!! I can't think why, I booked a standard room, but when I got to the room, it was like, oh my goodness, this is rather large, where is the bed - oh, through that door there.... it is considerably larger than my apartment in Paris. I've never been to this hotel before, and I just picked it out of the Laterooms.com selection because it was reasonably priced and seemed respectable. I used to stay in a place in Sloane Square, but it changed hands and got very expensive, also was a bit noisy, so this seemed like a good idea. So I am now watching a tv that has a screen 4 times the size of my one at home. This is the tv in the sitting room, there is another one the same size in the bedroom!
Tomorrow I plan to go to a few favourite shops, like Hatchards and Liberty, also have a swim downstairs, there is a pool here (another reason why I chose it). I'm still plagued by work emails, I dealt with them on the train today, muttering to myself, the ladies across the aisle must have thought I was mad. I'm tempted to tell everyone I am going for a retreat in a Trappist convent next week.
Hi Ally
Glad you enjoyed York Minster - awesome isn't it.
Had you heard of walk talk tours - the downloadable MP3 audio tours of York, London, Edinburgh and Manchester. They're designed of independent travellers like you who want to know more about the places they visit.
Take a look at www.walktalktour.com and see what you think