I fall more in love with York than ever

When I left off, we had disembarked from our brief cruise on the Ouse (ha, say that out loud) and were about to enter the grounds of the York Museum Gardens. It was a truly beautiful day, and I couldn't have wished for better weather to explore this absolutely stunning park.  The grounds are a structured 19th century garden and encompass numerous historical ruins, including those of Saint Mary's Abbey, which at one time was the wealthiest and most powerful religious location in Britain. It was so wealthy, and so powerful, that it had it's own protective walls separate from the walls of York city. Then of course, Henry came along and, well, goodbye St. Mary's.

This is one of those times where words just won't do justice, so here are pictures!

I can't even imagine living in a house that overlooks this garden. Heaven!

I'm not sure many people - especially Americans - really understand the damage that Henry did to the historical record with his dissolution of the monasteries. Because of course he didn't just confiscate the money - he stole anything of value and burned the rest to the ground. It's an absolute crime when you stop to consider the architecture, literature, and art we lost because he threw a monster temper tantrum. I was particularly struck by this when wandering St. Mary's, which even as a ruin is spectacular.

More of the structured garden....

I was initially surprised I didn't have more pictures, but I think I was just really enjoying the scenery. In all, I think we spent a little over an hour here.

After our stroll through the ruins and gardens, we realized it was not quite dinner time.  What to do, what to do?  We knew of one more major attraction in York we hadn't seen yet, and that was Jorvik - the viking museum.  Having heard disparate accounts ranging from "it's worth it" to "it's  silly", we had sort of put it on the "maybe" list. We decided to walk over to it and see if we still had time to get in. If we did we'd go, if we didn't we wouldn't be that upset.

We found the museum in a rather business-y looking district that was already mostly shut down for the evening. I was surprised when the gigantic hairy guy dressed as a viking outside the door said we'd have plenty of time. Seriously, he could have been an extra in Vikings on TV - I wish I'd taken a pic! In we went, having very little idea of what to expect.

So is it silly? Or is it worth it? Yes. The experience is essentially a ride, taking you along a recreation of Jorvik's Coppergate street, with animatronics and replicas to give you an idea of what life would have been like when York was Jorvik.  Is it for kids? Probably. Did I think it was awesome? I did. I really did. And here's why - it's not just a replica of Coppergate; the exhibit is built on Coppergate itself. So when you're in your little buggy going around the replicas, you're seeing, hearing and smelling what you might have actually experienced in that very spot a thousand years ago. The same goes for the animatronics - they are based on human remains found on those grounds. At one point you see an older woman who has a leg ailment - and later in the museum part of the attraction you can see the remains that character was based on. As someone who is absolutely fascinated by the lives of historical people, I just thought it was the coolest. I also learned a fair bit, and I'm a geek and I do love learning.

You've probably guessed from the lack of photos that the ride is a "no photo" zone. The small museum at the end of the attraction, however, does allow pictures, and here is one of my favorites.

Looks like a replica, right? Well, it's not. It's a no-kidding Anglo-Saxon helmet known as the Coppergate Helmet. Its origin is in the 8th century, but it remained hidden on the site of the Jorvik museum until 1982, in a pit that might have once been a well. Its outstanding preservation is attributed to it having been hidden intentionally, either by its original owner or someone who hoped to come back for it later. I could have looked at just this one thing for an hour. I'm sorry, but I'M GEEKING OUT ALL OVER AGAIN just looking at the pictures! That is just the coolest thing! Here's another picture because I can't help it.

Ok, I'm back. To make up for my geek-splosion, here's a funny sign.

And if that doesn't do it for you, here's another.

Having geeked out supremely, it was time to find dinner. We wandered to an area where we hoped to find some options. The scenery along the way was enchanting in the dusk.

One of York's famous Snickleways

Silly hats because this is England

York's other river, the Foss

Oh those rumors about British dentition!

Finding dinner turned out to be a strangely difficult task. There were pubs aplenty to choose from, but I was already worried about getting tired of pub food, and was hoping for something else. Anything else. If I recall, I was actually a bit determined to find a salad. We wandered and wandered, actually stopping in to a few promising looking places only to be told they couldn't seat us for at least an hour. I was starting to get hangry, so we determined to just pick someplace already sheesh. In the end, we settled on a Everest Ghurka Nepalese. And you know what? It was delicious. No salads, but it was a far cry from Yorkshire pudding and chips, for which I was very grateful. 

After a leisurely dinner and hanger-abatement, we wandered back to our hotel, stopping for some Magnum bars and Ribena (oh, how I miss Ribena) to take back to the room. Sleep came quickly, and though I was ready for tomorrow's adventure I was also very sad. This was our last night in York, and I think I knew even then that this ancient place, full of the echoes of so many cultures and people, had settled firmly in my heart as one of my favorite places. Ever.