York is a very small town, at least the city center part.  We can walk almost any place in York within 20 minutes of the hotel.  This morning we started our day a coffee shop called Costa Coffee.  It is a franchise, even so, it did have better coffee than Starbucks, and they are everywhere.

York has history that goes back to the Normans, Romans, Vikings and is more than 2000+ years. This morning we visited the York Museum and the York Minster.  The York Minster had a marvelous tour that lasted about one hour.  The tour gave us several very entertaining stories and was full of the history of the York Minster.  They also have an “Evening Song” which we have attended that evening. The "Evening Song" was spectacular. The choir consisted of all ages from 10 to 70 years old. The York Minster is huge, and is rarely used to it’s capacity.

Food:
In general we have found that the food has been very good.  The rumors that English have bad food is not the experience that we have had this trip.  We all know what “Fast Food” is, but Carol and I have coined another term called “Quick Food”.  These are cafes and small restaurants that are relatively quick, but still very good. 

York Museum Gardens, the Multangular Tower and Roman Wall

Before we went into the York Museum we walked around the York Museum Gardens, the Multangular Tower and Roman Wall. It was a little rainy that day, but we were prepared, and really what else would you expect in England?

In the northeast of Museum Gardens there are remains of the west corner of the fortifications that surrounded the Roman fort of Eboracum. The original defences, consisting of turf ramparts on a green wood foundation, were built by the Ninth Legion between 71 and 74 AD. Later those were replaced by a clay mound with a turf front on a new oak foundation, and eventually wooden battlements were added, which were then replaced by limestone walls and towers. These stone defences are some of the few Roman remains that are visible above ground in York.

The Multangular Tower is the western corner tower of the Roman fortress, and consists of both Roman and medieval architecture. The tower has 10 sides, from which it derives its modern name "multangular", and is 19 feet (5.8 m) high. It was built in its late Roman form during the early 4th century, when it was constructed with three floors to house a catapult. Five Roman stone coffins are in the Multangular Tower, which were brought from graveyards in other areas of York.

York Museum

Alligator Fossil found in the area.

Roman view of the world

Great Mortise & Tenon Joint (Old English Oak)

York Minster

This morning we visited the York Museum and the York Minster.  The York Minster had a marvelous tour that lasted about one hour.  The tour gave us several very entertaining stories and the full history of the York Minster.  They also have an “Evening Song” which we have heard is great, and we which we attended. They made the request that we do not take any pictures of the Evening Song, so we didn't. 

The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the third-highest office of the Church of England, and is the mother church for the Diocese of York and the Province of York. It is run by a dean and chapter, under the Dean of York. The title "minster" is attributed to churches established in the Anglo-Saxon period as missionary teaching churches, and serves now as an honorific title.

One of the Kings Tombs

Choir Room (Not during Evening Song)

Statues of past Kings

Carvings and Artwork sponsored by wealthy patrons

Chapel House

York Gospels

Streets of York

"Quick Food" - Great Cream of Mushroom Soup

York Art Museum