June 1, Monday

Good morrow !




This will be our first stop today then the REAL trip can begin. I hope to find a substitute camera. 

These People Were GREAT

MEANWHILE

 I am boning up on my Medieval manners from “The Boke of Nurture” published in 1577

1.       Take off your cap when spoken to by a social superior

2.       Don’t tell secrets to strangers

3.       Don’t correct faults in others that you commit yourself

4.       It is better to beat a proud man than to rebuke him

5.       Don’t laugh at your own jokes

6.       Don’t meddle in other mens affairs

7.       If you are sharing a dish with someone else don’t crumble your bread into it

8.       Don’t gnaw bones with your teeth

9.       Don’t blow on food in case you have bad breath

10.   Don’t pare your nails or play with the tablecloth

11.   If you have to spit or blow your nose don’t leave it lying on the ground but tread it out of sight

12.    Remove your hat if someone urinates in your company

13.   When inviting a man to dinner you must invite his wife

14.   Greet men with a bowed head and women with a kiss on the lips

Hardly a wise practice when in 1563  17,000 people died of plague. I’ll keep to the head bow, thank you.

The best way to experience this historic and unique city is to walk. Most of the main city is pedestrian only, a maze of shops and food and beautiful buildings. There are "snickleways " . A snicket - is a passageway between walls or fences, ginnel - a narrow passageway between or through buildings, and alleyway - a narrow street or lane.  Get it? Snick-El-Way! 

The Aptly Named Hole in the Wall Pub

I Want This Shoe

The Shambles

Today we walked THE WALL. The city walls of York are the most complete example of medieval city walls still standing in England today. Beneath the medieval stonework lie the remains of earlier walls dating back to the  Romans. The Romans had a large fortress inside the wall, not mjuch to see of that. There's a store in town selling Roman coins. Imagine gardening and coming up with stuff like this. Unbelievable. 

Bootham Gate, the Original Roman City Entrance

1.9 Miles Around

George Rockin'  the Wall 

In AD 866, when York was invaded by Halfdan and Ivar the Boneless - Go Vikings! - they buried the existing Roman wall under an earth bank (on the right) and topped it with a tall fence of pointed wooden stakes. 

The wooden palisade was replaced in the 13th and 14th centuries with the stone wall we walked on today.

A Really Nice Cafe in One of the Barbicans, Notice the Head Slot

George in the Cafe

You can look down into people's yards as you walk. Sometimes you'd see bits of carved block in their gardens used as a retaining wall or a big piece of the demolished abbey like this trio of oriel windows just sitting there. In New England we have old washing machines, here they have Medieval junk!

York still loyal to the White Rose, symbol of the House of York

Henry VIII, James I and Charles I Slept Here, Not All at the Same Time

Almost the best for last.......

Dinnerware, Probably Late 1800's & the Weird Long Bottle

This was great..... we came upon workmen digging a cable line. There were piles of dirt from under the sidewalk with bits of pottery in it. I asked if I could have them. They then gave me this unusual long and narrow bottle. They said they hadn't seen anything like it in all their years of digging up cool stuff. 

Tea and Lemon Drizzle Cake at Bennetts Cafe, people watching as the rain came down, and a new camera to take pictures with! All in one day.