Leaving Scotland, our train took us to the final country we’d be visiting on this trip: England. We arrived in York, passed through the city walls, and crossed the River Ouse. We could see York Minster standing tall at the end of a street and headed straight for it. The stonework on the façade of this massive church was full of detail and we were thrilled to see such a legendary sight in person. It was almost check-in time and we had our backpacks with us, so we didn't go inside. (We'd be back!) Walking to our hotel, we wandered along many narrow streets filled with shops, and took in our surroundings. The area near York Minster was a bit like a shopping district, but small commemorative plaques and Tudor buildings with hand-carved ornaments indicated a far richer history. And that history was LONG. Although many of the buildings in the city center dated to the 14th century or later, York was founded in 71 AD. In fact, our hotel, The Roman Bath, was built above a site dating to that period. Two-thousand years ago.

After a drink in the pub, checking in to our room, and freshening up, we headed out to explore the city. Our next stop was to The Shambles, a narrow medieval street with some of the oldest buildings in the city. It wasn’t difficult to see how this narrow street served as an inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series. We couldn’t help but visit a few of the wizard-themed shops. We stopped into a couple historic (and haunted) pubs before grabbing a bite to eat at a vegan restaurant. We had three vegan takes on seafood classics: Fish and Chips, Fried Calamari, and Crab Cakes. DELICOUS. Next, we headed back across the city center.

Suddenly, between buildings, York Minster appeared, towering over us. As the English sun set and the bells of the church rang out 7 o’clock, we entered the grand building. It was quite haunting to walk through this 500-year-old gothic church as dark sounds from its massive pipe organ echoed around us. Down a set of stairs, we entered the undercroft below the main floor. It featured some artifacts predating the church’s construction and also served as the crypt for St. Williiam, York’s Patron Saint. It was a scene straight out of Indiana Jones. One of the most impressive areas of York Minster was the Chapter House. It was completed in the 1280’s, before the rest of the church. We walked in through a small doorway and this epic, octagonal room opened up before us. The bold tiled floor, carved stone figures, stained glass walls all around, and decorative celling high above made for a stunning room. But what really took our breath away, was the room’s sheer silence and overwhelming feeling of peace. You could hear a pin drop.

Ending our tour, we were led to a narrow staircase. Winding up 275 medieval, carved-stone steps we eventually made it to the top of the church’s central tower. From here, we had a bird’s eye view of the city of York below. The rooflines of centuries-old buildings were contrasted by bright, narrow bands of light marking the city’s maze of streets. That view might not have changed much in the past few hundred years and we thought it looked like a town in a fantasy movie.

We had some delicious tiki drinks at a bar called Dum-Dum and then headed back into the Shambles. At a Viking-themed bar called Valhalla, we tried out their house brews and then went back to our hotel. The pub downstairs was packed with people enjoying an 80s band. We caught their last set before calling it a night. The next day, we packed up, had coffee, and made our way to the train station. Our time in York was coming to an end, but we knew that more amazing adventures were only a train ride away. Some of the best of which are still to come so be sure to subscribe to our channel to catch the next chapter!

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Intro 0:00
To York 0:54
History 1:51
The Shambles 3:21
Food and Drinks 4:12
York Minster 6:17
Undercroft & Chapter House 8:47
Tower Climb 11:00
Tiki and Vikings 13:50
Leaving York 15:58

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