Picturesque York

Here, at last, is the photographic evidence that York is Pretty.

I will also include some historical facts, all of which have been taken from our Lonely Planet Guide to Great Britain (courtesy of my wonderful grandmother – Thanks Inge, it's really useful!).

First, the Minster.

(It has to be first, because it's what everyone mentions when they say 'York is Pretty'... they follow that with 'especially the Minster!')

The Minster is UK's largest medieval cathedral. It is the seat of the archbishop of York, who is called ' the primate of England'. This position is second in importance only to Archbishop of Canterbury, who is known as 'the primate of all England' - the 'all' is there so it is clear that Canterbury is the true centre of the church in England!

The Lonely Planet calls it 'one of Europes most beautiful Gothic buildings' - which I would take their word for, because it is very Pretty. Well, I can testify the outside of it is anyway, we haven't gone inside yet.

Front of York Minster. It's hard to get a sense of how big it is. But to give you an idea, it's me that is wearing a pale blue top down the bottom, middle of the shot.

Side view of York Minster.

Diagonal view of York Minster, looking towards the front.

York Minster gargoyles

York Minster at twilight. The lighting is natural. Cool ha? :-)

Some other Pretty things around York

The Shambles. This small narrow street has overhanging Tudor buildings and is cool but very touristy. It's also very hard to take photos of because the slanty buildings make it look like you can't hold your camera straight!

The Shambles from the other end.

Part of the City Wall. York's city centre is surrounded by walls like this, which were built in the 13th Century. There are some walks you can do on regions of the wall, which Ben and I intend to do soon.

Botham Bar. This is one of many such Bars (i.e. Gates) in the City walls. I think they probably used to be the only entry points into the city. However, now there are lots of gaps in the wall, where main roads enter the city centre.

The River Ouse. In daylight this time! This is on the way from the B and B we stayed at, walking towards the City. This walk is called the Dame Judi Dench Walk. She is from York.

Ben waiting for me near the B and B. He is a Pretty thing in York! (yes, you are allowed to groan!).

Ben looking very happy with himself having found a store that sells Magic cards and other hobbies 'essential' to his existence! This was definitely Pretty to him!

Museum Gardens

We have also gone for a few walks and for some sit and reads in the Museum Gardens, which are in the northern end of the city centre, just inside the city walls. And Yep, you guessed it, they are near a museum! There are no photos of the Museum yet, but I have taken some of the other very Pretty buildings in the Gardens.

Panoramic shot of the ruins of St Mary's Abbey. The ruins date from 1270 to 1294. Ben is standing at the front near the right hand side of the shot, wearing dark clothes. (This size doesn't do it justice, especially given how long I spent trying to make the panorama look decent! - click on it and it should go to a higher res version).

Side view of St Mary's Abbey. (The is taken from the right hand side of the above photo, at right angles to it). The dark spots in the grass are outlines of where other walls used to be.

The Museum Gardens Lodge. It is apparently a 'neo-Gothic Revival' and dates from 1874.

Squarrels

During our wanderings in the Gardens, I got wowed by the squirrels (wildlife not native to Australia!) - and Ben and I had fun trying to take photos of them. We decided they were actually called 'Squarrels'. We got a lot of photos of their bottoms as they ran out of shot! Here are some we 'caught' (on film!).

Stalking Squarrel

Studious Squarrel

Flying Squarrel

Squarrel making a stand.

Demon Squarrel

And that is the end of my Marathon post.

I will at some point post pictures of the University campus and our flat. But for now, suffice to say the University is very green, and pretty once you get used to the square concrete 60s style buildings, which make up the majority of the buildings on campus. However, the Biology building where I am doing my PhD and our college, Wentworth, are both new buildings and very nice! So is our studio flat, and we definitely think that we will stay here for the full year of our tenancy agreement.

- Nic