England Part Four: “Her passion for ancient edifices was next in degree to her passion for Henry Tilney-- and castles and abbeys made usually the charm of those reveries which his image did not fill.”
October 22, 2018
Dear Jane,
I confess that I am feeling rather forlorn and quite ready for another overseas adventure, my friend. What is a young lady to do in such a situation? I suppose I must bide my time, restore my finances and continue to reflect on my English holiday this past August...
I am quite proud of that sneaky introduction to what is yet another letter about my trip this summer. COL (*Chuckle Out Loud*) England Part Four...are you ready for it? (Gentle readers: If you did not hear the beginning of Taylor Swift's song, "...Ready For It?" in your head just now, then you need to start listening to 'Reputation' on repeat. Jane: I do not expect you to know this song as it is not one you would recognize!) I digress.
The fourth day of our trip, Jane, was most exciting as it was the day we travelled up to York via train. Both Rachael and I had been looking forward to this part of our holiday for months. It just so happened that neither of us had ever been to York, so Rachael suggested we sojourn there for a few days. How happy I am that we did!
As we made our way to King's Cross Station (obviously via hired chaise...one does not travel on the tube with luggage whilst on holiday if one can avoid it), we were filled with happy anticipation for our exciting journey north. I also had grand hopes of visiting the famous Harry Potter luggage cart at 'Platform 9 ¾,' before departing the train station but the line was dreadfully long so, unfortunately, we could not. Luckily, we were returning to London before the end of our trip so my time at the Platform would come...and yes, there is more to that story.
Anyhow, after retrieving our train tickets and purchasing delightful salads for lunch, we found a lovely spot on the *ahem* ground on which to eat whilst awaiting our platform number to be revealed (alas, it was not Platform 9¾). I was persuaded by my darling sister not to purchase a Cornish pasty for lunch which, as it turned out, was excellent advice as our next few days were to be dominated by pastry-based foods. Huzzah!
After a charming, two-hour train ride through the English countryside (which, sadly, was experiencing quite a severe summer drought), we arrived in York where we were AOA: Amazed-On-Arrival. For one thing, there is a bridge in the train station which was used for filming in...you guessed it: 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.' (Harry and Hagrid walk across it towards the beginning of the movie. I can see why they used this location as it is very similar in appearance to King's Cross but much less busy!) Secondly, and I am sure Rachael would agree with me, from the moment you step off the train, you feel as though you have stepped back in time. In truth, an air of magic, history and the smell of pasties fill the air of York. *Sigh* Take me back!
Hopefully by now you understand that Rachael and I do not "mess around" when it comes to meals, Jane and gentle readers. That being said, one of the only "must-do's" on Rachael's York list was to indulge in a proper Sunday Roast. Now, as we had only one Sunday in York, we had but one chance to accomplish this 'must-do.' WE COULD NOT FAIL. Luckily, we were staying at The Black Swan inn and they offered just such a roast in their pub...but ONLY until 4:45 in the afternoon! Our train arrived at approximately 3:37 so if we wanted a taste, we had to make haste! Naturally, we arrived just in time, promptly dropped our bags off in our room and then made our way to the dining room for a most glorious meal. How can one go wrong with a delicious pint of cider in one hand, a fork in the other and a plate of warm, delicious food? After eating my first Yorkshire pudding and Sunday Roast, I am a firm believer that food truly does make the best memories.
Now, back to The Black Swan. It is difficult to relate to you how excited I was to stay at this inn, Jane--it dates back to the fifteenth century...and it was affordable! This particular inn is known for having many past lives; it has been the home of a Lord Mayor, a coaching inn, a public house, and finally, as the twenty-first century knows it, a dual Inn/Pub. Additionally, there are quite a few ghosts that haunt the inn (which we learned about on our ghost tour that first evening), some of which are friendly and some of which...are not. We occupied the Turpin room which is one of only three rooms available to guests and it was both comfortable and had a historic authenticity about it. I had the twin bed by the window whilst Rachael occupied the King. Older sisters will have their way about these things, you know. (Though truthfully, I preferred my cozy twin!) The staff was most obliging, friendly and kept our room supplied with tea and biscuits. Needless to say, I could have spent weeks there. I implore you to read more about the inn's fascinating history, here, and if you ever find yourself in York I highly recommend you stay there!
After finishing our Sunday Roast, it was finally time to explore the city and we were most fortunate that it was a gorgeous evening. We began to wander through the enchanting streets, passing an outdoor market here, a centuries-old church there...you know, the usual in one of England's oldest cities. More importantly, however, my search for the famed York snickelways began in earnest. What are snickelways you ask? Allow me to enlighten you, Jane and readers.
Well, my excessive research in the months leading up to this trip taught me that York is famous for mysterious, narrow passageways found in between buildings and scattered throughout the city. Mark Jones, who wrote a book called, A Walk around the Snickelways of York (and actually came up with the phrase "snickelway," according to Wikipedia) says that "A Snickelway is a narrow place to walk along, leading from somewhere to somewhere else, usually in a town or city, especially in the city of York." Basically, they are magical, secret passageways from another time and place and I WANTED TO FIND ALL OF THEM.
Indeed, I was exceedingly eager to learn more about the snickelways and have a proper map of them so I purchased Mr. Jones's book before I left for England. Inconveniently and unsurprisingly, however, I left the precious book behind in Connecticut...three thousand miles away! I wanted to pull out all of my hair when I finally realized it, Jane. To make matters worse, I was equally crushed four days earlier when I found that I'd also left behind my Jane Austen's London guide book...but that is neither here nor there. (And it definitely wasn't there.) Never fear, though, for I still found my snickelways!
Whilst on the hunt for said snickelways, we set our course for York Minster. Now, Jane, I honestly do not believe I have ever been so awestruck as I was in the moment we came upon this spectacular, Gothic cathedral. It is a, for lack of a better word, GINORMOUS church in the midst of a relatively small city so the sheer magnitude of it is utterly astonishing. Rachael and I were nearly speechless...which does not happen often when we are together! It is nearly impossible to take one's eyes off of 'The Minster' when one is near it. That being said, however, we had to force ourselves to leave as we still had things to do and places to go. We were only able to bear the separation with relative ease because we knew we would be back many times before departing York.
Next we made our way to the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey in the heart of the Yorkshire Museum gardens. What a sight to behold! We reached the ruins right around "golden hour" so obviously I enlisted Rachael to take my picture as I posed as dramatically as possible against a stone wall. Much like Catherine Morland of Northanger Abbey (where the above quote is from), I too have a passion for ancient edifices! And Henry Tilney! Now, if you are not familiar with its history, St. Mary's Abbey dates all the way back to 1088 and was one of the many monasteries dissolved during the Reformation and reign of Henry VIII in the 1500's. Subsequently, it was destroyed and forgotten until modern times when it was rediscovered and excavated.
Once we'd had our fill of exploring the abbey and gardens, it was time to find the King's Arms pub where we were to go on a walking ghost tour of York. Though we weren't quite sure what was in store for us, we kept an open mind and ended up having a fantastic time with our tour guide, Mark. He took our group all over town whilst divulging spooky stories and sordid secrets of the city. Coincidentally, there were quite a few ghost stories told about The Black Swan and as Mark often ends his tours there (many consider it to be the most haunted pub in York), we walked back with him and joined him for a pint before turning in for the night. It was, for lack of a more historically appropriate word, awesome. I must confess, however, that neither Rachael nor myself slept very well that evening. I felt just like Catherine Morland when she stayed at Northanger Abbey with the Tilney's. In truth, I have a new found sympathy for the young heroine as it is easy to believe all sorts of dreadful things when ghosts are involved!
As you can see, Jane, Ms. Morland and I had much in common during my stay in York (exploring ruins, imagining ghosts are haunting us, etc.). If only I had happened upon my own Mr. Tilney whilst abroad! I suppose I shall have to settle for ancient edifices, castles and abbeys for now...
Until next time-
Yours Faithfully,
Amanda
I am quite proud of that sneaky introduction to what is yet another letter about my trip this summer. COL (*Chuckle Out Loud*) England Part Four...are you ready for it? (Gentle readers: If you did not hear the beginning of Taylor Swift's song, "...Ready For It?" in your head just now, then you need to start listening to 'Reputation' on repeat. Jane: I do not expect you to know this song as it is not one you would recognize!) I digress.
The fourth day of our trip, Jane, was most exciting as it was the day we travelled up to York via train. Both Rachael and I had been looking forward to this part of our holiday for months. It just so happened that neither of us had ever been to York, so Rachael suggested we sojourn there for a few days. How happy I am that we did!
As we made our way to King's Cross Station (obviously via hired chaise...one does not travel on the tube with luggage whilst on holiday if one can avoid it), we were filled with happy anticipation for our exciting journey north. I also had grand hopes of visiting the famous Harry Potter luggage cart at 'Platform 9 ¾,' before departing the train station but the line was dreadfully long so, unfortunately, we could not. Luckily, we were returning to London before the end of our trip so my time at the Platform would come...and yes, there is more to that story.
 |
| Eating salad on the floor is the epitome of class. |
Anyhow, after retrieving our train tickets and purchasing delightful salads for lunch, we found a lovely spot on the *ahem* ground on which to eat whilst awaiting our platform number to be revealed (alas, it was not Platform 9¾). I was persuaded by my darling sister not to purchase a Cornish pasty for lunch which, as it turned out, was excellent advice as our next few days were to be dominated by pastry-based foods. Huzzah!
 |
| Thinking of all the wonders that await us in York no doubt! |
After a charming, two-hour train ride through the English countryside (which, sadly, was experiencing quite a severe summer drought), we arrived in York where we were AOA: Amazed-On-Arrival. For one thing, there is a bridge in the train station which was used for filming in...you guessed it: 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.' (Harry and Hagrid walk across it towards the beginning of the movie. I can see why they used this location as it is very similar in appearance to King's Cross but much less busy!) Secondly, and I am sure Rachael would agree with me, from the moment you step off the train, you feel as though you have stepped back in time. In truth, an air of magic, history and the smell of pasties fill the air of York. *Sigh* Take me back!
 |
| Harry and Hagrid just passed by... |
Hopefully by now you understand that Rachael and I do not "mess around" when it comes to meals, Jane and gentle readers. That being said, one of the only "must-do's" on Rachael's York list was to indulge in a proper Sunday Roast. Now, as we had only one Sunday in York, we had but one chance to accomplish this 'must-do.' WE COULD NOT FAIL. Luckily, we were staying at The Black Swan inn and they offered just such a roast in their pub...but ONLY until 4:45 in the afternoon! Our train arrived at approximately 3:37 so if we wanted a taste, we had to make haste! Naturally, we arrived just in time, promptly dropped our bags off in our room and then made our way to the dining room for a most glorious meal. How can one go wrong with a delicious pint of cider in one hand, a fork in the other and a plate of warm, delicious food? After eating my first Yorkshire pudding and Sunday Roast, I am a firm believer that food truly does make the best memories.
 |
| Incandescently happy! |
 |
| Sunday Roast perfection. |
 |
| My cozy twin... |
 |
| The Black Swan! |
After finishing our Sunday Roast, it was finally time to explore the city and we were most fortunate that it was a gorgeous evening. We began to wander through the enchanting streets, passing an outdoor market here, a centuries-old church there...you know, the usual in one of England's oldest cities. More importantly, however, my search for the famed York snickelways began in earnest. What are snickelways you ask? Allow me to enlighten you, Jane and readers.
 |
| SNICKELWAY! |
Well, my excessive research in the months leading up to this trip taught me that York is famous for mysterious, narrow passageways found in between buildings and scattered throughout the city. Mark Jones, who wrote a book called, A Walk around the Snickelways of York (and actually came up with the phrase "snickelway," according to Wikipedia) says that "A Snickelway is a narrow place to walk along, leading from somewhere to somewhere else, usually in a town or city, especially in the city of York." Basically, they are magical, secret passageways from another time and place and I WANTED TO FIND ALL OF THEM.
 |
| Photographed and left behind in Connecticut. |
Indeed, I was exceedingly eager to learn more about the snickelways and have a proper map of them so I purchased Mr. Jones's book before I left for England. Inconveniently and unsurprisingly, however, I left the precious book behind in Connecticut...three thousand miles away! I wanted to pull out all of my hair when I finally realized it, Jane. To make matters worse, I was equally crushed four days earlier when I found that I'd also left behind my Jane Austen's London guide book...but that is neither here nor there. (And it definitely wasn't there.) Never fear, though, for I still found my snickelways!
 |
| A stunning sight! |
Whilst on the hunt for said snickelways, we set our course for York Minster. Now, Jane, I honestly do not believe I have ever been so awestruck as I was in the moment we came upon this spectacular, Gothic cathedral. It is a, for lack of a better word, GINORMOUS church in the midst of a relatively small city so the sheer magnitude of it is utterly astonishing. Rachael and I were nearly speechless...which does not happen often when we are together! It is nearly impossible to take one's eyes off of 'The Minster' when one is near it. That being said, however, we had to force ourselves to leave as we still had things to do and places to go. We were only able to bear the separation with relative ease because we knew we would be back many times before departing York.
 |
| St. Mary's Abbey... or what's left of it. |
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| The drama, Jane! |
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| The Kings Arms Pub...also haunted. |
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| A crow passes by Clifford's Tower... |
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| Our tour guide, Mark. He's a professional. |
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| Mark & Rachael heading in for a pint. |
As you can see, Jane, Ms. Morland and I had much in common during my stay in York (exploring ruins, imagining ghosts are haunting us, etc.). If only I had happened upon my own Mr. Tilney whilst abroad! I suppose I shall have to settle for ancient edifices, castles and abbeys for now...
Until next time-
Yours Faithfully,
Amanda
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