York

  York, United Kingdom
Thursday, April 5, 2007

The following should illustrate well the difference between York and London.

Our accommodations in London were 25 pounds per night, per person. For this we shared a 4 bed room and used a shared crapper and shower. It was clean, but with the lack of privacy you find with any hostel. Breakfast was included, but was simply cereal and coffee.

Welcome to York. 23 pounds per night for our own room in a beautiful, victorian home. A shared bathroom, but we were the only ones there. Fully furnished, each with our own, comfortable bed. Tea and coffee in the room. Included breakfast was cereal, granola, yogurt, fried egg, sausage, bacon, baked tomato, mushrooms, hash browns, and baked beans with toast and french pressed coffee. Now thats how you start the day of right, if with a little stomach ache from overeating!

Everything from the food to the beer was half as expensive in York as in London. In York Ashley and I rediscovered the charm that makes English towns famous. There were still some good sights - York minster a beautiful gothic cathedral built on the site of an old roman barracks, whose foundations are on view in an excellently restored section within the cathedrals crypts. Also, we had a blast at Jorvik - a live-action museum about the vikings. We purchased York passes, which gave unlimited admittance to practically all the tourist attractions of the city - and we got our moneys worth. Tour of York brewery, treasurers house, ghost tour, boat tour, it all just seemed to blend together. I was lost in the charm of England - and loving every second.

English cuisine is reminiscent of the home cooked food that tastes hearty - but just not that good. Britain's strongest culinary suit is certainly it's candy - which I probably love just cause I grew up on it as a kid. Cadbury eggs, smarties, flake bars....we were in heaven. We even discovered a new one - twirl, which was in fact just 2 flake bars - twice as good! McDonalds offered Cadbury creme egg McFlurries - the only thing that could have dragged me into the international conglomerate. Another tasty British concoction were Pasties, little pastries filled with potatoes, beef and veggies - kind of like a chicken pot pie but with beef in a convenient, hand-held, form. They were simply brilliant.

When I saw 'York Dungeon' in the packet, I figured it would be an interesting historical site of the dungeons of the now powerless monarch. Oh buddy, was I wrong. Ashley and I ventured inside, and immediately were glad we hadn't paid the 11 pound entrance fee (admission was free with our passes - oh yeah..). The place looked like someone had way to big of a budget at a party supply store. Tacky plastic models of infected plague victims sneezing water all over you, fake spider-webs, and cheesy lighting all lead to the inescapable truth - that we had wandered into the greatest tourist trap of York.When an entirely too enthusiastic tour guide under character of a doctors assistance started wooing us with his horrendous accent and chiding Ashley, we just smiled at each-other and tried not to laugh. An hour and half later - after countless rooms of silly haunted house horrors and enough cheesy acting to make even Keanu Reeves balk, we emerged into the sun with huge smiles - barely able to contain the laughter at the ridiculous attraction.

If you go to York under no circumstances waste your time with this stupid waste of space!

Our trek continued to Charlbury.