Glimpses of York!

Glimpses of York (where New York, was named after)...too much beauty to convey in a photograph. Too much history to hold in your hands to carry you back in time. Every corner aches with stories, secrets and enchantment. One street unfolds into another...Déjàvu kicks in & you feel like your a character in a Harry Potter story (they did film at the train station here). I was going to leave this post until next week, but since yesterday was Guy Fawkes (bonfire night) & he was born in York, it seemed suiting to post it now. York is situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse & Foss in North Yorkshire, England. This beautiful city filled with rich heritage & has provided the backdrop to majour political events throughout much of its two millenia of existence. The city was founded by the Romans in 71 AD. It became the capital of the Roman province of Britannia Inferior and later of the kingdoms of Northumbria and Jorvik. In the Middle Ages, York grew as a wool trading centre and became the capital of the northern provinces of the Church of England. 

In the 19th century, York became the hub of the railway network and a confectionery manufacturing centre (as you will have learn from my previous York chocolate post). I could go on and on about it's history & I've included some of it under certain pictures here, but that's not why I love this place so much. This was the first place I visited & lived near when I came to the UK years ago, not even 21 years old yet, a starry-eyed dreamer (still am) who came from a small town in Michigan, a wallflower who kept to herself, lived on the wrong side of the tracks, got picked on at school, but had dreams. The girl who people consistently told was never going to amount to much & here I was standing in one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen, thousands of miles away from home. 
My senses were in overdrive, never had I seen anything so amazing, cobblestone streets, buildings still standing from so long ago. Feeling in awe of the little things that might get taken for granted, like pound coins jingling in your pockets that look like gold nuggets. Castles where kings and queens ruled, seen only before in pages of books. Smiling faces calling you 'love' with accents of charm whilst sitting in a tea house. All those senses came back when I visited again, like it was that first day so many years ago. I've never regretted leaving America, what I've gained has far surpassed what I gave up (minus family that is). I've lived in both England & Scotland, visited many other European countries & the excitement has never faded. This is a place only truly loved properly when you experience it in real life & I hope any of you that want to, get to. Maybe you'll find me staring out over the bridge or at the painters creating through bustles of people. Be sure to say hello though ;-)

Have a gorgeous day dolls
xoxoxoxoxoxo

{This is only just a taste of York, there is so much more to see, but I was only there for the day. I hope to go back in the summer for longer & show you more, but I really recommend visiting there}

{Part of the ruin of St. Mary's Abbey. It lies within what is now the Yorkshire Museum Gardens. The original abbey on the site was founded in 1055. These surviving ruins date back from 1271 to when it was finished in 1294}

{The Mansion House that is home to the Lord Mayor of York during their term in office. Built in an early Georgian style. The first stone was laid for building in 1725 & was finished in 1732.}

{Purple Man, he was quite cool. You can find him on twitter as well, haha @purpleman1}

{I spotted these tiles underneath a bit of a building window...the date is 1874, I just thought the lettering and design was beautiful. You wouldn't notice it if you don't look down a lot as you walk like I tend to do.}

{Guy Fawkes (who we celebrated yesterday) was born on this very spot here in 1570. Guy Fawkes was arrested on the 5th of November in 1605 for attempting to blow up Parliament. He was captured, hung, drawn and quarted in the city of London in 1606. You can see the inn as it is now inside here. Reading about him is a must, very interesting.}

{The Shambles is often called Europe's best preserved medieval street, although the name is also used to collectively refer to the surrounding maze of narrow, twisting lanes and alleys as well. The street itself is mentioned in the Domesday Book, so we know that it has been in continuous existence for over 900 years. The Shambles has the effect of a time machine, transporting you back to the Elizabethan period. The houses that jostle for space along The Shambles project out over the lane in their upper stories, as if trying to meet their neighbours opposite. In some places the street is so narrow that if you stand with arms outstretched you can touch the houses on both sides. The name "Shambles" comes from the Saxon "Fleshammels", which means, "the street of the butchers", for it was here that the city's butcher's market was located. The butcher's shops have now been replaced with shops catering to visitors, including jewelry and antiques; The Shambles is now one of the premier shopping areas in the city of York.}

{Here stands Clifford's Tower (click the link to read the history about it) what really got my attention was the plaque sitting on the grass outside of it, it read: 'On the night of Friday 16th of March 1190, some 150 Jews and Jewesses of York, having sought protection from the Royal castle on this site from a mob incited by Richard Malebisse and others chose to die at each other's hands rather than renounce their faith'. I mean if that isn't faith, I have no idea what is, I felt humbled by that.}

♥

{All Photos taken by me, please do not use without my permission, thank you}