York!

       Last Saturday our whole group took a day trip to York, a small walled city about two hours' train ride north of London. We caught the first train in the morning (by 'morning' what I actually mean is the middle of the night) and the last train back at night (early evening, unfortunately). The sunrise on the train ride was gorgeous though - the English countryside lit up in greens and golds like in a fairy tale. Then, sleepily, we got off the train and got to spend the day exploring this beautiful and utterly enchanting old city under the guidance of our theatre professor Philip, who knows everything there is to know about England.

York Minster

      The day was perfectly clear and gorgeous, but bitterly cold. We were all bundled in every layer we'd brought overseas and still were frozen to the core by mid-morning. It was worth it though. We walked along the old wall of the city, built in the 13th century (which was a little perilous due to a thin layer of ice and no handrail). Then Philip took us through the center of town, stopping at Clifford's Tower -a small castle first erected by William the Conqueror, which was where the Jews of York in 1190 took refuge from a persecuting mob and chose mass suicide rather than baptism. Cheerful.

      Moving right along, we visited the quirky little 13th century Trinity Church and the York Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe. The Minster is absolutely stunning, and we could not have asked for a more beautiful day to see it. Sunshine streamed in through the stain glass like a hallmark movie and highlighted the intricate detail covering every inch of the building. We stood outside, wordlessly gazing at it and snapping photos for an hour, and then went inside and did the same thing. It was one of those moments when all you can do is laugh at the utter perfection of it.

Afternoon Tea

Josh and Julia, enjoying lunch

      When we'd satisfied ourselves at the Minster, we had free time explore and find food. I quickly realized that everything in York is about half the price and twice as charming as London, so I had a lovely afternoon tea, got some truffles from a chocolate shop, and bought myself a beautiful set of handmade silver/onyx jewelry from the weekend market in the center of town. I also made my friend Josh try on a hundred different flatcaps and convinced him to buy a nice green one. :)
      The group met up again to see a Pantomime at the York Theatre. I have no idea how to describe the Panto. It was like a slapstick parody of musicals? I guess. The theatre was packed full of three or four generations of York's families, all of whom had clearly grown up (or were growing up) seeing this Panto year after year and adoring the Pantomime Dame. Anthropologically speaking, this was fascinating. As a piece of theatre, it was crazy, confusing, and a little offensive. No idea what to make of it, really.
      For a stark contrast, after the Panto some of us went to an Evensong service at the York Minster. The choir was wonderful and I just sat there absorbing the beauty of the nave, the music, the poetry. Felt like I was getting a professional massage! After the service I shared a pizza with some friends and caught the train back home... where I had the most uncomfortable nap of my life and un-did all the relaxation and release of the Evensong. Oh well. It was nice while it lasted.

      York is now firmly among my favorite places in the world. I got warm again, eventually, and seriously hope I can go back and visit York again.