England: York

York is said to be the second tourist destination in England after London. The medieval center of York is well preserved, as well as most of the city wall. For some reason I was just not charmed. Maybe we happened to be there on a long weekend. There were a lot of people.

We made a day trip to Studley Royal Park, UNESCO 1986, which embodies a number of events in British history. The magnificent water gardens were originally conceived by John Aislabie, one of the masterminds of the infamous 1720 South Sea Bubble (the vertiginous rise and subsequent fall of the stocks of the South Sea Company that assumed government debt in exchange for monopoly in slave trade to the Americas). His son purchased the neighboring Fountains Abbey, started in the 12 century as a Cistercian Monastery until closed after Henry VIII's break with the Catholic Church.

It's a vast complex. At its heyday the Abbey commanded over 60,000 acres of land. One descendant the estate passed through was a Viceroy of India, who added St Mary's Church.

Our arrival at York Railway Station.


We stayed in a room above the Bootham Tavern, which was right above the small stage that had live music on Friday and Saturday nights. Yikes! However the Friday band The 5:15's played mostly rhythm and blues, a plus, and was named after a song by The Who, another plus, and the Saturday night band Mithril was acoustic, so it was a positive experience. Not to mention, the bands started at 9pm and finished at 11pm on-the-dot.


There is an area of the medieval city center called "The Shambles". Here one finds narrow streets, the Shambles Market, This Shop is so Gay, and the 14th century Monk Bar Gate.








Folks waiting to attend Evensong at York Minster.


On the bus to Fountains Abbey we crossed the River Ouse (1st below) and later passed a horse-drawn Romany Bow-Top Wagon (2nd below).




Fountains Hall (1st below) and Fountains Abbey














The Water Garden at Fountains Abbey








While Fountains Abbey dates from the 1100s, the nearby St Mary's Church is Victorian (1870s).








We walked by the Eboracum Roman Festival more than once.




Walking on the city walls was cool. At one point there was a great view to York Minster behind the grounds of the Grays Court Hotel.






Aldi Price Match!


Former Electric Cinema (1911)

England: Chester

We originally had designs for a stopover in Chester on our way from Oxford to Conwy. We had the worst day of train travel, arriving in Chester four hours late, where we got on a train to Conwy directly, completely missing Chester. While in Liverpool we managed a quick trip to Chester.

Chester turned out to be a rather interesting place. Founded as a Roman fortress, the town still has a complete wall. The center features raised arcades known as the “Rows” - we have never seen such architectural features anywhere else in the world. They were built in the medieval period when Chester was the most significant place in Northwestern England. The silting of its river eventually led to the rise of Liverpool.

Welcome to Chester Railway Station!


We walked along the Rochdale Canal towards the Vegan House in Central Market for some vegan fish and chips. We I ordered too much food and we skipped dinner that evening.




Next, to the Cathedral, with its historic monastic refectory, now Cafe 1092, and colorful stained glass windows.




Unfortunately, there was a massive art show that obscured the view of the amazing pre-Raphaelite marble mosaic murals in the north aisle of the nave (look closely at the first photo below). Those mosaics are a singular treasure of England. Sigh. I did manage to get a few photos.






Water of Life (1994) by Stephen Broadbent in the cathedral cloister


The Arcaded, Two-tiered, Chester Rows Shopping Galleries were very cool. We wandered around, in and out, up and down, for quite a few minutes.
















Chester Weir Spanning The River Dee


The Historic Red Sandstone Ramparts of the Chester City Walls, which sit on top of Roman Walls.






The Roman Amphitheatre as seen from the city walls.


The iconic Eastgate Clock, and a view from the clock down Eastgate Street.




Chester Racecourse (aka The Roodee) as seen from atop the city wall.