Honeymoon in York

16 October 2018 Andy

Sarah and I were married on Sunday 30th September. It was a very special day. 🙂

Monday

The following day we set off on our honeymoon and took the train to York. I was banned from taking my bike! Thankfully, the second part of our honeymoon, our Scottish Borders tour, would follow immediately after this trip.

After arriving in York and dropping off our luggage at the hotel, we headed to the town centre. We stopped off on the way at FortyFive Vinyl Cafe for a cup of tea. For whatever reason, I was struggling healthwise today. Maybe a cuppa would give me renewed energy …

We then pottered around the town for a little while.

Later we went to Kapadokya 50 for our evening meal. It was here where we had got engaged. The food here is always good.

And that was all I could manage for the day.

Tuesday

The following day we headed for York Minster. While we had visited before, it had been brief. This time we decided to enjoy a much fuller experience.

We began by attending one of the Hidden Minster Tours. The one we joined took us up to the Chapter House roof and Masons Loft

The Chapter House is where Edward I’s parliament took place in 1296.

It is octagonal in shape, and the image below is of the vaulted roof. It is unusual in that it is not supported by a central pillar. This was revolutionary for its time. It was above this where we were heading.

We began, however, by visiting the Masons Loft.

Here, is where the Minster’s Mason designed and put together all of the fine carvings that can be seen around the building.

We then went through a hatch and on to the lower roof.

This took us to space between the Chapter House’s internal and external roofs.

As you can see, it is all held together in a remarkably intricate yet stable way.

The Chapter House’s walls are adorned by some Minster’s finest carvings. Including some, you might not expect.

Sometimes it is difficult to avoid being photographed!

After lunch we took a trip up the central tower.

There is the challenge of some 275 steps to climb. Thankfully, there is also a little respite on the way.

Even half-way up the views are fabulous.

From the top of the tower, you can see for miles around out over York and the surrounding area. The views are breathtaking.

There is a cage around the walkway, so even though it was windy, you could feel secure.

Back in the Minster, we went for a wander around.

We took a quick peek down in the Undercroft.

After leaving the Minster we made our way towards Shambles Market.

We spotted a great little cafe – The Newgate Coffee Bar and decided to pop in.

Later in the day, we went to My Thai for our evening meal. Let me say at the start, this is a hidden little gem in the heart of York, tucked away down a side street. It’s small and can only hold about twenty diners. Now, I am sure the food is great too (Sarah enjoyed her choices). I just made the wrong choices. I started with what I considered to be a fairly spicy soup. This was quite challenging, but so far ok. However, I then followed it with a ‘medium’ spiced noodle dish (there were hotter dishes on the menu). Except in this instance, ‘medium’ still meant very hot. So, it soon became an endurance test. Which was a shame, for the flavours beyond the heat were excellent. Needless to say, I drank a lot of water!

Wednesday

For our final day in York, we decided to take a cruise on the River Ouse. We began by heading down towards the castle area.

We went down to the departure point for City Cruises York at King’s Staith Landing. The cruise would be 45-minute journey up and down the river.

It included an entertaining and informative commentary from the cruise skipper.

Finally, the first part of our honeymoon was drawing to a close, and it was time to go home. Not before we stopped off for some lunch at Humpit. This was an excellent find and well worth a visit for something to eat if you ever visit York.