Old York
Exploring The Historic English Town of York
While Sidney and I would have been perfectly happy staying in Scotland for the rest of the year, the time to leave was eventually upon us. We were ready to begin a new chapter in our adventure.
Our favorite city in the world just happened to be a 5 hour train ride south from Edinburgh, so it was far too tempting not to head in that direction.
However, instead of going to London right away, we thought it would be fun to check out something brand new on our way down!
It is often said that capital cities are never an exact representation of a country’s culture. They tend to be more international and have a variety of influences from outside of the country’s borders.
London may be one of the best examples of this phenomenon, as it is an absolute melting pot of culture.
Before immersing ourselves in the melting pot again, we wanted to see something distinctly more British.
We decided on the town of York in the northeast of the country for a few reasons.
One reason was that it is relatively small, and definitely manageable in just a few days.
Another reason was that it was directly on the path from Edinburgh to London, and also a perfect halfway point.
The last and biggest reason was that we had heard from many of our English YouTube subscribers that it is one of the more popular weekend destinations among English people, particularly within our age group.
It only took about 30 minutes for us to realize that we had made a fantastic choice!
York is full of lively pubs, narrow cobblestone roads, stunning architecture, fascinating history, and tasty food!
We also went out on a limb and booked a tiny house to sleep in for two nights in order to save some money. This was a very interesting experience, but more on that later.
I am sure that a few of you are already thinking to yourself “Was New York named after York?”
It was one of the first things I researched after we made our plans to visit.
The answer is yes!
New York was originally called New Amsterdam when it was settled by the Dutch. However, the English took it over in 1664, and it was officially declared New York after King Charles II granted the land to his brother, The Duke of York.
Apart from the history and the name, there are very few similarities between the original York and New York. But it was still cool to think that we were exploring the namesake of America’s signature metropolis!
York’s history actually spans back way further than the English crown. From the years 71 to 410 AD, York was a temporary stronghold for, you guessed it, the Romans!
Although, at that time, it was known as Eboracum.
The most notable event during that time period was the crowning of the Roman Emperor, Constantine, which actually occurred in York!
Constantine was the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity. He eventually resided in Constantinople, which was named after him.
Constantinople is now Istanbul, Turkey. I still can’t quite wrap my mind around how he ruled over almost all of the land from York, England to the Turkish capital.
Or better yet, how he was able to travel from York to Istanbul in the 4th century! Even today, that would be a 4 hour flight!
Centuries after the Romans left, York became a stronghold for the Vikings. There is an entire museum devoted to the Viking era, but Sidney was a little hesitant to check it out after we read in the description that the museum included “authentic smells”.
We found plenty of tangible history just by walking around the town!
The number one attraction when it comes to architecture in York is the towering York Minster.
This cathedral can be seen from almost anywhere in York, and it is a beautiful work of art! On top of that, it is the second oldest cathedral we have seen this year. It is second only to the San Lorenzo Basilica in Milan.
The York Minster was officially opened for worship in 637 AD, and it still attracts millions of visitors per year.
One of the best views of the Minster can be found by walking the city walls, which have been reconstructed since the medieval era when they first protected the city’s borders.
It is now a lovely walking trail that provides a great view of York and the Minster from a few different angles!
Now, for the culinary experience.
Even though English food sometimes gets a bad reputation, we found the Yorkshire delicacies to be extremely enjoyable!
The most famous of these delicacies is the Yorkshire pudding, which is a puffy bread that you may recognize from my newsletter on Sunday roasts!
Every proper Sunday roast in England is served with a Yorkshire pudding to dip in the gravy.
The Yorkshire region is also well-known for their savory pies. We tried a pork pie, and it was nothing short of fantastic!
The spices were perfectly mixed, and the pie crust was the best kind of buttery.
I know we prefer our pies to be sweet in America, but the British may be onto something with the savory meat pies! I also loved the size of the pie, it is a perfect snack while walking around.
Alright, I promised I would tell you more about the tiny house.
Believe it or not, we actually kind of liked it! We were definitely ready for more space by the time we left, but it couldn’t have been a better way to go for our stay in York as we arrived on a Monday evening and left on a Wednesday afternoon.
The tiny house was situated right in front of the river, which we were a little nervous about because of the potential for bugs. However, we got lucky and avoided any bug bites!
It honestly felt like camping a little bit. Definitely keep an eye out for our upcoming YouTube video if you are interested in what tiny house life was like in York, England!
York showed us a different side of life in England, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a great day trip in the UK.
It is less than two hours away from London by train, and also has a fairly well-connected airport.
Next up, the big city! We can’t wait to return to where the whole journey started.
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