Friday 30 November 2012

Winter wanderings around York

So I finally bought myself a new memory card for my camera. My trusty 8gb one, which took me around Asia for four months, through two years of university and in and out of Morocco in eleven days, was sacrificed when I stupidly lost my camera (and housemate's house keys) on a night out. This new one isn't exactly what I was looking for, but I'm a little strapped for cash at the moment and cannot complain - at least I have the ability to take pictures!

Today's weather was glorious, the sort that makes you wish you had an excuse to cycle to town every day. Of course, if I had to and it was raining I'd be cursing the high heavens at my First World Plight, but not today. I had quite a few errands to run, which took me all around the city, and along roads I've never ventured down before. Or knew existed.


I had lunch at The Vanilla Cafe, one of the places on my list to visit. I chose the goat's cheese and caramelised onion sandwich, which came with salad leaves and crisps. I said no to a drink, but was eventually persuaded to a glass of tap water by the very lovely waiter, who later remarked on the fact that we had similar jackets (sheepskin, although mine isn't real). His did look a lot warmer though! At £4.80 it wasn't the cheapest sandwich, but I finished it at precisely 1:15pm, and didn't eat again until 6:10pm. Almost unheard of for me. And it was delicious - no scrimping on either the cheese or the onions, which is often the case...


I walked to the offices of our property agency to collect a key to be cut, and realised I'd never been down that road before. The city walls didn't quite conceal the minster spires backlit by the wintery afternoon sunshine; I'm a bit out of practice with my camera, so the pictures don't do justice to the beauty of it all.


A sign that amused me...


I wandered down a tiny road, just for the sake of it. It comes out at the side of the minster, next to Treasurer's House and I assume used to lead to the chapter house. I must go into the minster again, this time with a camera.


They're doing a lot of work on the minster at the moment: when I went during the summer they had an exhibition of the restoration that's going on. From what I can remember they're restoring the stained glass east window; the photograph of what it should/will look like is the largest photograph ever taken. Or something. Don't hold me to that exact record! This man is a stone mason. They've erected a stone masons' shelter, although it's real name escapes me: it's simply what looks like a huge bus shelter, under which the masons can work, allowing the public to see what they're doing.



Who can look at this and not be in utter awe of the work that went into this building? Every time I look at it I can't comprehend how on earth they managed it.


And there concludes my little adventure! 

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