How to describe York? Well, the University of York calls it "a historic European city," which makes me wonder what kind of jobs their English majors get. The York's visitor's bureau describes it as "one of Europe's most inspiring cities," which tells me who is hiring the English majors. York city council says, "York is truly ageless - a city for all time and all people," which is a bit over the top, while Wikipedia states it is "is a walled city situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire," which I guess is a little under the bottom. York was named the "2007 European Tourism City of the Year" but second place went to Gothenburg, Sweden, so I'm not sure how much credence to give it.
I could tell you the history of the town--which is a fascinating strata of civilizations: The Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxon, Vikings, and finally the Normans--but instead I'll try to explain it as I feel it.
Like the Earth spinning at 25,000 miles per hour beneath your feet, time also pins you and drags you forward, unnoticed but inexorably. You don't notice the Earth's rotation unless you're in space; you don't notice time unless you're in York.
Walking along the city walls, the Minster, the Shambles, the river: Somehow, in an infinite-number-of-monkeys sort of way, this city was built, piecemeal, in fits and starts and through many setbacks, to become a perfectly formed jigsaw puzzle, each piece locked in so tightly you can't imagine it being anywhere but York, and you can't imagine York being without it.
The Minster is the second largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe (the first being Cologne, Germany) and was built between 1230 and 1472--yes, nearly 250 years to complete. It is 518 feet long and its three towers are 200 ft high. It is known for its stained glass, some of which are bigger than tennis courts. It is an awesome--and humbling--spectacle.
The Shambles is actually a medieval street. The story is that before indoor plumbing, people threw their waste out the window into the street, so buildings jutted out for sanitary reasons. I suspect it was just an easy way to get a few more square feet without having to pay for the land. In any case, you can see there buildings practically touching, and you have to marvel at the fact that they're still standing.
The Guildhall was, sadly, destroyed by a German bomb in WW2, but it has been beautifully rebuilt and now houses the cheapest marketplace you've ever seen. The guild lords would be horrified.
And runner up for the strangest thing I've seen: A busker playing a piano in the middle of the sidewalk. I gave him a £l just for his audacity.
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