On English Soil ... York Minster

From the tropical heat of SE Asia to a rainy summer arrival week back in England ... I certainly needed an adjustment period but there were places to go, friends to see and things to do. I could not afford to sit still. 

First stop was Northallerton and wonderful Emma whose passion and dedication to regenerative agriculture leaves me and my environmental concerns in the dust. With the rain coming down in earnest and the beginnings of a cold playing at the back of my throat, we put all plans of a hike in the Yorkshire Dales on hold and decided to visit the Minster. 

York Minster

I'll admit that the cold and grey weather did not light up the Minster stonework as I am sure some well placed rays of sunshine would but all the same, the building is ornate in all the right places and the grandeur one feels is almost sprirutual. Several fires and numerous add-ons to the building in a variety of styles, as well as lootings, neglect and purpouseful damage have all swallowed up nearly 28 million Great British Pounds since the 1920s ... if the building was not magnificent I would be pretty dismayed!

Saint Peter goes by very many names but as a little girl, I knew him as Peter the apostle; one of Christ's 12 apostles. Apparently, I now learnt, he was one of the leaders of the early church. Let me rephrase that; the early Christian Great Church, before he was crucified by the Roman emperor Nero in relation to his position as the first bishop of Rome.

York Minster is one of the largest cathedrals and metropolitical churches in Northern Europe and, in words at least, belongs to Saint Peter. Yes! I did have to look up what metropolitical means. It menas 'pertaining to a metropolis.' He who runs this church occupies the third highest position in the Church of England and what a place to come to work! To see the rose windows, the nave, the grand organ (it was being restored when I visited sadly) and the central tower.

I'm no expert on architecture but Emma my wonderful friend who took me out to the Minster for the day, pointed out the gothic decorations, especially in the nave (the stained glass window in this nave is from 1338!) The great window is from 1408 and is enormous, apparently the largest expanse of medieval stained glass still standing in the world. Of course Emma pointed out the 'Heart of Yorkshire' in the stained glass of the west window. I think it is incredibly awe inspiring to be wandering around a building that contains so much history, a fact students may not always appreciate.

While Mali avoided the Yorkshire airmen who operated the astronomical clock in the North Transept, I lit a candle for Dad and wished he was able to read my blogs and hear all about my travels too.

I travelled down into the cellars of the Minster where the remains of some old columns stand, lit beautifully and described in plaques on the wall. It was cold here in the belly of the Minster and I realised the warmth and belief in the future that stained glass is apt to give.

As one comes out of the belly of the Minster many the life of a long ago soul is celebrated and it would be too long a list to tell you who is buried here. Suffice to say it is worth a visit ... or three.

Into York

The metropolis of York stretches further into history than I had realised. York is also home to cobbled streets and old buildings that tell stories of long ago. Tales of the birth of Guy Fawkes, of age old cardinals, monarchs, deans and dukes. Buskers are a part of York town too but I visited in the rain and so the buskers were probably indoors spending their pounds on cream teas or chocolate fudge (at least that is what Emma and I were doing!) although of course I did visit a second-hand shop or two (a habit I seem unable to break!)

So, with a lovely new pair of blue and white scribbled trousers that I tried on in the second-hand shop and saw no need to remove, we set off for a wander in the rain, Mali of course calling the shots. I turned down the horse carosel, was too tall for the trampolines and do not like ice cream. Instead I gazed into all the little alleys (holding my nose to the smell of urine ... but I am sure that is a fair representation to back in the day too!) ... gazing at the quaint little eaves on stone buildings and wishing for sunshine.

Sadly, Emma told me, many a shop has had to close its doors to trade in York as the large chain stores sell more for less and can pay the rent. Also, and I found this incredibly sad, York has become a bit of a party town and so Friday nights, weekends and holidays find drunk posses of young people falling about, laughing too loudly and too rudely, urinating in those cobbled alleys from history and, it seems, keeping the decent shoppers and sightseers away. 

But we did visit Emma's favourite building and I was suitably impressed!

Tips for Erasmus students:

• If you are there for a semester I suggest you get a month pass for the Minster as it is definately a lovely quiet spot to go and digest any thoughts that may be eating you up.
• Be considerate of York's history and treat the town as if you too are taking up a place in history ... which of course you are!

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