Travelling to York (and York day 1)

Our host told us we should leave at like 7 AM to beat traffic. But yeah, that's really early. So, like true Dutch people, of course we did things our own way. We left around 9.15, thinking that probably by the time we got to Bristol, traffic wouldn't be too bad. Luckily, we were right. We did follow up on another tip of our host. She said it would be worth our while to stop at the Gloucester services. There would be a grass roof to the building and some kind of farmers market there. We weren't quite sure what to expect, but there was indeed a gras roof and the farmers' market was amazing! 


I kept hearing the song "If I were a rich man" in my head while walking around the farmers market. In the end I bought a jar of pickle ("The perfect ploughman's pickle) and a pistachio croissant (as a snack). I haven't tried the pickle yet (it's a gift to my daughters), but the croissant was absolutely amazing. I loved a lot of the things I was seeing, but didn't like the prices as much hahaha. I know artisanal goods are more expensive, as they should be, but I simply can't afford all the things I liked there. That's okay though, it makes one appreciate the things you do buy all the more. 

We made it to York in one piece, even though getting around in York itself was a bit of a challenge. We parked the car at the hotel and we've vowed not to move the car until we leave York. Luckily most things are within walking distance and if we should find ourselves too tired, there's always Uber. 


Since we'd made good time, we decide to go visit the historic center. Our first stop was at the Minster Gate Bookshop. I really love that place. They have a great selection of books. After that, we somewhat unintentionally attended the evening prayer ceremony at the York Minster. Since it seemed so much like a Catholic ceremony (they were even praying to the Holy Catholic Church), I actually checked afterwards if maybe the cathedral was Catholic after all (which it isn't, it is very much a Church of England cathedral after all). 

Since we were hungry by then, we grabbed a bit to eat at a Thai restaurant. It was great. After dinner, we walked part of the city wall (absolutely stunning views from there) and eventually made our way back to the hotel. The view from our room was absolutely stunning by the time we got back (yes, that is the Minster in the background!). 

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