York, Day 1, Part 2

Where was I? Oh, right. We deposited our bags in the guest house (soft sheets, unlimited hot water, shampoo and conditioner, radiators on low with bath towels warming over them, hot breakfast...) and trekked back into the city center, this time intent on finding food (theme of the weekend, right there). We were going to try a crepe stand, but they were very much lacking in the Nutella department, so we lay siege to the Cornish Pasty Shop instead, with the following result:

(Yes, indeed. This is a lamb and mint pasty, warm from the case. And was it ever delicious!)

Then there was much walking around in York's historic shopping and restaurant neighborhood (did I hear someone mention chocolate truffles. Why, yes, we'll take a few!). One of the streets, called The Shambles, has essentially been preserved as it was in the Middle Ages. Check out how close the buildings are to one another!

York really prides itself in its history, and has restored many of its buildings to their original state. Below is the Merchant's Guildhall from the Middle Ages:

But their history goes back even further. When deepening the basement, the pub below discovered the ruins of an extensive Roman bathhouse! York, or Eboracum as it was known then, was a large Roman city.

(Check it out. That's a Roman soldier's bootprint from a fresh tile!)

The entire city has also been fortified since then, beginning with Roman fortifications that now lie below street level:

York was fortified (again) in the middle ages, and large portions of the wall still surround the center of the city. Here's an example of the tower above one of the gates, or "bars", in the Medieval wall.

Tomorrow I'll show pictures from walking the wall itself, so stay tuned!