York

I've always enjoyed staying in quirky, unconventional places when I travel. No mainstream hotels for me, thanks. York was no exception. Our home away from home was the guesthouse at The Bar Convent, England's oldest living convent. (In this case "bar" refers to an official entrance or gate to the walled city of York.) It was lovely, and not as spartan as one's imagination might think. In fact, it is one of our favorite places we have stayed in. Founded in 1686, during a time of persecution of Catholics, the convent was a secret community where nuns concealed their identity and established a school for girls. The current buildings date to the 18th century.

The Bar Convent, whose brickwork is being repointed, can be seen with scaffolding and a green screen.

The garden and outdoor cafe at the convent. An oasis in what is otherwise a bustling city.

Gorgeous encaustic (not glazed, but colored clay) tile on the floor of the indoor courtyard and dining room.

Micklegate Bar, once the primary entrance into medieval-walled York, dates back to the 1100s and has had many royal visitors, including Edward IV, Richard III, Henry VII, James I, Charles I, James II, and Elizabeth II. the severed heads of rebels and traitors were spiked and displayed on the roof. We behaved ourselves!

York Minster comes into view from atop the city walls.

 

York is the ancient capital of the north and the Minster, the Saxon term for a mission church, was the flagship of Christian faith at the far end of the Roman Empire. The Nave was built between 1291 and 1350, and is one of the widest in Europe.

 

 

 

 

 

We lucked out and heard the choir rehearsing for evensong.

York is a bit of a mecca for serious shoppers. We had fun "window shopping" here,...

 

...and here,...

 

and, well, I caved and did some real shopping here!

 

 

The timber-framed Shambles (once Great Flesh Shambles), a popular shopping street dating back to the 14th century, gets its name from "flesh shelves," which were the shelves butchers displayed meat on.

 

 

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