When we got up we found that the weather was rather inclement so, after we had finished our breakfast and checked out, we decided not to go into York but instead to keep our options open and perhaps visit a property or museum on the way home.
As we were driving the weather soon turned to snow and the world either side of the motorway became white. We decided that stopping off was not the best option and made our way straight home. As we got close Shropshire there was no snow at all, just rain, so rather than go straight home we stopped off at David Austin Roses for lunch which was a nice end to our short break away.
10 Comments CherryPie on Apr 10th 2018
We had breakfast early so that we could get to York Minster in plenty of time to get a good seat in the central part of the nave, ready for the Easter morning Eucharist service. We found it odd that the first person that greeted us was a Policeman; York minster has its own police officers. As it turned out the seats we chose were in the best possible place. As well as being able to see the Altar and Pulpit we were near the font of holy water where several parts of the service took place. During the service the water from the font was used for sprinkling the congregation from rosemary sprigs for the remembrance of baptism.
Image Copyright CAG Photography
Before the service took place the Dean welcomed the congregation and explained that communion was taken in the hand and that communion wafers should not be dipped in the wine (probably along with several thumbs). She said it was theologically sound for the wafer to be taken dry followed by a sip of wine. Following her introduction the service began with a procession through the church with Archbishop Sentamu bringing up the rear. The sermon focused on Jesus and how much he loves us. He demonstrated with arms wide open, ‘This Much’ and encouraged the congregation to repeat.
Towards the end of the service, after communion had been administered, Archbishop Sentamu said that the incense used in the service had been a gift from the Cardinal Archbishop of Belgium. The incense had been made in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and we were asked to say a prayer for those suffering in that war torn region. As we left the Minster, the Archbishop shook our hands, gave a blessing and exchanged a few words.
We made our way to Lucky Days Cafe for lunch. I had spotted some nice cakes in the window a couple of days before. I chose plum frangipane and it was delicious. Once we had finished lunch we visited the Merchant Adventurers Hall. A Merchant Adventurer was someone who risked or ‘adventured’ his or her own money in overseas trade, bringing back goods and wealth to York. The Hall, with its 660 year history, is still home to the company of Merchant Adventurers of the City of York.
When we left the hall it was cold and rainy so we ducked in the tearoom above the Teddy Bear Shop before we visited York Mansion House, the earliest purpose built house for a Lord Mayor still in existence. It was the place where the Lord Mayor entertained visitors to the city and also a place to house York’s civic collections. That evening we dined at Rustique Restaurant and Bistro which is French in style. I chose the very tasty fishcakes.
8 Comments CherryPie on Apr 9th 2018
Yesterday is gone, tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today, let us begin.
Mother Teresa
6 Comments CherryPie on Apr 8th 2018
We went to breakfast a little later than the previous day. Consequently the breakfast room was more crowded due to it being a bank holiday Saturday.
After breakfast we made our way to Barley Hall. I stopped to take some photos along the way and Mr C and my mum carried on ahead. By the time I caught up with them I found that they were chatting with a gentleman. I found out that he was from the Gideon Society and that he had given Mr C a copy of the New Testament and Psalms. This was fortuitous as I had accidently left my copy, which I normally take on holiday, at home.
Barley Hall is a reconstructed Medieval Hall, the remains of which had been hidden under a more modern building. It was only when this modern building was due to be demolished that the medieval structure was discovered. The oldest parts of the Hall date to around 1360 when the Hall was built as the York Townhouse for Nostell Priory. Later the Hall became the home of a leading York citizen, William Snawsell, a Goldsmith, Alderman and Lord Mayor of York. The Hall is currently housing an exhibition called The Power and the Glory; York in the time of Henry VIII. On display in the exhibition are some of the costumes from the BBC’s Wolf Hall dramatization.
After our visit to the hall we browsed around a few shops to keep warm and dry until it was time to queue for lunch in Bettys. We didn’t have to queue for too long and the poached salmon and lemon mayonnaise sandwich was well worth the wait. After our sandwich, we all indulged in a naughty cake. As we arrived the waitress had asked if we were celebrating something so I mentioned that it was my mum’s birthday weekend. We presumably didn’t look like tourists. When we had finished our cake, the waiter brought a small fondant cake with a candle on top and presented it to mum. What a lovely touch. He then brought a small box and bag and packed it up to be consumed later in the day.
Next we visited York Minster, all decked out for Easter with the Easter Garden underneath the Five Sisters Window. This happens to be my favourite glass in York Minster. There is something about the way the light shines through the smaller panels at the top of the window. We also visited the crypt and the undercroft which houses an excellent exhibition covering 2000 years of the history of York and York Minster.
Mum made her way back to the hotel whilst we returned to the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop that we had browsed around earlier in the day. We bought some (too many) Christmas decorations to replace the ones that got broken when a box slipped out of the loft as we were getting them down last Christmas. The girls in the shop were horrified when we told them this tale.
We enjoyed another delicious evening meal. This time we dined in La Vecchia Scuola. I chose Sea Bass with prawns and clams. The food was delicious, even the clams (which I don’t normally eat). I followed this with a small scoop of salted caramel ice cream. The restaurant had a very lively atmosphere, with live piano music.
4 Comments CherryPie on Apr 7th 2018
I handed mum her birthday present before we tucked into the delicious breakfast that was on offer. There was a good selection of cold buffet items and an option for a cooked breakfast to order. After we were comfortably replete, we walked to the Yorkshire museum via the museum gardens. The gardens were pleasant with the spring bulbs flowering and there was just as many squirrels as there were on my last visit.
The museum was excellent covering, amongst other displays, the Roman and Mediaeval eras. The special exhibition is Jurassic World with a fine display of dinosaurs. This part of the museum was rather crowded due to to Easter weekend and the exhibition had only recently opened. We had arrived as the museum opened but when we left a huge queue had formed outside so it would be much more crowded very soon.
We then made our way to Fairfax House whilst trying to find a suitable tearoom for lunch. This proved a little difficult as there weren’t many tearooms in that area of York. We found somewhere eventually, although it wasn’t quite what we had in mind.
Fairfax House was once the winter home of Viscount Fairfax and his daughter, Anne. This branch of the Fairfaxes were a prominent Catholic family who owned extensive property and land in the county of York. The house passed through various owners before coming a gentleman’s club and friendly society and eventually becoming a cinema and dance hall. By 1980 the house stood empty when, due to the historical importance of the building, the York Civic Trust undertook restoration of the house and housed it with the collections that we see today.
As we left Fairfax House and made our way back into town it started to rain so we ducked into Marks and Spencer so that Mr C could buy an umbrella. Upon opening it he nearly cleared the store as it has a rather fierce spring loaded opening mechanism. Suitably equipped for the weather, we went in search of a tearoom. This proved a little difficult because most people had had the same idea and they were all full. Eventually we found one that was almost empty. There were some delicious cakes on display but I decided not to indulge.
After our tea we made our way around the corner to the Treasurer’s House; former home to wealthy industrialist Frank Green. The house displays his collections of antique furniture, ceramics, art and textiles. Sadly, by the time we had finished looking around the house, there was no access to the gardens. I have yet to see the garden; on each occasion I have visited there has been no access to them.
We returned the hotel to freshen up before dinner in Bennett’s Bistro. Once again the food was delicious, I chose Gnocchi with butternut squash and red onion.
6 Comments CherryPie on Apr 6th 2018
We set off a little later than intended which meant we were able to make a slight detour into Lichfield for lunch. We hoped to eat in Chapters Cafe in the close next to the Cathedral but, unfortunately our timing was off. A church service had just finished which meant the cafe was full. We opted for a plan B and found ourselves in a cafe style restaurant where I had a cherry scone.
The journey was rather slow with lots of queuing traffic. The first queue we encountered was because of a lorry shedding its load on a roundabout near Derby. This meant access into Derby was blocked off and traffic had to divert in other directions. At one point three police cars were lined up across the opposite carriageway and, as we proceeded slowly down our carriageway, one of the police cars reversed at great speed to the roundabout we were heading towards. When we arrived at the roundabout it was in chaos.
Due to the delays we arrived in York a little later than intended. At the hotel, The Minster, we were greeted by a delightful receptionist. The room was lovely and we had a cup of Yorkshire tea and homemade shortbread biscuits that were on the complimentary tea tray.
After unpacking and freshening up we made our way to Bistro No. 8 for dinner, stopping off for an aperitif on the way. The food was delicious, I chose Fish Chowder. The staff were friendly and polite and nothing was too much trouble for them.
6 Comments CherryPie on Apr 5th 2018
