What is There to See in York, England?

Today I am answering burning life questions like: What is there to see in York, England and what is there to eat in York, England?

While there are many things about the English and Americans that aren’t that different, there were one or two things that after a year of living in the UK, I still never got a handle on. For example, their words for dessert are still a confusing hodge podge to me. “Pudding” is often a generic term for dessert, not for the soft, chocolatey stuff that American children and post-dental-surgery patients love. Then there is the beloved Yorkshire pudding.

This food is something to which the English are wildly loyal and, sometimes, they say it is their very favorite part of a meal. It is often served on Sundays with a traditional Sunday Roast (beef). After many months in the UK, I still didn’t understand what the hell it was. Our quest to find this elusive holy grail took us to the obvious origin point, the city of York in the county of North Yorkshire. . . birthplace of Yorkshire pudding!

We’ll learn more about Yorkshire pudding later, first let’s learn about the town it comes from.

Exploring York on Foot

York is a place that you either visit by train or if you drive, you park in a public parking garage and don’t touch your car all weekend. Since York is so very old, it is a walkable city. Its age also means that the streets were constructed before cars, and therefore, they are narrow and really aren’t ideal for modern vehicles. We stayed at the Moxy York, which is 2 blocks from a public parking garage.

It just so happened that we selected a weekend during which it rained almost non-stop for three days. As full-time travelers, we wouldn’t ever get to see anything if we worried about the weather all the time. So, we put on our raincoats and went out to explore anyway. Though, I confess, at some point in the afternoon, we did decide to return to the hotel, order food from the bar, and watch movies in our room. It was a rare slow-paced field trip for us.

Cathedral Bells

York Minster is York’s famed cathedral. It is Gothic in style, the seat of the archbishop of York, and is every bit as awe-inspiring as the other cathedrals that I’ve written about here. Apparently, it was built and destroyed multiple times beginning in 627. The version that I stood outside of took shape beginning in 1220. We were fortunate enough to listen to the bells for several minutes.

What to see in York? City Walls!

In the year 71 A.D. the Romans founded the city of York and began building protective walls around it, as was the custom back then. Today, there are large sections of those walls still intact and visitors can walk along the top of them. It is a must-do experience when in York, just as it is in Conwy, Wales. There was a break in the rain, so we climbed the teeny stairs and walked around the edge of the city enjoying super cool views the whole time. When viewing the town from this vantage point, York Minster is a stunning presence in nearly every direction.

What to see in York? Clifford’s Tower!

Built by William the Conqueror, this tower has had various roles in English history. It has been a mint and a garrison. Unfortunately, in 1190, it was also the site of one of the worst antisemitic incidents of the Middle Ages. A crazed mob trapped many members of York’s Jewish community atop the tower. Sadly, many Jewish citizens opted to commit suicide rather than be murdered in whatever torturous way the mob had planned.

I symbolically stuck out my tongue at that historic mob by climbing to the top of the tower and reveling in the sweeping views of North Yorkshire county.

Yorkshire Pudding in Yorkshire!

So, here is the answer to the age-old American question, “What the heck is Yorkshire Pudding?” It is actually a biscuit-type bread item that is hollowed out to hold your gravy when you eat your Sunday roast beef. It is a fairly light and airy texture. Though the English would not likely eat one by itself, I grabbed one for takeaway on my rainy Sunday in York. My specific goal was just to have a version that was considered a “good” version, so I didn’t need the entire meal. It wasn’t full of flavor on its own (like a Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuit), but I could see where it would be yummy soaked in gravy and sharing a fork with a hunk of roast beef.

Remember to click on any Marriott ad or link on this blog to book your next fabulous hotel stay anywhere in the world, and, stay tuned for Mrs. HomeFree’s next locale!