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York We tubed in from Muswell Hill to Kings Cross and boarded the train to York. Quite amazing to see a full train every half hour at a fairly high price -- £61, or nearly $100 for a two hour ride. The Brits support their public transport by using it enthusiastically.

	The train sped across flat green fields punctuated with the odd village, a cluster of small houses around a steeple.

We visited Betty's Tearooms for a classic afternoon tea, then in the evening we explored the narrow car-free streets of the old town window shopping and looking for the right place for dinner. We found our first extraordinary meal at Mana's, then walked back to our B&B. There were people on the street, but the old village felt uncrowded. In these northern climes, it stays light until ten o'clock. Saturday morning after breakfast we arrived at the Minster Square in time to see the British Navy preparing for a cadet parade. The Marine band was getting ready; the bass drummer was wearing a tiger skin.

While the band was getting ready and the folks were lining the route, we slipped into York Minster.

photo credit: Chad Abramson Transept click for bigger version (220k)	This cathedral, the largest gothic church north of the Alps, is distinguished by its width and its windows. The northwest window in particular is very old, from the 14th century. The carving, both stone and wood, is superbly detailed and graceful.
		Northwest window
	Processional cross	After wandering around the cathedral, admiring the astronomical clock, and the processional cross, we paid £3 each and climbed 275 steps to the top of the southeast tower.

	The Old City from atop the tower	Cathedral Close
	275 steps is a bunch! In addition to giving you shortness of breath and aching legs, these steps make you dizzy because they're a spiral! Once back on the ground, we had to look back and see what we'd climbed. It doesn't seem so much until you notice the four people on the balcony (right center) 108 steps up. We wandered the town some more, through the market where we bought the elements of lunch from the farmers' stalls, ate lunch in a corner of the City Wall then past the Castle and back through the new town and home to our B&B for a sit down and a spot of tea.

photo credit: Chad Abramson Lunch on the Wall

Great Food in York! The food in England has been adequate if expensive. But in York, we found some great food. A Greek dinner at Mana's was memorable, but we award two diamonds to The Piano, an innovative natural food restaurant on Grape Lane in the Quarter. Caspar needs one of these!

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