Weekend Update

Hello! As promised, here is a short photo journal of our first week in York.

Before I start, I'd also like to suggest that you download a short video slideshow of even more pictures by going here and clicking on the "Week 1 Movie" link. The file size isn't that big, it won't take long. Here's the shorter version with comments from yours truly. Click on any picture for a larger version


Walking. Ugh. We estimate that we walked close to 10 miles (yes, they still use miles here, but everything is in metric. Go figure.) this week. Buses are good but dang expensive. There are wonderful walking and biking trails that go all over England that were made from old rail lines. They're pretty sweet. Notice the car on the wrong side of the road. Getting used to that is much more difficult than you would think.

Yay! The local pub! They have good food, but they're not a microbrew, unfortunately. Guinness on tap though, which is the next best thing.

Hm, that's good to know...

The river is pretty big here, big enough for about a 20 ft. boat. It runs straight to (or from? Not sure, it's so sluggish) the centre of York. There's a marina next door, and lots of the locals go fishing.

There are plenty of fields around, which is nice. They're not all being developed, which is even better.

York Minster! I think I heard it's the only remaining gothic cathedral in England. I don't know exactly when it was built, but the movie slideshow (are you downloading it yet?) has graves from the 13th century. We haven't taken the tour yet because it costs £6 and I'm stingy, but sitting outside is awesome enough.

If you know any history or interesting tid-bits about the Minster or about York, leave a comment!

This is a statue of Constantine. Underneath is inscribed "By this sign conquer." This picture is significant to me because it summarizes most everything I think has been wrong with Christianity for the past 1700 years or so.

The walls of York. They extend most of the way around the city, except where it used to be an impassable swamp. Very impressive. I can imagine the feeling of safety for a peasant to be inside.

Finally, efficient (both physically and economically) transportation! English lanes are scary: when there is a bike lane, it's only about 6 inches wide. But we made it to and around York without getting killed, so I'd say we're off to a good start.

The church we went to this morning. It's a small congregation of mostly older people, but they were very welcoming, and they hope we'll keep coming. We'll wait and see if we make any friends at the Uni., and see where they go on Sundays. It was a traditional Anglican liturgy (think Catholicism-lite), which is interesting. Good coffee afterwards, though.

This is pretty much how we feel at the conclusion of this week. Good people (we're hanging out with a Welsh girl and a Spanish couple, who live in the same house with us), good food, good sights. Oh yeah, and lots of much-needed exercise. It's been a good week of exploration and settling-in, tomorrow starts the school term. I'll let you know how it goes. Melissa's still looking for a job, we'll keep you posted on that as well. I think that's all for now. Post a comment or send us an e-mail! Please? :-)