Last week I spent a few days in York. We stayed in a small, quite perfect apartment, directions to which read 'first right behind York Minster'. These directions rivalled my (until last weekend) favourite ever directions, which were 'first left past Notre Dame, number 27', sent to me in advance of a visit to friends in Paris many years ago.
The view from our landing window looked out over the rooftops.
We decided to take a very early walk on Saturday morning. The streets were all but deserted, with only the occasional delivery van or road sweeper for company. It was the perfect time to be out, before the city centre filled up with tourists. We felt that York belonged to us; the historic centre ours to explore.
It was cold. At the end of our street, we could see York Minster gleaming through the mist, just a minute's walk away.
Turning the other way, we headed towards the Shambles, York's famous 14th C street, originally the butchers' quarter, now devoted to tourist shops and cafes.
The ghostly mist somehow added to the atmosphere of antiquity, and we marvelled at the buildings overhanging the narrow road, leaning drunkenly against each other, without a straight wall, window or door between them.
Some look like the work of an elfin carpenter,
or as though made of gingerbread.
Despite their fairy tale appearance, they as real as real could be, fully functioning and kept busy catering for the year-round tourist trade.
As the streets began to fill up towards 9am, our thoughts turned to breakfast, and we returned to 'Flax and Twine' which we had noted earlier in our walk. A fabulous vintage shop, with a delightful cafe upstairs, we sat beside the window, slowly warming up from the inside out, with big bowls of steaming, nubbly porridge, and several pots of strong tea.
Don't you love a cafe that sells home made toffee apples at breakfast time?
More about our weekend in York next time.........
