HYDERABAD: The day we were to go to York, I was secretly hoping for some snowfall because the previous night I saw freezing rain and sleet. When I answered the morning wake up call, I eagerly enquired about that day’s weather. The man cheerfully answered that it was going to be fine weather with a clear sky. My heart sank. A bit more into weather, I confessed that I wanted to experience snowflakes on my nose and eyelashes. The man from Lisbon laughed and said that he saw snow in Manchester hardly four times. I joined in the laughter and confessed that I found Lisbon’s Fado better than Coimbra’s.
The train journey from Manchester to York (90 minutes) was very scenic with snow-covered trees, bushes, sidewalks and rail tracks. I was more than happy to see so much snow spread like a white carpet on either side. Thus my friend and I set out for visit to York on a snowy note.
From York’s Victorian railway station we walked along the beautifully preserved medieval town walls taking in some stunning views and tracing the steps of Roman soldiers, who guarded the walls almost 2,000 years ago. Later, our guide Matthew Greenwood joined and took us on a walking tour around York. The Romans knew it as Eboracum; to the Saxons it was Eoforwick; the Vikings who came as invaders but stayed on in settlements called it Jorvik, later to be called York.
The York of today is a fashionable city that successfully combines its heritage and superb historic architecture with present day’s sophistication: every aspect of York’s modern life is inextricably linked with its past. We walked along the narrow streets and snickelways, which are evocative of York’s medieval era. Matt took us through ginnels that wind haphazardly through the pedestrianised city centre, now home to fashionable boutiques and cafes with unforgettable names like Coffee Yard, Swinegate, Grape Lane, Mad Alice Lane and the most famous of them all - the Shambles.
The Shambles
This former street of butchers’ shops remains in such remarkable condition that we could still see the wide windowsills on which goods were displayed for sale and even the hooks upon which cuts of meats were hung in olden times. One of the best preserved medieval shopping streets in Europe, it was made narrow by design to keep the meat out of direct sunlight (to prevent meat from going bad in the sun). Matt asked us to imagine the sights and smells from the noisy, chaotic street that it once was – I said, “I had rather see what is in front of me today and enjoy than imagine the unbearable smells and sights!” Matt smiled at my comment and said, “Despite its current quaint status, you can readily visualise this place thronging with people and awash with offal and discarded bones.
The plague periodically erupted in the city mostly due to such unsanitary practices.” Thank god, today the beautiful buildings have been restored and now they are all cheerful cafes and quirky boutiques! The place has lots of lovely little shops that are delightful to look at. I fell in love with the Christmas shop, which was filled with the most beautiful Christmas figurines and gifts. The sales girl gave me permission to click “just a few pictures”.
The shop that must not be named
For all the Harry Potter fans, there is this uniquely named shop with exclusive Harry Potter stuff from socks to scarves, mugs to posters, and jewellery to bags. Customers are greeted with the words, “Welcome, Muggles” and are asked which house at Hogwarts they would like to be in.
Needless to say that the Shambles inspired JK Rowling’s, Diagon Alley. Matt explained how, when they came to build the set for the Harry Potter movies, the film’s designers visited York’s most famous street to study the real-life version of JK Rowling’s fictional thoroughfare.
Being a history buff, what I enjoyed most was strolling within the ancient, encircling walls on York’s medieval streets where buildings are beautifully preserved and the historic heart of the city is largely traffic-free, making it quiet, clean and very pleasant to stroll around. Stonegate and Petergate, York’s two most stylish shopping streets, still run along the same routes as they did 2,000 years ago. Matt stopped in front of a small house with an interesting figurine on top of the threshold. A little red devil sits outside no 33 Stonegate, not because the inhabitants were diabolical, but because the building was once a printer’s (‘printer’s devils’ were errand boys who had to carry hot metal type). The red devil looked so cute, perched in a prominent place and watching the passersby!
Mansion House
The Lord Mayor’s residence, the Mansion House, stocks one of the finest collections of gold and silver civic plate in the UK. It is said that the earliest surviving silver chamber pot, which was used by George IV is put in front of the presiding Lord Mayor at private dinner functions. I still can’t fathom why a chamber pot should grace dinner functions!
(The author is a documentary filmmaker and travel writer; she blogs at vijayaprataptravelandbeyond.com)
Useful links: www.visityork.org
www.visitbritain.com