Travel diaries 3: To York we went
Hello! :D
I last updated my travel series last week but seeing as the views were not that high, I'm rather sad-ed that nobody shared my love for Portugal. :( So today I'm writing about another exotic tourist location within the UK- York.
York is a little city in the middle of the UK- it's about a 2 hour train ride north of Manchester. I visited the city with a group of friends in the winter of 2013, and we had a really enjoyable time despite the harsh winter. There were little treats around every corner for us to try out!
I'm gonna post photos at this point but I really doubt my low camera quality does the place any justice! :/
Transport
The Oyster Card does not work on transport networks outside of London. The primary mode of transport is by walking (or by bus, when we visited York University). Sometimes I really feel like a spoiled city girl- I'm so used to convenient Metro/Tube/MRT lines that buses confuse me now (except back in Singapore where I am more familiar with reading bus routes). I rarely even take a bus in London now- I usually just commute by walking :/
Walking from place to place is very convenient in York because it is a small city, and yes, the roads are flat... I didn't die like I almost did in Lisbon. :/
Sights
This is the river that greeted us the moment we left the York rail station. The environment in York could perhaps be comparable to a Zone 3 or Zone 4 district in London, just with more beautiful buildings and less smelly air :)
Most of the attractions in York are medieval architecture or castles. I highly recommend going into one of the museums to learn all about the history of the royalty in York. I've honestly never heard of York before I came to the UK (kept thinking it was some place near New York?), but I was surprised that a seemingly obscure (to me) little town like York had such a rich heritage and history.
If time permits you will also be treated to beautiful sights of natural scenery :) York has a very old-school, serene little town with pretty little cottages and smiling old gentlemen and ladies kind of feel to it. These are what some of the streets in York look like:
Food
To be honest I don't know what food York is famous for. Yorkshire pudding, perhaps? I don't know, the only Yorkshire pudding I tried was back in my hall, no prizes for guessing what THAT tasted like :(
When I was there though, I knew the pastries and sweet treats there were a big thing :) We got chocolates and fudge from some of the little stores along the streets.
The chocolates were amazing (I think), though a little pricey, but the fudge... OMFG. Instant regret. Please do not buy fudge from UK, like ever ever. My roomie and I decided to get some for our hallmates and we tried a spoonful of fudge. Then again, of course everything tastes alright when you eat it by the spoonful. -.- Then when we brought it back, we discovered it was probably 99% sugar, 1% food colouring and 110% recipe for diabetes. Worst purchase ever.
But one interesting thing I discovered when I was there, was this thing called "stuffing". I don't think "stuffing" actually means any one particular type of stuffing per se, but I saw it on menus practically everywhere there? It's almost like there is a universal understanding of what it is exactly? I always thought there were many different kinds of "stuffing". Ah well, mind blown.
Shopping
The city centre of York is interesting, in the sense that you will rarely see the big brands and their products in the windows along the streets. The shops, from what I observed, are mainly little, local brands. And a lot of these shops sells very interesting and intricate stuff!
It's not like back in Orchard Road where you will be greeted in the face by the international brands like Hermes or CK, or at Oxford Street/Picadilly circus where every single unnecessary thing costs a bomb. These are intricate handicrafts/random artifacts that city people don't really care for on a day to day basis, but when we step into a shop full of them it is still amazing :)
It's a little like being in Borough Market (or at Singapore's Bugis Street, only with a bigger diversity of products and less garishly fugly clothes).
Things to do
There are activities lined up for visitors and they're worth it, really :) One of these attractions we experienced was the York Dungeon. I was so afraid when we were in line to enter the tour because I knew it was going to be a role-playing tour (meaning there would be actors to scare us and stuff), I thought I was going to be made a prisoner and it was going to dark and there would be 冤魂s (maligned souls) popping out of nowhere. Yeah, I'm a scaredy cat like that. :/
The tour turned out to be fun though- it was more light-hearted and hilarious than anything! So yeah, I guess money well-spent.
I've also heard about a Ghost Walk in York (which I didn't go for because I went to York University instead for the fireworks).
Verdict:
Visit York. It is definitely a must for anyone who is experiencing UK for the first time, and it is a great getaway for people who want a more romantic holiday away from the hustle and bustle of London. Needless to say, many of the things there are much, much more affordable than what you can get in London.
Did I also mention, we were a group of 8 and we managed to get a private 8 person en-suite bunk in a hostel, all to ourselves! And by en-suite, I mean it's really amazing- it came with a FULLY-EQUIPPED kitchen with all cutlery, hot chocolate and coffee and tea. Free coffee. What more can one ask for? It was all very affordable too! More worth it than Airbnb, I swear :)
I last updated my travel series last week but seeing as the views were not that high, I'm rather sad-ed that nobody shared my love for Portugal. :( So today I'm writing about another exotic tourist location within the UK- York.
York is a little city in the middle of the UK- it's about a 2 hour train ride north of Manchester. I visited the city with a group of friends in the winter of 2013, and we had a really enjoyable time despite the harsh winter. There were little treats around every corner for us to try out!
I'm gonna post photos at this point but I really doubt my low camera quality does the place any justice! :/
Transport
The Oyster Card does not work on transport networks outside of London. The primary mode of transport is by walking (or by bus, when we visited York University). Sometimes I really feel like a spoiled city girl- I'm so used to convenient Metro/Tube/MRT lines that buses confuse me now (except back in Singapore where I am more familiar with reading bus routes). I rarely even take a bus in London now- I usually just commute by walking :/
Walking from place to place is very convenient in York because it is a small city, and yes, the roads are flat... I didn't die like I almost did in Lisbon. :/
Sights
This is the river that greeted us the moment we left the York rail station. The environment in York could perhaps be comparable to a Zone 3 or Zone 4 district in London, just with more beautiful buildings and less smelly air :)
Most of the attractions in York are medieval architecture or castles. I highly recommend going into one of the museums to learn all about the history of the royalty in York. I've honestly never heard of York before I came to the UK (kept thinking it was some place near New York?), but I was surprised that a seemingly obscure (to me) little town like York had such a rich heritage and history.
York Minster, one of the most popular attractions
If time permits you will also be treated to beautiful sights of natural scenery :) York has a very old-school, serene little town with pretty little cottages and smiling old gentlemen and ladies kind of feel to it. These are what some of the streets in York look like:
Food
To be honest I don't know what food York is famous for. Yorkshire pudding, perhaps? I don't know, the only Yorkshire pudding I tried was back in my hall, no prizes for guessing what THAT tasted like :(
When I was there though, I knew the pastries and sweet treats there were a big thing :) We got chocolates and fudge from some of the little stores along the streets.
A chocolate store in York... back then I remembered wishing I had a boyfriend to share all these lovely chocolates with!
The chocolates were amazing (I think), though a little pricey, but the fudge... OMFG. Instant regret. Please do not buy fudge from UK, like ever ever. My roomie and I decided to get some for our hallmates and we tried a spoonful of fudge. Then again, of course everything tastes alright when you eat it by the spoonful. -.- Then when we brought it back, we discovered it was probably 99% sugar, 1% food colouring and 110% recipe for diabetes. Worst purchase ever.
But one interesting thing I discovered when I was there, was this thing called "stuffing". I don't think "stuffing" actually means any one particular type of stuffing per se, but I saw it on menus practically everywhere there? It's almost like there is a universal understanding of what it is exactly? I always thought there were many different kinds of "stuffing". Ah well, mind blown.
Shopping
The city centre of York is interesting, in the sense that you will rarely see the big brands and their products in the windows along the streets. The shops, from what I observed, are mainly little, local brands. And a lot of these shops sells very interesting and intricate stuff!
It's not like back in Orchard Road where you will be greeted in the face by the international brands like Hermes or CK, or at Oxford Street/Picadilly circus where every single unnecessary thing costs a bomb. These are intricate handicrafts/random artifacts that city people don't really care for on a day to day basis, but when we step into a shop full of them it is still amazing :)
Some of the little handicraft/random thingamajig stores in York
It's a little like being in Borough Market (or at Singapore's Bugis Street, only with a bigger diversity of products and less garishly fugly clothes).
Things to do
There are activities lined up for visitors and they're worth it, really :) One of these attractions we experienced was the York Dungeon. I was so afraid when we were in line to enter the tour because I knew it was going to be a role-playing tour (meaning there would be actors to scare us and stuff), I thought I was going to be made a prisoner and it was going to dark and there would be 冤魂s (maligned souls) popping out of nowhere. Yeah, I'm a scaredy cat like that. :/
The tour turned out to be fun though- it was more light-hearted and hilarious than anything! So yeah, I guess money well-spent.
I've also heard about a Ghost Walk in York (which I didn't go for because I went to York University instead for the fireworks).
Verdict:
Visit York. It is definitely a must for anyone who is experiencing UK for the first time, and it is a great getaway for people who want a more romantic holiday away from the hustle and bustle of London. Needless to say, many of the things there are much, much more affordable than what you can get in London.
Did I also mention, we were a group of 8 and we managed to get a private 8 person en-suite bunk in a hostel, all to ourselves! And by en-suite, I mean it's really amazing- it came with a FULLY-EQUIPPED kitchen with all cutlery, hot chocolate and coffee and tea. Free coffee. What more can one ask for? It was all very affordable too! More worth it than Airbnb, I swear :)
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