Day 3 - Railing away to York

The day began with really good porridge and sliced banana, and an even better cup of camomile tea, on the train to York. The trip took extra time, due to a malfunctioning train ahead of us. We had to wait while another locomotive was brought out to remove the stalled train to a siding.

Nevertheless, YORK WAS MAGNIFICENT.

My first view of the famous city wall, built by the Romans, who occupied England from 42 BCE and nearly 400 years following.  The wall was skillfully pierced, as you see here, to allow modern vehicular and foot traffic to flow in and out --- without portcullis or moat.

Once inside the wall, we climbed that stair (on the left) and proceeded downtown.
Spires of the Minster are on the horizon.  Spine-shivers. What beautiful weather we enjoyed!

These two young women juggling their luggage were so intent on taking selfies, with cameras wiggling at the end of long poles, that they seemed not to realize where they were -- or that others might be using the walkway. 

Old hole in the Roman wall, presumably for shooting arrows at recalcitrant natives.

Old wall gives way to old bridge. Can you see the colored medallions along the bridge? (detail below) Antique buildings set the tone, but there are plenty of more modern ones, too.  Flowers everywhere, everywhere.

Roy spotted a river cruise boat, just boarding, so we clambered down to the quay. We don't know why this pleasant walkway got its name, but pretty much anything Dame Judi likes is fine with me.

Paying our way, to take a cruise on the River Ouse (actually one of several rivers Ouse in England).

The boat's top deck was nearly full of sight-seers, this sunny day. The crew was especially kind to this passenger with limited mobility and her assistant.

We were not quite alone on the river. This boat was fitted out as an ice cream stand -- sadly, closed, despite the warmth of the day.

Modern and old-fashioned river boats seem to alternate on most waterways in Britain.

Life along the Ouse, in-town -- easy, until the 17-foot flood!.

What's around that bend?

Suddenly, we're out of town, and into Wind in the Willows territory.
Who IS that, disappearing round the bend? We'll never know, as this was the upper limit of the cruise. The loud-speakered narration was excellent, though I was too excited to pay constant attention.

Everything in this old country needs constant monitoring and then repair.

Proud dwellers  on the River Ouse.

Architects and preservationists do not let one forget the long history of this river town.

Sight of this modern bridge (ho-hum) marked the downstream u-turn for the cruise boat.

One more bridge, and we'll be back at the dock. An utterly beautiful day, in every way.

Streets were bustling with tourists. It was noticeable -- this day, at least -- that most spoke English. Except that, er, unusual street vendor.

Roy shows that ole Emperor Constantine who's who nowadays. It's really hard to comprehend that York, England -- not Rome -- was the seat of the Roman empire in the early 4th Century. But 'twas.

Two views of York Minster --- under repair.

Two signs alerting us to British consideration for peaceful coexistence.

Inside the Minster.
The organist is rehearsing - hush.
Sit.
Drink in the atmosphere.
Be still, and know . . .

Later that day, fast-tracked back to London. This crazy-quilt building is across the plaza from King's Cross and St. Pancras stations.

Despite the huge open spaces, I found these two mammoth stations confusing. Where are all the trains?

There's even room for this giant sculpture in St. Pancras.

But a wash room?  Information booth? 

Details of a few of the figures carved in deep bas relief around the base
of that huge, modern sculpture.

Looking down into the crowded, upscale St. Pancras Station shopping mall that makes train-travelers' services so hard to locate.

One reminder of the old station. These pillars were precisely sized and spaced to store the maximum number of barrels of beer for later distribution.

Outside the stations again, I couldn't resist shooting this little purple get-about.
People are asking "What make?"  No clue.

The elegance of St. Pancras at sunset. It may be the upper reaches of this tower (among several towers) that have been converted into an elegant and expensive apartment that can be rented thru airbnb. We looked into it . . . and said to each other, "Some day . . ."

You may or may not be able to imagine the jellied state of my legs by now, at the end of a long but happy day. However, we must walk along the Embankment. And there is the London Eye, lighting up the Thames with its Coca-Cola red evening lights.

Just when one is saturated with the flashy modernity of London, there will be some sight to bring back awareness of how close we still are to the extreme difficulties of a small country surviving two world wars. This Embankment memorial records the grit, determination, and suffering of the English during the Battle of Britain.

We close out Day 3 with another view of this familiar landmark,
enduring icon of of all that is British.