Day 4 - York

We were supposed to have done York yesterday, but we were running late and Harry thought it would be really crowded in the afternoon so suggested we make it our first Sunday morning stop.
Turned out to be a great idea. We practically had the town to ourselves. It was amazing. No crowds, we just got to wander at our leisure. The downside was that the shops were not open yet. (As you'll see, we more than made up for it later on the trip.)

First up was a brief talk by our guide Harry. You can see him in the bottom picture, poised and ready to astound us with his knowledge. He really is the best guide ever. If you take a Trafalgar tour in the UK, see if you can get on one of his. The jokes alone are worth it. Although Deb insists that it is the motion of the bus combined with Harry's soothing voice that makes her so tired on the bus that she barely buckles up before she is out like a light.

We could not go in the York Minster (top photo) because it was Sunday and services were about to start, but the outside was incredible. The design in the large window is known as the Heart of York. We could have stood looking at this building for days.
Who knew York would have a Starbucks! We didn't know yet that they would be almost as numerous as the Bella Italias! Yes, we went in! (You'll notice the sign above the door. Ah, the wind. We are sure there is a poem about wind and its virtues but by the end of this trip Chicago would need a new nickname.)

We tried to find the Quilt Museum for Karen, but even with the address and a map we couldn't find it. Oh well, add that to the itinerary for next time!
The third picture is of The Shambles. Built in the 1400s (I think) the top floors are almost close enough that you could shake your neighbors hand. They couldn't build on the sides, so they had to expand by overhanging the street. Slightly hysterical to see a group of 30 tourists there on a Sunday morning with the various digital camera sounds interrupting the quiet of a Sunday morning. Wish we had a picture of any of the numerous times we tromped off the bus and all stood side by side with our cameras pointed in the same direction!