York, Wednesday

Before breakfast I went to get some money from an ATM ( sorry, cashpoint). I was sure the bank was in a different place yesterday. I know I am no older than the last time I travelled on my own, so the only other explanation that I can think of is that I am loosing the plot. After breakfast I went to the Viking centre – an interesting museum. You go into an area with a clear floor and through the glass you can see the outlines of a real Viking village. There is stuff around the walls. Then you go in a capsule thing that runs on rails suspended from the roof through a recreated village. There is an excellent commentary. Sometimes the ‘people’ doing things in the village ‘speak’ in old Norse. After that there is another exhibition area with some people dressed in the period clothes doing things. There was also a display on ‘Are you a Viking?’ and the most prominent trait written about was Dupytrons Contracture. There were diagrams and the guy looking next to me said ‘I hope I am not a Viking’. Needless to say I showed him my hand and said I was. Several other people heard and came and looked. I should have asked for a discount on my admission!

I then found a nice local tea shop for my morning coffee – not another tourist in sight.

Fairfax House is a Georgian building that I had read about but decided against visiting except I passed the building and a sign said there was an exhibition of Georgian clothes – so I went in. The house ( previously bought by Mr Fairfax for his daughter) had been restored accurately ( according to the blurb – I wouldnot know) and Mr Terry’s (another chocolate man) huge collection of Georgian furniture is though out the house. There are also models wearing clothes worn by 18th century rich people. What stood out for me was the beautiful embroidery on the men’s jackets. Many had exquisite matching buttons.

I walked round more of the walls, went to a pub for a sandwich and this time left some of the cheese, and walked the final part of the walls. I went on an hour’s cruise up and down the river. The commentary was interesting – those bits I could understand. The commentator had a broad accent and not very good microphone.

I went to the nice nearby restaurant for dinner ( cafe 8, gillygate if you are ever in York) and had some North Atlantic cod with potatoes, a bit of fennel, a few mussels and some other vegies. It was delicious. Someone had told me that this area is noted for its rhubarb. They had ‘rhubarb and custard pavlova’ on the desert menu so I thought I should have it. Pavlova and custard won’t be too rich, I thought. Wrong. It was delicious but rich. It also came with housemade rhubarb rich icecream,. Hope I sleep OK.