York and Whitby

If time could literally slap you in the face, I'm sure that's what I felt at 0630 Thursday morning. We all hopped on the bus that was pulled up to our front door, and drove quite a ways to York. It occurred to me- this is the York that became the namesake for New York when colonization of North America went down. Yeehaw.

York remained true to the general English characteristics: foggy, cold, and cute. Some of us took Holy Communion at the Minstrel (Cathedral), which was an awesome experience! We walked around the shops at the Shambles, which used to be a big butchery street, and found an old pub at the bottom which is supposed the most haunted in York. As we examined the sign, a woman walking by pushing a stroller stopped to tell us that it was true- she had seen a ghost there! We figured we'd try it out, and ate some yummy pub food (I got the Mediterranean vegetable risotto- not so traditional, but delicious). We basically spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around York. Jacob, Kelly, Becca, Cailee, and I walked to the National Rail Museum and saw so many trains from different eras- they made me think of Grandpa Holman. After we reconvened, it was time to get on the bus, continuing on to Whitby. It was dark pretty soon after that, but it wasn't long before we got to the hostel. Let me just say that this hostel and its location alone were enough to make the trip amazing- we were situated at the top of this hill, next to a huge graveyard over looking these cliffs that dropped into the ocean, and on the other side of us were the old Whitby Abbey ruins. Nearby stairs led down into the cute little town, and all of it was absolutely precious. That night, though, we dropped our things into a room and had dinner, cafeteria-style, with various British dishes. Dessert was Rhubarb pie/crumble/cobbler. I don't know. It was just tangy and good, although a lot of people didn't think so highly of it. After dinner is when we wandered around the graveyard and checked out the view in the mist. So so so creepy. It didn't help that the church bells kept chiming every 5 minutes or so. Whoever was inside must've wanted to freak us out, because it worked. The group walked down the 199 stairs to the docks, where some people told scary stories until we were too cold to be comfortable anymore. I took a nice hot shower (the water pressure was so much better than back in Oxford) and got to bed.

Friday morning, I slept through breakfast, and regretted it as soon as the girls came back to tell me how good it was. Oh well. The people in the kitchen had put together some things for us to make our own sack lunches- so I never had to pay for food! Pretty awesome when you can save a few GBP here and there. We were out of the hostel around 10, and were greeted with gorgeous fog surrounding the Abbey, which we got free admission to. Lots of pictures followed, see Facebook for reference. I feel so general saying 'some of us', but I really don't remember who was in the group.. it kept narrowing throughout the day. We took a brief walk through town, across the bridge, and then decided to eat lunch on the beach, so a couple of the boys picked up fish and chips. Mmm. The beach was stunning- all the cliffs, fog, and rocks around were awesome! We ran around, wrote our names in the sand, and checked out a little cave. Back across the bridge for a thaw session at a Hot Chocolate shop, where they made your hot chocolate by dipping a cup into a chocolate fountain, and then mixing in steamed milk. It was absolutely perfect. My pedometer got plenty of steps logged as we trekked up more stairs to the Whale Bones (which were a little disappointing), and then over Northwest through the town, where we found the coolest playscape ever! I don't even know how to begin to describe it to you, but we were literally giggling the entire time we spent there. By this time, it had started to rain pretty consistently, and many pairs of shoes were soaked through. Aka, cold toesies. More walking, lee dee da, down through town, did some window shopping, got Wyatt some new waterproof shoes in lieu of his suede slipons, and then I found some wellies (rainboots) for 10 GBP! What a steal.. and my feet were so waterproof and happy afterwards. I've been wearing them ever since. The group split in half, with some going down to the other beach before high tide, and the half I was included in returning to the hostel to warm back up and play some card games. I taught Prof. Bennett (can I call him Cole on here?) how to play Presidents with Wyatt, Grant, Nick, and I. So hilarious. Dinner came and went, and despite my earlier promise to go back outside to explore, I couldn't bring myself to freeze again. Just no. We played Cranium instead, which was pretty intense.. and then watched the Disney animated 101 Dalmatians downstairs on the VHS- brought us all back to childhood. Great way to end the night before I enjoyed another wonderful shower (see, I knew I would bathe at a hostel at some point!) and got in bed to read 'Tuesdays with Morrie', which I finished. You HAVE to read it. I cried as I finished the final chapter. I wish I could explain more about it, but I'd rather not inadvertently spoil for you.

This morning (Saturday?), I actually woke up for breakfast, and then had time to chill around the hostel before heading out on the bus for the football (soccer) match! The game wasn't Premier League (like Man U), but it was really exciting seeing all the fans getting riled up, shouting chants and singing songs. I could barely tell what they were saying, but it was so loud! Nottingham Forest beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1, and it was such an exciting game, I barely noticed how cold my feet were. :] Once we got out of the parking lot, it was another 1.5 hour bus ride back to Canterbury Road. I haven't done much except put clean sheets on my bed, unpack, and eat. What a busy weekend! Church tomorrow morning, and plenty of homework as well.

Toujours,
Sydney

P.S.- Happy Birthday to my wonderful roommate back in Abilene! I can't believe you are 20. You were on my mind all day, and I'm sure everyone thought I was crazy when I kept exclaiming "it's Amanda's birthday!" I'm so sad I can't be there to celebrate in person, but know that you hold a very special place in my heart, love.