The North of England, pt. 1

a, s, and i are currently enjoying a rest day in london after an excellent trip up to THE NORTH (as the road signs say).  the three of us agree that whilst big cities provide the cultural activities we all enjoy,  we much prefer being in the countryside away from the traffic and the loud noises.  do we sound like we're 80?  probably. and as the past week confirmed, we like to vacation like the over-60s, too.  here are some highlights.

day #1: london --> york via brief stop in lincoln

lincoln cathedral from the (appropriately named) steep hill 

 lincoln cathedral

day #2: york

a very interesting and historically rich city.  after the three of us spent the morning at the national railway museum, s and i wandered the streets while a researched at the york minster library.  we met up for evensong at the minster, walked the roman wall that surrounds the city centre, and generally enjoyed our evening.  

mr. t wants to go! 

must always use quantities the british will understand.

roman tower in the middle of the museum gardens. 

ruins of st. mary's abbey, also in the middle of the park.

cute old couple.

evensong at york minster

 view of the minster from roman wall.

heart the color of the doors!

day #3: york --> whitby via castle howard driveby, fountains abbey, rievaulx abbey.

fountains abbey and rievaulx abbey, both ruins of cistercian abbey, were fantastic. our drive through the moors to whitby was also fantastic.  whitby itself? amazing.  whitby is a fishing village right on the coast of the north sea. we stayed in a hostel run by the cutest swedish lady, brigitte, who made us feel right at home.  the high latitude of whitby (and england in general) made it so we could could stay out much later than when i was here in november.  the sun sets around 11 and rises at 4, giving you long days to fill with adventures.

really great tree. 

fountains abbey 

fountains abbey again. 

 and again.

fish and chips on the whitby pier. 

countryside around whitby.  hello blue sky.

abbey ruins in whitby. 

sunset over the north sea.