Medieval England

Ever since I could remember, I have been a chronic picky eater. The textures and smells of food have always put me off and stemmed a fear of trying new foods. I am always a person that looks up the menu before going to a new restaurant. I always try to avoid being a picky eater and making issues for other people. Knowing I was going on this trip with almost all strangers, I made a challenge for myself to attempt to try something new everyday. Whether it was a drink, dipping sauce, a meal or dessert, I just wanted to have something new. I tried the most new foods in York. I tried lots of new teas and desserts at Bettys. I attempted the cucumber sandwich but was quickly turned off from it. But I still attempted it! The green tea at Bettys was one of the best green teas I’ve ever had. Later in York many of us went out to dinner. It was mainly a burger place, and burgers are not my favorite thing. I have maybe had 5 burgers in my life… until England. This restaurant had the best burger. I kept it simple with just a double patty and cheese, but it did the job. Since England all I do is crave burgers. I told a few people about how I was a picky eater, but Jaclyn and Rosemary were definitely my biggest supporters. When I went to McDonald’s with Rosemary and Thomas, the three of us were shocked over how different the menus were. There were lots of different foods, desserts and dipping sauces. We each got different things and split them to try almost the whole menu. If someone told me I would’ve had mozzarella sticks at McDonalds, I would’ve laughed in your face. But there we were, sitting in a McDonalds in England sharing delicious mozzarella sticks. Even though I tried to commit to trying new foods, I knew I could always count on pizza. It started as a joke, but two cities into this trip I realized I had tried pizza in both cities. So, I continued that with the rest of the trip. I split pizza with friends, had whole pizzas to myself and do not regret a single piece that I ate. I started in Manchester when Jaclyn, Logan and I slept through dinner. The three of us tried a pizza place and it was arguably one of the best pizzas of my life. The three of us were speechless. We ordered two pies of pizza and only one came out. At first we thought they forgot about the other one so we just moved on from it and talked about how delicious our garlic bread and pizza was, but our waiter came over with the best news. They were giving us our second pizza for free due to the fact that we waited so long. When we came back to the hotel I made Rosemary have a slice of the pizza. We ended up eating a lot more than one slice each because we were both in shock over how good pizza in England could be. Since this trip and trying foods for 10 days in a row, I have not stopped. I am slowly getting over my fear of smells and textures, and I will always have England to thank for that. 

According to our conversation with Dr. Charles Insley, there are three things that should come to mind when you think of Manchester: football, industry, and music. While listening to the conversation Dr. Insley carried with the rest of the history students, I nodded my head and pretended like I knew what they were all so eagerly talking about. I have never been a big history person, so I couldn’t speak upon the first two subjects, but when the topic of music surfaced, my interest was piqued. This topic is my expertise, and I was confident that I might know more about it than anyone else in the room. I kept to myself, however, intimidated by how knowledgeable the rest of the students on the trip were about the history of Manchester, and quietly listed the many bands that originated in this city to myself. To my surprise, another student raised his hand immediately and stated that, The Smiths, of course, were from Manchester! Our conversation continued on about how England has produced some of the best musicians such as The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and so many more. Manchester in particular, however, is home to many of my favorite music artists such as The Smiths, Joy Division, Oasis, and Catfish and the Bottlemen. 

If you were to ask anyone that knows me well, or even those who don’t, they would likely be able to tell you that music is easily one of the most essential parts of my life. There is barely a moment in the day that I am not listening to music, and on the off chance you catch me not listening to it, I’m likely talking about it anyways. As such, Manchester was heaven for a music lover like me. On almost every street, there were performers playing live instruments or even just a speaker set up playing music. Many of the restaurants and pubs had local musicians playing live music as well, which I made a goal to seek out anytime we tried to plan for a meal. In Affleck’s, a local indie market, the grip that music had on the community was quite apparent. Walking up the three-story building, the walls were plastered with posters of different bands and musicians, ranging both in genre and across time periods. There were multiple stores within the market that sold vintage records, cassette tapes, CD’s, and even phonographs! While wandering around the market, I caught the faintest sound of a song making its way down the hall. I followed the sound of the music and found myself in a vintage clothing store. I browsed the clothing racks, even though these clothes were definitely not my style, while I tried to work up the courage to ask the young woman behind the counter what the name of the song was. I eventually got over my silly fear and asked her what the name of the song was. “ ‘Nothing Matters’ by The Last Dinner Party…do you like it,” she asked me. We proceeded to talk about how good the music was that she was playing and even went on to share some of our favorite artists that we were listening to. What started from simply overhearing a song I enjoyed, led to this wonderful encounter with a stranger. Whether she will remember such a (likely) insignificant moment in her workday or not does not matter because at least I know that I will. 

There were many other occasions during this trip in which my love for music allowed me to make a connection with others. The most memorable being our second night in Manchester. I shared a wonderful night with a handful of the other students on this trip, and even two local Mancunians! The group of us chatted as we listened to a local musician perform before us, save for when a few songs came on that we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sing along to. Perry and Lewis, the two locals that we befriended that night, introduced us to another establishment that prided themselves on the music that they provided for their patrons. I instantly had a good feeling about this place, as shortly after we arrived, they played one of my favorite songs “7,” by Catfish and The Bottlemen.

For the rest of the night, Perry and Lewis watched in disbelief as us Americans sang every word to songs by the Arctic Monkeys, The Smiths, Blur, Catfish and the Bottlemen, etc. “How do you guys even know these songs?” they kept asking us, to which they never received an answer, because we were too busy singing our hearts out. Despite the differences in age, interests, gender, and the separation by a whole country, our group of individuals were nonetheless united by our love for music. Now when songs such as “Nothing Matters,” “Song 2,” “Oasis,” or “505” play through my headphones, I will be reminded of the unforgettable people I met and the memories I created on this trip. 

By Duncan Harbin

York as a city is fundamentally different than any city in America. It is one of the few cities in the world that is the closest to what it was in medieval times. You can see beautiful architecture built in the medieval period and even older to the Roman period. It also has a link to the “Viking” past. The city itself is not what you picture as a modern city, such as London or Manchester.

A a big attraction in York is the York Minster Cathedral a monument to gothic architecture. It is made from beautiful white stone and has stunning stained glass. York minster also has the biggest piece of stained glass in a cathedral.

You can also find an early form of advertising in the cathedral as one of the stained glasses was sponsored by bell maker and you can see that in the glass as it has depiction on how to make bells. One wall took my breath away. It was glass that looked like swords  rising up to the ceiling going to a circle at the top with so much color it shined like jewels in the light. It was sponsored by the medieval Jewish community who acted as the banking system. For sponsoring the creation of the  stained-glass windows, they were given land to make a cemetery.

There is a piece of ancient times hidden under the cathedral. The cathedral was built on a roman site, and you can find old parts of buildings under the cathedral, including Roman walls and columns. There are also many artifacts. But that is not the only thing that is below York minster. There is the grave of their saint in the crypt. The crypt is not like the rest of the cathedral, it is less bright and happy, it feels darker.

York at one time was a Danish city used for trade, including amber and slaves. I visited the Jorvik Center in York. Where some people mentioned I look like a Dane, they found it very funny. The Jorvik center tries to take you back to show how It would have looked, smelled, and sounded like during the times of the Danes. It also had a replica of a dig site of a Danish blacksmith. Also, at the end of the ride they have an exhibit with many artifacts they have found.

Also, while in York I visited some of the fortifications that defended York and kept it under control. The city is protected by a medieval wall but like Constantinople the wall is raised on a hill and is not very tall. So, if you are thinking of  wall like in Game of thrones,  I am sorry to disappoint. I was able to walk them with a group and it was a fun time we whereas able to see the old roman wall. York was first a roman fort.

Then across from our hotel was the York Castle a towering castle above the city. Not a big castle but put on top a hill and by two rivers. The castle was there to protect York and keep it line.

William the conqueror made the fort after the duke of York rebelled against William. Made by the two rivers and at the highest point it showed his power and how he ruled York and was king of England.

I was able to visit the castle. Inside there are two rooms, one a church added on after the original construction. The room is not level, so you feel like you are being pulled while in the room. The second room is the royal bathroom. I was able to sit on the royal toilet.

Before even stepping foot into London I knew I wanted, no I needed to do one thing, and that was to go to Buckingham Palace. I felt like I had a duty to see the palace for no particular reason, I just needed to see it, I needed to be there in the flesh and blood and see for myself where the royal family gathers and lives. While this seems like a normal touristy thing to do, there were some issues along the way. See, on this day we had done lots of touring, and Delia and I also toured Borough Market and around there on our own, we were tired. Not only were Delia and I tired, but our feet hurt, and we were miles away from the palace. While Delia wanted to call it quits, I protested. It was our last day to have time to see Buckingham Palace, and I had a call to go there, and I was not going to give up, or leave London without seeing the palace, even if it was the last thing I did. In order to get the the palace, we had to take the Underground, which Delia and I had never taken, much less by ourselves. We knew we had to start by finding an entrance to the Underground. Once we scanned our Oyster cards and walked down the stairs, we were more than confused. There were so many different lines going in all sorts of directions, we were sure that we would get lost. We knew that our hotel was on the High Street Kensington stop, which was on the District Line. So as long as we know how to get home, we should be fine, right? With the Tube directions in my phone, Delia and I rushed to board one of the trains. To this day I am not sure what line we jumped on, but we took the right guess and ended up on the Circle Line going to St. James Park. When we finally walked up to the huge gates in front of Buckingham Palace, I was in shock. It was so surreal to finally see something in person that you have been thinking about for so long. To see the balcony that so many Kings and Queens have waved to the English people on felt so special to me. While I am not English, the sheer beauty of the palace invoked a feeling of pride and also a feeling of respect for the monarchy and its institution. At the front gates of the palace there were two Beefeaters marching back and forth so elegantly and robotically it almost looked fake. It was such an honor to see these Beefeaters execute their job so reverently even with a crowd of onlookers. The sheer mass of the building also shocked me. In person the palace looked five times bigger than anything that I have seen in the media or on TV of it. It was such a special feeling to admire the palace with one of my good friends by my side, after an amazing week of traveling and touring. Figuring out the tube was also something that forced me to problem solve and take matters into my own hands. England not only taught me about medieval history and English literature but also how to push myself to do things that I might not have been comfortable doing at home.

Focusing on just one city or one particular event was a rather daunting prospect for me personally, each city had their own charm and drawbacks in my opinion that make it very difficult to pick just one. However, when thinking about the city of York I couldn’t help but think about how incredible of an experience the city was. York felt so fast paced, yet perfectly calm with how quaint its appearance was. The walk to Yorkminster on our first day in York really sold me on the city, the Shambles for me was such a fantastic introduction to the vibe of the city and how history is ingrained with every step an individual takes within the whole city, and how the city has evolved to satisfy modern desires. The Shambles was lined with restaurants, pubs, jewelry stores, candy and souvenir shops, a market and a great deal more pack into every street and side alley in the city. Being able to see the towers of the minster the entire walk through the shambles was incredible, as it gave me a fraction of what it must have been like for the people of York throughout the centuries. The minster itself was absolutely breathtaking, with incredible architecture both inside and out. Centuries of culture both inside the the cathedral and on its grounds. Seeing the statue of Roman emperor Constantine I out front was such a cool moment as it made me remember that York was a Roman settlement and that he was crowned emperor in York! The Doomstone in the lower level of the cathedral alongside some original parts of the church which stood there before was really captivating. My favorite part of the Yorkminster was climbing to the top and being able to see the entire city and beyond, words can not describe how I felt and can not do my feelings justice. I called my parents after a few moments of staring out at the breathtaking, and very chilly, horizon, sharing with them an experience that many had participated in before me and many will after me, as is evident by all of the names and years carved into the stones of that very narrow staircase up. York was just such a rich tapestry of experiences like the ghost tours, a pub that has been open as a pub since 1616 and served as a morgue prior, the old Roman and Medieval walls, the remnants of the Norman house, Barley Hall, The Yorivk Viking Center, Clifford’s Tower and the king’s poop chute, and much more; the experiences not only in York but across all of our stops in England were something that I am immensely privileged to have been a part of! The photos I took and above mentioned experiences were fantastic souvenirs, the only physical souvenirs that come close to them that I took from England are that piece of Lincoln castle and my tattoo. But the absolute best souvenir I got from this trip, and especially from York, are the memories with people I consider close friends now, the laughter, smiles, and ridiculous jokes that I will never forget.