The first time I truly felt like I was finally in Europe was when we first touched down in York. With their quaint little side streets and beautiful architecture, I was able to fall in love with the city almost immediately. We visited this charming city on our second and third days in England, and I am so glad that we did. Going into this trip, I was expecting to only enjoy my time in London. Once we arrived, I realized that I would actually come to enjoy York the most.
After a horrifying first day (filled with non-Covid related sickness and extreme jetlag), we hopped on the train from Manchester to York. Grace and I, being in charge of the bags (see picture below), stood the whole time. I was gradually becoming crankier as the train journey continued, wanting nothing more than to lay down. I was in no mood to attempt to navigate a new city already, and wanted nothing more than to get to our hotel room and take a nap.
All of those negative thoughts went out the window immediately once I stepped out of the train station. I was greeted by beautiful streets and beautiful people, becoming infatuated with the city almost instantaneously. We walked the streets and visited some cathedrals (a pattern that I initially thought would get really boring really quickly—it never did) and searched the area for the best coffee.
We even got to play dress up, getting a glimpse into what life was like in Medieval York. During times when we weren’t admiring the stained-glass windows of the cathedrals and minsters, we were roaming the streets, trying to find a place to eat that could accommodate the eleven of us… spoiler alert, we rarely could. It was during these times that I probably had the most fun. Walking the busy, Harry Potter-looking streets made my inner fantasy-loving self extremely happy. Despite getting lost multiple times (some advice for future students on this trip… make sure your GPS is in walking mode, not driving), we managed to find hidden gems that allowed for us to make some pretty awesome memories.
The best part about York, to me, was the people. The energy we received from them was extremely welcoming, and I truly felt like I belonged there, despite being too American for my own good. A lot of the time, I was worried that we would be judged for being tourists; however, the people of York treated us like friends. From the guys at the pub who recognized our accents and wanted to talk about American football, to the lovely bartender who was genuinely interested in our lives back home, I have to say that it was the one time on our entire trip that I didn’t feel like a tourist.
Leaving York was a very sad day for me. Despite only being there for two days, I never wanted to leave, and I felt more attached and connected to it than I had in any other place on this trip. It was by far my favorite city that we visited. I encourage all future students going on this trip to keep an open mind about where you are going… you never know what you will find!
Emma Stack