When I had first read about this study abroad trip, my first thought was, “Why can’t we just spend every day in London?” I am so glad we didn’t. York was the city that we were in on the 2nd and 3rd day, allowing the other students that were on this trip and I to become better friends. York was nothing I had expected, but became everything I wished for. As someone who has grown up spending days in New York City and living in a town that is anything but small, visiting the city of York was the perfect speed. Although it is called a city, York felt like a small town that I could spend the rest of my life in and be content.
One of the first things that we had done in York was visit the York Minster and never in my life have I felt so taken aback by the architecture of a building. When standing at the entrance and looking to the back wall, stained glass and perfectly sculptured stone is all that you can focus on. I found myself entranced by the stained glass windows, and didn’t think that I would ever be able to walk away from the sight. The outside of the building made me feel like I was standing outside of a priceless castle. I have never found myself to be a person that is captivated by cathedrals, but this one allowed my eyes to open to the fact that a building can be as breathtaking as anything else. The York Minster was nothing less than grand.
We got to experience something that you can only get the full effect of when you are in England, which was having high tea at Betty’s Tea Room. This meal was one that we all got to share together and allowed us to pretend we were posh for an evening. The choices of tea were lovely, and the tea that I had could make a tea-hater like myself turn to the dark side. No really, I drink it everyday now and my Mom is starting to question what happened over there. We enjoyed delicious sandwiches that would laugh at my peanut butter & jelly ones, and scones that made Caroline ask if they had more (They did an we somehow got an entire plate of them). The desserts were very interesting but delicious in their own ways. I had never thought I would be trying a macaroon for the first time at a high tea.
Besides for the things that we did as a class, we were so busy finding things to do in York, the only time we were in our hotel rooms were to sleep and bathe. While walking the streets of York, we found one big open area that had a girl singing on the sidewalk for hours. I did stop when I heard her singing “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey and noticed that she created a sort of crowd at times. Other than her singing, there was even a DJ on the side of the road and other people playing different instruments. As a Harry Potter nerd, being in York made me feel like I was walking the streets of Hogsmeade and even Diagon Alley at some points, giving this city extra points in my book.
York was absolutely one of my favorite parts of this trip. I did not expect myself to be comparing every city I visited after this to York, but I did. York brought such a comforting feeling and had such charm that I did not think that a city could have. Hats off to the original version of New York. While it is a city and not actually a small town, old York is a place that will blow your expectations out of the water if you find yourself partial to the vibe that small towns give off.
– Shannan Raynor <3
