Northern Road Trip: Day 4 – From York to Oxford

On the last day of our trip to Yorkshire, we finally made a proper excursion of the city itself. We started in the Museum Gardens, which house a tiny observatory and yet another ruined abbey – that of Saint Mary from the eleventh century. We also visited York Minster, which is home to the Archbishop of York, also known Anglicanism’s top dog number three following the monarch and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Although it boasts of having the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world (I’m not sure how this compares to Gloucester Cathedral’s similar claim), I would say its most fascinating feature is the Doom Stone. Located in the cathedral’s crypt, it depicts sinners inside a boiling cauldron as well as demonic-looking figures.

Our final stop before starting our journey back to Oxford was Clifford’s Tower, which was built by William the Conqueror to help subdue the north. In 1190, 150 Jews hid at the tower from an angry mob. Rather than letting themselves be killed, most of them chose to commit suicide, setting the wooden keep ablaze to keep their bodies from being mutilated. Those who surrendered and promised to convert were killed regardless. Daffodils are planted around the tower in remembrance of the event, as their six petals resemble the Star of David.

The Department of Archaeology at the University of York
Saint Mary's Abbey
More ruins
The interior of York Minster
The opposite view of the same
A banner and a pulpit
The Doom Stone at York Minster
The crypt
A sarcophagus
Clifford Tower

Comments

Post a Comment

Archive

Show more

Popular posts from this blog

Ireland: Day 8 – County Louth

Image
My plans for my last day in Ireland came together in a very ad hoc fashion. Having seen everything I wanted to see, I searched for interesting sights close to the highway between Dublin and Belfast. These did not include – though I found it the most interesting sight of all – the modest highway sign saying “Welcome to Northern Ireland” painted over with several streaks of dark red paint.
Read more

Southern Delhi and Other Bits and Pieces

Image
On my last day in Delhi, I managed to cross off the last few items on my sightseeing list. I began by packing my luggage, all the while congratulating myself on having remembered to ask the hotel to do my laundry in advance. That finished, I ordered an Uber to Akshardham, a massive Hindu temple east of the Yamuna River. The opening hours of the temple are not well advertised, and when I arrived by the front gate, I learned it was still closed. For a few minutes, I took pictures of the temple from afar, when suddenly an autorickshaw driver approached me. He reasoned with me that since the temple would not open until ten, I had better come with him and see other sights. I had to admit the soundness of his reasoning and gave him my next address.
Read more

Vietnam North to South – Day 1: Alone in Hanoi

Image
My redeye from Delhi arrived close to five in the morning, and I did not catch a jot of sleep. Once I got to my hotel, however, I did not feel particularly drowsy, and instead of napping for a few hours, I started sorting through my photos from India. This exercise lasted for as long as it stayed cloudy outside – that is to say – until around eleven, when I grew bored of the very mechanical editing process and decided to go out.
Read more