Knaresborough part two

We travelled by train to York twice as the first time we didn't get to see all of the York Minster (Minster is a Anglo-Saxon word for missionary church). On our first visit we took a guided tour which was enlightening and entertaining as the guide had a good sense of humour and a bit theatrical. The guide said that within 200 years of the death of Jesus his followers began to gather on the spot that is now the cathedral. Changes have been made over the years and fires have meant a rebuild in sections but the current version is awesome. We were so impressed we decided to stay on still 5.15 pm and attend the Evensong which is held in the Quire where the choir sings. We could sit anywhere so I moved into a box and when the  choir and the Ministers came into the Quire the Dean of York Rev Vivienne Faull sat right behind me. When she spoke I felt like I was part of the clergy. They sing the whole 40 minute service and it was beautiful. The choir had the lights on in front of them and it made a magical scene from where we sat. 

The second visit to York returned us to the Minster and on our way we walked past a building advertising an open day for the Lord Mayor House. We decided to take a look and were greeted by the Lord Mayor herself Julie Gunnell. She shook our hands and welcomed us into her house, well she lives on the top floor which is not open to the public but the reception rooms and public rooms where open so we walked around and up the stairs. The yellow lounge room was where the Queen sat to have a G&T before her meal when she visited in 2012. 

From here we stumbled across a recital by Helen Atkinson playing a lute and singing songs from England's royal courts. She had a lovely clear voice and as it was in a small church the sound was beautiful. 

We visited the Minster again and went through the underground chamber with its audiovisual galleries which is like a museum. It shows the journey of the last two thousand years of Yorks history with interactive sections for kids to enjoy. It explains how Constantine was made emperior of Rome in York and he stopped the persecution of the Christians and helped to spread the word.  

We walked on a section of the York City Wall which surrounds the city and on our way back to the station we came upon a court yard with a display of birds of prey and  behind that a small ancient church. The detour meant we had to catch a later train so we stopped for a beer and relax on a very interesting day. 

The Bank Holiday made for a long weekend and on the Monday we had heard that a guy was performing in the park in Ripon. We spent a nice day walking around the small town and being entertained by the local singer/songwriter. The cathedral (yes I know another one) in Ripon inspired Lewis Carroll to write Alice in Wonderland as the choir stalls featured some medieval woodcarvings of a rabbit running to a hole and other woodland creatures. They were carved under the seat but visible when seat lifted. Carroll was attending the church around the time he was 20 and would have seen these carvings regularly. We had morning tea in the Mad Hatter cafe, very cool. 

The two weeks came to an end very quickly and we were sad to leave Knaresbrough and our friendly apartment owner who made our stay very comfortable. She allowed us to use her washing machine and invited us to her sons birthday party. We parted with a hug and a promise to visit if we get the chance in the future.