Welcome to Old York

I'm not really meaning to put the titles of my posts as Taylor Swift lyrics, but what's a girl to do.  Anyways this past weekend was awesome.  For the past couple weeks I've kind of felt stuck in the city.  Don't get me wrong, I love the city.  Sometimes though, the smoke and condensed air of London really make me miss the fresh air back home.  This past weekend though I had the opportunity to visit the gorgeous town of York.  It's situated in Northern England and is surrounded by the gorgeous English countryside.  I took a five hour bus ride to get there, but it was SO worth it!  The pictures I took don't come near as close to the true beauty of it, but I tried my best.

On Saturday, I got up really early and headed straight to the bus in front of my campus.  I went with my study abroad program so everything was planned out for me.  On the way, the tour guide gave a history lesson and explained the meaning of what we were about to see.  He explained how the streets of York are almost the exact same as they were seven hundred years ago!  Crazy right?  I'm not really a history buff, but it's completely different when I get to see where events occurred rather than reading it in a book.

When I got there, the tour guide led us through the Shambles of the city, then right to the center!  Everything about the city was wonderful, I'm a sucker for cobblestone streets and tiny shops though.  We got a few hours for some free time, so my friends and I searched for a cute cafe and explored a bit.  While in the cafe, I got a call from my friend Kenzie who just arrived in England this past week. She is studying in Scarborough, but her and her dad just happened to be in York the same time as me!  As I was trying to explain my location to her on the phone, I saw her walk past!  I nearly jumped out of the cafe.  After one month of not seeing anyone from home, getting to see her was the best part of the trip!  I only got to see her for about a half an hour, but I'm so thankful I got to visit with her.  The rest of the day, I explored the city a bit more and visited the York Minster.  It was so so so beautiful.  I want to go back already!  Oh and I stayed in my first hostel on Saturday night.  It actually wasn't that bad!  Does that make me an official world traveler now?

The second day of my weekend trip, I got to go to Fountains Abbey in Ripon, England.  Ripon is a tiny country town with gorgeous scenery.  Even though there was snow on the ground, the grass was as green as ever.  I was speechless when I got to walk around.  Within Ripon, there is a place called Fountains Abbey.  It is an old monk monastery with gardens, bridges, and beautiful pathways to explore.  Even though the wind was extremely strong and my face felt like it was going to fall off, I could have stayed there for days.  Upon arriving, I walked past a flock of sheep.  PICTURE PERFECT.  I felt like I was in some sort of dream.  I then proceeded to the monastery ruins where I was blown away.  Literally.  The wind was so strong.  Seriously though, it was gorgeous.  I even got to practice some modeling in the monk's old baths.  It was really so sweet of them to preserve the baths for all of these visitors to see and try out.

  After I went to Ripon, the tour guide took us to Haworth, England.  I got to visit the iconic Brontë sisters' home.  I actually got to see the actual table that Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights were written on.  Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books, so I thoroughly enjoyed this!  I then got to view the Moors that inspired Emily Brontë to write Wuthering Heights.  So so cool!  All in all, this trip was one that I will remember for years to come.

Even though the pictures don't do the scenery justice, I really wanted to share what I happened to capture.  I think the main reason why I enjoyed this weekend trip so much is because it just reminded me of home.  Whether it was because I was reading a book written by one of my mom's favorite authors or just getting some fresh air in the country,  this was a much needed break from the city.  One idea I've read about for awhile is the thought of traveling to find oneself.  I can agree with that statement, but only on a certain level.  I would actually say that traveling has shown me who I am.  I haven't been finding myself in different cities or cultures, but rather, I've been finding out who I've been all along.

Janae