About two months ago (has it really been that long?!?) on July 3rd I gave a paper at a post-graduate conference at the University of York. It was my first paper, and went rather well. But the best part of the whole thing was that I got to spend a long weekend in Yorkshire, England visiting with my friend Adam. Adam is a fellow PhD student here at St Andrews and very much like a younger brother to me. He was also presenting a paper at the conference, and since he is from the area, we stayed with his folks in Bingley, about 45 minutes from the city of York. (I know all the Jane Austen fans in my readership enjoyed the name of Adam’s hometown!)
Adam’s folks were the most amazing hosts! Since I was going to be staying at theirs over the Fourth of July weekend (which, for obvious reasons, is NOT a national holiday over here!) they felt it was necessary to have a “proper” American cook-out on the Fourth! Pat (Adam’s mom) made me an apple pie, and a cheesecake (which she had read somewhere was an American tradition on the Fourth) and decorated it with raspberries and blueberries, so it was Red, White, & Blue! Adam and his dad, Miles, grilled burgers, some “spare ribs” and some kabobs. The best part though, was that all of these foods had a distinctly British flavor to them! But it was perfect: American looking food with a British taste on the Fourth of July. I’m sure there is a metaphor in there somewhere! They toasted me, wishing me a “Happy Fourth of July” and I toasted them, wishing them a “Happy-Day-We-Ceased-To-Be-Your-Problem”!
In addition to the good food and the good company of the weekend, I got to do some sight-seeing! We drove through the Yorkshire Dales—the rolling and extremely hilly countryside. My first evening in town Adam and his dad took me to a wonderful little pub deep in the Dales. We had to follow a winding, curving single lane road that was often bordered on both sides by a stone wall—which made it rather exciting when we were approached by a car coming from the opposite direction! Either we or they would have to back up, to a ‘passing place’, and let the other pass! The pub, a 270 year old establishment called the George Arms, was the only thing in this little community, besides a small and ancient Anglican church (parts dating to the 13th century) and an old farm!
During my little sojourn south, I also had the opportunity to climb around the ruins Fountains Abbey. Fountains was once one of the largest and most influential religious houses in England. But in the 1530s, when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries and pocketed all of their wealth, Fountains Abbey was deserted and striped. The land was given to a noble family who used the stones from the church and the monastery buildings to build an estate house around the corner—literally. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries they turned the grounds into luxurious water gardens.
On Sunday we drove to The Lake District, a part of England famous for its, well, lakes! The area reminded me so much of Deep Creek Lake in Western Maryland! But instead of log cabins and mostly-glass lake houses, there were stone cottages and Victorian hotels. Beatrix Potter (writer and illustrator of the Peter Rabbit books) spent a considerable amount of time there. And I can see why, it was so beautiful and peaceful.
We spent Friday evening (the conference took the whole day) and all of Monday in the city of York. What a beautiful city! It used to be one of the largest and most important cities in England, and still maintains its medieval feel. The streets are narrow and winding, with timber frame and plaster buildings crowding in on the sides. All roads lead to the Yorkminster (the Cathedral), which once rivalled Canterbury in ecclesiastical importance (and in some ways, still does). We explored the Cathedral from the vaults and catacombs underneath to the roof of the tower above and everything in between! Unfortunately, my camera, ever my companion these last two years, gave up the ghost while taking pictures inside the Cathedral. Fortunately Adam had his camera and I was still able to take pictures to share with you!
Spending time with Adam and his family, going to the Lakes District, and the whole summer holiday feel of the weekend really made me want to go home for a visit so it worked out quite nicely that I got to do just that ten days after I got back from York!
