Promised post on York
Promised post on York
In York itself, we stayed at the wonderful Cedar Court Grand Hotel (friendliest staff I've ever encountered at a hotel). I gave Al (the driver) a York Peppermint Patty brought from Arizona and after biting into it, he promptly had the concierge Google York Peppermint Patties! (Turns out they're made in York, Pennsylvania, which is why he'd never heard of them.)
We walked along the Roman wall (beautiful view) and saw all four "bars" (gates) with their history. Of course, I had to see the Richard III Museum in Monk Bar. It's a bit confusing because the story of Richard seems to end with 1471 but actually continues in another room. They featured the Battle of Towton rather prominently, odd because Richard was too young to participate in it but understandable because Towton is in a farmer's field and has only a sign to commemorate it. I suppose there was much more at the York Museum, which we didn't have time to see (I think my sister was getting tired of museums and visitor centers, anyway), but we did go to the gift shop there so I could finally buy a boar pin (the RIII Museum either didn't carry them or, more likely, was out of stock). The RIII Museum also had a miniature battle tent in which children could watch segments from "Horrible Histories," the kings and queens song and the Richard III song. I liked that since "Horrible Histories" is one of my favorite ways to have fun with my twenty-one-year-old grandson. We don't care that it's aimed at children. It's more correct than a lot of what passes for history in books and schools, it's favorable to Richard, and it's fun.
I would have liked to buy some of the books in the gift shop (which, unlike other places, including Westminster Abbey, wasn't dominated by Philippa Gregory) but I had no room in my luggage for anything but small souvenirs. (I had already bought a CD of organ music from Westminster Abbey for my grandson and a "ruler ruler" [a ruler with the kings and queens and the dates of their reigns on the back] for my precocious seven-year-old great niece, and I added a Richard III replica coin for myself. Along with the boar pin from the other gift shop, that was all I could squeeze in. Next time, fewer clothes, more space for books!
Anyway, the RIII Museum (except for one badly chosen quotation about the duke of Gloucester grinning at the people of York) was generally favorable to Richard and, of course, emphasized his connection with them. My only complaint, aside from that, was the size of it. I'm assuming that the Henry VII Museum at Micklegate Bar (why there? Why have a Henry museum at all?) is equally small, but, of course, I didn't go there. Well, the museum could use some signs directing you where to go next. I thought at first that the room with the Towton display and the miniature battle tent was the only one and, as I said, that Richard's life only went up to 1471. That aside, I think they did a good job given the limited space.
The highlight of the York part of the trip was undoubtedly York Minster, which I vastly prefer to Westminster Abbey because it's less cluttered with miscellaneous tombs and plaques, chaotically arranged (and, of course, doesn't feature Henry VII and his mean-faced mother). The architecture and stained glass windows are beautiful, and the volunteers who are maintaining it are doing an excellent job. (Interestingly, most of the stonemasons doing the detail work are women, I suppose because they have small hands.)
Can't think of anything else. I wish I'd spent less time in Leicester so I could have had another day in York and that we hadn't visited Castle Howard (which I expected to be associated with John Howard, Duke of Norfolk, rather than his distant descendants, but at least it made me think of Pemberley in "Pride and Prejudice."
Oh, well. I loved the York part of the trip and now I know what to see if I go there again. Too bad I'm not twenty years younger and as well to do as my sister (which is what happens when one becomes a teacher and copyeditor and the other becomes a lawyer!)
I think I've seen enough of London (been there twice) and I *know* I've seen enough of Leicester (yes, I did enjoy the few preserved medieval parts, but I didn't sense the love of history that I saw all over York). But York, lovely York, Richard's city, and the surrounding countryside, I would see again in a heartbeat if it weren't for drawbacks like money, age, jet lag, and airport security. I'd need a traveling companion as experienced as my dear sister but one who's more interested in Richard (or history in general) since I'm afraid she's tired of England. She's heading for Russia with a stop-off in Paris with her book club of female lawyers and judges in October! Me, I'll join her in Boise for our mother's ninetieth birthday, and then stay away from airports for as long as possible!
Carol
Re: Promised post on York
http://www.yorkwalk.co.uk
Sincerely,Sharon
Sharon D. MichaloveAdjunct Assistant Professor (retired), Program in Medieval Studies, University of Illinois307 South McKinley AvenueChampaign, il 61821Ph. 217-398-2183, CPh. 1-217-377-2183sdmichalove@...
How are you holding up? ... There wasn't really anything wrong with the question. Well-meaning people asked it. Good and caring people. But they were people who wanted to hear that the recently shattered weren't going to be in pieces for long. They wanted answers that would affirm what they needed to hearthat death, when it touched their own lives, would be survivable. Hearing the right answer allowed them to hold their breaths and run past or fly over that terrible black void. Excerpt From: MacRae, Molly. Spinning in Her Grave. Penguin Group, USA, 2014-03-04. iBooks. This material may be protected by copyright.
There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats. ~Albert Schweitzer
Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. ~Mahatma Gandhi
"what can we do better than gather our books around us? In them we see unfolded before us vast stores of knowledge, for our delight, it may be, or for inspiration." - Petrus Palus Vegerius, Master at Arms & Educator, c.1404.
Whatever became of the moment when one first knew about death? There must have been one, a moment, in childhood, when it first occurred to you that you don't go on forever. It must have been shattering, stamped into one's memory. And yet I can't remember it. It never occurred to me at all." -Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.Sent from my iPad
Re: Promised post on York
Re: Promised post on York
I had the advantage of a wonderful tour guide named Al, knowledgeable about
Richard (and the U.S. and the Bronte sisters--sorry I can't do an umlaut from
Yahoo). The travel agent had booked a few places that we decided not to see
(we substituted Haworth and the James Herriott Museum--not related to Richard
but of personal interest to my sister and me) for Barnard Castle, and we
enjoyed the beautiful countryside, which I think would have been lonelier with
fewer trees in Richard's day. We also visited Rievaulx Abbey--no direct
Ricardian connection but it was interesting to read about how the monks would
have lived in his day and earlier, and Al told us about Henry VIII's taking
the lead roofs off all the abbeys, which led to their destruction. I suppose
the poor displaced monks, nuns, and abbots must have run off to France. I
guess the despoliation of the effigies came later, under Cromwell, but I'm
sure some of you can tell me. Anyway, I thought of "poor betrayed Robert
Aske," in Kendall's words, and felt properly melancholy. And yet I can
understand Wordsworth's Tintern Abbey perspective, too, since the ruins have a
picturesque beauty of their own--if you don't think about what came before and
is forever lost thanks to Henry VIII.Middleham was probably my favorite part
of the tour despite the awful Richard-as-dragon statue (Al said that the
sculptor was a Ricardian, but I can't see any true Ricardian depicting that
Rous-like perspective (smooth front, stinging tail). And why not give him
arms? The day was beautiful and the countryside was green and rolling. (Again,
I tried to picture it without trees, nothing but grass and heather and
probably lots of sheep, as it must have been in Richard's day, with a little
village at the foot of the castle. I could only think how lonely it must have
been and how much little Edward must have looked forward to the occasional
trip to York!) Luckily, the heather was in bloo m. I think Richard would like
the Yorkshire dales as they were now, but he would hate Manchester and some of
the other towns we passed through on our train rides.
In York itself,
we stayed at the wonderful Cedar Court Grand Hotel (friendliest staff I've
ever encountered at a hotel). I gave Al (the driver) a York Peppermint Patty
brought from Arizona and after biting into it, he promptly had the concierge
Google York Peppermint Patties! (Turns out they're made in York, Pennsylvania,
which is why he'd never heard of them.)
We walked along the Roman wall
(beautiful view) and saw all four "bars" (gates) with their history. Of
course, I had to see the Richard III Museum in Monk Bar. It's a bit confusing
because the story of Richard seems to end with 1471 but actually continues in
another room. They featured the Battle of Towton rather prominently, odd
because Richard was too young to participate in it but understandable because
Towton is in a farmer 's field and has only a sign to commemorate it. I
suppose there was much more at the York Museum, which we didn't have time to
see (I think my sister was getting tired of museums and visitor centers,
anyway), but we did go to the gift shop there so I could finally buy a boar
pin (the RIII Museum either didn't carry them or, more likely, was out of
stock). The RIII Museum also had a miniature battle tent in which children
could watch segments from "Horrible Histories," the kings and queens song and
the Richard III song. I liked that since "Horrible Histories" is one of my
favorite ways to have fun with my twenty-one-year-old grandson. We don't care
that it's aimed at children. It's more correct than a lot of what passes for
history in books and schools, it's favorable to Richard, and it's
fun.
I would have liked to buy some of the books in the gift shop
(which, unlike other places, including Westminster Abbey, wasn't domin ated by
Philippa Gregory) but I had no room in my luggage for anything but small
souvenirs. (I had already bought a CD of organ music from Westminster Abbey
for my grandson and a "ruler ruler" [a ruler with the kings and queens and the
dates of their reigns on the back] for my precocious seven-year-old great
niece, and I added a Richard III replica coin for myself. Along with the boar
pin from the other gift shop, that was all I could squeeze in. Next time,
fewer clothes, more space for books!
Anyway, the RIII Museum (except
for one badly chosen quotation about the duke of Gloucester grinning at the
people of York) was generally favorable to Richard and, of course, emphasized
his connection with them. My only complaint, aside from that, was the size of
it. I'm assuming that the Henry VII Museum at Micklegate Bar (why there? Why
have a Henry museum at all?) is equally small, but, of course, I didn't go
there. Well, the museum could use some signs directing you where to go next. I
thought at first that the room with the Towton display and the miniature
battle tent was the only one and, as I said, that Richard's life only went up
to 1471. That aside, I think they did a good job given the limited
space.
The highlight of the York part of the trip was undoubtedly York
Minster, which I vastly prefer to Westminster Abbey because it's less
cluttered with miscellaneous tombs and plaques, chaotically arranged (and, of
course, doesn't feature Henry VII and his mean-faced mother). The architecture
and stained glass windows are beautiful, and the volunteers who are
maintaining it are doing an excellent job. (Interestingly, most of the
stonemasons doing the detail work are women, I suppose because they have small
hands.)
Can't think of anything else. I wish I'd spent less time in
Leicester so I could have had another day in York and that we hadn't visited
Castle Howard (which I expected to be associated with John H oward, Duke of
Norfolk, rather than his distant descendants, but at least it made me think of
Pemberley in "Pride and Prejudice."
Oh, well. I loved the York part of
the trip and now I know what to see if I go there again. Too bad I'm not
twenty years younger and as well to do as my sister (which is what happens
when one becomes a teacher and copyeditor and the other becomes a
lawyer!)
I think I've seen enough of London (been there twice) and I
*know* I've seen enough of Leicester (yes, I did enjoy the few preserved
medieval parts, but I didn't sense the love of history that I saw all over
York). But York, lovely York, Richard's city, and the surrounding countryside,
I would see again in a heartbeat if it weren't for drawbacks like money, age,
jet lag, and airport security. I'd need a traveling companion as experienced
as my dear sister but one who's more interested in Richard (or history in
general) since I'm afraid she' s tired of England. She's heading for Russia
with a stop-off in Paris with her book club of female lawyers and judges in
October! Me, I'll join her in Boise for our mother's ninetieth birthday, and
then stay away from airports for as long as
possible!
Carol
Re: Promised post on York
"If you've been to York before, try YorkWalks for new adventures. Lots of different walks, including a Richard III walk. Half price with a York Pass and a pound off if you're 60+. Lots of locals take them too. I did 3 in July."
Carol responds:
Found the site and bookmarked it, thanks: http://www.yorkwalk.co.uk/
By the way, I coaxed (forced) my own computer to turn on, which is why I'm back to posting normally (for me). Now I'm afraid even to put it in sleep mode. Thank goodness for screen savers, but my electric bill will probably be sky high. Darned Acer on/off switches!
Carol
Re: Promised post on York
"Carol I am angry about the HT museum being at Micklegate Bar because The Friends of Richard 111 had a Richard 111 museum long before there was one at Monkbar. I just keep thinking that the late, lovely Dorothy Mitchell would be absolutely devastated there is now an HT museum in the place that she and the Friends spent so much time and effort on. Also it is sacrilege that they are glorifying the Weasel in the place where Richard Duke of York's head was hung and crowned with a paper crown."
Carol responds:
I understand and sympathize. I wish they hadn't changed it and that I'd been able to see the original R III museum. Still, I'm glad they still have any museum for him at all. Maybe the York branch of the Richard III Society can say or do something? Meanwhile, I have a form to evaluate my visit that I was supposed to turn in before I left that I can probably mail in. I can make a few constructive suggestions and also point out what I enjoyed. Gotta love "Horrible Histories" as a way of getting children interested in Richard III, even if the segment does make him seem more like a poet than a king.
Carol
Re: Promised post on York
I am glad that you enjoyed your visit to York. It is a fabulous city that I know very well because I had the pleasure of being at the University there. It was a little less smart in those days, with some areas of the centre sharing the run-down appearance of other northern cities. I think that the undercroft in the minster was being excavated - so entry was free but it was a building site.
We also listened to rock groups in the King's Manor.
I seem to remember that the Wars of the Roses then was an annual sport competition between the two 'new' universities of York and Lancaster.
David
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad
From: justcarol67@... [] <>;
To: <>;
Subject: Promised post on York
Sent: Sat, Aug 23, 2014 4:43:13 PM
I had the advantage of a wonderful tour guide named Al, knowledgeable about Richard (and the U.S. and the Bronte sisters--sorry I can't do an umlaut from Yahoo). The travel agent had booked a few places that we decided not to see (we substituted Haworth and the James Herriott Museum--not related to Richard but of personal interest to my sister and me) for Barnard Castle, and we enjoyed the beautiful countryside, which I think would have been lonelier with fewer trees in Richard's day. We also visited Rievaulx Abbey--no direct Ricardian connection but it was interesting to read about how the monks would have lived in his day and earlier, and Al told us about Henry VIII's taking the lead roofs off all the abbeys, which led to their destruction. I suppose the poor displaced monks, nuns, and abbots must have run off to France. I guess the despoliation of the effigies came later, under Cromwell, but I'm sure some of you can tell me.
Anyway, I thought of "poor betrayed Robert Aske," in Kendall's words, and felt properly melancholy. And yet I can understand Wordsworth's Tintern Abbey perspective, too, since the ruins have a picturesque beauty of their own--if you don't think about what came before and is forever lost thanks to Henry VIII.Middleham was probably my favorite part of the tour despite the awful Richard-as-dragon statue (Al said that the sculptor was a Ricardian, but I can't see any true Ricardian depicting that Rous-like perspective (smooth front, stinging tail). And why not give him arms? The day was beautiful and the countryside was green and rolling. (Again, I tried to picture it without trees, nothing but grass and heather and probably lots of sheep, as it must have been in Richard's day, with a little village at the foot of the castle. I could only think how lonely it must have been and how much little Edward must have looked forward to
the occasional trip to York!) Luckily, the heather was in bloom. I think Richard would like the Yorkshire dales as they were now, but he would hate Manchester and some of the other towns we passed through on our train rides.
In York itself, we stayed at the wonderful Cedar Court Grand Hotel (friendliest staff I've ever encountered at a hotel). I gave Al (the driver) a York Peppermint Patty brought from Arizona and after biting into it, he promptly had the concierge Google York Peppermint Patties! (Turns out they're made in York, Pennsylvania, which is why he'd never heard of them.)
We walked along the Roman wall (beautiful view) and saw all four "bars" (gates) with their history. Of course, I had to see the Richard III Museum in Monk Bar. It's a bit confusing because the story of Richard seems to end with 1471 but actually continues in another room. They featured
the Battle of Towton rather prominently, odd because Richard was too young to participate in it but understandable because Towton is in a farmer's field and has only a sign to commemorate it. I suppose there was much more at the York Museum, which we didn't have time to see (I think my sister was getting tired of museums and visitor centers, anyway), but we did go to the gift shop there so I could finally buy a boar pin (the RIII Museum either didn't carry them or, more likely, was out of stock). The RIII Museum also had a miniature battle tent in which children could watch segments from "Horrible Histories," the kings and queens song and the Richard III song. I liked that since "Horrible Histories" is one of my favorite ways to have fun with my twenty-one-year-old grandson. We don't care that it's aimed at children. It's more correct than a lot of what passes for history in books and schools, it's
favorable to Richard, and it's fun.
I would have liked to buy some of the books in the gift shop (which, unlike other places, including Westminster Abbey, wasn't dominated by Philippa Gregory) but I had no room in my luggage for anything but small souvenirs. (I had already bought a CD of organ music from Westminster Abbey for my grandson and a "ruler ruler" [a ruler with the kings and queens and the dates of their reigns on the back] for my precocious seven-year-old great niece, and I added a Richard III replica coin for myself. Along with the boar pin from the other gift shop, that was all I could squeeze in. Next time, fewer clothes, more space for books!
Anyway, the RIII Museum (except for one badly chosen quotation about the duke of Gloucester grinning at the people of York) was generally favorable to Richard and, of course, emphasized his connection with them. My
only complaint, aside from that, was the size of it. I'm assuming that the Henry VII Museum at Micklegate Bar (why there? Why have a Henry museum at all?) is equally small, but, of course, I didn't go there. Well, the museum could use some signs directing you where to go next. I thought at first that the room with the Towton display and the miniature battle tent was the only one and, as I said, that Richard's life only went up to 1471. That aside, I think they did a good job given the limited space.
The highlight of the York part of the trip was undoubtedly York Minster, which I vastly prefer to Westminster Abbey because it's less cluttered with miscellaneous tombs and plaques, chaotically arranged (and, of course, doesn't feature Henry VII and his mean-faced mother). The architecture and stained glass windows are beautiful, and the volunteers who are maintaining it are doing an excellent job.
(Interestingly, most of the stonemasons doing the detail work are women, I suppose because they have small hands.)
Can't think of anything else. I wish I'd spent less time in Leicester so I could have had another day in York and that we hadn't visited Castle Howard (which I expected to be associated with John Howard, Duke of Norfolk, rather than his distant descendants, but at least it made me think of Pemberley in "Pride and Prejudice."
Oh, well. I loved the York part of the trip and now I know what to see if I go there again. Too bad I'm not twenty years younger and as well to do as my sister (which is what happens when one becomes a teacher and copyeditor and the other becomes a lawyer!)
I think I've seen enough of London (been there twice) and I *know* I've seen enough of Leicester (yes, I did enjoy the few preserved
medieval parts, but I didn't sense the love of history that I saw all over York). But York, lovely York, Richard's city, and the surrounding countryside, I would see again in a heartbeat if it weren't for drawbacks like money, age, jet lag, and airport security. I'd need a traveling companion as experienced as my dear sister but one who's more interested in Richard (or history in general) since I'm afraid she's tired of England. She's heading for Russia with a stop-off in Paris with her book club of female lawyers and judges in October! Me, I'll join her in Boise for our mother's ninetieth birthday, and then stay away from airports for as long as possible!
Carol
