This past weekend, we visited the beautiful and charming city of York and the surrounding area. After exploring the historic streets, our first stop was at York Minister. The Minster is one of the oldest in Europe and was built in a gothic style. The city of York has changed hands of power many times, therefore the whole Minster and surrounding area sit on top of the site of a Roman fort. In the basement of the Minister, there are ruins of the fort than can be viewed as well as a fascinating museum on its history. Around the city there are also ruins of the wall the Romans built, along with the newer medieval city walls. The many different buildings that line the streets are visually and historically interesting, reflecting what one would thing of when picturing a quintessential English town. I felt immersed in a different time period as I walked around. This feeling is partly due to the lack of affect that the industrial revolution had in this area; most of the building are how they were hundreds of years ago. The biggest industry is sheep, which is very evident when driving around Yorkshire. 

     The following day, we travelled to Riveaux Abbey, the ruins of an abbey once large and home to both nun and priests. The site was almost like a fully functioning town, with a tannery set aside and housing for the people of the abbey. While only ruins were left because of the sacking of Catholic churches by Henry VIII, the extraordinary size and beauty of the abbey was magnificent to behold. After this, we visited the seaside town of Whitby. From the charming buildings to the ruins of another abbey on a hilltop overlooking the sea, it was definitely worthy of more than a day’s visit. My one disappointment was choosing the wrong place to eat fish and chips. During the last day of this trip, we visited the Chatsworth House, home of the duke and duchess of Devonshire. The house was full of extravagant decoration and history dating back to 1687. Overall, this was a successful trip and I am so grateful to have been able to experience the history and beauty of Yorkshire.