I am beginning to think that a relocation within my own country is a lot more stressful than an international move. Maybe that’s because I can completely understand every minute detail though, whereas with previous moves?!…
Add to that all the other ridiculous necessities that come with handing back a rental property before completing on the house we are buying, plus the general panic of the last couple of weeks of school, and perhaps it’s no wonder that I find myself wanting to spend some time somewhere quiet and peaceful quite a lot right now. Just somewhere tranquil where I could sit for a while (and probably immediately realise how loud my tinnitus is) and just “be” whilst enjoying my surroundings.
Another morning in York Minster would do it – that was definitely quiet and peaceful AND full of 2,000 year old beautiful history. Well it was quiet, right up until the toddler and the rest of the gang joined me (I had gone in first to get a head start on peaceful picture taking!)…
The Minster is York’s biggest tourist attraction, not to mention the biggest Gothic Cathedral in Northern Europe, and not only did I want to revisit to see how much I remembered after that school trip all those years ago, I imagined I might just appreciate all those Gothic architectural features a little bit more than I did back then at the age of 8.
As you can imagine, the biggest Gothic Cathedral in Northern Europe takes a lot of upkeep (hence the £10 entrance fee – but you can revisit for a whole year afterwards for free if you keep your receipt!), but all of that money goes in to keeping this massive building in good repair, and towards things like The Upcroft – displaying an archaeological treasure trove discovered underground after emergency work was undertaken to stop the entire place from falling down thanks to faltering foundations…
There’s everything from Viking to Roman history down there, and plenty of (newly added!) costumes and hands on exhibits to keep little ones happy as it tells the story of the Minster down through the years…. And it’s where I left my lot for the rest of the duration, whilst I climbed above ground again to wander, and just enjoy that tranquillity for a few minutes longer…
You have to wonder about some of those faces staring back at you though. Could they possibly ever have imagined the people of the future who would come and gawp at their final resting place as a tonic to modern life and it’s stresses?… I bet moving house was a lot more straight forward back then anyway, or was it??
Thanks to all the goings on of these past few weeks (and the fact that I managed to completely destroy the original CulturedKids rosta because of it) to get things back on an even keel, I am co-hosting Cultured Kids again this week, alongside Catherine from Cultural Wednesdays.
Favourites from last month were 10 Things to Do with Kids at The SS Great Britain, from Where Jo Goes. Trish From MumsGoneTo and her post International Bomber Command Centre, Barcelona with Teenagers from Map & Family, and Three Hours in Imola from Red Phone Box Travels.
As always, if you have any posts containing travel, days out, museums, galleries, theatre, cinema or anything else remotely cultural with kids, link up one post (old or new), make sure to add the Cultured Kids badge (code at the bottom of the page) and share away! And if you could comment on the host’s posts, and at least two other posts using #culturedkids – that way we know where you came from!
Here’s Catherine’s site with the linky – thanks for joining in! x
What a wonderful place to spend some quiet time! I would love to see this cathedral one day, the underground exhibitions look great! I particularly enjoyed your funny imagined talking statues, haha!! I really appreciate humour in blog posts. Well done for having a sense of humour about the big ordeal of moving, it can definitely be draining and difficult. #CulturedKids
Thanks so much Skyler! :)
Bahahahaha! Love the photo captions. Who doesn’t love a good Gothic Cathedral? (Pssst – don’t ask my teens.) Best of luck with the relocation and yes, I think domestic moves can sometimes be just as difficult as international moves. Cheers from Copenhagen, Erin #CulturedKids
Thanks Erin! I won’t ask your teens, but bet my teen would answer similarly! :D Give Copenhagen a kiss from me! :)
We can see York minster from our neighbour’s loft conversion, even though it’s 20 miles away. It really is BIG and like you I haven’t managed to soak it up on a previous visit. I love York’s Roman and Viking history. #CulturedKids
Wow, that’s quite a distance to spot it from! :) Thanks Janet! :)
I find old empty churches to be so peaceful. Those little creatures delight me. :-)
Thank you! Me too, most of the time! :D x
York Minster is so beautiful. I haven’t visited in many years but definitely need to visit York again
Thanks Mellissa! :)
I always visit churches when we go away. I adore the amazing architecture and stone work inside. York looks stunning
Thanks Lynne! York really is stunning! (:
I’m laughing at the last two photo captions – the moving is definitely getting to you!
It’s years since I’ve been in York Minster – I usually just go shopping when we visit and even then it’s often the outlet centre on the outskirts of the city! x
#culturedkids
Thanks Trish! :D I will be glad to get the move over with soon! :D x
I love York and all it has to offer. Beautiful…
Thanks Jennifer! (:
This definitely looks like a great place to visit. If i go to York I will check it out
Thanks Hannah! (:
Gothic architecture is amazing, isn’t it? Everything is so striking! £10 entrance is a little steep, but I suppose if you get a free visit every time for a year after that, it probably makes it a great bargain. Looks like a lovely place to visit.
Thanks Rachael! (:
Wow! What a building – the architecture is stunning! I have been to Beverley Minster, also up in Yorkshire, for a christening a few years ago, but it wasn’t nearly as beautiful as York Minster x
Now that’s somewhere I haven’t been! Thanks Becca! (: x
I love visiting churches and the York Minster looks absolutely fabulous and breathtaking, the architecture is stunning!
It’s funny, I am not a religious person, but I do appreciate the peacefulness and the beauty you can often find in them whatever the religion! :D
I can’t even picture how big it is – and all of those different periods of history that it’s stood through! Too bad that the whole gang couldn’t maybe just go their own way for a bit to leave you with a bit of extra quiet time! #CulturedKids
Thanks Katherine. That made me laugh. I think as I suggested the visit in the first place, they were going to accompany me whatever :D
thanks for the mention:)
No problem, please link up any other posts you have too! :) x
What an amazing place it is – your photo of the vaulted ceiling is completely stunning.
Thanks Penny! :)
York is such a beautiful city but I must admit I don’t think I’ve ever been in the minster. From your pictures though, it looks lovely. I particularly like the tiles you photographed and I would definitely have them in my house if I could! It’s always hilarious when I go into churches with my son, because for some reason he seems to think church = play ground, so I spend much of my time chasing after him and doing a “whisper shout” for him not to run off or to get down from a statue or whatever else he thinks he can climb.
They don’t understand “quiet” in these places do they? Thanks Esther! :)
Visits to York with my grandmother were one of the things that sparked my love of all things cultural, you’ve made me realise that I haven’t been inside the Minster for decades. Fingers crossed that your move gets sorted soon!
Thanks Catherine! That’s lovely! :) x