The City Formerly Known as Jorvik

When I was planning where I'd fill my time here in Great Britain, I discovered that I couldn't get a direct train from Glasgow to Cardiff. I figured that if I had to stop anyway, I might as well choose a place I wanted to see and stay the night. When I looked into some information on the stations I could get to, I quickly decided that York was the place to go. Old York as Neal called it, as opposed to New York, which apparently was once New Amsterdam. Why they changed it, I can't say. People probably liked it better that way.

Anyway.

All I knew about York coming in was that it started as a Viking town called Jorvik. Eventually it fell to the Brits, though, and the city's Viking history was lost until archaeologists literally dug it back up.

I arrived this afternoon, dropped my bags at the hotel, and immediately headed through the middle of town to the Jorvik Viking Centre, which turned out to be a bit disappointing. While it has a few choice artifacts and informational placards, even a couple of excavated skeletons, the main attraction is a 'ride' through an educational but slightly cheesy recreation of Jorvik. I wasn't thrilled with the experience, but happily spent a few pounds at the gift shop, the spoils including a Viking history book.

Having achieved my one goal for York, I started wandering the town, and quite liked it. It's one of those small old cities where the aged buildings remain, but all the first floors have been converted to fancy shops and eateries. I always enjoy myself in places like this, because I can wander and get lost without actually getting lost; the place is small enough that I always end up back in a central area and not have to remember my route. I saw the castle (which is very small and beaten up comparatively), took photos of a few beautiful churches and a grand cathedral, and did a bit of shopping.

Now that it's dark, all that's left is dinner and a bitter, then to bed early. My train ride tomorrow is over 4.5 hours, and I'll need to hop into action as soon as I arrive if I want time to do anything on my one night in Cardiff. It will be a tiring day, just one of many in a row.