Atmospheric York *sigh*
I definitely want to visit again...to re-experience the sights, the feeling, the smell. Yes, the smell. In this part two about my York trip, I'll be focussing a lot on the smells my olfactory cells were lucky enough to process.
After our 'informative' tour of the Undercroft at York Minster, my sister and I ran off to York Museum, which was close-by. Unfortunately, we didn't enjoy ourselves much there. We did click a few interesting photographs but that about sums our time there. So I shan't dwell on this and instead I will talk about York Boat :)
Although the ride was less than an hour long, it was fun! Boat rides always make me feel giddy...in the best possible way and of course it's always great when all you have to do is sit, take in the fresh air, feel the breeze mess up your lovely hairstyle and learn something about a place in the process. Now I know that sounds a lot like the experience we had on the tour bus. But nothing beats salty air, quacking ducks and the feeling of being afloat in water without actually getting wet!
When the ride ended, we decided to hop onto the tour bus again so we could head over to our next interesting destination: JORVIK Viking centre.
If my olfactory cells were having a field day all this while, at JORVIK, they hit gold, baby! It was yet another ride although it was set indoors: perfect for a lazy person like me. It seems while excavating an old sweet factory, archaeologists found an entire Viking city. Makes one wonder what archaeologists were doing digging up the place in the first place...I mean, who tipped them off? I'll probably have to address this one in another entry :D
Back to my smell centre! The ride was designed to show us how the Vikings lived and what they ate and how they relieved themselves of digestive waste. Yes, there was one 'man' actually simulating egestion with sound effects! To add to that, the Vikings were not ones for deodorant in my opinion. And they didn't mind hanging their raw meat right next to the guy relieving himself. Its a wonder they didn't all die out of cholera and diarrhoea and what-not!
But if you know me at all, you will know how much I must have enjoyed myself at JORVIK. I recommend the place to anyone; the perfect romantic ride :D
After JORVIK, we went to the York Castle Museum, which was good fun because of all the sets representing different eras. There was also a Kirkgate street complete with a Bank, Prison cell and miscellaneous shops...too many opportunities for me to pose and photograph myself!
However, we had to literally run through the museum as it was nearly closing time. So, after that interesting marathon, we decided to brave the York Dungeon.
I will admit it: I was reluctant to go but my sister wanted to and I finally caved in. As fun as it was, I know I'm not going through it again. Although it was made to show us the different stages of horrific incidents in the UK's past, it wasn't without special freaky effects and sounds. This is how it all went down:
A few of us were thrust into a dark area and we heard a voice beckoning us to go through an even darker corridor. Obviously, none of us moved an inch and so finally after several minutes, the guy just came through and told us specifically to come through. I'm sure if we were still reluctant he would have reminded us that we paid quite a bit to go through with this. But thankfully, he didn't have to get out of character and we followed him into a small smoky room. This first bit was about the black plague pandemic and he happily told us with elaborate actions and fake models how the doctors of those times experimented on those poor patients.
We were then sent off to a small dingy room with a bar and there was this huge man in pirate garb. This giant of a man described to us how there was this crazy killer who was caught and hanged and how before he died, he cursed the hangman and some of the police officers because they mocked and mistreated him. After he narrated this story, he told us how those cursed men came into that very room to celebrate and how that killer's body was buried beneath our feet. Suddenly, the ligths went out and there was silence. I cannot even describe how I felt. All I can say is, I could actually hear my heart beating. The lights then came on but the man was nowhere to be seen and we could hear all sorts of horrible noises including some evil cackling. And then I felt something on my side and my sister screamed! The man had come up behind us and tried to tickle us. I think I would've screamed too except I had a slower reaction time :D
Anyway, after that, nothing else that happened to us was remotely scary. We attended a judging after which all of us were sent to the executioner who showed us how the people would be tortured in those days. But the guys acting as the judge and executioner were having too much fun to be scary enough.
We were also sent into a maze of mirrors and had to feel our way through. Then we were shown what happened on the original Guy Fawkes day and finally we were sent to this fat crazy lady who claimed to be the wife of a mad killer. After she tried freaking us out a bit, we were allowed to leave.
Boy were we glad to be out and see actual light!
Unfortunately, that was also the end of our York trip and we had to go back home. By the time we left, the wind had gone off to sleep so we weren't able to get all the gossip that we missed while hopping from one destination to another. Next time, I guess!
I will be honest...I was pretty glad to be back home so I could just take a shower and get that JORVIK-y smell off of me! Of course, I felt like I couldn't get it off but then again it may have been because my olfactory cells were simply in overdrive!
So, if you ever go to York, do visit these places but don't forget your umbrella and deodorant!
Till next time,
Jo
I definitely want to visit again...to re-experience the sights, the feeling, the smell. Yes, the smell. In this part two about my York trip, I'll be focussing a lot on the smells my olfactory cells were lucky enough to process.
After our 'informative' tour of the Undercroft at York Minster, my sister and I ran off to York Museum, which was close-by. Unfortunately, we didn't enjoy ourselves much there. We did click a few interesting photographs but that about sums our time there. So I shan't dwell on this and instead I will talk about York Boat :)
Although the ride was less than an hour long, it was fun! Boat rides always make me feel giddy...in the best possible way and of course it's always great when all you have to do is sit, take in the fresh air, feel the breeze mess up your lovely hairstyle and learn something about a place in the process. Now I know that sounds a lot like the experience we had on the tour bus. But nothing beats salty air, quacking ducks and the feeling of being afloat in water without actually getting wet!
When the ride ended, we decided to hop onto the tour bus again so we could head over to our next interesting destination: JORVIK Viking centre.
If my olfactory cells were having a field day all this while, at JORVIK, they hit gold, baby! It was yet another ride although it was set indoors: perfect for a lazy person like me. It seems while excavating an old sweet factory, archaeologists found an entire Viking city. Makes one wonder what archaeologists were doing digging up the place in the first place...I mean, who tipped them off? I'll probably have to address this one in another entry :D
Back to my smell centre! The ride was designed to show us how the Vikings lived and what they ate and how they relieved themselves of digestive waste. Yes, there was one 'man' actually simulating egestion with sound effects! To add to that, the Vikings were not ones for deodorant in my opinion. And they didn't mind hanging their raw meat right next to the guy relieving himself. Its a wonder they didn't all die out of cholera and diarrhoea and what-not!
But if you know me at all, you will know how much I must have enjoyed myself at JORVIK. I recommend the place to anyone; the perfect romantic ride :D
After JORVIK, we went to the York Castle Museum, which was good fun because of all the sets representing different eras. There was also a Kirkgate street complete with a Bank, Prison cell and miscellaneous shops...too many opportunities for me to pose and photograph myself!
However, we had to literally run through the museum as it was nearly closing time. So, after that interesting marathon, we decided to brave the York Dungeon.
I will admit it: I was reluctant to go but my sister wanted to and I finally caved in. As fun as it was, I know I'm not going through it again. Although it was made to show us the different stages of horrific incidents in the UK's past, it wasn't without special freaky effects and sounds. This is how it all went down:
A few of us were thrust into a dark area and we heard a voice beckoning us to go through an even darker corridor. Obviously, none of us moved an inch and so finally after several minutes, the guy just came through and told us specifically to come through. I'm sure if we were still reluctant he would have reminded us that we paid quite a bit to go through with this. But thankfully, he didn't have to get out of character and we followed him into a small smoky room. This first bit was about the black plague pandemic and he happily told us with elaborate actions and fake models how the doctors of those times experimented on those poor patients.
We were then sent off to a small dingy room with a bar and there was this huge man in pirate garb. This giant of a man described to us how there was this crazy killer who was caught and hanged and how before he died, he cursed the hangman and some of the police officers because they mocked and mistreated him. After he narrated this story, he told us how those cursed men came into that very room to celebrate and how that killer's body was buried beneath our feet. Suddenly, the ligths went out and there was silence. I cannot even describe how I felt. All I can say is, I could actually hear my heart beating. The lights then came on but the man was nowhere to be seen and we could hear all sorts of horrible noises including some evil cackling. And then I felt something on my side and my sister screamed! The man had come up behind us and tried to tickle us. I think I would've screamed too except I had a slower reaction time :D
Anyway, after that, nothing else that happened to us was remotely scary. We attended a judging after which all of us were sent to the executioner who showed us how the people would be tortured in those days. But the guys acting as the judge and executioner were having too much fun to be scary enough.
We were also sent into a maze of mirrors and had to feel our way through. Then we were shown what happened on the original Guy Fawkes day and finally we were sent to this fat crazy lady who claimed to be the wife of a mad killer. After she tried freaking us out a bit, we were allowed to leave.
Boy were we glad to be out and see actual light!
Unfortunately, that was also the end of our York trip and we had to go back home. By the time we left, the wind had gone off to sleep so we weren't able to get all the gossip that we missed while hopping from one destination to another. Next time, I guess!
I will be honest...I was pretty glad to be back home so I could just take a shower and get that JORVIK-y smell off of me! Of course, I felt like I couldn't get it off but then again it may have been because my olfactory cells were simply in overdrive!
So, if you ever go to York, do visit these places but don't forget your umbrella and deodorant!
Till next time,
Jo
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