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York, England
Begging you to sit for a portrait on the wall, to hang in the dark of some parliamentary hall
This time the slides start in York, England- a city two hours north of London Kings Cross and one I had wanted to visit for some time now. York is a medieval walled city with a history back to the Roman Empire (it was where the future emperor Constantine first became emperor) that also features one of the largest gothic cathedrals anywhere and certainly the largest one in England. The York Minster as it stands now was built in the 1250s (although not finished until 1472) and sits atop an the ruins of an even older cathedral (from the 600s) which in fact sits atop the ruins of an even older Roman Basilica from the early 100s or even possibly the late 000s. These levels of history are easily seen by visitors (like me) as they travel through the crypt and undercroft where a simple path exposes foundations and surviving partial walls of all that lies underneath. And if exploring under the cathedral isn't enough for you, the Minster offers another ticketed alternative. Like most good cathedrals, a few extra pounds lets you climb the stairs, walk along the buttresses and climb the stairs again to see views like this one- where York, the Minster and all that is England is available for all to see.
There's more to the York Minster than just climbing down underneath it or climbing above it all. There is a fine gothic choir (not pictured), lots of statues (not pictured), a wonderful chapter house (pictured below) and even a book on a stand (also pictured below).
There were walls protecting Romans from the (relatively) barbarous locals, and then walls protecting locals from the (relatively) barbarous invaders, everyone from Normans to Danes to Vikings. And while the walls offered some protection, it was never quite enough- just ask everyone from the Normans to the Danes to the Vikings, all of whom eventually occupied the city and all of whom were eventually conquered by someone else who had breached that same wall.
Today the wall (or at least sections from the 1200s or so) still stand, a physical and picturesque reminder of days and decades and centuries past. Also it remains open for locals and (relatively) barbarous tourists to walk along its top, to circle around and see both the somewhat protected and preserved tourist city on one side as well as all those lands that for now and evermore will always be just outside those walls.
York has more than just a towering Minster and a not quite as towering city wall. The massive (and free) York Railway Museum near (of course) the railway station had exhibit after exhibit and artifact after artifact of a railway system that, for someone who is not actually English, really has little meaning. Still there was a great exhibit showing a full size section of the Channel Tunnel and a few jaw dropping moments like this one (pictured below) where a quick set of stairs lets you see an otherwise impossible (and far more interesting) view of the underside of a historic railway engine.
Way back when Henry VIII was king, he had some issues with religion or, more specifically, Catholicism. As I'm sure you already know, he famously broke with Rome and then (more for selfish than religious reasons) decided to close all of England's powerful abbeys. In York, that meant that St Mary's Abbey- a powerful organization that held vast amounts of land- was absorbed by the crown. Henry VIII then destroyed the abbeys (not personally of course, he probably hired some guys to do it or something) but, luckily for us, he at least left some unintentionally powerful ruins in its place.
Speaking of Henry VIII, his presence was all over Windsor Castle and whatever's left of his body was there as well. The site of a castle since William the Conqueror, it remains the world's largest castle still in use (take that Balmoral) and home to all the Kings and Queens you know and/or love. And while the royal private apartments are still off limits, the public can still tour impressive stateroom after impressive stateroom, still walk the grounds and still visit the private chapel, as long of course that the Queen doesn't need the impressive staterooms, grounds or chapel at the time. As always, it's good to be Queen.
