Glasgow to York

August 10:  We arose early and left the Hilton Garden Inn in Glasgow and drove to the historic city of York.  We stopped for breakfast at Penrith, just outside the Lake District.  We were mostly on M-roads and could speed along quite nicely.  We arrived in York by mid afternoon and checked into the Churchill Hotel, with its collections of Winston Churchill memorabilia and furnishings (loosely justified on the grounds that the building had been owned by the British military during the world wars).  Betsy and I got a free upgrade to the very grand Prince of Wales Room, otherwise known as the bridal suite, right over the sign.  Elaine is standing next to the very large soaking tub.

The Bridal Suite (TV goes up and down within the bookcase) 

This is our room, the Prince of Wales

The hotel was about 1/2 miles from one of the ancient city gates which made it very convenient for sight-seeing.  We walked along the city walls, past the cathedral, and back into the historic city center that was jam-packed with tourists and cutesy shops trying to empty their pockets.  After a tea-break in our hotel room, we walked back to York Minster for the 5:30 Evensong service.  The regular choir was on summer holiday, but a substitute male chorus called "His Master's Voice" sang the service - beautifully.   We enjoyed the superb acoustics while gazing at the superb architecture.

York Minister

One of the many "gates"

York City Walls

The 'Shambles'

Looking up at the main tower

Supper this evening was at a cramped, historic looking pub called the "House of the Trembling Madness" - no obvious explanation for the name.  The pub was upstairs from a well-stocked beer bottle shop and not visible from the street - Phil found it by querying for good beer places on Google, so it attracted mainly locals.  The timber-framed roof structure, which looked truly ancient, consisted of big, black posts, beams, and cross-bracing.

The Pub