When I first arrived in York, I was happily amazed at all the historical buildings. There is simply so much history that exists in this city. On exiting the train station when I got here, I was exhausted from all the traveling I had been doing. But the first thing I saw across the street was a wall. Not just any wall though. No, this was a wall from the time of the Romans. Even now, among the much taller, more impressive (so we are told to believe) buildings, this wall stands as an example of the way that people can overcome our limitations. The Romans had very little in the way of technology by our standards today, however, they created a concrete which no one today has managed to replicate. This is part of why so many of their buildings still stand today. If they could do that with the smaller amount of technology that they had, what can we do today?
This is a picture of a Roman guard tower on the wall around York. Nearby I found a plaque which told a little bit of the history of the wall. As I do not remember exactly what it said, I shall not mangle the message by trying to repeat it. On the structure itself there are more signs which tell about the history and lives of the soldiers who were there as well. I have walked multiple parts of the wall and at each piece, it has had an amazing view and a sense of a world gone by. The walkways of the wall are actually not the original. The original would have been wooden structures built onto the stone, giving the soldiers more room to use defensively against invaders.
The Minster is one of the older buildings which can be seen from the wall. It is more distant but from the wall there is a sense of how large it was. If you go inside the Minster you will learn that a building, usually a church of some sort, has been there since the time of the Romans. This is something that I find to be an amazing little piece of history. What exactly was it about this place that made someone build a church on it in the first place? Afterwards, why did they keep rebuilding churches? Tradition? Perhaps. I have not looked into this, someone else likely has though the very first reason has been lost to time.
Inside, there are intricate carvings to be seen and wonderful artwork all over the building. Much like other places which have a long history and are part of the tourist industry, there are tours which can be taken. On a tour I learned that the church has multiple periods of gothic styles, which is unusual since a building started in one style was usually kept to that style until completion. Then, I climbed many flights of stairs to the top of the main tower. From the top there is a fantastic view. In the distance from one side of the tower, London can be seen, giving a sense of how immense this tower truly is. On the climb to the top there were two-hundred and fifty two steep circular stairs. Between the stairs and the roof there is a separated section of stairs that ends up going across the lower roof. Now, that was slightly terrifying.
Below the tower is a little area that is called the Shambles. The Shambles is a fantastic little space in the city center where pretty much anything can be found to buy. Loose leaf tea? They’ve got it. Harry Potter merchandise? An entire store devoted to it. A historic chocolate store? Oh yeah, that is definitely one that is in the Shambles. There are even festivals held there that, while modernised for reasons of simply a change in who is selling, they give a sense of the age of the place. This when combined with the buildings, many of which have been around for at least one century, lends an air of excitement to the area. Every time I go there it feels as though, if I just look over my shoulder at the right time, maybe I would see someone from the past. I could wander around the Shambles all day and still not find everything there is to see. The point that I am trying to make, is that so far, York has been an incredible experience.
I have an innate fascination with the unknown, as all humans who have not crushed curiosity into submission do. This is why I read, this is why I write. This is why I explore. I want to know the world, in order to do so I must know the past. For me, the past is not just the bare-bones facts which anyone could pick up and look at. I want to dig deeper, to find what lies hidden beneath. What intrigue once happened here? What stories of ancient heroes were told there? I am a story teller, I look for the stories behind that which can be seen. This is why I have come to study at York.
