Happy Valentines Day!

I'd have to report that Valentines Day in the UK is much the same as in the US. Celebrated more by the chocolatiers, florists, jewelers, card and lingerie shops, it's not as overt in other places. I think the most noticeable change in York is that they changed the color of the nightly ferris wheel illumination to red for the season of love. Personally I think it's a little more demonic than romantic, but it's a fun change that we can see from our living room window.


Known as the Yorkshire Wheel, it was built so York wouldn't feel left out after London, Manchester, and Birmingham built theirs. At 54 metres, it's almost as tall as the Minster (nothing is allowed to be taller) and offers panoramic views in "42 climate-controlled pods each holding up to eight people at a time." According to the web, there is a special "...VIP pod with a leather interior, DVD sound system, phone and fridge for the Champagne." Sounds like romance to me—for a whole 13 minutes anyway. We haven't ridden the wheel, so can't comment on whether it's worth it or not. (You could just save $12 and click on this link for a video of the ride)

The wheel does have a history of love. Last Valentines Day they used it for speed dating—a girl in each pod and a guy getting on and off at each turn of the wheel. As far as I know, it didn't produce lasting romance. However, it is registered for weddings.

So kiss the one you love and consider renewing the old vows while spinning above York!

pea soup

Not being a fan of legumes, this is my favorite kind—thick fog...

Staithes

What do you do when the sun comes out and temperature soars to a blistering 51˚F in February? Go to the beach, of course. Hoping to soak in some rays (and much needed vitamin D), we optimistically brought our sunglasses. We ended up using them too, more for the hazy glare than the brilliant sun.


Unknown to us, and for reasons we don't understand, people seemed to be setting controlled fires all over the moors. This means that thick smoke was blowing toward the coastal cities, settling in valleys, and lingering in the somewhat hazy air. Together, this gave us the impression of approaching Los Angeles vs. the, rural seaside city of Whitby on the edge of the North York Moors National Park. From Whitby we headed north to Staithes, a small fishing village stuck in the crook of a river gorge. Luckily, we were able to avoid the thicker smoke, but only had filtered sun at best.


Staithes has a long history in both fishing and mining. In its heyday, it was one of the "...largest fishing ports on the north east coast of England" with 300 men actively fishing and the train coming through 3 times a week to disperse the catch. Like many other cities along this part of the coast, they claim Captain James Cook since he lived here a short time. Fishermen can no longer make a real living here because the port is too small for modern boats.


Staithes is, and has been, rich in minerals and still has an active Potash mine. As you walk along the shore at low-tide, it's easy to appreciate their geological heritage. The huge eroded cliffs and big variety of exposed bedrock are probably a geologist's dream, exposing lots of different layers and types of rock. You regularly hear the eerie sound of gravel slides off the cliffs too. As we explored the bedrock, I stopped to pick up some of the cliff debris, which had been polished by the sea, before we got chased back to the village by the rapidly rising tide. The last thing either of us wanted was to be caught between actively eroding cliffs and the cold North Sea in February—sun or not.




After exploring the coast, we headed up Cleveland Way, a footpath out of town. We walked by some pretty foul-smelling pig barns and emerged into peaceful sheep pastures whose inhabitants were less skittish than normal. They weren't the prettiest sheep, with their wool turning into little dreadlocks that eventually became yarn hanging from their skin, but you've gotta love them anyway.


At the crest of the hill, we were able to see the dramatic coastline from above and the pasture land below. This is definitely one of the things we love and will miss about England.




As a village, we didn't find Staithes to be that impressive. If I was limited in my time on the coast, Robin Hood's Bay wins out. It's more picturesque and polished, with more attention to detail and good views all around. We still had a good time exploring Staithes as there's something new to see wherever you go.

A Wet Wonderland

Oh wait, that's suppose to be Winter Wonderland. Then again we are in York. The ground became saturated, the river was bloated, fields became lakes, train tracks were flooded, we had a pond develop in the Green across the street, a substantial amount of water seems to have been pumped out of the basement of our building, a road nearby was closed due to high water, two of the three ways we get to the train station were blocked by water, and there was still more rain coming.

Normal


High


Impassible


There are life preservers mounted on posts along the river, even in spots that don't see a lot of foot traffic. We used to find them silly thinking that, first, you would have to be stupid to fall in and, second, the current wasn't going to take you anywhere anyway. Sure, if you didn't know how to swim, it might be a problem, but you should probably be keeping your distance anyway. Seeing the speed of the river now, the life preservers make much more sense although, in many cases, you'd have to wade out into water to get one or just grab one as you float by.

The floodgates for streets and private residences closed as the water got higher, some working better than others.


That plastic bag keeping your bicycle seat dry isn't going to help you much now.


Good weather for the ducks although they didn't seem to want to venture into the open water.


Railings barely poking out of the water.


Only the very top of a park bench is still visible.


Don't get me wrong, there weren't torrential downpours and it wasn't raining all of the time, but nothing ever dries. Even the streets stay wet pretty much 24-7 due to dew, frost, fog, etc. Combine moisture with very little sun or warmth and it's not going anywhere. So, it got to the point where any rain meant puddles... or lakes. This must be why rubber boots are so common here. For a very appropriately timed marketing campaign celebrating this mucky season, click on this link for the "Marvelous Mud" commercial.

Even though this flooding caused damage for some and clean-up for others, it wasn't the worst York has seen. In 2000, the river was the highest since they began keeping records at 17ft 8.5in above the normal summer level. Flooding-related costs were estimated at £1.3 million. By my unscientific observation, we were at 14ft this time.





After the rain eased up, the winds came. At 40mph, they gave the flooded river white caps and caused innumerable road closures due to both trucks blowing over and the risk of more accidents. As Pat can attest, having the highways you take home closed can give you an ulcer. Not only did the stopped traffic add an extra 1/2hr. onto his commute, but the absence of any detour signs was equally frustrating when all of the ways you know home are blocked.

On a positive note, the BBC says sun should set in York at 4:56pm today so we're making progress and it's noticeable. The crazy thing is that daffodils are already like 5 inches tall here. They haven't bloomed, but the crocus and snowbells are. We're getting a nice little warm spell, sun, and a break from the rain. Not as warm as what you guys have had recently, but it hasn't been anywhere near as cold either. Sounds like spring, but people say our winter might not have started yet since it comes later every year.

We'll see. Even without much snow to speak of, it's been an interesting "winter" so far.

Happy 30th JEFF!!

Happy 30th to our new brother-in-law from the River Ouse in York!

Well, I have to say we've been thinking about you a lot lately as the River Ouse keeps creeping out of its banks. In the summer and fall, the River Ouse was a sluggish, black ribbon that I like to call the River Ooze for its not-so-inviting-water. However, everything changed this winter. It picked up a current and changed to a muddy brown froth with all of the debris it gathered, almost deserving a mighty Viking grunt at the end of its name.


(River Ooze on the left, River Ouse-Grr on the right)

This new version of the river made us remember your sample-gathering adventures as you chased storm clouds on the westside. We're quite confident you could pull some interesting samples from this science experiment.

We hope you have a fantastic day—stay dry!

the Yorkshire Museum

Since colder temperatures have arrived, we decided to spend the day visiting the Yorkshire Museum in York's Museum Gardens. As the name implies, the museum contains artifacts covering 2000 years of occupied history for York and the surrounding areas as well as some creepy fake prehistoric animals that inhabited the area when it was covered with a warm sea. There are a few interesting items of note in the collection.

Starting with the Romans (71AD-400AD):
Of course, York oozes with Roman finds. Most are small buckles and brooches, but also include cooking implements (with some modern-looking strainers), combs, weapons, and grave stones. As always, the Roman craftsmanship is impressive. Even the belt buckle in the picture below has an inlay design.


Next, the Anglo-Saxons:
Anglian "Coppergate" or "York Helmet" from the 750s. Found when a mechanical digger was excavating ground in York for a shopping center. Reconstructed, it is "one of only three complete examples from the Anglian period found in England." Made of copper alloy and iron, it is stylistically Northumbrian and has interlacing animals on the nose guard.




Anglian sword from the 9th century. Found in a Yorkshire stream.


Then the Vikings (866AD-965AD):
A Viking canoe, or log boat, from the 900s. Found in silt at the bottom of a river. (Crossbars are obviously not original)


Fun fact—the last Viking King of what was then known as "Jorvik" was named Eric Bloodaxe. How cool of a name is that? Better than Walter the Woodpecker, that's for sure.

After that, the Normans:
This is a nice example of some reconstructed Norman-style stone arches. I like this style because it's so graphic. In reality it would have been painted and more garish—I think I probably appreciate it more now. I believe this is actually a part of St. Mary's Abbey and is still on the site in which it was originally built—now the museum basement. There are several features of the Abbey including arcades, floor tiles, and a warming room still visible in the basement. The museum was just built on top. (Click on this link for the St. Mary's archived post)


And, finally, the English:
The famous Middleham Jewel from 1460. Found by a metal detectorist buried beside a public bridleway near Middleham Castle, it was first sold at auction for £1.3 million and then the Yorkshire Museum raised £2.3 million to buy it for their collection. (Click on this link for our visit to Middleham Castle) Made of gold with a 10+ carat sapphire, it's very striking and looks brand new. It's thought that the locket was a religious reliquary and, judging by the Latin inscription, was meant to protect from "falling sickness" or epilepsy. The front has an engraving of the Trinity.


The back has an engraving of a Nativity scene.


Free for residents, this museum is interesting. As a paying tourist, I don't think it's worth it unless you have an extreme passion for museums or have just never seen stuff like this in person. It might be a little better for kids, but doesn't hold a candle to the British Museum.

Happy 2nd Birthday ADAM!!

2 years old on 2/2–that won't happen again!

We're wishing you a Happy Birthday from a really big choo-choo. We hope you have a really fun day! Go ahead and stick your whole hand in that cake while you can still get away with it—I'm sure mom and dad won't mind :)