Day seven: sunday

I went to church this morning at York Baptist. Good service and the light streamed in through coloured glass windows. Afterwards I rode the Yorkshire wheel and then walked the walls. There was a brief sunshower so I pulled out my umbrella. A gust of wind promptly broke it. Then the sun came out again. After the walls I went to Bettys, hoping for a late lunch, but it was very, very full. So I went to Marks and spencers and shopped for a while. when I came out, the roads weren't packed and were very wet so there was either a rainstorm or a flash flood to clear the streets while I'd been in Marks & sparks. Still trying to find a meal, I was caught in another rainstorm and took shelter in the roman museum. I finally had coffee and a giant cookie at Starbucks. I do believe it was the first starbucks coffee of my life. Nice but no better than Gloria Jeans.
After this, I climbed the minster tower (276 steps). I also found out I have developed a fear of spiral staircases. Going up was scary as I was thinking the whole way that I'd have to come down again and there was no hand rail at some points. There were times going down that I sat on the stairs and used hands, feet and butt to work my way down. I never used to be afraid of spiral staircases. perhaps I'm developing a sense of my own mortality (or morality as one of my students wrote).
Dinner was a leek and cheese pasty with an apple and rasberry pasty for dessert. I walked home in rain so heavy that in spite of a roughly fixed umbrella, my shoes squelched and my jeans were wet to the knee. Thunder and lightning even!
Much walking today. There'll be pics once blogger fixes the glitch.

climbing the minster - in sheer terror

The view from the top of the minster