Last week, we presented our friends and today, we want to show you some pictures of city York.
To go to the city center, we have to walk about 20 minutes...
First, we have to pass by a field.In fact, we live in the plane...After the field we cross a millitary camp...Yes it's unbelievable but just near to our campus we have the Queen's army.We think we have to do attention if we dont want to be shotted.
When we come close to the city, we observe great wall which encircle York.We can tell you a brief history of York...It's interesting so you can read :)And after you will be less ignorant... :)
York was founded by the Romans. They invaded this part of England in 71 AD and quickly subdued it. The Romans built a fort between the rivers Ouse and Foss. At first northern England was a rough and uncivilised area but gradually it was 'Romanised'. By the mid-2nd century a little town had appeared by the fort. Craftsmen and merchants came to live there because the garrison of the fort provided a market for the townspeople's goods and ships could sail up the Ouse with merchandise.
By the early 3rd century the town had a stone wall to protect it. Inside there were public buildings such as a baths. Rich people lived in grand houses with mosaic floors. However in the 4th century Roman civilisation began to break down. The last Roman soldiers left Britain in 407 AD. Soon afterwards Roman towns were abandoned and fell into ruins.
However in 627 York was given a bishop. A cathedral was built inside the walls of the Roman town and a bishop’s residence was probably built there. It is also possible the local Saxon king built a royal palace inside the Roman walls.
Then in the 8th and 9th centuries York revived. The old towns position made it an ideal place for trade and during that time craftsmen came to live there. They probably started a market. Goods such as pottery were brought by ship from Europe. By the mid-9th century York was a flourishing town once again. However it was probably much smaller than the Roman town with a population of, perhaps, 2,000. It is believed that the Saxons called the town Eofer's wic (wic meant trading place). The Danes changed the name slightly to Jorvik.
Then in the 8th and 9th centuries York revived. The old towns position made it an ideal place for trade and during that time craftsmen came to live there. They probably started a market. Goods such as pottery were brought by ship from Europe. By the mid-9th century York was a flourishing town once again. However it was probably much smaller than the Roman town with a population of, perhaps, 2,000. It is believed that the Saxons called the town Eofer's wic (wic meant trading place). The Danes changed the name slightly to Jorvik.
Then in 866 the Vikings conquered northern England and York became the capital of a new Viking kingdom. Under the Vikings York grew rapidly and by 1066 probably had a population of 9,000 or 10,000. In Viking York wool was woven. There were blacksmiths and potters. Other craftsmen made things like combs from bone and antler. The Danish word for street was gata, which in time became corrupted to 'gate'. Coppergate was cooper gata.
Further modern day evidence of the Viking influence is apparent in York’s streets or ‘gates’: ‘gate’ being the Old Norse term for street. Little has been written about this era, but excavations have revealed buildings and objects which have helped to construct an idea of life in Viking Jorvik. The modern day visitor can sample the recreated world of the Vikings in the Jorvik Viking Centre, under the Coppergate precinct. The end of the Viking era came in 1065 to 66 when a rebellion of local earls was quickly followed by the Norman Conquest IN 1066.
In 1190 an infamous event occurred when Jews were massacred in York. They took refuge in the main castle. Some committed suicide. The townspeople set fire to the castle and the rest were persuaded to surrender but they were murdered anyway. Cliffords Tower was built in the mid-13th century to replace the keep of the main castle which had been burned in 1190.
Medieval York was the second largest and most important city in England. The existing stone walls which surround it, and the Bars (medieval gateways), were built during this time. Kings and Queens were frequent visitors and the Dukedom of York began to be conferred on the sovereign's second son (as it still is today).
Henry III's sister and daughter were both married in the Minster to Kings of Scotland, and in 1328 King Edward III married Philippa. (The last Royal wedding in the Minster was in 1961 when the Duke and Duchess of Kent were married there).
Richard II gave the city its first Sword of State, honoured its citizen number one with the title of Lord Mayor and created York a county in its own right. In 1397 the city staged a Royal Performance of the York Mystery Plays for the King - these religious plays were given by the Guilds and have since been revived with performances in modern York every four years during the York Festival.
During the reign of Elizabeth I, the Council of the North increased in importance and with it, York's revival and influence gathered momentum. The Abbot's lodging, now renamed King's Manor, was restored and both James I and Charles I stayed there during visits to York. Charles even set up the Royal Mint nearby and established his printing press in St. William's College. However, it soon became apparent that Civil War was inevitable and Charles left York in 1642.
Two years later, in April 1644, the Parliamentarians besieged York, but with the arrival of Charles' nephew, Prince Rupert, with an army of 15,000 men, the siege was lifted.
The retreating Parliamentarians were chased to Marston Moor, six miles from York. Unfortunately for Rupert, they turned on his army and he was devastatingly defeated. Rupert's army limped back to York and the siege was renewed.
But the city could not hold out for long, and on July 15 the Governor, Sir Thomas Glemham, surrendered to Sir Thomas Fairfax who gave orders to his troops that nothing was to be destroyed.
After the removal of the Royal Garrison in 1688 the city gradually came to be dominated by the local aristocracy and gentry. Trade and manufacturing were in steady decline but York's role as the cultural centre of the north was becoming steadily more secure.
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After this brief history lecture, we can continue to explain our day at York with some pictures of York streets...
First, we have to enter in the city center so we have to choose a gate between Fishergate, Walmgate, Skelgate,...
The city is quite nice.The pictures can't reflet very well because the streets are so narrow and it was so hard to take some beautiful...But we were lucky, we had the sun all the day, of course with some wind so we were frezed...We are in England, we cant have together the sun and the hot weather :)
At York, the cold can't stop the people to go out and walk within the streets...
You can't see in this picture but the buildings, in generale times, are red...It's very funny to have only some red stones'building...:)
We are not sure if you know but York locate in the north of England so when we look at the house, we remark immediately the typical north's construction with their pointed roof...Perhaps it's because of the rain too.we arent sure but...possible...
An other red house, but it is a little big for York. Normally, there are small as:
Saturday, we tried to use our camera to show to you how York is beautiful but we tried to explain how is England too...
First, we have to talk about our favourite subject: The food...
When we walk in York we smell a lot of good pastries...It is true that when we try to eat we find them very fat and sweet but the smell is so pleasant...When you pass next to a cake shop, you want to taste all...
As you can see Sosso is so excited to see them...
We agree that we are a little crazy to take some pics of shop window but it was so funny...We think that we will take more next week to remember all the appetizing things...We can't try all but we will try to explain their tast during our stay...:)
And don't think that we are only mad about sweet...
So delicious...:)
Perhaps, we are a little mad to look by the shop window but the englishs eat what we are looking and without break.When we were walking in the city we saw a lot of their favourite fast food: fish and chips...In York it's very cold but the weather doesn't prevent the people waiting in the queue. The city smells the oil !We have to recognize that it's a bit nasty.
In front of the restaurant, we can see who really eats this fish and chips...The big big and big women ... :)
After food, we decided to understand how the english girls can, all , put their small skirts...Yes, we exaggerate with the girls and how do they dress with their roundness! But we can`t understand how they can wear those skirts in winter...We think that to understand them, we have to do like them...
First, we looked and confirmed that it very and really small...I have in my hand the biggest skirt...so :)
When you have a big back, the skirt is not so long...
After, we decided to try just to see if there have something magic which heat all of body...We are in England and everything is strange so we have to expect all...
It was so funny that we will return to the city center next weekend to try some other skirts...Perhaps it's a dependency...You try one time and then you can not do without :)
But solenne when she saw me she was so cold that she had to put a big jacket for the english...
After this break, we can continue to talk about some important event.
This week we were seeing, everywhere, some poeple trying to sell some poppy.
At first, we tought that they were selling for the humanity helps or something like this...
We remarked that as in the university, at the reception they were selling...And everybody were buying too..and then they were hanging it on their shirt...
We asked..
In fact, November is poppy month, the time of the year when they wear a red poppy in memory of those who sacrificed their lives for them during wars.
The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month marks the signing of the Armistice, on 11th November 1918, to signal the end of World War One.
At 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years continuous warfare.
Remembrance Day is on 11 November. It is a special day set aside to remember all those men and women who were killed during the two World Wars and other conflicts. At one time the day was known as Armistice Day and was renamed Remembrance Day after the Second World War.
Remembrance Sunday is held on the second Sunday in November, which is usually the Sunday nearest to 11 November. Special services are held at war memorials and churches all over Britain.
But, as us, you have to ask why do they use a poppy ?
We learned too:
Throughout the world the poppy is associated with the remembrance of those who died in order that we may be free, but how many of us are aware of the reason of how and why the poppy became the symbol of remembrance and an integral part of the work of the Royal British Legion.
Flanders is the name of the whole western part of Belgium. It saw some of the most concentrated and bloodiest fighting of the First World War. There was complete devastation. Buildings, roads, trees and natural life simply disappeared. Where once there were homes and farms there was now a sea of mud - a grave for the dead where men still lived and fought. Only one other living thing survived. The poppy flowering each year with the coming of the warm weather, brought life, hope, colour and reassurance to those still fighting.
Poppies only flower in rooted up soil. Their seeds can lay in the ground for years without germinating, and only grow after the ground has been disturbed.
We finish to explain the history of York and our day in the city center...
We had taken some more pictures so we let you discover our marvellous city...
Yes, this is a french cafe for Sosso...:)
Item about strange english people:
We begin to talk about their manner in the lecture...
During the lecture, nobody speaks with their friends.when we talk,(foreign student), everybody returns and looks with a wicked eyes...Whereas, in France everybody speaks...
When the teacher explain his course, the classroom is very silent but everybody sit down as if they are in a bar listening their friend talking...they put their foots on the chair before.Today, a girl had put off their shoes and she was showing her socks to everybody. especially to the teacher...
The weather...
Saturday it was - 5 degree at 11 am so we didn't want to know how was the evening...and the monday night it was 10 degree or now it's 11 degree at 8:25 pm...
Publicity...
As you see, the woman in the picture is fat...Nothing to add...:)
Good difference...
The students, in England, smoke very less than the french's students...It's forbidden to smoke in the college, in the room, in the house, in the building of the university and everbody respect this rule.Moreover, you can't smoke in the counter of the bar and in some area of the bar either...
Music
Normally, in the street, the people plays guitar or voilin or flute...We have never seen a man who plays piano...But it was very well and he was playing the "Fure Elise"...
We will stop for this time but the next week we hope to discover more strangeness...
By 4pm we decided to come back at home and as we are sportive, we denied to take the bus. So we began to walk we were four persons...we continued to walk we were only two..Finally there were two groups Carl - Cemile and Renata - Sosso...We didn't understand how we could do that but it was very easy even in this little city...
But we were very lucky so we met each other in a corner...We had taken two different ways...
We say you "see you next week" with this picture: man who show the way of the wind...
Now we will leave the city throughout the Stongate...
The saturday afternoon we had so enjoyed that we decided to return to the city center in order to forget our cells and bacteria and...everything...But we think that we forgot more than necessary...
The night began very well...We took the bus and went to the city center in spite of the cold...We examined the english girl again...off course because when we were frezing in our jacket, they were only with their skirts...and fat...
After 30 minutes of walk and research, we deciced to go to the ziggies :)
We can try to explain every picture with some details but we think that it's not necessary...You can understand very quickly how was the night...it finished by 3 o'clock and we had a difficult sunday...But we are happy :)
So?Do you want to come here and join us? :)
