The ladies had difficulty getting up this morning, mainly due to the night spent talking with the whole group about ghost stories and real stories that are more terrifying, and also because I turned off the alarm and went back to sleep. My bad. Austin woke us up, dressed and fed, and informed us we had about 15 minutes to get ready, which for me, is not enough time to put on make up, eat a full breakfast, get dressed, tidy my things, and make sure the kitchen is ok.
I love this bus rental service that we've been using because the bus drivers (three different men). Today we had a pleasant man named Roy who enthusiastically talked about his wife, children and adventures to other countries. The ride took almost two hours so most of the students drooled on their shoulders or the seat next to them. I attempted to remain awake, but sleep overtook me like an evil yet comforting blanket.
We arrived at a cute little train station and began to walk around the city. The thing I've noticed about the people there compared to the people in Richmond is that the people of York are more varied in their appearance and there are packs of threatening young people wandering about. York is a lot bigger than Richmond and so there were more shops. Tea shops, souvenir shops, clothing shops, book/comic shops and more. Our day consisted mainly of going from shop to shop, running through shelves and aisles, trying to conserve our limited money supplies. Yesterday, I didn't buy much but today, I went a tad crazy. There are gifts for a majority of my loved ones.
After eating at a traditional British pub (Golden Lion), we wandered into The York Minster. That church is gorgeous and huge, with giant expansive stained glass windows and realistic statues of saints and patrons of the church. It was impossible to not feel in awe of the huge ceilings and chorus practice going on in the background. Ms. Brady had managed to get us into a lovely tea room, with kind waitresses, tiny tables and utensils and lacy tablecloths. I managed to have a table with Abby, Kat and Kyle, who all ordered tea and a sweet, and chatted about anything and everything.
After the tea room, most of the stores were beginning to close. Even though it was Sunday, stores here tend to close earlier than the ones at home overall. Zara was determined to find this particular store she had read about, and led a death march through the winding narrow streets. The store was closed.
Once we managed to get back to the train station where we were supposed to be picked up, we bought snacks and tried "pasties" which are fancy hot pockets. Roy picked us up again and drove us back to Kiplin Hall. In an almost poetic cycle, most of the students drooled all over themselves as we fell asleep.
This day has been a blast and I have seen so many things and people that I never would have been able to do. The people in England and the people I am staying with are simply amazing.
-Kohner