All
week I was getting ready for the arrival of Erik Osterrieder and John
Maio. They'd arrived in Paris last Saturday, and had taken the Eurostar
through the "Chunnel"
to London and would be arriving here on Thursday. Our weather had
not been cooperating, as I knew they wanted it to be a bit warm. Naturally,
it hadn't been throughout the week! However, Thursday it did begin
to warm up!!
I took off Thursday afternoon and got my hair cut and then headed
to the train station to meet their GNER
train from London. They popped off the train laughing and us hugging
and talking about their trip. We headed to my place, got them unpacked
a bit, showered, and put a load of clothes in the washer for them.
Then we headed out walking. We walked down the Shambles,
then on down some of the twising, turning streets to the Minster.
As it was after 5pm, the Minster was free, and we walked in, but after
a bit, but a little after 6pm the announcement came that the Minster
was closing. We walked out, and I pointed out the statue
to Constantine, the only Roman emperor not to have been crowned
in Rome, as he was crowned here in York. Then we headed to the Royal
Oak; so they could get a taste of a typical Yorkshire dinner:
roast beef, Yorkshire
puddings, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, and steamed vegetables
(cauliflower, broccoli, carrots) and onion gravy. Erik opted for roast
pork with stuffing, and they thoroughly enjoyed it. We finished off
with dessert, and then we slowly walked our stuffed selves back home!
We sat up and talked for several hours, and then it was time to hit
the beds, as we had a full day planned for Friday.
Friday we were all up very early, and at 6:30am we were in Tesco's
shopping! John found an English rugby shirt to his liking, and a few
other things, and then we headed to ASDA.
More shopping here! We then headed back home, dropped off all their
purchases, and walked up to the Copper Kettle for a "Yorkshire
Fryup", which is a typical breakfast of eggs, toast, sausages,
bacon, potatoes, and stewed tomatoes. We opted out of the black pudding
and baked beans! Thoroughly sated, we headed back to my dwelling,
got the car, and then went to Selby
Abbey. From Selby Abbey we then went to Castle
Howard. They enjoyed both places, and then we turned ourselves
around and came back to town. Here we walked around a bit more, then
headed back home, as we had to get ready for dinner that evening.
We had some time; so we took naps! We met up with Paula Downing, Nigel
Naylor and Bruce and Sally Corrie at Plunkets
Restaurant and had a wonderful evening!
Saturday we did sleep later; however, we were at Betty's
Tea Rooms at 8:30am for breakfast. After that, I pointed
out to them that they had now experienced the full Yorkshire food
trip: Yorkshire dinner, Yorkshire Fry Up, and Bettys ! Erik
decided they needed to buy some goodies there, which they did. From
here we then headed to Ripley
Castle to be there for the first tour at 11am. They thoroughly
enjoyed the experience, and afterwards, we headed back home. We got
back here and then walked into town, where they did some purchasing
at Browns and
other stores. By now it was after 5pm, and the shops had closed. We
headed to the Red
Lion for a few libations, and there encountered Sue and her daughter,
Laura, who run the pub. We had a nice, relaxing time enjoying a couple
of pints, and then we trudged home. They had decided they would like
to have Indian (the new cuisine of England, replacing fish and chips!),
and we went to Jaipur
Spice. We ordered several dishes, and they were well and
truly hot! After our mouths had cooled down and nearly returned to
normal, it was time to head home. Since they were leaving in the morning,
it was packing, etc. for them. We finally got to bed around midnight.
Four-thirty in the morning comes quite early! We were up and getting
ready and downing coffee, as we had to leave for Manchester
Airport before 6am. We got their things packed in the car, and
off we set for the airport. Needless to say, there was no traffic!
I deposited them about 7:39am, then headed back to York, arriving
just at nine. I came up and called Nicola Laube and Teri Rhodes, as
we were off to Thirsk
to help Gareth Dadd distribute leaflets for the election. He is standing
for the North
Yorkshire Council. Worn out, we dragged ourselves back to his
and Peter Gibson's house, where we encountered the other volunteers,
and we had a meal of steak pies, mushy peas and gravy. Delicious!
The day was a lovely, clear warm day! We sat outside and visited;
then it was time for us to head back to York. I dropped them off,
came home, and put a load of laundry in!
Now, dinner is in the oven, I've had a nap, and it's time to settle
in with food and the telly! It was great to have had them here, and
sad to see them leave. Now, another week begins. Have a good one!
Love,
