The Grand old Duke of York he had ten thousand men

He marched them up to the top of the hill and he marched them down again.

When they were up, they were up, and when they were down, they were down

And when they were only halfway up they were neither up nor down.

July 9 – We took a bus from Robin Hood’s Bay to Scarborough, then hopped on a southbound train for the hour’s ride to York, an historic city if ever there was one. The nursery rhyme above refers to the defeat of York troops to the Lancasterians during the War of the Roses in 1460. This is a city that still has its wall.

Beautiful front gardens – the hydrangea are in bloom!

We were so enamored of the steam engines back in Grosmont that we checked out the National Railway Museum attached to the train station. They had trains from every era, including old cars from the 1600s, the Queen’s fancy saloon, and the Eurostar.

You could look at the engine controls, and also walk underneath to see the underbelly of the engines:

They also had a huge warehouse of train-related stuff that you could spend weeks examining.

If you are a train aficionado, let me know and I’ll send you a hundred more pix!

We walked to the city center, crossing over the River Ouse.

Lovely buildings and an umbrella street!

Can’t you imagine Mary Poppins and Bert dancing around those chimneys?We strolled down an old street of shops called The Shambles, which used to be the part of the open market where the butchers hung their meat back in the 1000s. The current street dates from the 1400s.

Now the shops are more for souvenirs, baked goods, chocolate, and Harry Potter themed items.

This man was collecting donations for victims of the Grenfell Fire. He has pledged to sit on the bike for 72 days, one day for each person who perished.

Constantine was proclaimed Roman Emperor here in the year 306.

And what could be more appropriate in York? Yorkies!

More tomorrow.