It’s mid-February and in England that means school holiday!
We headed north towards York with a brief stop in Coventry. The town has two cathedrals which sit immediately next to one another. The older one serves as a bombed out memorial to those who lost their lives during World War II and the second was built as its replacement. We climbed the remaining tower of the bombed cathedral to get a good view of the town.
We continued our drive and arrived in York with enough time to make one stop, so off we went to the Minster.
Despite having seen two churches and driven 3 hours, we hopped back in our car to explore the area around York and see two more churches! We had planned to have a day of rest and stay in town, but we heard about a Viking parade and wanted to make sure we didn’t miss it!
Our first stop outside the city was to Rievaulx Abbey, which fell victim to Henry VIII’s reformation and reminded us all of Tintern Abbey (a beautiful abbey in Wales).
Our next stop was to Fountains Abbey. This gorgeous National Trust site has everything we’ve come to love about National Trust– a wonderful café, play area, history, and beautiful gardens. The grand house that once sat on the grounds burned down, but the gardens and abbey remain beautiful!
Our last stop of the day, and a favorite for E and R, was Brimham Rocks. The hubby and E did some research and shared with us that these stones were left over from a river that ran through the area millions of years BEFORE the dinosaurs. What?! The kids had a wonderful time climbing all over them.
It’s officially Viking Day! Well York has been celebrating all week, but we’re ready to join the fun. We started our day at the Jorvik Viking Centre where a small museum is paired with a RIDE through a real Viking street. Jorvik was the Norse word for York used often in the 9th and 10th century when the Vikings ruled this area.
From Jorvik we walked to DIG, a wonderful archeology museum where visitors have the opportunity dig in Victorian, Medieval, Viking and Roman rooms. We found a Medieval priest, a Victorian chamber pot, and a Roman doormat!
Finally! It’s time for the Viking parade. Three hundred loud and friendly Vikings marched past us.
After the parade we walked home via York’s city walls. We played guard and looked out for attackers. We found lots of Vikings (mostly walking back to their cars) and pretended to defend ourselves.
As we walked home from a yummy, Nepali dinner we stumbled upon a fireworks show! It was the Viking finale spectacular!
The next morning we knew it was time to head home. However, we made some time to visit the York Castle Museum where we got to see a history of fashion and toys and play on a Victorian street. The museum is housed in the old prisons, so the last exhibit leads you through some cells and a projection of the most famous prisoner, Dick Turpin.
After driving south for an hour we made a stop at Bolsover Castle, the Cavendish family’s large vacation home. It houses a large indoor riding area, as William Cavendish was active in dressage. Their playground was the perfect last place to blow off some steam before continuing the trip home (and preparing for the return to school!).
ourvacationfromlife 
As ever, wonderful pictures!
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