York

Today we left the Lake District for York where our first destination was the Viking museum. One of the main attractions there was this ghost train type of thing that took us through a life sized Viking village complete with sounds and smells. Each person had their own commentary which was very educational for everyone except Hugh (who chose Chinese language as a joke, couldn't change it back, and was stuck with it for the whole ride). After this, we visited a lovely old town house called Fairfax House, and wandered the old streets of York. Our accommodation for the next few nights is on a barge, and I took this picture as we had cheese and biscuits. Following dinner, we played a game called "Forbidden Word". Jane was the time keeper, and she did an outstanding job bellowing "times up!" whenever the hour glass ran out. My extra photo is a typical breakfast shot from our previous accommodation at "Barton Hall" in the Lake District, built in 1710. This is easily the best place we've stayed, and serves great English breakfasts as well. It's run by a lovely, if not slightly eccentric older lady, with an accent that's quite posh for this part of the country. Each morning, without fail, she remains in her sanctum until the waiters are just about to collect everyone's plates, at which time she bursts into the dining room, giving out friendly hellos to each table in turn (probably soon after this photo). She was also very impressed with Elizabeth's violin playing in the garden yesterday evening, which she said drove her to tears.