james test

The morning started as so many have on this trip - with a breakfast at our lodgings. Another vegetarian take on the English cooked breakfast for Michael; cereal and a bit of toast for me. Have I mentioned the strawberries? They've been abundant throughout our journey, and like none I've ever tasted. You don't need a super-red and almost over-ripe specimen to detect flavour - even the plainest ones are bursting with it! We bought a huge punnet from the supermarket in anticipation of the next leg of our train trip. But we still had an hour or two before our train was due, and we passed that time at the National Railway Museum . Fierce. Actually, this was precisely the tidy and informative collection you would expect of the British, particularly the section devoted to the carriages set up for the royal family. Here the warehouse was decked out in Union Jacks as far as the eye could see, and the platform covered in a red carpet! Travel by rail wasn't so luxurious for ...

The centre of York is completely dominated by the Minster - a cathedral that was built between 1220 and 1480. It's a stunning building - as striking an example of gothic architecture as you can imagine. The inside is just as impressive as the outside - massively high ceilings, wonderful stained glass windows and an astonishing amount of detailed stonework - the chapter house in particular was studded with hundreds of intricately carved faces - it's little wonder the construction took more than two hundred years. We also went for a brief wander through the foundations of the minster (where photos were prohibited) - there are still remnants of the massive Roman basilica that was originally situated here, as well as sections of the Norman cathedral that was replaced by the construction of the minster. The roman ruins are particularly impressive - either incorporated into the foundations of the cathedral, or simply built around, there are plenty of columns and stonework that rema...

Since we were staying at a bed and breakfast, Michael started taking advantage of the cooked breakfasts. Here this meant fried eggs, hash browns and baked beans, with a rack of toast on the side. This was all served up by a svelte Swede named Inga. She was impossibly perky, wore hot pink capri pants, and when she noticed our camera on the table she insisted on photographing us together. "Which button? Yes. Now hold her hand. You must hold her hand. Oh, so sweet!" She ensured our day started with a smile and a chuckle, at least. We continued our train trek to York, and arrived in time for lunch. Michael picked out Cafe Concerto based on a recommendation in our Lonely Planet guide, and it did us very nicely. (Whoops... don't mind me in the mirror reflection.) It's a casual and comfy cafe that seemed to attract both locals and tourists. Though there were a number of vegetarian items on the menu, most of them seemed to focus on roasted Mediterranean vegetables...