Train Tripping

Hello!  It’s me, Wilfred!  I am still in London with my dad and poppy and still learning lots of new things at Ravenstone. 

This week in World Religions, we studied Hinduism.  Did you know that Hindus have a god with a head like an elephant?  Miss Moylan taught us that when Hindus finish praying, they say “om”.  That night, when I said grace before supper, I said “om” instead of “amen”.   Dad and Poppy looked at me funny. I explained to Dad, and he said it was good to know for when our Hindu friends come for dinner, but in the meantime, if I wanted, I could say both.

This week was also Ravenstone’s parent-teacher meetings.  I have only been at Ravenstone for three weeks but Dad and Miss Moylan still had lots to talk about.  In English schools they start reading and writing younger than Canada, but Miss Moylan said I was catching up. I still have things to work on, but Miss Moylan said she was well pleased with how I am settling in.   Dad told me that he was very proud of me for being brave and coming to a new school and another country when I am only six.  So for a reward, we were taking a weekend trip by TRAIN!

Daddy and Poppy decided we should go to York.  Poppy told me there was lots for us to see and do.  Dad said he wanted me to see York because my grandpa Storey’s great grandpa came to Canada from that part of England a long time ago. And me -- I was happy just to ride a train!

Saturday morning, we took the Tube from Gloucester Road on the Piccadilly line all the way to King’s Cross Station.  Poppy and Daddy found the ticket office and collected our tickets and then we found our track.  We took an East Coast train north.  It didn’t take long to get out of the city.  We went through a tunnel and the pressure made my ears go pop.  Further on, another tunnel - and suddenly, we were in the country!  I looked out the window the whole way.

We got to York two hours later.  York is very old, surrounded by a wall.  We took our suitcase to our bed & breakfast.  I told the lady at the B&B that we weren’t from around there and she said she already knew -- she said she could tell from my accent I was a long way from home. 

First stop, the Jorvik Viking Centre. Vikings once lived in York hundreds and hundreds of years back.  A few years ago, they were digging to build new buildings and found ruins from the old Viking city (called Jorvik).   Dad said that Grandpa Storey’s family lived in York over a thousand years, so there was likely a little Viking in me somewhere!  We went on a ride that went back in time and showed the old city the way it was back then.  After, we looked at exhibits and I tried on a Viking hat.

Next we walked through the “Shambles”.  The Shambles is an old, old street where all the buildings are tippy.  The top floors reach out over the street and nearly touch.  There are narrow alleys that look like Harry Potter streets, they call “snickleways”.  

 

We went down one snickleway called "Lady Peckett's Yard", because Dad wanted to show me the oldest business in York.  It is a cordwainer – which means a fancy boot and shoe maker.  And guess what name is on the sign! 

I told Dad Grandpa would like to see that!


Next, I wanted to walk on the walls of the old city.  Once, the walls kept invaders out, but there aren’t any invaders anymore –except sightseers.  It is a great place to get a good look around.  Especially if you have Poppy or Dad to give you a boost so you can see over.

We were hungry after all our climbing, so we went for tea in tea shoppe and Poppy ordered Yorkshire scones and jam and clotted cream…which is sort of like runny whipped cream with lumps in it… I just had the scones and jam.

After, we went to a big church.  At home, our church is called Eastminster, but in York, they just call their big church, “The Minster”.  It is the second biggest church in England.  We went inside and it is HUGE.  We could hear the choir practising for Evensong, so Poppy said we would come back another time.  I saw that people were lighting candles and I wanted to know why.  Dad said they lit a candle when they had troubles, or if they were worried about somebody, they could light a candle for them if they wanted God to watch out for them.   I asked Dad if I could light a candle for Grandpa, and Dad showed me how.

The next day, after a good sleep and a big breakfast, there was more to see and do.  Dad and I climbed to the top of an old castle built in Norman times (I got a sticker book, “The Normans are Coming!”).  It is called Clifford’s tower.  Then we went through the castle museum that had whole life-size streets built inside and we looked at York as it was a hundred and fifty years ago. 

 (me and Dad climb Clifford's Tower)

But Dad and Poppy were saving the best for our last stop before we left York.  Do you know what is there?  The National Rail Museum - THE WORLD’S LARGEST TRAIN MUSEUM!!  Can you even believe it?!

Next week, Poppy will be away in Bristol visiting the Old Vic Theatre School, so Dad and I will be on our own.  I will write then and tell you all about it. 

Wilfie