So last weekend I went to York. After going to New York last year, I thought it would be cool to go to the 'old' York in my home country. The two couldn't have been more different. I loved New York, although I couldn't help but feel claustrophobic in the concrete jungle. (I'm surrounded by all things green so you can probably see why).
So what is different between the two places which share half a name? They both have shops, people, a unique identity and culture. But there is something quite obvious. One represents the old, the other represents the new.
New York is the future, the home to the future of fashion, music, actors and actresses alike, a City that moves at a 1000mph and never sleeps. The big apple where dreams come true.York is everything that represents the past...Castles, ornate shops, a historic wall which surrounds the City... When I was walking down the Shambles (small streets with the cutest shops) I felt the past come back alive. It was nice to take what felt like one step forward, than what I have felt recently as my life taking a hundred steps forward and no steps backwards.
We spend so much of our lives thinking about the future that we forget about living in the present or reminiscing in the past. Can the old become the new? Or are we stuck in a world that is constantly progressing, that we become afraid of being left behind?
York
During my shopping trip I came across 'Betty's' and of course I immediately wanted to go inside. I first glanced in the window at all the delicious cakes and macaroons! I was quite surprised when one cake (a four tier chocolate truffle) cost £540. I'd never seen a cake that cost that much and I certainly wasn't going to buy one any time soon. Luckily the afternoon tea menu wasn't as expensive!
I decided to visit their website as well, hoping it would be just as good! I wasn't wrong, I was excited by the menu the most.
Afternoon tea menu
On my last day we decided to walk the wall surrounding York. I had to take this photo as it was beautiful! After walking the wall I rewarded myself with a piece of cake.
I walked past this blossom tree everyday as it was just outside The Royal Oak Hotel which is where I stayed. Each time I walked past, tourists from all cultures gathered around under the tree, taking pictures of one another and sitting amidst the fallen petals. Perhaps the greatest thing of all was when the wind blew and the sky became filled with little pink flowers that resembled a likeness to fairies. It was magical and a sign that Spring and truly arrived.
Cocktails! Okay so I cheated a bit here. Channelling the New York, I decided to go for a Cosmopolitan. The menu sold it to me when it said SJP was a fan and after my recently new found love of Sex and the City, I couldn't refuse!
This is perhaps my favourite photograph. I like it because of the contrast of the Cathedral and the Shambles. This was home to a haunted house and the famous Ghost walks of York! Of course I had to check them both out with a rather tasty bag of pork scratchings any my numerous bags of shopping in tow!
