Day 143, 24 November 2012, Day Trip! We all jumped on the train today to head to Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. Given National Rail's penchant for working on the tracks on weekends, strictly speaking we walked to the station, caught a bus to Witham, a train to Ipswich and another train to Bury St Edmunds. The weather was gray and rainy but it certainly didn't hold the crowds back. The town itself was quaint and chock full of market stalls selling solid Christmas F...

Day 142, 23 November 2012. York to London and back to Chelmsford (Essex). Even if we weren't frightfully organised travelling types, we would have known it was travel day today - if for no other reason than there is blue sky and stunning sunshine. In York. In November. Sigh.... We spent our last morning in York walking about the town, taking in the Christmas decorations everywhere, the carousel in the square, walking down Stonegate to find the "Stonegate Devil...

Day 141, 22 November 2012. York - Jorvik Viking Centre, York Lucky Cats "Cat Trail", Curry night with fire at The Exhibition Hotel. Officially had proper British weather today. Cold, raining, windy. "Keep Calm and Put Your Umbrella Up" was the order of the day. Everyone has said when you're in York you must go to the Jorvik Viking Centre (www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk) - and that includes people who actually live in York. We arrived just prior to opening tim...

Day 140, 21 November 2012, York - The York Castle Museum and the Gaol. We made it out of the hotel this morning in spite of the rain and general griminess of the day - it was very tempting to crawl back into bed after breakfast. Such a shame York has so much to see and do... so off we went to the York Castle Museum. The most hilarious exhibit was about Cleanliness. It followed the ways and means of washing and cleaning oneself and one's house from the earlies...

Day 139, 20 November 2012. York - Walking tour including St Mary's Abbey, St Leonard's Hospital ruins, King's Manor, ruins of old Roman walls and Medieval walls, walked the near intact City Walls between Bootham Bar and Monk Bar, saw the York Minster and where the stonemason's work behind it constantly carving and fitting replacement stones, St William's College, The Shambles shopping street, The shrine to Margaret Clitherow, Our Lady's Row (one of the oldest row...