Kris and I decided to do something a little bit different last week, considering that we had a few days off for Easter. 2 and a half years together and we've never been on holiday together! So we had a mini one, staying for a night in York.
For Easter weekend we went up to Sunderland to visit my Dad. It was great just to relax and do nothing for a few days. On Good Friday I slept in until 10.30am, got up/ready/etc. then ended up spending the afternoon watching Friends and napping on the sofa. Nice.
However, we did actually get out and about when Dad took us to Barnard Castle and High Force on the Saturday. Kris had never been and I hadn't in ages so it was a fun day out (if you ignore the torrential rain on the way home). We ended up in a lot of vintage/charity shops, which I always love. I especially liked Teesdale Dress Agency CIC, which was full of a huge mix of stuff. After Barnard Castle it was a short ride to High Force, and an even shorter walk! It only takes a few minutes to walk from the car park down to the plunge pool, and you can get amazingly close if you want to!
So on Easter Monday we got a train from Durham to York. I'd say we did loads of cultural things, walked the city walls and stuff, but we didn't. We spent Monday and Tuesday just exploring the city. It's quite a small city centre, so it's easy to get used to your way around.
On Monday there was a mini food festival in the centre of town. For lunch we got some evil looking hot sandwiches from one of the vans (see below). I had pulled pork with homemade coleslaw, Kris had beef rib with onions and a cheesy sauce. That definitely kept us full up! Afterwards I met up with Laura, who I hadn't seen in years! We ended up getting coffee then exploring bookshops all over the city. I managed to restrain myself and not buy anything, because my TBR list is so long!
We carried on the foodie experience at Roly's Fudge on The Shambles. I have a bit of a sweet tooth and no self control so I had to buy some. One of the staff insisted that we try some of the Baileys fudge that she'd just made. I'm not a big fan of Baileys, but warm fudge is amazing. I'm glad I don't live in York, because I'd be there every day (although I've just discovered that you can order online, so I think that's going to be a slippery slope).
We stayed in St Denys Hotel, close to the city centre but quiet enough to stay quiet at night. I really couldn't recommend it more! It's a beautiful hotel, and the owners have thought of everything you could ever want. Our room was small but perfectly formed - we had a nespresso machine, an iPod/iPhone dock and a little tv in there. I was so grateful for the fact that they had a proper hairdryer in the room, it meant I could wash and tame my Hermione hair! I loved that the furniture was vintage too; they'd injected a little bit of personality into an old wardrobe, chest of drawers and dressing table. I really liked the paint-splattered knobs that they put on them, so took photos of the wardrobe ones like a weirdo.
Breakfast was lovely, I had a toasted teacake with cinnamon on it. I'd never had that combo before, but I will now! The staff just couldn't do more - when we returned to pick up our bags before the train we had a coffee in their reading room, which was absolutely stunning. Talk about decor goals - I want to live in St Denys Hotel (or copy their interior design in my own!) I don't think I'd ever want to stay anywhere else, should I go back to York.
I think the Easter weekend was a successful trip for me - except for the mini-meltdown I had on Tuesday night when I realised how stressful the journey home from Kris' house would be (damn you Northern Rail for closing Manchester Victoria/Salford Central!). I survived and made it back home without having a hysterical break down, but definitely needed a nap afterwards!
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