Yorkshire, Sussex, and More

Well, here are the details of the past week.

York
On Monday (the 7th), I took a morning train to York. After dropping off my backpack at the Bed and Breakfast, I went out to see the sights. I first visited the Castle Museum, which is more or less a 'museum of everyday life' with household objects, outfits, tools, furniture, and the like. It also had two reconstructions of market streets (one Victorian and the other Edwardian), complete with shops you could walk into. I then headed over to York Minster, the largest cathedral in northern Europe. After ambling through the main sections of the building, I went down into the undercroft, which showcased the remains of the Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Norman buildings that existed before the cathedral. Finally, I was able to climb the 275 steps to the very top of the cathedral, which was pretty exhilarating. After getting back down to Earth, I left York Minster and went to the nearby Yorkshire museum, which had several artifacts from the city's Roman, Viking, Anglo-Saxon and Medieval history. At this point, my back was starting to hurt, so I headed back to the Bed and Breakfast, taking a route along the city wall. I relaxed and watched TV before going back for a 'ghost hunt' walking tour, which, while kind of hokey, was entertaining. I came back to my room and was so exhausted that I immediately conked out.

I got a semi-late start on Tuesday, so I wasn't able to go on the walking tour I had planned on taking. Instead of running across town to catch the tour, I went straight to Clifford's tower, the only remaining structure from the original castle. For lunch, I had a traditional high tea at Betty's, a well-known tearoom. After my meal, I went to the Richard III museum, which was a bit of a tourist trap, and then on to the National Railway Museum, which, as you may have guessed, housed many old locomotives as well as some train-related memorabilia. After slipping in to York Minster for part of the evensong service, I went to dinner before taking a train to Leeds, where I spent the night.

Haworth
I took the train from Leeds to Keighley, and took an old-fashioned steam train on a restored line from Keighley to the village of Haworth, where the Brontë sisters lived. I dropped my backpack off and headed toward the center of town, where I visited the parish church and Brontë Parsonage Museum. After lunch at the Black Bull (Branwell Brontë's favorite pub) I took a walk through (and got a bit lost in) the surrounding countryside before heading to my room.

After breakfast, I went over to the town's main street for a walking tour... which ended up a private walking tour. Once the tour was over, I got some provisions (and a better map) and went on a 6-7 mile walk to Top Withens (which may have inspired the farmhouse in Wuthering Heights) and back. I went past lots of beautiful countryside, rivers, and waterfalls, not to menton many, many sheep (one of which followed me around in an attempt to get my food). I got back by mid-afternoon and proceeded to peruse the shops on the main street before going to my room for a while. After I had re-energized (and after reading a few chapters of my copy of Wuthering Heights), I headed back to the main street for dinner.

After checking out the next morning, I wandered around the main street shops for an hour or so before taking the train back to London. I was able to finish Wuthering Heights on the way back, but I mostly just napped on the ride. I got resettled (and typed my last entry) before going to Leicester Square to see David Mamet's "Sexual Perversity in Chicago" featuring Hank Azaria, Minnie Driver, and Matthew Perry (amusingly, the theatre had to put up a 'contains strong language' disclaimer for patrons who couldn't figure it out).

Brighton
On Saturday morning, I took the train over to Brighton. After walking around the beach and pier (not to mention riding on a carousel), I went over to the Royal Pavilion, a mock-Indian palace decorated with various Asian-style touches. After walking around and having lunch, I went over to the beach, where I spent the afternoon relaxing (and getting a nasty sunburn). I finally took the train to Hastings, where I checked in and spent the evening watching TV.

Hastings
After checking out, I walked around Hastings and went up East Hill and through the park there before going over to West Hill and the remains of Hastings castle. Once I had gone through the ruins and watched the video presentation, I walked over to the Smugglers' Cave, which was fun, though more than a little cheesy. I then took a short trip to Battle, where I visited Battle Abbey; I walked through the remains of the abbey itself and also saw some of the battlefield from 1066. Finally, I took the train back to London, where I (naturally) am now.