Once the lad had bought his game and we had rewarded the EE staff, I asked Tyler what he wanted to do.
He said he would like to visit the Cathedral.
I think that secretly he knew that was what I wanted him to say.
We headed off in the direction of the Cathedral.
The stone it is made from is very dark and it looks very gothic....medieval.
There were gargoyles and carved dragons and lots or ornate carvings adorned the outside of the building.
I wish the stones could speak and tell the stories of the centuries.
The site of the Cathedral has had a church on it since the tenth century.
The current Cathedral took over 300 years to complete.
Can you imagine working on a building like that....knowing that you were never going to be seeing the finished article?
That in itself is an act of faith.
When I go to these old churches I always ask if I am permitted to take photographs and I always try to be discreet.
I do not usually use flash...except if I am in part of the building where services are not being conducted...cloisters, crypts.
I always leave a donation to pay for the photographs I have taken.
When we were going into the Cathedral there were a couple of people behind us who were griping about the requests for donations.
'Jesus would be really impressed by how the Cathedral has commercialised itself....this is a place of worship....we should not be expected to pay' was a comment I heard them make.
I really wanted to ask them if they contributed to the collection plate when they worshipped in their own parish....but I had the feeling that they were not really churchgoers.
These historical places of worship have to have lights, heating and they need maintenance...none of which comes cheap.
If we want to keep on visiting them to marvel at their splendour, then we have to be prepared to put our hand in our pocket and give a little something.
Even Tyler put £2 of his spending money into the donation box...without being asked or prompted in any way.
The place is magnificent, but in a very understated way.
It does not really have the opulence of some cathedrals I have visited....but it has atmosphere.
It has beautiful architectural features.
The ceiling bosses, the ornately carve choir stalls.
The stunning stained glass windows...the colours are rich and vibrant....and the pictorial bible studies were how the lowly people related to religion in those dim and distant years.
We lit candles in the lady chapel....one for the repose of Ma...and one for m sister in law who is having chem right now.
Tyler lit a candle for his mum...and asked that she might have some better days to look forward to.
We ambled through a peaceful garden and looked at the sculpture there....set in the centre of a pond with water lilies.....we must have been there for maybe a little over an hour.
When we came out of the Cathedral we were facing the Town Hall and another beautiful imposing building.
The tourist information office is there.
Tyler asked if we should get a map.
I told him that I preferred to follow my nose and discover things myself.
We never did get back to look at The Rows.
On our way back to the pick up point, Tyler wanted to go to Patisserie Valerie.
He asked if we had time for afternoon tea.
Alas we didn't....unless we wanted to have to do a bit of a gallop.
Tyler did call in at Patisserie Valerie....and with what was led of his money,he bought his mum a Raspberry tartlet...he also bought himself a slice of Raspberry and lemon cake.
We did a little bit of a walk along the walls.
My feet were very hot and they were aching a bit, so we sat by the Amphitheatre to watch for the coach coming.
I took my shoes off and rubbed my feet....when I turned round Tyler was hoeing into his cake.
A chap walked by smacking his lips.
I told him that he had no chance of getting even a crumb of cake.
Even I didn't get offered a bite.
The chap shouted to Tyler 'give your mum a bite'.
He thought it was hilarious that the man thought I was his mum.
I told him that Tyler's Mum was MY daughter.....but not to call me that G thing as I was only 14 in my head.
The guy laughed.
We chatted for a few minutes and he told me that they lived in Melbourne, were here for a family wedding but were making the most of this trip by visiting all the historical places....and they were loving it.
I wished him a good day and happy travels before he headed off down towards the river for a boat trip.
Minutes later, the coach arrived.
We got on board and settled down to the journey home.
In less than ten minutes Tyler was asleep and snoring.
The journey home was trouble free and we were home for 6.30...having had an absolutely brilliant day out.
Tyler presented his mum with her tart and said
'We could not take you to Patisserie Valerie, but we can bring a bit of Patisserie Valerie to you'
The End.
I hope you enjoyed your travels with us...and invite you to our next day trip.
York....22nd August.
He said he would like to visit the Cathedral.
I think that secretly he knew that was what I wanted him to say.
We headed off in the direction of the Cathedral.
The stone it is made from is very dark and it looks very gothic....medieval.
There were gargoyles and carved dragons and lots or ornate carvings adorned the outside of the building.
I wish the stones could speak and tell the stories of the centuries.
The site of the Cathedral has had a church on it since the tenth century.
The current Cathedral took over 300 years to complete.
Can you imagine working on a building like that....knowing that you were never going to be seeing the finished article?
That in itself is an act of faith.
When I go to these old churches I always ask if I am permitted to take photographs and I always try to be discreet.
I do not usually use flash...except if I am in part of the building where services are not being conducted...cloisters, crypts.
I always leave a donation to pay for the photographs I have taken.
When we were going into the Cathedral there were a couple of people behind us who were griping about the requests for donations.
'Jesus would be really impressed by how the Cathedral has commercialised itself....this is a place of worship....we should not be expected to pay' was a comment I heard them make.
I really wanted to ask them if they contributed to the collection plate when they worshipped in their own parish....but I had the feeling that they were not really churchgoers.
These historical places of worship have to have lights, heating and they need maintenance...none of which comes cheap.
If we want to keep on visiting them to marvel at their splendour, then we have to be prepared to put our hand in our pocket and give a little something.
Even Tyler put £2 of his spending money into the donation box...without being asked or prompted in any way.
The place is magnificent, but in a very understated way.
It does not really have the opulence of some cathedrals I have visited....but it has atmosphere.
It has beautiful architectural features.
The ceiling bosses, the ornately carve choir stalls.
The stunning stained glass windows...the colours are rich and vibrant....and the pictorial bible studies were how the lowly people related to religion in those dim and distant years.
We lit candles in the lady chapel....one for the repose of Ma...and one for m sister in law who is having chem right now.
Tyler lit a candle for his mum...and asked that she might have some better days to look forward to.
We ambled through a peaceful garden and looked at the sculpture there....set in the centre of a pond with water lilies.....we must have been there for maybe a little over an hour.
When we came out of the Cathedral we were facing the Town Hall and another beautiful imposing building.
The tourist information office is there.
Tyler asked if we should get a map.
I told him that I preferred to follow my nose and discover things myself.
We never did get back to look at The Rows.
On our way back to the pick up point, Tyler wanted to go to Patisserie Valerie.
He asked if we had time for afternoon tea.
Alas we didn't....unless we wanted to have to do a bit of a gallop.
Tyler did call in at Patisserie Valerie....and with what was led of his money,he bought his mum a Raspberry tartlet...he also bought himself a slice of Raspberry and lemon cake.
We did a little bit of a walk along the walls.
My feet were very hot and they were aching a bit, so we sat by the Amphitheatre to watch for the coach coming.
I took my shoes off and rubbed my feet....when I turned round Tyler was hoeing into his cake.
A chap walked by smacking his lips.
I told him that he had no chance of getting even a crumb of cake.
Even I didn't get offered a bite.
The chap shouted to Tyler 'give your mum a bite'.
He thought it was hilarious that the man thought I was his mum.
I told him that Tyler's Mum was MY daughter.....but not to call me that G thing as I was only 14 in my head.
The guy laughed.
We chatted for a few minutes and he told me that they lived in Melbourne, were here for a family wedding but were making the most of this trip by visiting all the historical places....and they were loving it.
I wished him a good day and happy travels before he headed off down towards the river for a boat trip.
Minutes later, the coach arrived.
We got on board and settled down to the journey home.
In less than ten minutes Tyler was asleep and snoring.
The journey home was trouble free and we were home for 6.30...having had an absolutely brilliant day out.
Tyler presented his mum with her tart and said
'We could not take you to Patisserie Valerie, but we can bring a bit of Patisserie Valerie to you'
The End.
I hope you enjoyed your travels with us...and invite you to our next day trip.
York....22nd August.