2:14 p.m. 05 November 2002
So. Friday we left for York right after work. Our train was really late, and they didn't have the bagels I wanted at the bagel place, thus forcing me to eat fries and a burger king veggie burger (tyranny, I tell you!), but we still made it to the hostel in York just fine -- if a little tired.
There weren't many people at all in our room, which was good, but apprarently one of them was "mad" -- when I woke up in the morning to go for a walk while Carrie was still in bed I talked to the manager for a little while, who told me "Oh, there'll only be two left up there now, Sarah (Carrie) and Jeanne -- who's mad." We never saw Jeanne do any mad things, though, so maybe it was a quiet, understated kind of madness.
We walked around York in the morning, and I loved it much more than last time. There was a band of old men playing "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend," among other contemporary hits, outside the cathedral, and a street pianist! He played not only Rhapsody in Blue but another rhapsody as well...Bohemian Rhapsody! I loved it so much I gave him a whole pound. I've never seen a street pianist before. I would like to see more of them.
We met Mia, bought some gifts, and had some hot chocolate/coffee at this tearoom called "Beams," which is notable for its 13th century ceiling beams. And also for the really weird tinkling bell renditions of Abba's greatest hits that comprise the soundtrack.
Then it was time to get on the bus to Whitby, which is where we'd decided to go. Whitby is notable not only for being a lovely Yorkshire coast town, but for being the place where Bram Stoker composed Dracula, and where a lot of the important bits are set at Whitby Abbey. I have to say that Dracula is not my favorite vampire book, but Whitby is definitely my favorite Dracula-composing town. I loved it.
We ate fish and chips first (it was an arduous bus ride over) and then began the day-long process of Being-absolutely-in-love-with-all-the-gorgeous-Goths. At least, I began that day-long process. I don't think Mia and Carrie were as in love as I was. They may not, in fact, have been love at all. But my god, I was! There were so many beautiful people -- with amazing costumes -- there. It was probably the very best time of the year to see beautiful goths in whitby, because it was halloween weekend, and I'm so glad I saw them.
They were all the kind of goth I love most, of course -- the vampiry, elaborate historical costume-y, makeup-y kind, and god were they elaborate! So many top hats! So many long victorian skirts! There was one couple wearing the exact same shade of lipstick, he in top hat, she in fishtail skirt and lacey sleeves, and one woman dressed so beautifully as Lucy from the novel. Oh, god. I can't express how much I loved them. I was overcome with love. I bought a goth-y skirt of my own at the one goth-clothing store there and promptly changed into it.
The abbey itself we arrived at too late to see, but we walked around it. It was very cool. Mia is right. It seems angry. Brooding, I guess, is the word one uses to describe it. It's a hard place. the holiness of some other ruins isn't there. The ocean is wonderful, too, though not quite as moving as Whitesands Bay in Wales was, probably because there's more town. (Whitby is quite big, for a small town.)
I want to go back some time when I can see more. It started raining right at the end of our being there, and we went into a pub for a little and caught the bus back to Pickering, which really is tiny, to try and catch a cab back to Mia's place of work, a bed and breakfast called The Grange, which is in Lastingham, which is even more tiny.
The cab didn't come for a while, so we had a few more pints, and then went to MIa's, where we met the INCREDIBLY nice and generous people who run the bed and breakfast, who informed us we'd be staying in an actualy room, not on Mia's floor, and were INCREDIBLY nice --as they were in every interaction we had with them. I was truly embarrassed by their generosity.
We went down to Mia's local pub, had a few more pints, met Paul, the weird chef, and went to bed.
In the morning, Mia took us out onto the moors, and we walked about seven miles. It was lovely and we saw a Viking cross, and the oldest intact church crypt in England, which was very moving. I do love the moors. They seem to go on forever even when they do not. They are a very lonely place, but lonely in the right way.
We came back, I changed because I'd fallen down in the mud, the Woods were once again INCREDIBLY nice and gave is this wonderful lunch and talked to us and were -- can I repeat INCREDIBLY generous, and we said goodbye to Mia and were driven back into town by Mrs. Wood and Birdie her son and got on the train.
If you're looking to stay anywhere near the North York Moors, stay in Lastingham, at the Grange. It not only is a wonderful bed and breakfast, it is run by the Woods. Who, as you know, are INCREDIBLY incredible.
We took the train back into York, shopped a little more (I got a graphic novel of Tale of the Body Theif of all things. Only £3. It was like coming home to an old friend. A good weekend for vampires.) and got on the train back to London.
On the way there, we learned that Megan was currently hanging out outside the Harry Potter premiere, so we hurried over there. It was very exciting, and I kept squeaking because I would think of possibly maybe seeeing or being in close proximity to Alan Rickman. We didn't, alas, see him. But we were near where he was, which is more than I've ever been before. Everyone left the premiere in these cars with tinted windows -- you couldn't really see anything at all. But we were there, man!
Then we went to go see some improv comedy, which was great, especialy when they did a musical gangster love story in French (which they did not, mostly, speak), went to a mexican restaurant, made plans with Megan, and went home.
Yesterday Carrie and I saw "28 Days Later," which is not as scary as you might think -- more sad -- and which had a different Lord of the Rings preview before it, so was a worthwhile experience. And today we're seeing Electric Soft Parade (about whom I confess to knowing nothing.
And this is a very listy entry. Remember these things though:
Vampries are wonderful.
So are people dressed like vampires.
And so is Alan Rickman. Thank you
So. Friday we left for York right after work. Our train was really late, and they didn't have the bagels I wanted at the bagel place, thus forcing me to eat fries and a burger king veggie burger (tyranny, I tell you!), but we still made it to the hostel in York just fine -- if a little tired.
There weren't many people at all in our room, which was good, but apprarently one of them was "mad" -- when I woke up in the morning to go for a walk while Carrie was still in bed I talked to the manager for a little while, who told me "Oh, there'll only be two left up there now, Sarah (Carrie) and Jeanne -- who's mad." We never saw Jeanne do any mad things, though, so maybe it was a quiet, understated kind of madness.
We walked around York in the morning, and I loved it much more than last time. There was a band of old men playing "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend," among other contemporary hits, outside the cathedral, and a street pianist! He played not only Rhapsody in Blue but another rhapsody as well...Bohemian Rhapsody! I loved it so much I gave him a whole pound. I've never seen a street pianist before. I would like to see more of them.
We met Mia, bought some gifts, and had some hot chocolate/coffee at this tearoom called "Beams," which is notable for its 13th century ceiling beams. And also for the really weird tinkling bell renditions of Abba's greatest hits that comprise the soundtrack.
Then it was time to get on the bus to Whitby, which is where we'd decided to go. Whitby is notable not only for being a lovely Yorkshire coast town, but for being the place where Bram Stoker composed Dracula, and where a lot of the important bits are set at Whitby Abbey. I have to say that Dracula is not my favorite vampire book, but Whitby is definitely my favorite Dracula-composing town. I loved it.
We ate fish and chips first (it was an arduous bus ride over) and then began the day-long process of Being-absolutely-in-love-with-all-the-gorgeous-Goths. At least, I began that day-long process. I don't think Mia and Carrie were as in love as I was. They may not, in fact, have been love at all. But my god, I was! There were so many beautiful people -- with amazing costumes -- there. It was probably the very best time of the year to see beautiful goths in whitby, because it was halloween weekend, and I'm so glad I saw them.
They were all the kind of goth I love most, of course -- the vampiry, elaborate historical costume-y, makeup-y kind, and god were they elaborate! So many top hats! So many long victorian skirts! There was one couple wearing the exact same shade of lipstick, he in top hat, she in fishtail skirt and lacey sleeves, and one woman dressed so beautifully as Lucy from the novel. Oh, god. I can't express how much I loved them. I was overcome with love. I bought a goth-y skirt of my own at the one goth-clothing store there and promptly changed into it.
The abbey itself we arrived at too late to see, but we walked around it. It was very cool. Mia is right. It seems angry. Brooding, I guess, is the word one uses to describe it. It's a hard place. the holiness of some other ruins isn't there. The ocean is wonderful, too, though not quite as moving as Whitesands Bay in Wales was, probably because there's more town. (Whitby is quite big, for a small town.)
I want to go back some time when I can see more. It started raining right at the end of our being there, and we went into a pub for a little and caught the bus back to Pickering, which really is tiny, to try and catch a cab back to Mia's place of work, a bed and breakfast called The Grange, which is in Lastingham, which is even more tiny.
The cab didn't come for a while, so we had a few more pints, and then went to MIa's, where we met the INCREDIBLY nice and generous people who run the bed and breakfast, who informed us we'd be staying in an actualy room, not on Mia's floor, and were INCREDIBLY nice --as they were in every interaction we had with them. I was truly embarrassed by their generosity.
We went down to Mia's local pub, had a few more pints, met Paul, the weird chef, and went to bed.
In the morning, Mia took us out onto the moors, and we walked about seven miles. It was lovely and we saw a Viking cross, and the oldest intact church crypt in England, which was very moving. I do love the moors. They seem to go on forever even when they do not. They are a very lonely place, but lonely in the right way.
We came back, I changed because I'd fallen down in the mud, the Woods were once again INCREDIBLY nice and gave is this wonderful lunch and talked to us and were -- can I repeat INCREDIBLY generous, and we said goodbye to Mia and were driven back into town by Mrs. Wood and Birdie her son and got on the train.
If you're looking to stay anywhere near the North York Moors, stay in Lastingham, at the Grange. It not only is a wonderful bed and breakfast, it is run by the Woods. Who, as you know, are INCREDIBLY incredible.
We took the train back into York, shopped a little more (I got a graphic novel of Tale of the Body Theif of all things. Only £3. It was like coming home to an old friend. A good weekend for vampires.) and got on the train back to London.
On the way there, we learned that Megan was currently hanging out outside the Harry Potter premiere, so we hurried over there. It was very exciting, and I kept squeaking because I would think of possibly maybe seeeing or being in close proximity to Alan Rickman. We didn't, alas, see him. But we were near where he was, which is more than I've ever been before. Everyone left the premiere in these cars with tinted windows -- you couldn't really see anything at all. But we were there, man!
Then we went to go see some improv comedy, which was great, especialy when they did a musical gangster love story in French (which they did not, mostly, speak), went to a mexican restaurant, made plans with Megan, and went home.
Yesterday Carrie and I saw "28 Days Later," which is not as scary as you might think -- more sad -- and which had a different Lord of the Rings preview before it, so was a worthwhile experience. And today we're seeing Electric Soft Parade (about whom I confess to knowing nothing.
And this is a very listy entry. Remember these things though:
Vampries are wonderful.
So are people dressed like vampires.
And so is Alan Rickman. Thank you
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