York

By Luciana Gmez and Damin Traverso

York is a city located in northern England, in the state of Yorkshire two hours away from
London. It is one of the oldest cities in Great Britain and has a rich heritage available to all
visitors to enjoy.

History
York is one of the finest, oldest and most beautiful cities in England, with more than 2000
years of history. It has been called in different ways; it was first named Eboracum by the
Romans. When the Anglo-Saxons arrived from Germany and Denmark, they changed its
name to Eoforwick because they confused the meaning of the word Ebor which means
yew tree, with their own word Eofor, which means wild boar. Later on, when the Danes
captured the North, they made Eoforwick the capital of the Viking Kingdom of York, calling
it Jorvik. Nowadays, York combines all of the cultures that have passed through the years;
including Roman, Medieval, Georgian, Victorian and modern buildings.

Transport
York is an easy place to access as it is in the heart of England and, because of that, it has
many options to choose to get there. For example, you can travel using the rail networks
that connect York with London, Edinburgh or Manchester in just two hours. This way is the
cheapest and most used in this city.
Using the air lines is also easy because you have four international airports that connect
York with the most important cities in England and, furthermore, other countries.
There is a modern and affordable way to travel by car if you do not own one. This allows
people with empty seats have passengers that pay them a fee for a ride if they go to the
same place you do. It is called BlaBla Car.

Main attractions
Everyone who goes to York will be entertained for weeks because of the lot of things that
are available to visit and do, but will also get delighted by the antique and beautiful
castles, bars and old houses that are preserved even nowadays. There are also many other
attractions but the following are the most important.
For example, you can visit the York minster, which is one of the most magnificent
churches in the world. It is a masterpiece made of stained glass and stone.

You can also go to the Cliffords Tower which offers a very interesting and dramatic
story about Yorks beginnings. It is the largest part of the castle that remains as it was
burnt down and was the place where a mass suicide was committed.
If you visit York during the end of winter and the coming of spring you will be able to take
part in the Jorvik Vikings Festival, a nine day celebration of the Viking heritage. There you
can enjoy watching events based on ancient mythology like combats, crafts, lectures and
tours. Also, there is traditional music played and you can see some archaeological
discoveries. Moreover, you can also find a place called Jorvik Viking Centre in which is
represented the Vikings life; with a thousand year old houses, objects taken from
excavations and much more things to enrich your experience like audios, videos, etcetera.
Last but not least, you can see the Castle Museum where there are hundreds of years of
Yorks history. There is something for everyone; it has interactive galleries with historic
objects that make you feel like you are living in the past.

Climate
Because of its latitude, York is mild in winter and warm in summer due to the influence of
the North Atlantic; but the temperature varies everyday and it is usually lower at night. It
has a low rainfall compared to other areas of the west of England. Strong winds come
from the west of the city, particularly in winter.

Bibliography
Cliffords Tower; http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/cliffords-tower-york/
History; Why York is special; Ron Cooke; 2006. PDF
Jorvik Viking Festival; http://www.jorvik-viking-festival.co.uk/about/
Jorvik Viking Centre; http://jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/
Main attractions, transport, climate; http://www.yorkshire-england.co.uk/YorkCity.html
York Minster; https://www.yorkminster.org/home.html

See more at https://www.thinglink.com/scene/713037488901324800