York

Picture narrow, cobblestoned streets; tiny shops selling anything from vintage linen to antique maps, old-fashioned chocolate to Beatrix Potter merchandise; museums aplenty (one featuring a re-creation of a cobbled Victorian high street, another an underground Viking city, and yet another anything you'd ever want to know, and decidedly more, on railways and rolling stock). Of course, we mustn't forget one of the greatest cathedrals in the world, York Minster (sorry, no photography permitted inside) or the high 13th- and 14th-century walls surrounding the city.

We visited in October 2002 and as you can see from our outerwear it was cool and threatened to rain all day - not unusual for England. Luckily the heavens opened up late in the day, just as we finished our sightseeing. We quickly found an Italian restaurant and tucked in to pasta and garlic bread. For once, Kassie ate like one famished.

Not to be missed: the Minster, the Treasurer's House, the walk along the city walls, including its four gates, and the Shambles, an ancient street dating from before the Norman Conquest. Don't bypass the Starbucks cafes - you'll understand why when you sample a typical brew of English coffee.

Date of Our Last Visit: October 2002