Random shots of the city of York

York sits at the junction of the river Foss and the mighty river Ouse. Ouse is pronounced like ooze, but oddly enough means "clear". The Ouse is anything but clear, but most of thick brown color comes from the surrounding soil, and not from the city.

Several bridges cross the Ouse, including this one which has nifty towers on the banks (now tea rooms). On the bridge you can see the emblem of York Minster, with the twin keys representing the keys to heaven and hell.

York Minster, shot from the city walls over the top of some houses. The Minster is the largest gothic cathedral in northern Europe, and was built on top of an old Saxon cathedral that was built on top of an old Roman fort, all of which you can see if you journey down into the vaults beneath the Minster. The top of the main tower was never finished because the foundations were starting to sink underneath the weight, but you can climb the tower and it provides a spectacular view of the whole city.

There is not too much of York's castle left. Clifford's Tower, the old keep, still sits above a parking lot.

In a park by the walls sits the old York Royal Observatory, once home to the world's largest reflecting telescope (Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin now has that honor).

In the same park as the observatory lie the remains of an old Abbey with nifty arches.

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