York, a Roman Fort, and Hadrian's Wall

Another fun and historic city we visited was York, founded in 71 AD by the Romans and capital of their Province Britinnia Inferior until 451. During the Roman rule Constantine the Great was crowned emperor in 306, during his reign he declared Christianity a legal religion in Rome. Then in 866 it was captured by the Vikings and finally incorporated into the Kingdom of England in 954. With this rich history it mind it was exciting to see the old and yet still vibrant city.

This is a picture of the York Minster, a beautiful Gothic cathedral, a very impressive place of worship. It was rather expensive to tour so Sarah got a quick picture of the interior to add to ours of the exterior.

After purchasing lunch from some local vendors we took a moment to relax on the grounds of the cathedral for some lunch. Nathanael had a great time running around on the lawn.

Below are a few street scenes of York where we saw outside vendors, fun shops and more.

A few times we saw street performers who were quite entertaining. This man was very entertaining as he juggled, swallowed a flaming sword, walked on his stilts blindfolded, and kept people laughing. Of course he expected some generous donations! I have a video of his but it was to long to upload.

The next few pictures are of us at the ruins of one of the many monasteries destroyed during the great Dissolution of the Monasteries during the reign of Henry VIII (look it up, it's a fascinating time of English history).

The next two pictures are of the interior of the west corner wall of the Roman fort at York. Then there are two pictures of us walking on the medieval wall that still surrounds most of the old city. It was a unique experience to stand where soldiers defended the city with bows and arrows.

Ruins of the Roman Fort and Town of Coria

Coria, or Corchester or Corbridge Roman Site as it is know today, was a Roman supply fort just south of Hadrian's Wall. Hadrian's Wall stretched across northern England and was ordered built by Emperor Hadrian as a defense against the Scottish who kept invading the Roman area of Britain. This wall is the northern border of the Roman Empire and was abandoned by the Romans in 451 AD. Below are two pictures of the remains of the fort and town, and then three of Hadrian's Wall.

This is a picture of Nathanael as he approaches one of the many towers along the wall.