Continuing on our travel journal we are still on Day Four, our first day in York. Again we packed in a lot on this day. Walking from the section of the city walls that we completed we found ourselves at the Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate that led us through the alleyway to The Shambles.
1-1/2 is a fun address to have.
By the time we got to The Shambles all the shops were closed and that meant fewer people. I’ll share this excerpt from the British Express;
The Shambles is often called Europe’s best-preserved medieval street, although the name is also used to collectively refer to the surrounding maze of narrow, twisting lanes and alleys as well. The street itself is mentioned in the Domesday Book, so we know that it has been in continuous existence for over 900 years.
There is some debate on whether Rowling was inspired by The Shambles for Diagon Alley but stores are taking advantage of the popularity of the series with store fronts and merchandise for Harry Potter fans.
The name “Shambles” comes from the Saxon “Fleshammels”, which means, “the street of the butchers”, for it was here that York’s butchers had their shops. Notice the wide window sills of the houses; the meat for sale was displayed here. Several former butcher shops still have hooks where meat was hung. 
We were happy to have seen the Shambles without it being overcrowded as in the photo below that I took from the hop on hop off bus on Tuesday afternoon.
From the Shambles we continued on along streets heading to the Cathedral and wondering where our next meal would be.
We spotted the cathedral off of High Petergate at the end of Minster Gate.
Adding to the history of York is the fact that Constantine the Great was proclaimed Roman Emperor here in 300
We tried a couple places along High Petergate to see if there was room for us for dinner to no avail so we went back to our hotel and regrouped at the House of Trembling Madness where we found a room to occupy and enjoy some food.
We were in the room you can peek into from the upper left window.
Our savory palette was satisfied and we finished off the evening at the Cellar in our hotel for a sweet and a toast to Laura’s grandmother, Wilma.
That was the end of our very full fourth day of travel and first day in York. Tuesday the plan was to tour the inside of York Minster and to attend Evensong there, also.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
Great trip photos. I love the medieval street images. Great family photo. Beautiful cathedral.
Take care, have a wonderful week!
…the architecture and narrow streets are intriguing.
Oh what fun! I would be like you…thankful that I’d arrived late at The Shambles if it meant less people. The contrast from your picture of Tuesday and then of the time you enjoyed there is quite the difference! I love being able to “journey” along with you because not only do I see beautiful pictures, but also I learn some more history! Thank you so much, Ellen, for sharing with us.
I love the family pictures and y’all celebrating!
Ah yes, The Shambles! We loved wandering around there. We did shop in The Shop Which Must Not Be Named and purchased a few items. Truly, York is one of those cities you can just wander around and love every view.
I was hoping for a photo of Constantine’s statue 🙂
It’s certainly a wonderful street filled with so much history. Glad you saw it when it was quiet. Often these special places are spoilt by too much tourism. B x
So many wonderful stops and photos! Nobody does place names like the British!
So so much fun! I’d way rather tour a street like that when the shops were closed — seeing all the history and architecture without the crowds and distractions of “stuff” . I don’t need to buy any of that.
So much history and beauty surrounds the wonderful York! It’s lovely to revisit with you today in a place that is extraordinaryly beautiful. Looking forward to your time in the Minster.
Fantastic post with the most beautiful photos. Where I grew up in the midlands, we had a place called The Shambles. I remember my mother taking me there as a child.