Thursday 14th September 2023
I love being able to walk around a city and see all sorts of characters. But I love the variety of building characters more than people. It's strange, in a way, because I can't remember much formal detail of architectural style and design, apart from Art Deco, Georgian and Gothic. But please don't quiz me on the last two, lol.
The form of buildings fill me with a strange excitement, even when I know that sometimes it's just a dramatic facade to an ordinary interior. But the details and precision of ancient buildings always impresses me. Someone had the idea in their head, told an architect or artist what they want, they design it and in come the artisans to build it. A century or two later, I'm gazing at the contents of someone's mind. I know it's obviously the richer folks' buildings that are holding my gaze but I still find it fascinating.
The city of York has some buildings that might cause people with obsessive disorders some nightmares. Buildings lean over, windows bulge, wood has swelled, windows have popped and the narrow streets are filled with gaping tourists like me. It's easier to imagine the bustle of a medieval city and the smells and sounds while standing in the middle of the Shambles area. Today's queues are not for food rations, catch of the day or Sunday roast joint but to get inside a ghost shop or Harry Potter stores.
The short alleyways between some of the streets remind me of how much taller as a species we are, possibly due to better quality nutrition and water. Signs remind me to 'mind your head' when entering small doorways and hallways. Buskers singing on corners gives the streets a lovely feel and I'm sure there were buskers performing here centuries ago too. It's fun to step back in time, then jump on a modern train and zip back across country while fiddling with my smart phone.
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