Sunday, December 27, 2009

York Minster and Cliffords Tower



Not many of my interior photos of York Minster were good, due to the subdued lighting, cold hands, and no tripod, but it’s a beautiful and spectacular place.


York Minster.


The pulpit in York Minster.


Of the many sculptures in York Minster, my favorite was one of several Arch Bishops, laying in eternal marble repose. The sheet must have slipped off the model’s shoe before the sculpture could stop chiseling. It’s hard to redo these things, I suppose. All kidding aside, I love this little touch of accidental carelessness frozen in marble. Genius.


Robin studies The Semaphore Saints, a series of headless saints holding signal paddles.


The Semaphore Saints



The Goose clan prepares to cross the street again to Cliffords Tower. I wondered why the geese were hanging out at Cliffords Tower. Then we realized they’re feasting on the green ground cover. And then we realized the stairs to the tower and the platform at the top is covered with goose poop.


The hillside is a tasty treat for the geese.


This plaque is at the base of hill of Cliffords Tower. The tower is what remains of the Royal Castle referred to on the plaque.


This plaque is on a wall in York Minster. If you’re ever given the job of writing something honorific for someone and don’t know what to say, just use the last 14 lines of this.


This is another plaque in York Minster.
Rule Number One:
Text set in all caps (capital letters) is more difficult to read than caps and lower case.
Rule Number Two:
An Old English font (sometimes called Blackletter) set in all caps is almost impossible to read. If anyone actually takes the time to read this, let me know what it says.