Greg and his parents boarded a train at King's Cross (where Harry Potter boards the Hogwarts Express at plattform 93/4!) and headed north to York, home of the National Railway Museum and the gigantic York Minster (above), the largest church in Europe except for St. Peter's in Rome.

In the foreground of the picture is a section of the city walls that completely surround the heart of the city of York. Begun by the Romans, the walls were largely rebuilt by the Danes in the 800s A.D., and then by the British in the 1100s through the 1300s.

 
Below, Greg at the York train station, right next door to the Britain's National Railway Museum.
Above, Greg stops by "the yards" at the Railway Museum to say hello to a very old friend — Thomas the Tank Engine. Below, some of England's famous train engines, now in retirement at the Museum. The green engine, immediately below, is the legendary City of Truro, immortalized by the Rev. W. Awdry (among others) the author of the Thomas the Tank Engine books.
Above, straight out of Dickens, the part of York known as "the Shambles."











Right, Greg and his parents huddle under unbrellas as they stroll through this pcituresque part of town.










Below, after a nice lunch in a pub, we found our way out of the Shambles and explored the York Minster. It's so large — and beautiful — it staggers the imagination.