Wow! Our fifth wedding anniversary on Sunday Fifteenth Feb (2009).

Off we went to York and stayed over at the beautiful Parsonage Hotel.

The Parsonage

The Parsonage

Really nice place. Obviously at this time of year the scenery was a little lacking but all in all a great little retreat. Drunk some wine and had food, watched TV and all the usual hotel room stuff.

Phil & Carol

Phil & Carol

After spending so many years in hotels in Dubai, Thailand and other parts of the world, I had forgotten how beautiful a hotel can actually be. When compared with some of the overgrown pompous monstrosities of today. Not that I don’t enjoy that too but let’s just say it was a refreshing change.

Of course I was very, very drunk...

Of course I was very, very drunk...

Slightly disappointed at the lack of mini-bar but probably just as well as you can see by the picture. Hehe.

One of the added bonuses (for me) of this particular hotel was the fact that it is so close to Elvington Air Museum. Last time we planned a trip there, it was cancelled due to bad weather. This time, after a short fifteen minute drive we were there.

It was COLD!

It would have been great to spend hours wandering around but in all honesty the weather was not inviting a comfortable day and many of the aircraft on display were packed away in hangers. The big Halifax bomber was almost hidden by various other craft scattered around it. Although, it is so huge that the cockpit was easily visible above everything else.

Here is a Victor K1 which is outside. Enormous!

Victor Bomber

Victor Bomber

And a lovely Gloster Meteor.

Gloster Meteor

Gloster Meteor

Finally the Spitfire. Although I think this may well be a replica.

Spitfire (replica)

Spitfire (replica)

We didn’t stay long. Managed to walk around the whole show in about an hour. There were some really interesting displays inside but believe it or not the inside was actually colder than outside.

So we decided to head home. And after thirty minutes of driving around people who’s indicators don’t work (must be a general failing of indicator systems this year I think), we’re back.

Nice.