Whitby

The eager call of seagulls heralded our arrival to this picturesque little town by the sea. Whitby is located near the Yorkshire coast, nearby Ravenscar, Scarborough, Filey and Bridlington. 

One of the must sees here would be the Whitby Abbey. Located on top of a hill, the abbey looms up magnificent , and it doesn't take much imagination for you to see this splendid structure resplendent in its former glory. 

The Abbey's first Abbess was Lady Hilda, and is thus also known as St Hilda's Abbey. It fell to Viking attack in 1078, and although it was later reformed by a soldier monk, Reginfrith, the buiilding fell to ruins after an attack by King Henry VII in the year 1540. Today, the abbey remains a prominent landmark for the town of Whitby and has become a major tourist attraction. 

Look at the blue blue sky ! 

I think there was a stable nearby, so there were lots of these horses grazing in fields. There was this particular little pony which was really friendly and inquisitive. Ah, I wish I had a lump of sugar or an apple :( 

At the entrance of the Abbey's souvenir shop. There was a stained glass bookmark in there that I fell deeply in love with, but alas, it was way too expensive for a student. There were lots of Celtic crosses, little figurines, and even quills on sale there ! I could have spent all day browsing that place... 

I think this was St Mary's Church ... what drew my attention was the graveyard, at the top of a hill overlooking the sea ... this place had a very gothic feel about it. I could just imagine turbulent waves crashing in, and a dark, gloomy sky with streaks of lightning illuminating random headstones ... 

The view on the other side of the church ... breathtaking huh ? 

Whitby is also famous for its 199 steps, a flight of stairs leading up to St Mary's Church. I'm sorry there are no better pictures of this beautiful *torturous* place because I was so afraid of heights that I practically held my breath and counted step by painful step down with my eyes focused on the ground and nowhere else. As you can see from the picture, the view was actually magnificent so I kinda missed a lot. I was coerced into taking this picture by some friends, so I have to thank them for this slice of memory since I honestly can't remember much from this .... :( 

The view from the top of the steps ... 

Solid ground at last !! Narrow alleys, and quaint little shops dot the town of Whitby. There was lots to see here ... but probably that will come in the next post since I think you guys have had too much of looking at photos of me for one day  :)