To me, the two main highlights during our stay in York were the visit to the York Brewery and the National Railway Museum. Although I must admit that all the other events that took place were highlights as well.

We visited both attractions on one day. First we went to the National Railway Museum. Numerous trains (steam trains, trains with electric and diesel engines, old trains, recent trains etc.), carriages and goods wagons were presented in two huge exhibition halls. Two of the most impressive trains were the world-famous Flying Scotsman, of course, and the first generation of Japan’s successful high-speed train, the Shinkansen. And not to be forgotten an ancient royal train: I have never seen carriages equipped in such a splendid and luxurious way. Unfortunately there was not enough time to explore everything in detail but one thing is for sure: I will go back!

The York Brewery we visited afterwards is a rather small one but definitely worth a visit. A guide explained in detail how the single beer types are brewed, which ingredients they use and why, and gave us a brief insight into the brewery’s history, too. This took only about half an hour, but the smell and vapour of beer within the whole brewery made me feel a little bit drunk even before we got our free beer. The Brewery’s pub was really cosy as its furniture and its design were more like that of a living room. So after the guided tour we sat down on sofas, drank a few pints and just enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. Getting up was the day’s only lowlight…