Adventures In York, Chapter 5: Down in the Dungeons

We tromped off down the street. And up the street. And then back down another street. Finally arriving at the York Dungeon and two very long lines.

One line stated that it was for people who didn't have tickets yet. The other was for those who already had them. My brilliant deduction: We have York Passes, so we don't need tickets. So, we get in the que for the people who already have ticket. And we wait. And wait. And wait some more.

Then a bus arrives and all the people in the que climb on to the bus. That is when I realize we've been standing in the bus line the whole time. Jimbo laughed at me. Naturally that meant I had to cause him bodily harm in the form of a punch in the arm.

We then moved to the proper line, only to find out from the ghoulish tour guide (I'm not being mean, he was actually dressed like a ghoul. Or maybe a ghost. Little fuzzy on that.) that we were in the wrong que. Even though we had York Passes, we still had to go through the ticket line.

By this time, I think Jimbo wanted to punch me in the arm. But being a gentleman, he gallantly refrained.

After about 40 minutes of waiting, we were finally allowed into the dungeon. Which isn't really a dungeon at all. It's actually more of a haunted house sort of thing.

First stop is a "doctor's office" from the 14th century where an assistant dressed in a bloody smock with her face whited shares (in lovely, gory detail) the trials and tribulations of "the Plague". And just in case we don't get the picture, there's a fake body on the back table that appears to have been left in the middle of an autopsy. I think it's supposed to be funny, but I swear I started giggling.

Other stops along the way were a torture chamber, where the same ghoulish tour guide of earlier showed off his devices with great pride. Not to mention, described their effects in detail. A 16th century inn keeper told a delightful tale of hanging and revenge, naturally involving a ghost. And a judge accused one of the poor ladies of the tour of "witchcraft" and "dancing naked in the moonlight" (poor thing was scandalized), and then found one of the men guilty of something equally silly and sentenced him to clean all the toilets in all the pubs in York. Poor guy is probably still there.

So, the York Dungeons were a bit silly and cheesy, and while I strongly advise against visiting them if you are at all claustrophobic, they were good fun. Certainly a laugh.

After our "frightening" tour of the Dungeons, we decided it was time for tea...