Lions 10 Christians 0

Friday rolled around with no trouble in sight, after work I basically relaxed and watched Seinfeld with John, Craig and Marcus, into the early hours. I had half a plan to go out around York but it didn't really flesh out and I went to bed instead... Saturday brought the spectacle of the York Roman festival. York, being a historical city, likes to celebrate its past with various festivals throughout the year, one of the biggest being the Viking festival in February. Thousands of hairy bastards descend on York, take over the city centre and reenact battles in the museum gardens and end it all with boat burnings down the Ouse. It lasts for days; the streets are awash with rapine and pillage as York celebrates the Medieval equivalent of the modern day Hells Angels. Only without the Harley's.

Holy Shit!!! It's the Vikings!!! Run!!!

Not so the Romans. Roman reenactors are harder to come by. The York Roman Festival seemed to consist of six Romans, twelve Celts (who were in fact Viking reenactors press-ganged into Celtic service for the weekend) and three Germans selling overpriced garlic bread. Perhaps more people want to rape and pillage than learn how to march in formation and carry out sword drill. John seemed to enjoy himself, he would, he's a Romanist. I thought it was quaint. What I did like was when the very nice lady at the Roman Medical tent was giving us a talk on the various medical instruments the Romans used. She was talking for ages and we were just standing there nodding our heads and not saying anything. There were no pauses in her flow and I was wondering how long we could keep her standing there and talking, by us not interrupting. I know what it's like to talk to the public and when no-one asks questions you feel as though you have to keep talking even if you are running out of things to say. I was playing a game in my head to see if we could make her carry on talking for about three hours. Luckily for her there was a pause and someone said 'thank you, that was very interesting.' or some-such phrase which ended her talk. I was disappointed that it only lasted about ten minutes. Next time another opportunity like this occurs I'm going to time it properly.

John, enjoying the Romans, cos that's how he rolls...

On Sunday the Roman 'Festival' was concluded with the screening of the restored version of Spartacus. I've not seen this film since I was very young, but it's one of those films you see bits of but never manage to sit down and watch from beginning to end, so you feel as though you've seen it. What I can say is, is that that reissued version is brilliant. A real tribute to the brilliance that was Kubrick. Spartacus himself becomes very much a footnote to the power play and politics in Rome that was cut out of the original cinematic version. It's great, the bad guy, Crassus is actually working against corruption and trying to bring back the glory days of Rome, the seemingly sympathetic and helpful Roman Gracchus is completely corrupt and taking advantage of the rot that is infecting the civilisation. Nothing is black and white, not even in Ancient Rome... To end it all I'm still amazed that no one stood up at the end and shouted 'I'm Spartacus!'

Would the real Spartacus plaese stand up?