AS Ecofin got into full swing, German student Sonja Jtte, who is studying politics and economics at York University, went in search of a genuine Yorkie to see whether the city's welcome to its foreign guests was all that had been promised

Finding out how friendly York folk are to German tourists proved quite a challenge.

Not because the people I met as I wandered in a rather lost fashion around York's streets were unfriendly - but because none of them seemed to come from York. The city seemed awash with visitors.

I braced myself to put on my German accent, and, rehearsing in my head what I was going to say, I approached two guys strolling down Piccadilly.

I waved my map at them. "Excuse me, can you tell me....."

"Sorry, we're from Canada," I was interrupted by the taller of the two.

The roads were full - groups of people were swarming, armed with cameras and maps. The challenge was going to be finding a true Yorkie, I thought as I entered The Sweater Shop.

"Sprechen sie Deutsch?" The woman's look implied "sort of, but not really", but she was really helpful in showing me where I was on the map and directing me to Monkgate. She was from York, it's true, but she was in a shop.

Onward to fulfil my mission of finding a York person on the streets.

Heading for Monkgate, via the Fudge Kitchen to pick up more friendly directions and a bit of free fudge, I met another stranger who was didn't have a clue, and who wasn't a local.

Then, at last, success. The Big Issue Seller was from York. A friendly man who used sign language to show me the curved arches of Monk Bar, waving his pack of Issues around. I said my "zank yu" and moved on.

There it was. Monkgate loomed before me and before I knew it a tourist pressed a camera into my hand. "Can you take a photo?".

We tourists do have to stick together and I clicked a photo of him before heading back to Parliament Street.

The policewoman I met on the way didn't know a word of German, despite the fact that they were allegedly sent to "charm school", but I got directions anyway. "Go straight till you see a fountain and there you are."

The verdict: friendly people all around, although it seems most of the Yorkies have fled!

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.