.
aloft on a day with mostly random breezes. They didn't
have any luck as I walked by a couple of times.
Pre-Chester: Liverpool
[Web visitor #1: "I don't want your life story, gimme pictures!"
Me: "Ok- here you
go!"]
[Web visitor #2: "Actually, I clicked the Google link because I
thought this was an official site." Me: "Ahh then. Perhaps you
want to see the official site linked at the bottom of this page."]
In early September 2001, after some time on El Camino de Santiago, I caught a cheap £99 flight from Madrid to Liverpool. My eventual destination was to be Ireland which I would get to via the Holyhead ferry in Wales. I couldn't stay long however as the planets and stars were aligned against me since I happened to choose a weekend that was 1) the last bank holiday of the summer (for fellow Americans think of Labor Day weekend) and 2) an international Beatles festival celebration. Hotel rooms were nearly impossible to find. I was lucky my first night in the city as I found one room available; I asked them to book me two nights. A few hours after check in, I looked closer at my receipt and noticed it was only for one. I asked again for the second night- "Sorry- we're full." After multiple tries at multiple hotels to extend my stay further, I knew my time would be short. I was lucky to even get that one night.
For fellow Beatle fans, I was able to walk around Mathew St. and see the rebuilt Cavern Club from the street, but knowing it was rebuilt was a bit anti climactic so I didn't bother paying a cover just to look inside. It's kind of like when you see Roman ruins that were assembled from a jumble of stone bricks scattered about an archeological site- it's just not the same. There's a neat Beatles shop there with lots of memorabilia, pics of Ringo visiting, cancelled checks (or cheques) from Apple, etc. After walking around for the day, I saw the remake of Planet of the Apes and went back to the hotel to contemplate my destination for the next day since I couldn't stay.
While waiting at Barajas airport in Madrid for the late EasyJet flight to Liverpool, a woman told me that a really nice place to go in the area was Chester. I knew nothing of it but as I looked at the brochures for area destinations in the Liverpool tourism bureau, it looked like a great place to visit. So, in the morning I said goodbye to Liverpool and caught the train out of town. Chester isn't far, only about 20 miles from the Liverpool area, and when I got there I walked to the center of town and in to one of the tourist offices which is right next to the city hall building. Turns out rooms were nearly as impossible to find in Chester as it appeared the whole of NW England was here on holiday. The tourist office couldn't find anything either and I was back at the train station by 2PM to carry me further towards Holyhead when I started dialing numbers on the local accomodations listings sign outside the station building. Lucky for me, the very last B&B had a room about 1/2 mile from town and I was set for 2 nights.
I'm glad you asked. Chester is very tidy and a major tourist
destination. It is easily walkable and has great shopping and dining. I
did all three. As far as sights, there are Roman ruins, great Tudor
architecture, a picturesque river and a canal running through town, big
cathedral, a great wall circling most of the city which is a great walk-
it's a lot of fun. The Grosvenor family calls Chester home (Grosvenor
being one of the largest and most respected publishing houses in the
world how could I have been so wrong? Thanks Steve). One thing I missed and I am sorry I did is the Chester Zoo. I saw
the brochures and usually not that interested in zoos (I don't usually
like seeing animals in cages) but after I came back home I found it is the
largest in Britain and after checking out the zoo website, I believe it
would have been worth the visit. Ah well, another time.
PS: If there are any natives to Chester that find any inaccuracies in my descriptions, feel free to correct me.
| Click on thumbnailed images to enlarge | ||
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| Chester Town Hall. There is a history on this building at the Chester government site. | Central Chester is filled with Tudor architecture. There are actually very few authentic Tudor structures left due to fires over the years but the buildings are rebuilt in the original style. There are some originals and the open bus tour points out a few; they look older than the rest with some sagging timbers. | This is the main drag, Eastgate Street. It was packed since it was a holiday. |
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| The very ornate Eastgate Clock which celebrates 836 years of Queen Victoria's time on the throne. She has since retired to an isle in the West Indies with JFK and Elvis but still advises London on matters of the state from time to time. | Close up of the clock; it straddles a walkway along the old wall. | The River Dee. They have a nice half hour tour up the river and back which goes by a lot of great homes. |
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| One of those homes along the Dee. Imagine having a backyard like this. It's all very twee, no? | Bridge across the river. | There's a Roman amphitheater excavation in town. |
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| History behind the excavation for those interested. | Chester Cathedral; afraid I don't have a nice wide view shot but when you walk around it you notice it is built in the typical shape of a cross like many cathedrals of it's time. | After seeing loads of Spanish churches where they come down on you like a ton of bricks if you snap a photo, this was a relief- no one cares about taking interior shots. The choir beyond that middle gate is exquisitly carved. There was a rehearsal going on and the organist was playing some low notes that made your chest quiver in the intensity. Well, mine anyway. |
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| There is an old protective medieval wall around the city which you can walk much of. | A
father
and his son were repeatedly trying to get this kite aloft on a day with mostly random breezes. They didn't have any luck as I walked by a couple of times. | |
If you are interested in more information about Chester, visit the Chester
City Council tourism guide at:
http://www.chestercc.gov.uk/tourism/
Also, Chester.com has great tourism information:
http://www.chester.com
As does ChesterTourist.com:
http://www.chestertourist.com/
Chester Cathedral:
http://www.chestercathedral.org.uk/
Chester360 is a new and growing site for Chester tourism and commerce:
http://www.chester360.co.uk
Another Chester site:
http://www.cityofchester.org/
Comments: email me
| North Wales | Visit España |