Chester, UK

I decided to spend the weekend in Chester last weekend (1 - 2 November). I heard it was a lovely Tudor town. In my mind, it was north of Manchester, so I could't figure out why websites often mentioned going into Northern Wales. I finally set myself straight - Chester is SW of Manchester and almost due south of Liverpool.

Part of the reason I chose Chester was because I wanted a small town that was easy to do in a day and a half, and because I had never been to this part of the UK before. Chester seemed to fit the bill.

Chester is best known for it's Tudor "Rows". "The Rows" are Tudor and Tudor styled (Victorian built) galleried buildings which are filled with shops. I'd read that there were a number of independently owned shops, but I found mostly high street shops that are found everywhere in the UK. The few independent shops I saw were good, though, and I confess, I left with 3 new pieces of jewelry.

My train didn't arrive until early afternoon, so I only had a few hours to wander the Rows before I my scheduled spa appointment. Three hours of quiet bliss! I had intended to go on the Ghost Walking tour, but 2 things prevented this: one, the location to meet the tour and pay was not where it had been advertised, and two, after 1 hour of a full body massage and 1 hour of reflexology, I was a puddle of goo. I ate dinner and slept well.

The next morning, I wandered down to the Roman amphitheatre, which was once 4 stories high and large enough to seat 70,000 people. It is only about 25% excavated. Next was a walk around Saint John the Baptist church - a lovely Norman Church, part of which is in ruins. One very interesting feature of the eastern ruins is a wood coffin set high in the stone walls, with the words Dust to dust written in it. I don't think it was ever used, but there doesn't seem to be any known reason why it was put there.

Next, a walk along the Walls. The Walls are the original walls of the old Roman city and are the most complete anywhere in the UK - about 2 miles of walls. I didn't walk the entire circumference, but enjoyed the views of the Welsh hills and the River Dee. Finally, a tour around Chester Cathedral, which used to be a monastry.

I continued to wander and then walked to the train station to go back to London.