Cherishing Chester

Meeting over and heading North. I had suggested that since we were flying out of Manchester, that we should check out the area since this could be our last trip for a while. We chose Chester based on the recommendation of our coworker, Leon, since the city possesses the most complete circuit of Roman, Saxon and medieval city walls in Britain. We got there in time for dinner, and headed over to The Mill. The Mill was a hotel and spa, with a great restaurant next to a wonderful pub. It was casino night, and couples were enjoying their dinner on the canal barge that floated right by our seat. I had the onion soup, followed by their rib eye (garnished with South African gooseberries, yum). I had a Coach House Mill Premium Bitter, made especially for the restaurant, while Len had the Bradfield Sheffield Steelers in honor of the UK Steel City. I had the crème brulee for dessert. Everything was delicious. Afterwards we strolled along the canal over to the Old Harker’s Arms where we chatted while drinking a Phoenix Dry as a Desert (chosen in honor of my family’s trip last February). The place was nice and the weather was good, but we were both beat and turned in early.

The next morning we got up to explore Chester in the daylight. What a beautiful town! We went in through the clock tower gate, and found a nice café for breakfast. We then went for a walk around the city, on top of the wall. It was amazing, getting an opportunity to see the different views of the town. The walls had been there in some form or another since the Roman times. The town isn’t that large, so we were able to walk it in about 2 hours. We saw the cathedral, and took the tour. It was a festival day, and the place was abuzz with things for the kids to do. We saw the ancient Roman amphitheatre, and we saw some great pubs that would have fun to visit if it weren’t 9AM. We saw a pub that welcomed dogs, but forbid kids. We saw a recreated Roman garden, and the boats along the river. Chester has a horse track, and the grandstands reminded me of home here at Saratoga. As lunch approached, the town began to fill up and we knew it was time to get going to Liverpool. This was a nice stopping point and I was glad that I was able to see it, but I was starting to get REAL tired and was looking forward to getting home. - 5205

"Good people drink good beer." – Hunter S. Thompson