I'm like a gypsy who moves from place to place, firstly Liverpool and then down to Chester! I never knew that Merseyrail's Wirral line terminated at Chester, making my way to Chester was effortless as James Street station offered me a direct route from Liverpool's city centre! I was ready to be amazed by Chester and to see the border with Wales because I never knew it was so close to this border city. Chester's cool, it's quite like a northern Stratford-Upon-Avon!
Bang on 11 am I rolled into Chester, after my short walk from the city's train station I was greeted by the Eastgate Clock Tower that I loved instantly! Dating back to 1897 had I walked in to a Medieval settlement rather than a 21st century city? I had stepped back in time during my Liverpudlian experience but Chester took me further back into history, I was in a completely different 1800's! Needless to say I had just left the bustling city of Liverpool behind me to find an equally lively Chester going about its business, the build up to Christmas was in full swing for sure! I had been to other parts of Cheshire before but I had never heard of Chester until my Liverpudlian trip took a different turn, I know this wind of change brought me to Chester! It's really easy to reach Chester, just catch a Merseyrail train from one of Liverpool's city center train stations to be greeted by Chester's Medieval and Victorian buildings that are very easy on the eye!
Chester has so much to offer, I couldn't get over the original architecture and features for they were like something out of a history book, or a lesson I took at school about Medieval England. Keeping to the city center I stumbled upon Westgate Street where I saw many delights. Westgate Street offers some of Chester's best shopping hot-spots, my whistle stop trip didn't allow for any purchases I did see many top brands such as The White Company and Barbour. Independent shops were plentiful with a wide range of price brackets carefully considered. Going hungry in this part of town would have been impossible for the wide range of cafes and restaurants broke away from the usual high street chains that shall not be named. Nonetheless, Chester's city center core is beautiful for I had only ever seen such a history before in William Shakespeare's home, Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Chester had a vibe that took me back to my days as a Walt Disney World Cast Member, I saw some striking similarities standing before me. If you have ever been to the UK Pavilion at Epcot's World Showcase then I think you should take a second look at Chester's Abbey Square! The photo captured on the right took me right back to the Rose and Crown themed part of Disney's World Showcase! So, was Chester the blueprint for Disney's UK showcase pavilion? I would like to know just that! Aside from the magical exteriors I loved the personality and class that Chester's side streets inhabited, there was a rich and tasteful chocolate box feeling for sure!
Chester's Medieval charms go further than being a replica of Disney's Epcot they simply paint the perfect picture of this city's past. The November afternoon that I spent in Chester wasn't too cold for I was on hot pursuit of all the delights that this city had to offer me, time waits for no one and I certainly wasn't expecting this city to wait for me! Armed with my iPhone and a sense of adventure I wanted to get an idea of what this Roman inspired city was all about. I generally have high standards when it comes to capturing a photo but I had to rely on my iPhone to produce the picture perfect, I'm pleased to say that the atmosphere of Chester's Abbey Square has hopefully being encapsulated within my photos for the streets were filled with eager shoppers and tourists going about their business in quite a hurried fashion! But I'm not going to be bitter about my hectic photographic task because I was loving what I saw, for Chester is definitely a city that has heaps of talent!
After visiting Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral the previous day I wasn't expecting for my eyes to met with another spectacularly looking cathedral. Chester Cathedral stood opposite the quaint chocolate box shops overlooking Abbey Square so I was in my element snapping away with my mobile camera. I'm not a religious soul but I love visiting places of worship because they also have many stories to tell about the place they have stood in since its construction, yes bricks and mortar really have personalities of their own! I did see street guides passing by the cathedral informing eager tourists about the delights of Chester's yesteryear's, but I'm an independent traveler so I made my own way around the cathedral grounds. You would of thought I might of been tired seeing such similar points of interest during this late stage of my North West English trip but I was merely getting started!
Lunch simply wasn't on my radar because I wanted to see as much of Chester in one afternoon for my train back to Birmingham would be departing from Liverpool's Lime Street Station in only a matter of hours. The early feelings of Christmas spirit could be felt on every street that I walked through during my afternoon in Chester, the shoppers were out in their hundreds to find the perfect gift so I could only imagine what the following weeks closer to Christmas will be like! I had already seen so much of Chester right from the very moment my Merseyrail train service terminated at Chester's train station I had a feeling that this city would show me something special. From the Clock Tower to the chocolate box Victorian architecture I was very impressed at what sort of city Chester was prevailing to be.
