As it's Wednesday, it's Gallery Day. The theme from Sticky Fingers this week is The World Around Us. So which bit of the world do I show you? I'm not very well travelled, sadly, and both times I went abroad, I wasn't into photography. So it has to be somewhere in the UK. Where better to show you, than the area I live in. I live just outside Chester, which is an absolutely beautiful City (it's a City because it has a Cathederal). I hope you don't mind a bit of a history lesson too.
Chester is probably best known for it's shop front Tudor architecture. The main shopping area is like a double decker bus in that there are shops on top of shops at two levels, and they all have the gorgeous black and white tudor frontage.
One of the most photographed things in Chester is it's very ornate (and recently re-furbished) clock, which stands on top of a bridge going over the main street.
Chester became one of the main centres of the Roman Empire and it's recently thought to have been the home of the Roman Emperor and it still has the red stone city walls around it. You can walk around the city walls still. It is also home to the largest known military amphitheatre in Britain, which they are still excavating and have recently discovered that it is in fact much larger than they originally thought. You can walk down the amphitheatre steps and stand in the centre of it. A bit bizarre really especially when you think that gladiators would have fought to the death in there.
There is a beautiful park where you can spend hours wandering around and feed the very tame squirrels
and also take a boat along the River Dee.
The boat trip is a much slower pace to the hustle and bustle of the main street (I have 'played' with this shot to give it a different look)
And then there's the zoo. I love Chester Zoo and can spend hours there. So I thought I'd finish this gallery post with a few of my favourite friends at Chester Zoo. You can click the images to see them larger.
We love Chester and spent many a romatic weekend there before the children ere born and we have been saying that we must visit again with them.
ReplyDeleteWell if you ever get over this way again, give me a shout. :)
ReplyDeleteYou should work for the Chester tourist board! These are wonderful!!
ReplyDeleteOoh I love Chester! I've even been to the zoo (back in the dark and distant 1970s when zoos weren't so lovely). Fabulous photos as ever Mrs :)
ReplyDeleteAnglesey's not that far away. In fact, hubby was talking about going camping on Anglesey later this year. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, and I wish! I'd love to be able to earn some money from my photographs [sigh]
ReplyDeleteThey've spent quite a bit of money upgrading the zoo recently. My little one keeps asking to go again 'cos we've not been for a couple of years even though it's practically on the doorstep. And thanks :)
ReplyDeleteTotally love this post having been to Chester loads of times. It was my mum and dad's favourite haunt. Your photos are fabulous.
ReplyDeleteCJ xx
oh yay! I live near Chester too and I do love visiting, it's so gorgeous and your photos really show it at its best! Such a stunning place.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos as ever! I loved Chester - we visited a few times in the past when we had friends living in Shrewsbury and we used to call into Chester (is it on the way?!!can't remember now!). Anyway, when my son was 4 or 5 we were walking along with those beautiful Tudor shops as a backdrop, and we lost him for about 30 minutes in the crowds. It was awful and still makes me feel a chill. A lovely traffic warden heard me screaming out his name and ran to help, shouting to other startled pedestrians to look our for a little boy dressed in red shorts and striped t shirt...someone told us that they had seen a little boy dressed like than near the bank..we ran there in time to see a woman holding him..I grabbed him and she disappeared very quickly so to this day i don't know if he was being abducted or she was being a shy heroine. End of my memory of Chester!
ReplyDeleteThank you. Funnily enough, I don't actually go into Chester very often LOL
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
ReplyDeleteLOL bet the kids love chanting following the Roman Soldiers. I nearly died the first time I saw one wandering around when we first moved here.
ReplyDeleteOMG Diney! Sounds like it was a close call whether he was being abducted or not. Too scary to even think about. I'm glad you got him back safe.
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