Several weeks back I visited the city of Chester.  About 2 1/2 hours from here, east and south of Liverpool, Chester is a walled city that dates back to the Roman era.   The amphitheatre is one of the largest outside of Rome.  Another great landmark of Chester is its cathedral.  Smaller and a bit more intimate than York (I think), Chester is a wonderful city.

The cathedral at Chester has become my favorite.  The red hue of the stone casts an air of humility and simplicity that is in direct opposition to the majesty of this house of worship.  

As in York, the wall around the city can be walked.  It takes about 40-50 minutes, York took 90.  This is a view of the roman garden ruins.

Just inside the city wall, I thought this would be a nice place to live, just in the shadow of the cathedral.

Double click on this picture and see if you can read the inscription just above the coat of arms.  It's the perfect example of what a bad day can be.

There's a canal that runs across the north end of town.  Still operational (as most of them are), the locks interested me because they are all manual, self service, and the heavy lock gates are perfectly balanced so once you get them moving, you can keep them moving with one hand.

Lot's of shopping in Chester, and lots of people.  The store fronts have a minimum of 2 levels for shops.

This is Chester at 6:30 am on a sunday morning.  I was the only one up and about.

Several buildings in Chester are of the 'Tudor' style.  These are the real thing!

This is a detail of the building above; there were several carvings like this just about every 10 feet or so.

Just a short ride from here is the village of Cartmel.  It is noted for its Priory, which dates back to the 12th century.  Cartmel is a lovely village, quiet and yet awesome in its rich historical heritage. 

Just outside of town, it get pastoral and sparsely populated very quickly.

A view from the town's outskirts.

Looking back at the Priory from the center of town.