THURSDAY   
CHESTER

I said that there were advantages to heading down to Chester and one of them was having time to kill in the morning because we were further along than I had planned. I didn't really have any ideas about what to do in the morning so I figured visiting the city center of Chester would be a good idea.
Chester is a gem. The city center has all sorts of old buildings. Although, now that I look at the photo closely there is a year 1902 above some windows on this building, so maybe it was just a restoration built to look Tudor.
Chester Town Hall wasn't done in a Tudor style, which would look silly for a town hall, but is Gothic Revival. It opened in 1869.
The McDonalds next door is even newer.
Chester really is a cool looking city, with the blend of old and new, like the old (or old-looking) black and white buildings mixed with modern shops.
Chester was a walled city. Construction was begun by the Romans in the 1st century and continued by subsequent rulers until the 12th century. The clock on this section appears to be Victorian. The VR is a dead giveaway.
Getting to see the Chester Cathedral capped off a good unexpected morning. This isn't Gothic Revival, it's the real thing.
I can just picture monks walking down these cloisters.
It's a big cathedral with plenty of room to hold worshiping Chesterites. Chesterians? Or is it Chesterers?
The consistory court is the oldest complete example of an ecclesiastical courtroom in England.
The organist was practicing while we were there, giving us a great soundtrack to our visit. Click here for a little bit of organ music.
You can't beat a stained glass window. If you tried you may break it.
It's not unusual to be loved by anyone. Oops, sorry. Tom Jones kind of jumped into my head and it kind of got away from me. I meant to say that it's not unusual to find regimental flags hanging in churches.
The round arch of the north transept with the seven small arches over it is the oldest part of the cathedral, built around 1100. That's almost 400 years before Columbus landed in the New World.
The monks met here in the Chapter House each day to hear a chapter from the rules of St. Benedict. Under the floor were buried the Earls of Chester.
The window dates from 1872 and shows the history of the cathedral. Well, the history up until 1872 that is.
I'm sure there's some churchy term for this interior courtyard but if so I don't know what it is.

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