Trips

Wed., 6/15/16 – Cheltenham to York
        Today was another day on the bus.  We passed through Conway, Wales and saw the Conway Castle that Marge and I had visited before.  It was another Edward I defensive building with not much more than towers and ramparts for the king’s army.  Conway is a seaside resort with many mobile home parks for vacationing families.
            On the way to York we stopped in Chester, England for two hours. 
            Liz took us on a quick tour, using the whispers.  We started at the Grosvenor Shopping Center, a modern three-story mall with all the usual brand name stores – and free WCs.  We walked Bridge St., a pedestrian street with second story shops called “the Rows.”  In Victorian time (19th c.), deliveries to shops came on the ground level where the muddy streets were full of horse dung and slop poured from the upper floors of living spaces.  The shops then were built on the level above the street and connected by a balcony walkway. 
            We walked up to the red sandstone cross at the town center.  Four Roman roads intersected here and led to the original four Roman gates.  The East Gate has a fancy clock and ironwork that was installed in 1899 in celebration of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee that was the year before. The magnificent Town Hall is now government offices and the tourist information center and across from it is the wonderful, huge, red sandstone Chester Cathedral.  It is gorgeous, like the cathedrals in Italy.  The organ has some 5,000 pipes and there are weekly organ recitals, but not while we were there.  There is a mix of modern and old stained glass windows and a fancy carved choir section.

From the bus - North Wales	From the bus - North Wales
Three Old Arches Considered to be the oldest surviving storefront in England	The Rows
The Rows	The Rows
Chester Cross - at the intersection of four Roman roads	Town Hall
Town Hall
Chester Cathedral	Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral	Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral	Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral	Chester Cathedral
Chester Cathedral	Chester Cathedral
We went up on the city wall and walked down to the East gate to see the East Gate Clock and then went on to the Roman ruins.  We looked down on the “largest and most elaborate Roman amphitheater in Britain” and then walked down to it.  Men dressed as gladiators were taking school classes through the paces of a Roman army.  Each kid had a shield and formed lines and then a phalanx.  It was quite cute and educational.  We also walked into the Roman Garden, which was once a Roman bath and palestra.	Street scene
Eastgate Clock	Kids practicing being gladiators at the old Roman amphitheater
Kids practicing being gladiators at the old Roman amphitheater
Roman Gardens	Roman Gardens
	Baths at the Roman Gardens

        We bought sandwiches, chips, and tea to eat for lunch on the bus and walked around the streets until our bus picked us up again.  Chester was a city/town with a lot of character.
        We arrived at the Park Inn Hotel in York.  Our rooms are small, like a Microtel in the US, but have been recently refurbished.
        Dinner tonight was a three-course meal in the hotel.  We had three choices of starter, main, and dessert.  It was slow, but very good. 

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