Chester

English Version in the bottom half of the page

La ciudad de Chester, ubicada en el noroeste de Inglaterra, cerca de Liverpool y también Manchester, es uno de los rincones más pintorescos y bellos que puedes visitar en Inglaterra. Durante los casi tres años que llevo viviendo en este país y, tras haber visitado un gran número de ciudades, una gran parte de mi corazón se ha quedado en este pueblo en el que viví más de dos años. El destino me llevó hasta esta ciudad desconocida y allí mi vida se transformó completamente en todos los sentidos.

La segunda atracción más popular de Chester son los Rows o galerías que dividen en dos pisos la calle principal de la ciudad, donde se ubican tiendas y cafés en la parte inferior y superior. Estas galerías datan de inicios del siglo XIII y se puede acceder a ellas en diversos puntos del centro.

Una vez visitado el reloj y tras perderte un poco en los Rows y en las tiendas, llegas a uno de los puntos más conocidos y populares de la ciudad por ser punto de encuentro. Desde allí puedes ascender por la calle x y llegarás hasta el Town Hall (Ayuntamiento de Chester) ubicado a la izquierda y a la derecha encontraréis la imponente Catedral. La entrada a la catedral es gratuita y merece mucho la pena, sobre todo en época navideña cuando los diferentes colegios de la ciudad compiten mediante la colocación de árboles navideños rodeando el caustro. La Catedral de Chester está dedicada al culto anglicano y bajo la advocación de Jesucristo y la Virgen María y de estilo románico y gótico. En el interior se desarrollan diferentes exposiciones temporales, normalmente de arte comtemporáneo. Y como curiosidad, un proyecto de Lego, intentando construir una réplica de la Catedral de Chester con figuras de Lego, por una libra podías formar parte de la historia de la construcción de la Catedral en 350.000 piezas, que esperan construir en 30 meses con la ayuda de voluntarios. Es posible además subir a la torre de la Catedral, y creo que el precio ronda las 7 libras.

Si visitas Chester durante la primavera o el verano, podrás disfrutar de los jardines traseros y, para continuar tu visita te recomiendo que accedas a la muralla romana que rodea la ciudad. Mi recomendación es que te dirijas en dirección de nuevo al Estgate Clock ya que podrás visitar también otro de los puntos más bellos de la ciudad, el río, River Dee.

Según se extrae del blog 3viajes.com, una rareza de la iglesia es que los pilares, de la época normanda, estaban diseñados para que se inclinaran hacia afuera. En uno de ellos, junto al altar, se puede observar un fresco medieval de San Juan Bautista. El órgano fue utilizado en la coronación de la Reina Victoria y fue traído de Abadía de Westminster en octubre de 1838.

Y, junto a las ruinas de la primitiva catedral se encuentra, como decía anteriormente, el Grosvenor Park, un parque bastante grande por el que pasear o sentarse en la hierba a leer un buen libro. Por este entrañable lugar campan a sus anchas todo tipo de pájaros, patos, ardillas, etc. En uno de sus lados un mirador ofrece unas vistas del Río Dee y en el otro un pequeño lago rodeado por raíles de tren, se trata del Grovesnor Miniature Railway, un pequeño tren que da un ligero paseo por el lago.

Tras visitar el River Dee recomiendo que volváis a la muralla y sigáis recorriéndola hasta que lleguéis a la zona del Racecourse o Hipódromo de Chester, otro de los principales atractivos de la ciudad. Pero antes os cruzaréis con el Castillo, Chester Castle. Y, si queréis aprender un poco más de historia os recomiendo que visitéis Chester Museum ubicado en la calle x y de entrada gratuita.

Si viajáis a Chester no dudéis en seguir mis recomendaciones y así tendréis una visita bastante global de cómo es esta ciudad. Si además tenéis la oportunidad de acudir a uno de los eventos más importantes, ¡hacedlo sin duda! Me refiero a las Chester Races o carreras de caballos que se suceden en la ciudad entre los meses de abril/mayo y septiembre. Normalmente se celebran cada dos semanas y cada día está dedicado a algo diferente. El precio oscila entre las 10 y 100 libras.

The city of Chester, located in the northwest of England, near Liverpool and also Manchester, is one of the most picturesque and beautiful places you can visit in England. During the almost three years that I have lived in this country and, after visiting a large number of cities, a large part of my heart has remained in this town where I lived for more than two years. Fate led me to this unknown city and there my life was completely transformed in every way.

However, I am not here to tell you about my personal experience in this city, but some tips and details that should not go unnoticed if you ever have the opportunity to visit this English corner.

Chester is located 21.9 miles from Liverpool and 40.3 miles from Manchester. The best way to visit Chester from both points is by using the train, the round trip ticket from Liverpool you can get it for about 7 pounds once you buy it after the off peak period (around 9 in the morning), and from Manchester It ranges between 15-30 pounds round trip. Both airports are also well connected, I would opt for Manchester as the train arrives at the airport and the bus (National Express) costs around 11 pounds for each trip and takes about 50 minutes.

Chester is one of the best preserved walled cities in England and is known as the English Puerto Banus. It is characterized by very well preserved Victorian architecture in its main streets, one of which is the Eastgate Clock (the second most famous in England, after London) and probably the most famous monument in Chester.

The second most popular attraction in Chester are the Rows or galleries that divide the main street of the city into two floors, where shops and cafes are located at the bottom and top. These galleries date from the beginning of the 13th century and can be accessed at various points in the center.

Once you have visited the clock and lost a bit in the Rows and in the shops, you arrive at one of the most popular and popular spots in the city because it is a meeting point. From there you can go up the x street and you will reach the Town Hall (Chester Town Hall) located on the left and on the right you will find the imposing Cathedral. The entrance to the cathedral is free and worth it, especially at Christmas when the different schools of the city compete by placing Christmas trees surrounding the cause. The Cathedral of Chester is dedicated to the Anglican cult and under the invocation of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary and of Romanesque and Gothic style. In the interior different temporary exhibitions are developed, usually of contemporary art. And as a curiosity, a Lego project, trying to build a replica of the Cathedral of Chester with Lego figures, for one pound could be part of the history of the construction of the Cathedral in 350,000 pieces, which they hope to build in 30 months with the help from volunteers. It is also possible to climb the tower of the Cathedral, and I think the price is around 7 pounds.

If you visit Chester during the spring or summer, you can enjoy the back gardens and, to continue your visit I recommend that you access the Roman wall that surrounds the city. My recommendation is that you head back to the Estgate Clock, since you can also visit another of the most beautiful spots in the city, the river, River Dee.

Just before reaching the river, I recommend a brief stop to visit the Amphitheater. Chester makes immense display of his Roman past and, proof of this is the interest in maintaining and enhancing the legacy left after his passage through England in year x. Near the amphitheater and in the direction of Grosvenor Park, we find St John's Church (Church of San Juan Bautista). Next to it are the ruins of the primitive church, which was also the first Chester Cathedral. This building has a legend that tells that the King of Mercial, Aethelred, had a dream in which God told him to build a church in the place where he saw a white doe. A day of hunting appeared to him and in the year 689 he founded his church.

According to the blog 3viajes.com, a rarity of the church is that the pillars, from the Norman era, were designed to lean out. In one of them, next to the altar, you can see a medieval fresco of San Juan Bautista. The organ was used at the coronation of Queen Victoria and was brought from Westminster Abbey in October 1838.

And, next to the ruins of the primitive cathedral is, as I said before, the Grosvenor Park, a large enough park to walk around or sit on the grass to read a good book. For this endearing place all types of birds, ducks, squirrels, etc. On one of its sides a viewpoint offers views of the River Dee and on the other a small lake surrounded by train rails, it is the Grovesnor Miniature Railway, a small train that takes a slight walk on the lake.

After visiting the River Dee I recommend that you go back to the wall and keep going until you reach the area of ​​the Racecourse or Chester Racecourse, another of the main attractions of the city. But first you will come across the Castle, Chester Castle. And, if you want to learn a little more about history, I recommend you visit Chester Museum located on x street and free entrance.

If you travel to Chester do not hesitate to follow my recommendations and so you will have a fairly global visit of how is this city. If you also have the opportunity to attend one of the most important events, do it without a doubt! I mean the Chester Races or horse races that take place in the city between the months of April / May and September. They are usually held every two weeks and each day is dedicated to something different. The price ranges between 10 and 100 pounds.