Never Trust a Train Station

Because looks might be deceiving.

When I first arrived in England and was on my way from Manchester to my workplace, I had to change trains in Chester. I assumed that Chester might be a smaller spin-off of Manchester, hence the name. Having only seen the inconspicuous train station, I decided not to visit Chester in the upcoming weeks.

Luckily, I'm flexible and talk to people and was soon told that Chester had indeed very much to offer, especially a large zoo. That is the only thing I missed out on though as I was too busy falling for this city!

The atmosphere in Chester is very unique as are many of its Victorian buildings and medieval relics, first and foremost the city walls surrounding the complete centre. You can take long walks upon them, circling the beautiful central streets, large green spaces, churches and the castle, partly accompanied by the river Dee or the canal. You'll discover hidden restaurants and bars, small shops and lovingly arranged private gardens.

Black-and-white buildings, cobbled streets and the so-called Rows, yet another of Chester's hallmarks, characterise the actual town centre. The Rows date back to medieval times and are unique in Britain. They are essentially shops on two levels: the lower ones a bit below street level while the upper ones can be reached via stairs leading to continuous walkways.

Despite being such a small town, Chester offers excellent shopping, eating and leisure opportunities in a well-kept medieval ambience and therefore receives the infamous Dominique Award For Achievements In Outstanding Likeability.

Enjoy some photos in this slideshow: