This week I went to the United Kingdom on a business trip. It was a good opportunity to experience more of England but it would have been better if Daniel and James could have come. Traveling isn't as much fun alone. Despite this, I did enjoy my trip and learned a lot.
I stayed in England, worked just inside the border of Wales, and on my way back stopped over in Dublin, Ireland. I even got to see more of Wales than I planned as I got lost driving around trying to find our manufacturing plant. (Incidentally, I learned that 'skgol' is school in Welsh and that 'll' is pronounced 'sthh'. So, now you know this trivia too.)
I arrived in Manchester on Monday (after a layover in London) and then drove to Chester where I stayed at the Crowne Plaza; a posh hotel in the center of the city. (In case anyone was wondering, by 'drove' I mean I got a taxi to take me. Although I learned a lot about British traffic conventions I'd be in real trouble if I tried them on my own.)
Chester is a pretty historic place. It is one of the only cities that still has an intact wall around it from the Roman Empire. I found this picture of what it used to look like.
Chester has a medieval cathedral, the Rows (an old shopping district), a Roman amphitheater, a castle, a famous old clock, ice caverns, and many other cool historic sites that I didn't learn about. The large square tower on the left of the above picture is the cathedral. My hotel was a block away from it in the middle of the city. Below is a picture of where I stayed.
It had a nice chandelier in the entrance with a mirrored wall that I thought was pretty.
After work on Wednesday I had a little time to explore and take some pictures. I got some really nice ones of the cathedral as the sun was setting. I really like the way it made the stones glow.
Below is a picture of 'The Rows'. I window shopped and enjoyed the detailed architecture. You can't see it very well in this picture but some of the white portions of the buildings have intricate etchings of flowers, crests, and the like. The many chimneys all over the city reminded me of Mary Poppins and I couldn't help having Chim-Chiminy Chim-Chiminy Chim-Chim-Cherooo stuck in my head. I almost expected to see chimney sweeps pop out singing and dancing. I know, I know....silly American.:)
This a door that I took a fancy too. I liked the iron worked hinges, the way the moss had grown, and the patina of the old gutter. It is obviously old but I couldn't tell if it is still used. It was on the side of a bank so I would guess not unless it's the secret entrance to the vault. 
Below is an old cottage home that wasn't far from the hotel. Although this isn't one of them, many of the buildings similar to this one along the city wall are built upon foundations that used to support the old Roman fort. A bay used to come all the way to that side of the city wall. I drove along Watergate street (where the bay used to be before it dried up) which leads to the original port entrance of the city. The bay wall still stands and it is amazing to see how modern life has adapted around it.
One of the toughest parts of this trip was not being able to contact or talk to Daniel as much as I would have liked. Happily I found some red telephone booths not far from the hotel and was able to call from there. It was a little pricey but completely worth it.
Below are my two best friends during this trip. Mr. Kleenex and Mr. Highland Springs Still Water. I caught a pretty vicious throat and nose cold from traveling and kept both these friends close at hand to stave it off.
It has been a full and tiring week. I'm glad to be home.
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