Chester and Family

Footpath between hedges, with stile and arrow

"Hanging the light" project

An easy train ride took us to Chester, and Abi met us at the train station. Then it was just a ten-minute walk to their cute apartment in Houle, a neighborhood just across the bridge from the City Centre. We had a delightful time there. Chester is another one of those cities with a wall all the way around that you can walk. The first afternoon there we enjoyed that walk with Abi, while John was still at work. We had lunch at a coffee shop near the wall, and I finally had my cheese and chutney sandwich.

At the Fox in Ysceilfiog, John's hometown

We had a traditional dinner that first night at Old Harker's Pub, of course preceded by some good cask ale. I had steak pie with nice flaky crust, and David had lamb shoulder. And of course, "pudding", which seems to cover all desserts, as well as the flaky pastry they call Yorkshire pudding. (I am just trying to make excuses for the pounds I have added while on vacation. As David says, "There is more of me to love.") We have eaten very well on this trip. We have also walked and hiked a lot, but it does not undo all the fine eating. I have talked about the "full English breakfast." There is also the Irish and Welsh versions, which add black pudding (a type of sausage made with some unusual animal products). I am sure they were designed to keep the farmers going till tea time, in the cold, wet weather. We still eat lunch after these big breakfasts!

Abi and John are creating a cozy apartment. They had just bought a sofa bed, so they were ready to receive their first overnight guests. They had good coffee for us, and a comfortable bed, so they were great hosts. Of course, David had to help with a project the very first morning. Then John took  us to the Welsh village he grew up in, about 30 minutes away, Ysceilfiog (pronounced us-KAY-viog). What a wonderful day in the country! We met up with his father, Paul, and took a hike in the country, down one of the glorious footpaths. Of course, we ended the hike with a real ale at the village pub, the Fox.

Then we went to a pet cemetery for Welsh Tea near Holywell. This included Welsh Rarebit, Coronation Chicken sandwiches, scone with clotted cream and jam, and Bara Brith, all piled onto three-tier china trays. Amazing food. After we stuffed ourselves, we strolled through the cemetery, truly amazed at the fancy tombstones and flowers for the beloved pets.

Back in Chester, we rested a bit before we walked through the High Street in Chester, and went to one of the oldest pubs in Chester, the The Brewery Tap Ale House, where we had cask ale from the Ironbridge Brewery and Northgate Ale. Then of course, more amazing food at a Turkish restaurant near Abi and John's apartment. After dinner, David and I played backgammon on the magnetic set we bought for traveling, and also taught Abi and John to play. Besides playing backgammon, we have read some good books during our travels. The next day we headed to Warwick on the train.