This weekend my dad turned 60 and so he, my sister and I went to the beautiful historic town of Chester – and I fell in love with yet another British town!
It has been quite some time since I’ve been away for the weekend – September last year to be exact. As Spring appears though we all get a little more outdoorsy, and we were so lucky with the weather! We spent half of our time outside, wandering round the city walls, the rivers and canals; and the other half of the time was spent in the museums and historical experiences. (My perfect weekend!)
The city walls and amphitheatre are excellently preserved and the centre of the town has the most beautiful timber buildings – you can really tell this city was built up on top and around itself many times throughout history in a way that builds on the previous structures and enhances them. Everything is fairly close together (all within a 15 minute walk) so it really makes you feel like you’re walking through time.
We decided to get a double ticket to the Deva Roman Experience and Sick to Death (a museum of medicine). Both of them were super interactive experiences, the former of which was run by live actors who explained the Romans’ travel patterns and lifestyle (with a lot of audience participation). Unfortunately photos weren’t allowed except for at the end, but it was a fantastic and hilarious experience I’d highly recommend.
It’s also definitely worth getting the value of the dual ticket with Sick to Death – it takes you through all the history of medicine from quackery and nonsensical modern homeopathy, to the theories that were quickly were replaced by better, but also entirely inaccurate theories of the body. It explored microbes, medieval diagnosis, early amputation, autopsies, hygiene and so much more. We spent a few hours there being silly and taking lots of photos.
I then went off on my own for a little bit before we ate, enjoying a solo visit to the Grosvenor Museum which was very quiet for a Saturday afternoon! I wandered amongst the Roman sarcophagi and tombstones which were incredibly well preserved and then through a four story side building showcasing what a house would have looked like through various periods of history.
The amount of food options was also pretty incredible – we had a beautiful curry at Thai Baan on the Friday night and it was definitely the best one I’d ever had, bar none. There were so many places to eat but we finally settled on an independent pizzeria called Urbanos for lunch the next day, which had a wonderful upbeat atmosphere. Finally, since it was my dad’s choice, a fully vegan restaurant for Saturday night called Shrub which did excellent tapas style sharing plates.
Despite the day being quaint, quiet and relaxed, the nightlife was quite loud and that’s not really my scene, so I was quite happy to head back to our charming Victorian house (AirBnB) and play some board games! Lots of good vibes this weekend and a perfect, chilled weekend with family. A great start to Spring <3
My recommendations: Top things to do in Chester
- Deva Roman Experience
- Sick to Death Museum of Medicine
- Visit Thai Baan for an incredible Thai curry
- Wander the Roman Gardens to the river Dee
- Take pictures atop the city wall
- Lie in the sun at the Roman Amphitheatre
- Visit the Grosvenor Museum
