In August, a few weeks after returning from Peru, Bruce and I traveled to the United Kingdom and Ireland for back-to-back tours with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT)—a six-week long trip including post-extensions for each tour.  We returned home in early October, and then switched gears for craft show season for his fused glass jewelry.  In between, I finished up my posts and slide show on Peru, so I am finally able to begin posting about the U.K.

Welcome to England, dear readers!  We begin in the charming city of Chester, located in the northwest region of the country.  This city of about 93,000 people is old.  Founded in 79 AD as a Roman fort, it is surrounded by walls considered to be the best preserved in the country.  We enjoyed walking the walls, a two-mile circuit providing great views of the city, including the half-timber Tudor buildings and two-story covered arcades in the shopping district. 

Before Bruce and I embarked on our wall walk, we joined our group on a walking tour and tearoom lunch with Tom, our guide for the next two weeks.  Tom is from Wales, and we instantly liked his gentle, easy-going personality. 

Here are scenes from around town during our stay in Chester:

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Coming up next: UNITED KINGDOM #2: WONDERFUL WALES