Oh Chester, how I've missed you!

Back in 2006, before I moved even further north to the 'Lizzle, I worked for the best part of a year in the Chester YHA.

The YHA has since closed, and I hadn't been back since I left, so getting to take a little day trip to the place where I discovered the wonders of charity shops and dancing all night was fabulous!

You know the feeling you get when you haven't seen somebody you love for a while, excited bubbles in your belly? That's how I felt as my train rumbled into Chester station.

Wandering up City Road, it all started to come back to me..."Oh I remember having a drink there" and "Awww, that's where Celia drunkenly dropped her purse and scattered the contents all over the road.." (Yes, I also discovered the art of drinking here).


Once in the city, I can see that thankfully, not a lot has changed. There are a couple of new shops, but it's still the same old place it was.The black and white buildings that are a symbol of Chester still house modern clothes shops, the Clock Tower still looks over the city , the only thing missing today is the roaring Roman Centurian.

A man shouts "BIG ISSUE! THIS WEEK'S BIG ISSUE!" at passers by as they go about their business.

After rumaging around the million charity shops that the tiny city centre has, and a little mooch around the new vintage shop where a woman talks about the wonders of having a tortoise and how great it is to have a pet for 50 years, I take a little stroll down to the river.

It seems so far away from the busy centre, so calm and peaceful. Fat pigeons waddle about scavenging for food, only to find the occassional cigarette butt.

Being back in the place where I spent many happy a day bargain hunting, chilling in the sunshine by the river and generally having a great time definately made me smile.

"Oh Chester, how I've missed you!"