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Never been axed where I came from, but at least I can give you some idea where Mrs tac came from. It's the city of Chester, right on the border with North Wales and not far from Liverpool. It is a Roman city, and still has almost two miles of walls to prove it - the most recent find was the original Roman gateway section at Northgate Street.

Here's a walk-around movie, taken in 2015, so it's not too much out of date....and you can bet your bottom dollar that a fair proportion of the people you can see there are Americans - the place is HUGELY popular with people from the former colonies.

Any questions, please ask - I have a ton of books on the place right here, but I can tell you that the best thing to come out of Chester is Mrs tac ;)

 
I always like going to England to visit our family and do the "touristy thing". I find it fascinating.

A number of years ago my wife and i went to tour the Tower of London. While walking around we got in the line (the que :D) to see the Crown Jewels. Once we got inside and just started walking around the display cases, the lights went out then little dim lights came on. All of a sudden we were (essentially) pushed out by armed military guys. Once outside we noticed that the military guys were still coming out of one of the buildings and running into predetermined locations. We were still standing close to the area where the Crown Jewels are, and those guys were in "layers" between the outside and just the entrance/exit. They must have been 3 deep outside, and they were still running inside. I can imagine that they were probably shoulder-to-shoulder all the way around the jewels.

We were all being directed to leave the Tower. We asked one of the Beefeaters what was going on. He said they were closing the Tower and evacuating everyone. We were told that our tickets were still valid for 10 days (or something like that) so we could return at another time.

Once we got back to our family's house they asked how the tour was. We told them that they closed the Tower and kicked us all out. They didn't believe us that they closed the Tower. They kept saying "It's never closed. EVER. Are you sure they actually closed it?"

They thought we were mistaken as the Tower has never "closed" that they ever heard.

Then we heard on the news that the Tower was in fact closed because some excavation company that was clearing ground, and digging around ancient Roman ruins, hit a main power line to the Tower.

The reason there was a huge show of military running to the Crown Jewels is because the power outage knocked out everything. Security measures around the Jewels, and EVERYTHING else in the Tower. The said that was one of the only times that the Jewels were ever un-guarded.

I really like playing tourist around there.

I got another story about the Magna Carta marker, but that is for another time..... ;)
 
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What makes Chester so popular with us Yanks? Lot's of shops filled with shinies? The great sunny weather? The boiled pizza?


(Just kidding!!! ;):D)


Seriously though, what's the draw for Americans? My Aussie wife wants to holiday over there to see the "homeland" where her paternal and maternal grands (the O'Brien and Lennox clans) came from.... and even see "Londonistan" as well. ;)
 
Neat-0
never really got to "see the sights" as it were, always coming or going, or stationed, and unable to get out and about! That said, somebody the nicest folks I have ever met were there, and some of the best meals I ever ate were there! Some day we hope to actually see it all and have some fun! :s0155:
 
What makes Chester so popular with us Yanks? Lot's of shops filled with shinies? The great sunny weather? The boiled pizza?

It's a fact, often overlooked, that if a present-day American holds any claim to having British ancestry, or even more, English ancestry, then it is axiomatic that he shares that ancestry with those who never left here.

Indeed, one American we once met on boat trip up the River Dee had family in Farndon, at the end of the boat trip, who had never taken the decision to leave. His greatx4 grandfather had been a mining engineer in coal, and had gone to Pennsylvania in the 1840s' leaving his brothers behind. He had found out about them through the Ancestry website around 2006, and had returned every year since to keep up the connection.

That's just one American, but remember that Chester IS a major visitor must-do in its own right.
 
Was only in the UK once on business. I'd love to go back on pleasure. My takeaways:
  • Wonderfully friendly folk who have a much different and welcome pace.
  • Their bacon totally outclasses our bacon. Totally.
  • If you make a wrong turn while you are driving you are totally screwed. Streets tend to be laid out organically as opposed to a grid. Don't make a wrong turn. Ever.
  • Traffic lights go through a yellow phase from green to red AND vice versa. Nice folks, hardly got flipped off or honked at when I slowed for yellows going in the "wrong" direction.
  • Roundabouts when driving on a different side of the road...
  • Roundabouts every mile on the highways, so you are always accelerating and braking. Highway travel takes MUCH longer than in the US.
  • The bacon thing is for real.
 
Was only in the UK once on business. I'd love to go back on pleasure. My takeaways:
  • Wonderfully friendly folk who have a much different and welcome pace.
  • Their bacon totally outclasses our bacon. Totally.
  • If you make a wrong turn while you are driving you are totally screwed. Streets tend to be laid out organically as opposed to a grid. Don't make a wrong turn. Ever.
  • Traffic lights go through a yellow phase from green to red AND vice versa. Nice folks, hardly got flipped off or honked at when I slowed for yellows going in the "wrong" direction.
  • Roundabouts when driving on a different side of the road...
  • Roundabouts every mile on the highways, so you are always accelerating and braking. Highway travel takes MUCH longer than in the US.
  • The bacon thing is for real.
I believe you but you have never had the bacon my friend John the butcher makes:)
 
I believe you but you have never had the bacon my friend John the butcher makes:)

I'm sure it's better than the usual - kindly point me in the right direction and I'll give it a try next time I'm nearby. I'm an amateur baconologist...

The bacon in the UK is a completely different cut and has a nice circular section of meat at the end. I've looked for it, and no, it's not what we call "back bacon"'.
 
Well you would have to come to Camano island Warshington so hopefully my bacon supply is safe. I don't want the word getting out too much. John's bacon is a cross between bacon and ham. Meaty enough you don't get the horrible shrinkage and just enough fat and the right cure to get awesome flavor. Vacuum tumbled in said brine for a classified amount of time, it is to die for. Ruins you for any store brand stuff
 
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Well you would have to come to Camano island Warshington so hopefully my bacon supply is safe. I don't want the word getting out too much. John's bacon is a cross between bacon and ham. Meaty enough you don't get the horrible shrinkage and just enough fat and the right cure to get awesome flavor. Vacuum tumbled in said brine for a classified amount of time, it is to die for. Ruins you for any store brand stuff

Sounds like a trip the Missus would enjoy maybe next weekend. Thanks!
 

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