Rochester In Pictures

Rochester has been around for centuries. Its two main attractions, the medieval Rochester Castle and Rochester Cathedral can attest to the fact. But historical records claim that this small town along the banks of the River Medway in Kent is much older than these two.   

Nowadays Rochester is one of five towns comprising the Medway area : Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham. But it is mostly  Rochester that foreign and local tourists visit during  the summer months for the open air concerts in the castle grounds and Dickens festival and in December for the Dickens Christmas Market.

So, here is Rochester in pictures. 

A plaque on a centuries old wall in the 

grounds of Rochester Cathedral showing the coat of arms

of what was then the City of Rochester

(© Jessica Hawkins)

The tower is what remained of the medieval
Rochester Castle

Rochester Cathedral viewed from a slight
elevation at Rochester Castle

Eastgate House from a different perspective. Built in the late 1590s by Sir Peter Buck,
 Clerk of the Cheque at Chatham Dockyard
and is an excellent example of an Elizabethan town house.

A sign in Corporation Street welcomes visitors to the town. The building on the right 

is a pub (public house)and restaurant named after one of Charles Dickens's books

"Great Expectations". As of this writing, it is being refurbished.  

rare and antique books dealer shop
in High Street

Buntings above High Street, on the left is the  

pub (public house)and restaurant the George Vault and on the right are gift, souvenir and specialist shops. 

autumn trees and bench 

on the road between the castle 
and the cathedral

an old door next to
the cathedral gates 

displays in one of
the gift shops

flower shop

The Coopers Arms,the sign says: "Believed to be

the Oldest Pub in Kent".

Coat of Arms on Rochester Bridge

Antique and collectibles 

Greengrocer in High Street across the cathedral

Sweet Expectations, some shops, public houses and restaurants 
are named after characters or titles of books by Charles Dickens. 
The author had a very strong connection with Rochester;

having spent his early childhood in the town. 

A side gate at Rochester Cathedral

depicts the insignias of the British Armed Forces  

tourist sign

everyday street scene 
in the High Street

Snowman by the entrance of an art gallery 

colourful candy store in the High Street

display outside a novelty shop 

local wine and gift packs

in Rochester's visitor centre

houses in the Esplanade along the
River Medway 

Rochester Motorway Bridge over
the River Medway

hills along the Esplanade, overlooking the River Medway

I hope you enjoyed viewing the images and that they gave you an idea of what a typical English town is like. Thank you for visiting. :-)  

Cebu in the Eyes of a True Blue Native

 In this blog, I'd been talking about places I have visited and explored so far. It's only proper that I should also blog about the city of my birth, Cebu. Yes, I am a true-blue, born and bred Cebuana.:-). I may be living in an adopted country for years but home will always be that small but thriving city in a narrow strip of island in the Central Visayas region of a country in Southeast Asia composed of 7,100 odd islands and islets; the Philippines.

As for geography,history, people and culture, that sort of information; I'll leave it to you to research as there are a lot of data available on the net. What I will be sharing in this topic are mostly random photos of familiar places as seen through the eyes of a true blue native, moi :-). 

The first thing that will greet any foreign visitors would be the heat and humidity; typically tropical. To cool you down, that's where those golden beaches come in. But Cebu offers more than just beaches; it has come a long way in the last ten or even five years. It has now become a business hub, as well as a leisure destination. It is also internationally accessible via Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

So, here is my Cebu in photos :-)

As seen from the Skywalk of
Crown Regency Hotel

Waterfront Hotel and the hills beyond

                   

In the centre is the distinctive architecture
of the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) church

novelty souvenirs made of
coconut shells 

container vans in the port area,
Pier 4, North Reclamation Area  

motorbikes in the parking lot
of SM City Cebu
North Reclamation Area

Port Area as seen from Radisson Blu Hotel.
In the distance is the Marcelo Fernan Bridge



Marcelo Fernan Bride
connecting Lapu-Lapu City
and Cebu City 

Above and below:
Marcelo Fernan Bridge
from different perspectives

 Scene under the bridge: fishermen mending nets



Coastal town in the north

The grounds of Radisson Blu Hotel,
North Reclamation Area

Radisson Blu Hotel

Ayala Shopping Centre
Cebu Business Park
(also right top and bottom)  

corn fields in Northern Cebu



gardens of Nailon Beach Club



sun,sea and sky in the north

above and below:
by the pool, Nailon Beach Club 

above and right: low tide sunrise, Nailon, Bogo, Cebu 

Coastal town in the south,
 in the distance is the tiny island resort of Sumilon

devotees on pilgrimage at Simala Marian Pilgrim Centre
Sibonga, Cebu in the south

above and below:
beaches in the south

        

Bagacay Point Lighthouse,
Lilo-an, Cebu

And that is Cebu City in pictures as seen through the eyes of a true blue native. Thank you for viewing. This blog will be updated regularly, so keep posted. :-)