Saturday, June 23, 2012

Making the Rounds in Manchester

We dragged ourselves back to the rail station in Liverpool around 2 pm on Wednesday for our return to Manchester so we could check in to the motel and take naps!  I had planned earlier to meet with Chrissy, who writes Mancunian Wave.  I met Chrissy through her blog about Manchester, and she graciously sent me a packet of information and agreed to meet us at our motel our first night. But, after the longest day and a half in my life (3:15 am pick up for the airport Tuesday, minimal sleep on the plane and a draining 5 hour layover in Newark . . . and then a train to Liverpool and back with almost continuous walking for about three hours while there . . .  I wasn't sure I could stay awake!

However, we all showered and napped and surprisingly, felt 110% better by 5:30, so I called Chrissy to see if she was still planning to meet us.  She was on her way!

We met in the hotel lobby and spent the next several hours getting to know each other, having dinner at a fabulous Italian restaurant and exploring Manchester.  David and Jess gave up after dinner and returned to the hotel, but Kailyn and I continued with Chrissy, who was a wealth of knowledge about the town and took us to all the cool places to see.
Me with my special blogging friend and tour guide extraordinaire, Chrissy!

The Hanging Bridge Chambers, a very cool building. 

Manchester Fire Station; it was amazingly large for such a small town!

A huge wall map in Pickadilly Station. 

Cobblestone street!

One of several old exchange buildings

A ginnel . . . meaning a passageway between two buildings! Chrissy said the umbrellas are to poke fun at Manchester, which is known for rainy weather.  We had gorgeous weather on Wednesday, but it rained Thursday and Friday!


The Royal Exchange . . . I think I recall that this one was where the stock exchange happened.  There was a huge chalkboard high up on a wall inside, with the prices from the last time (years ago) when it was used.  The light was poor inside so we didn't take photos. :(

Between Kailyn and I we took dozens of photos, but I can't remember what all the buildings were called.  My brain is so full right now, and my body is so tired, that I will close shortly.

Our first day in Manchester was beyond my wildest dreams for seeing "old stuff".  The architecture took my breath away.  The history of this town that was big in the industrial age, and how much of it remains, was impressive.

I am already way behind on blogging our adventures and may attempt to bundle a couple days together tomorrow morning.  We spent the next day in Chester, another ancient, well cared for and fabulous town. We boarded the train to London on Friday morning, then took another train to Cambridge, which was stunning! Today I wore my pedometer and logged 8.3 miles of walking and stairs as we explored London! It was ice pack time after dinner, and now it's time for bed. I need to download the past two days pictures before I can go on!

Until next time, providing the wifi keeps functioning!  For some reason I can blog, but I can't check email!

14 comments:

  1. Wow! What fun to meet a blogger and get the guided tour, too. This is such fun to read. :):)

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  2. Hey world traveler! It was great to read your comments on my blog, and to catch up with you here. It sure looks like you're having a grand adventure. You all look so very happy in the pictures. I'm glad you're able to baby your knee a bit, and that it's not slowing you down. My hip has been fine, but my thighs are letting me know they're not accustomed to climbing pyramids. Internet here is iffy - apparently their system doesn't always like Macs for whatever reason. I've sort of decided I may end up blogging Belize in retrospect - there's so much to talk about, and it's frustrating to rush, or not be able to do anything at all. We're having a blast. Can hardly wait to see you and more of your pictures. Love to you and to David and the girls.

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  3. I have a blogging friend in Scotland that I would love to meet. I am glad you got to meet your blogging friend who gave you the guided tour. Love the pics, keep them coming please.

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  4. Take care of your knee, more than eight miles? Were you lying down on those cobblestones in order to get that picture? I laughed, knowing what I have to do to get some pictures. :-)

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  5. What neat places! And to meet a bloggin friend too! So much fun.

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  6. Dear Sandi, oh a new word--ginnel!!!!--thank you. I love it. I need a new cloth ginnel as my cat umbrella has given up and has detached itself from the spokes. Please take care of yourself. The temptation to overdo is so hard to resist, but you're going to need those knees for a long time! Peace.

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  7. With all that walking and stair climbing your clothes will be falling off by the end of this vacation! It's great that you were able to connect with a blogger. I think it would be so much fun to have the opportunity to meet my friends from on line! Keep the posts coming, it's so fun to read!

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  8. You look like you are really enjoying yourself. I'm sorry that knee is acting up. I walked on cobblestones in Dansko shoes. They saved my feet and knees in Europe.

    I'm so excited that you met your blogging friend and that she was able to show you all the cool spots. Isn't Cambridge just absolutely amazing? I loved it.

    Have a great weekend.

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  9. Sounds like you are having a delightful time and have packed a lot things to see on this trip. Take care of yourself and make many wonderful memories with your family.

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  10. oooh, get some rest! You have been doing a lot in such a short time. Love your photos! Keep them coming.

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  11. Sandi, Sure glad those knees are working! Great pics. I'm totally enjoying your adventure. Don't get too exhausted.

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  12. Such a fun read - loved the pics! You have a lovely family and I'm sure they are keeping an eye on you with that knee.
    Remember not to get frustrated with it - it's doing it's best - knees, feet and eyes work extra hard on these trips!
    I bet your shutter-finger is getting a great work-out too.
    So exciting Sandi!x

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  13. What fun to meet up with a blogging buddy. I must try it.
    So happy that this meets and surpasses your dreams.

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  14. Ahh, I'm (almost) speechless-a lovely post. I had fun meeting you all too!

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