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Published: September 29th 2011
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What a great day we have had exploring this Midland city and finding out everything it has to offer. Our tour guide arrived refreshed after a great night out the previous evening ready to show us the sights of a city she now calls home. Our daughter has been here for ten months and has got to know the city well, so who better to show us around.
Manchester seems to have got a reputation for being forever wet. For the next few days that reputation has been locked away and there is not a hint of rain anywhere. The temperatures are going to reach 26 by Wednesday so we hope the locals can cope with the heat.
Our wanderings today took us to the John Rylands Library where many valuable books, letters and documents make up much of its collection. At one point we were looking at fragments of papyrus on which is written St John’s Gospel, from the New Testament, dated about 125 AD. Nearby are collections of children’s writing written and published by the children earlier this year. Also on display is a letter written by a British Army Officer while stationed in Afghanistan in the 1830s. It
describes the massacre of about 16,000 army personnel, men, women and children. It seems as though over the centuries everyone has been fighting over Afghanistan and it keeps going on.
A tram ride to the old dock area gave us an opportunity of seeing the redevelopment of a previously rundown part of the city. The canals are now recreational places and young canoeists were enjoying a chance of developing new skills. The canals are surrounded by modern upmarket apartments. Nearby the BBC has set up a large new complex. The Lowry Art Centre in the area was well worth a visit and on display were many of Lowry’s work. His main subject matter was the local industrial area and the people who lived there. Through his art we got an insight into what it must have been like to live in the area from the 1920s through to the mid 1960s.
Our final highlight of the day was a visit to the 23rd floor of the Hilton Hotel, the tallest building in Manchester. The 23rd floor is over half way up and is the location of a cocktail bar called Cloud 23. We walked the red carpet to the dedicated
lift and were soon whisked to floor 23. Emerging from the lift we were shown to our table with wonderful views over the southern part of the city. From this floor you can enjoy a variety of cityscapes. The draw card for one tour member was looking down on the Coronation Street set and seeing the Rovers Return.
On our way back to the hotel a squad from the local police force were out on patrol on their horses. A sight well worth a photo. Earlier in the day another squad of police officers were rummaging among the pavement manholes around the Convention Centre in preparation for the British Conservative Party Convention. It is good to know we are in safe hands while in Manchester.
Tomorrow is our last day in Manchester and the end of our fabulous European Adventure. Early tomorrow evening we leave Manchester for a three day stopover in Hong Kong with a brief transit stop in Zurich. The comforts of home are getting ever closer.
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