Day 7 - Manchester

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Up early to get to the airport for our Finnair flight to Manchester. Only a three hour flight but with the 2 hour time difference our early start felt like 3am. Manchester Airport looks very familiar as we pop out of the cloudy sky and touch down on the tarmac. The car hire company was a bit of a challenge as the location had moved from previously and getting out of the car park would have provided a challenge to Houdini.

The weather was cloudy but mild and we didn't see any rain though we were reassured to hear that the previous day it had poured down. We headed to Liverpool to see our old University stomping ground and where Polly had been born. Many areas looked in a state of disrepair and it was an interesting experience to see the size of the first house Jo and I lived together in. There has been a lot of work done in recent years in Liverpool as it is the European Capital of Culture for 2008 and much of the improvements in the city and the old dock areas down by the river Mersey were evident.

After a brief detour past Liverpool Football Club we headed back to Manchester on the very familiar M62 motorway. We visited Heywood and Norden where we used to live and caught up with some of our old neighbours. We visited the primary school where the kids used to attend and met with some of their old friends. I also managed to fit in a few hours with a good friend who I used to attend football with. We reminisced about those cold Tuesday nights watching Bury play; Brrrr! - Although I miss those days I'm not sure I could bear the cold anymore.

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