And let the Vacation begin......

Hi guys!!! Room for one more if I "daytrip"?


I hope you're having a great time in England. I missed Chester . But Manchester's great.

There's a fantastic pub - The Wellington (or something like that) in the city centre. Great food and good beer!

Thanks for giving me a call Chris

Afternoon Chris!
I'm looking forward to Beth joining us!

Yes, Manchester is a big city - even though I live here, I can still get lost!

Good morning/afternoon!

I've found the pub - http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache...ster+pub&hl=enThe Old Wellington Inn - have you ever been there Sarah? I got lost trying to find it last time I was there

Hi Beth!

As we come down to Exchange Square, let me share some history with you all!

In 1996, Manchester was hit by an IRA bomb, destroying the majority of Exchange Square. Most of the buildings have been reconstructed or changed!

For more concise history and images of the damage and reconstruction, read here:
http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/buildings/bombing.html



It was at the top of the slopes that the bomb was planted. The shop there is now Selfridges, Marks and Spensers is located to the rear.


This is the Corn Exchange and has been regenerated into the Triangle shopping centre.

Thank you Beth! Yes, I drink there quite a lot! It is so lovely in Summer, sitting in the Shambles! Do you visit Manchester a lot?

Here is the Old Wellington!
I love the fact that it survived despite the bomb! When the bomb went off, the Old Wellington Inn was forced back from it's foundations, yet remained standing. This created Shambles Square!

Oh that's beautiful!!!

It's incredible that it survived! I'm so glad it did - it's a fantastic building.

I've been up there quite a bit in the last couple of months - my daughter applied for a place at Manchester University, so we were up there for the open day. Then she was asked back for an interview - so we spent another day there. In the past we have been around the area quite a bit as my SIL lives not far from Manchester.

In the next couple of years there's a possibility that we might be moving to the area - maybe Chester/North Wales.

It's a wonderful mix of old and new, which gives it vitality. Is the old Palace Theatre still there? I appeared in an ice show there in 1966!

Around the back of the Triangle is Manchester Cathedral.


This is greatly contrasted with the New development, Urbis. Urbis has only recently been completed (past 3 years) and cost eighty million pounds!
Inside is a museum celebrating and exploring Manchester life. It is interactive and quite a bit of fun!

I've never visited Urbis. But another great museum is in Manchester University - it's open to the public and has fantastic exhibits - ancient Egyptian and Roman and dinosaurs. It's fabulous.

Beth, has your daughter got into Manchester? I am so pleased that the Old Wellington wasn't destroyed, but it is a little worrying how easily it lost it's foundations!

Jenny, Yes the Palace is still there! Wow, you were in a show there!

O.K. Jenny - We want pictures of the ice show!!!!

Only in the chorus - I was really part of the stage management but we had to go on sometimes. But I have fond memories of the Palace.

Originally Posted by flisssweetpea

I've never visited Urbis. But another great museum is in Manchester University - it's open to the public and has fantastic exhibits - ancient Egyptian and Roman and dinosaurs. It's fabulous.

Click to expand...

Urbis is worth seeing, but I wouldn't really recommend it. Pricey and not as much as you'd expect

Yes, Manchester Museum is good, it has the full size Dinosaurs there at the moment!!

Sarah - yes she was offered a place - in fact (proud mummy time!) she was offered places at all Unis she applied to - so she had a choice to make. Leicester has always been the place she wanted to go to - she's into biology and genetics and the guy who invented DNA testing still works at Leicester. So when Manchester's offer came in asking for higher grades than Leicester, she had to drop Manchester as tactically it's not advisable to put a place asking for higher grades as your second choice (it gives no fall-back position). We would have loved her to accept Manchester as it's a fantastic University, but Leicester's good too and great for her subject. We just have to wait for her results in August now

Jenny - pictures of the ice show

I am going to go out soon, so I will add the final pieces to the tour and join you later, when I can! A long day on the computer!

In town, for the more expensive shops, you might like to visit King Street, St Anne's Square and around that area.

King Street

On the other side of Oxford Road, you will find Rusholme, here there are lots of jewellery and Punjabi suit shops! Plus, the famous Curry Mile!

mmmmm a curry. That sounds good.

aww.
My mum actually hates manchester i dont know why though