A weekend in Manchester

Uncle Gibbs- you are right about the camera. Surprisingly I already do have a digital camera but I just have not used it. I went to Manchester this weekend and only took 6 pictures (on a disposable camera so I cannot upload it). For some reason I have not had any desire to take photos. One reason is I already have the majority of pictures in London that are the touristy pictures.

This past week I had quite a good week (surprise surprise). Tuesday Erik came over for some dinner. We made my favourite meal, bangers and potatoes. Later in the week I went down to High Street Kensington to do some shopping. Of course I do not have any money to purchase any clothes so I just shopped around.

Friday I worked in Piccadilly Circus at the Trocadaro at an event for 1600 people. I served drinks the entire night and unfortunately I had my first dropped tray of champagne. I was walking around a table and some man took me out from behind. I dropped four glasses and had a drenched shirt and crotch full of champagne. I was embarrassed but I cleaned it up and continued on my way. At this event was the most amazing thing of things. It was called a chocolate dessert fountain. It was this massive fountain (there were two of them-one with chocolate and one with vanilla) that ran with these sauces. On the side were pineapples, strawberries, doughnuts, cream-filled pastries, and many other things. Every time I walked past this I salivated. I wanted to jump in the fountain and roll around in it. I talked with one of the man who was running the fountain and he told me I could have some. Unfortunately I knew I could not because my manager would not allow it. The beautiful event in this story is that at 23:00 when I finished my shift, the fountains were closing as well and they brought all of the extras into the area where we were changing. The staff went absolutely nuts…the desserts were amazing!!!!!!

This weekend I took a trip to Manchester. My flatmates were going to accompany me but due to poor planning and problems with tickets, I ended up going on my own, which I had no problem with. Manchester is in North West England, about a 3.5 hour ride by train. I arrived at Friday about 12:00 and went to find a hostel to stay in. I stayed at Hatters and it proved to be centrally location and have the accommodations I needed. I spent the afternoon exploring the city. I went to two museums: the history of people’s work (about the labour movement in England) and the Ibiris (about the development and constant changing of cities throughout the world). That evening I had a massive lamb kebab and chips. I went to a couple of different clubs to get a feel for the atmosphere, which is very lively. Manchester has the largest student population in the country, leading it to be vibrant, trendy, and contemporary.

Sunday I went to Old Trafford (where Manchester United and the England national football team play). The stadium was massive; it holds 68,000 people. Going through the stadium, you could feel the atmosphere and tradition of football. There is so much history in the sport and is so incredibly popular, it is really unlike any sport we have now in the US (I could only relate it to baseball of the past). I have really taken to football and am watching it and trying to follow it more closely. I am able to talk some football with my students but only for about 2 minutes before my knowledge falters.

Sunday was Remembrance Day, similar to our Memorial Day but yet taken more seriously. The poppy is the symbol and most people buy one (£1) and wear it in remembrance. Basically you have millions of people wearing poppies for a week or two before in honour of the fallen heroes. The nation observes two minutes of silence and it was quite amazing to see a busy street stop at 11:00 for two minutes and stand in silence. I wish we took our holiday similarly and not just as an extra long weekend to spend at the cabin. I was fortunate enough to witness the parade in Manchester as well.

This weekend I work Wednesday and Thursday evening in addition to my five days. It is going to be another busy week!

My favourite part of the week was coming out of the train station at Euston (London) and being like…home sweet home. Back to my familiar surroundings, but do not worry Mom, I did not say permanent home sweet permanent home.

Everyone have a great week and stay safe! Thanks for the care packages Mom and Grandma! Abby and Keith thank you for the post cards!

Peace!

And by the way...I actually enjoy chocolate now! Who would have known! I picked a chocolate bar out and ate the entire thing. The chocolate here is a much superiour quality though, so that may have something to do with it. More about that later!