Are you prepared for our trip? Have you already had a look at the places we are going to visit? Well, if not – take a glimpse now …
On Monday, 16 October, we’ll arrive in Manchester where we will stay in a beautiful modern building located by the canal: The Youth Hostel. Take the virtual tour and you will immediately feel at home:
On Monday we’ll have dinner at the youth hostel. As for the next few days you probably want to prepare yourself. Get some ideas from the Guardian although the prices from 2013 might have gone up a bit.
Not tired after dinner at the hostel? Check out the latest British and American movies at the cinema. Manchester Great Northern is a 16 screen multiplex cinema in a historic building at walking distance from Potato Wharf.
On Tuesday we’ll start the day with a guided tour in the city centre. You might want to get a first impression by exploring the official tourism website of Greater Manchester. Find out where you’ll stay and have a look at the map on the Lonely Planet website, click on the map to find more articles about Manchester and its sights. The Youth Hostel is situated in Castlefield, a rather tranquil neighbourhood divided by canals that actually connect to the British canal system which would finally allow you to reach the city of London by boat! If you doubt it – dedicate 5 minutes to learning more about the canals here. However, you are probably more interested to find out that the shops and restaurants of Spinningfields as well as the town hall at Albert Square are close to where we’ll be staying and the lively Northern Quarter begins in the upper right corner of the map (to the east of Arndale centre) and stretches further north from there.
Independently of where you are travelling to in Britain – never forget to check Time Out about the things to do or the program of the many different live music venues in town. Nevertheless, for a beginning you could watch this:
In the afternoon the whole group will travel to Salford Quays for a visit of the impressive BBC Media City UK. Within a few years only the landscape of docks and water changed considerably as you can see in a short video. Later on during your free time you could walk around the Northern Quarter and explore indie shops, beautiful cafés and delicious street food. You wonder where you have to go to find the right places? Just do as the Vagabrothers and follow Hannah’s advice. The Mancunian youtuber knows the places:
And while you’re already there – why not try a completely new „café-experience“. A café? At Ziferblat, as they put it: „everything is free, except for the time you spend „…
Now as the evening begins and your belly starts nagging: What to do if you want to have dinner with all your friends and you just can’t agree on the food you’d like to try? In that case you should probably aim for a place like peachy-keens at The Printworks to keep everybody satisfied. As for the prices: Calculate 9 quid for lunch and 14 for dinner, and don’t forget to add the drinks. Wondering how much money „a quid“ is? Go to the Mancunian slang words video at the bottom of the page…
Wednesday, 18 October, you’re in Manchester – home to one of the most famous football teams in the world – so it’s time to visit the Theatre of Dreams.
We will spend the early afternoon at the Imperial War Museum North, an architectural landmark by Daniel Libeskind with great views on the canal, the Lowry and the city. Already had enough of Manchester? To pass some time „abroad“ you need not travel far:
You say China is not your cup of tea? You do like it exotic but it should still have that „British flair“ to it? – Well, that’s fine. You could try some typical „British food“ with a strong exotic flavour. In fact, you’ve only got to take a bus and head down Oxford Road to Rusholme. Once you get there, you’ll notice the incredible number of Indian restaurants. The main problem on Curry Mile will be to pick the best one – a good example seems to be Mughli – and then you still got to choose your curry. Which one? Here’s some inspiration:
Thursday, 19 October – we’re out for a day in Liverpool:
At a distance of just a few kilometers from Manchester a completely different experience awaits you. Liverpool’s story is tightly linked to the to and fro of its busy international sea port, the fate of a famous football club and of course the music. Have you ever met a scouser? No? They are actually really nice people. Best thing to do: Go to the city where there are lots of them:
Another excellent way to get to know the city is the Museum of Liverpool. If you are more into contemporary art you might prefer to visit the Liverpool branch of the famous Tate Gallery or the Walker Gallery.
At one o’clock we’ll board Snowdrop, the only dazzle ship from World War I still operating, for a River explorer cruise on the Mersey. What are dazzle ships? You can find photos and some notes on their history here. You will certainly like to hear that Peter Blake, the artist who painted Snowdrop, is especially famous and beloved by Liverpudlians for having designed the Beatles record cover for St. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
From time to time you need to rest – and luckily there’s a Ziferblatt in Liverpool as well! More cheap and good cafés and restaurants can be found in this article from the Guardian. One of these highly recommended places is LEAF on Bold Street which has the further advantage of not being too far from Liverpool Central station.
And finally, did you know about the „dark side“ of Liverpool’s history? There’s an informative video about the slave trade. So if you are interested in the subject you might as well want to visit the Int. Museum of Slavery which offers – like most museums in Britain – free entry for everybody.
Our last day in Manchester:
The Museum of Science and Industry is almost next door from the youth hostel. Here you find the relics of the industrial revolution in the city where it began. A presentation of steam engines – and yes, they actually „steam“ quite impressively …. – will beam you back into the 19th century before taking a look at our immediate future. The museum hosts the exhibition Robots which has previously been shown in London and is said to be fantastic.
Here you can find some general information on the Manchester Science Festival 2017. Maybe if you don’t feel the need to spend the last morning shopping around – this could be a great alternative: Get to the museum early and see the exhibition Tape at the Warehouse.
Last but not least – do not underestimate the importance of your „linguistic preparation“ for the trip. You may have thought that you do speak and understand the English language quite well. But are you really prepared to interact with Mancunians and Scousers?
Enjoy another 3 short videos:
The Mancunian alphabet (a glossary of useful slang words) will surprise you.
Learn the Mancunian accent with Cora.
Speaking with Scousers is fun.
And while by now you are hopefully convinced that there’s more to Manchester than long forgotten industries, dust blackened houses and a steam filled sky during the times of the industrial revolution, you might still cling to your favourite Mancunian band – unable to see the great picture. So take your time to dive into the music scene and get beyond…
Oh, and there’s another detail that may keep you worried – will you be able to survive on Britisch food??? Gain some insight into the culinary kingdom you are about to enter:
Ok, I get it – you’re a bit fussy about eating food you haven’t tried before, so travelling abroad may pose a serious threat to your personal well-being when it comes to refilling your reserves. Well, luckily even in Great Britain there’s an extremely simple way to secure your energy supply by resorting to high caloric „superfoods“ which you’ll find at any corner shop …
You might also be wondering about the perfect drink to go with the notorious British weather. But of course this conundrum has long been solved and you already guessed it, didn’t you? Yes, it’s tea! But still, you should be prepared before grabbing the cup…
So hopefully you got some ideas, about the places you will be visting soon. With the information given above you ought to be able to sort out most of the questions on which the tourist’s well-being depends. However, you shouldn’t stop here. Continue and investigate yourself – ‚cause once we’re there time will be fleeting!
Of course, there’s so much more to see. Find out by yourself or rely on a Manc’s advice:
The image at the top of the page showing a detail of Manchester airport is being used under a creative commons license and has been taken from photo everywhere.