It was great to head off on Friday to visit our daughter Sara and partner Ben in Manchester – they’d planned a busy weekend for us and so it turned out.
I haven’t done any street photography in a while and on seeing this interesting gentleman on the train I couldn’t help but secretly take a snap.
The focus and main excitement of the weekend was the successful bid they have made for a two bedroomed apartment in this Grade 2 listed building on Blackfriars Street. We didn’t get to see inside but they’re understandably excited (and of course a little overwhelmed) at buying their first home together.
It’s in a busy but interesting part of Salford – here’s the old police station opposite:
Manchester is such a city of contrasts – Victorian houses, pubs and industrial buildings amongst modern high-rise apartments.
As you weave your way around the city we enjoyed seeing glimpses of what life must have been like 100 years or more ago.
A new addition to the city is the Aviva Studios opened in 2023.
We went to see the amazing exhibition Button Up! by artist Ai WeiWei.
The large scale works were incredible but impossible with my little camera to really do them justice, so just a couple of shots.
And some family shots:
After that was a little highlight. A father was playing with his son and with his agreement took a picture which I later emailed him.
Next stop was the Whitworth Gallery – we enjoyed the Hyundai Translocal Series: Entangled and Woven exhibition of textile work from Korea and India linking to Manchester’s industrial past.
After a delicious pizza at Fobici’s which our hosts say is the best in the city (can’t disagree), they took us to one of their favourite pubs Sam’s Chop House where I was delighted to see the life size statute of L.S. Lowry sat at the bar – read the story behind it.
On Sunday the weather was a little damp! It was welcome after parched weeks but a bit of a shame for the participants of the massive parade and other street performers.
This year’s celebrations featured a special Catalan twist, celebrating Manchester’s cultural links with Barcelona, alongside the National Year of Reading.
We watched it set off from St Peter’s Square, with more than 550 performers, giant puppets, colourful costumes and community groups bringing the city streets to life. It certainly reminded us of parades we’d enjoyed in Valencia back in January when we were visiting Spain.
Here’s a selection:
A fabulous weekend in Manchester – can’t wait to visit again when Sara and Ben will be in their new flat!
