Manchester in depth

 We had a big day today getting to know Manchester in detail. Our legs are telling us we have walked quite a few kilometres.

First up was the Manchester Cathedral. It's not on the scale of Westminster Abbey but it was lovely to walk around without massive crowds. Parts of the cathedral date back 600 years. There was some lovely detail in the stone and woodwork. We really enjoyed it.

Next, we visited the John Rylands Library. I first discovered this library through 1000 Libraries on Instagram. It dates back to the late 19th century. It was built by Enriqueta Rylands as a memorial to her husband John. The whole building is full on, intense neo-gothic with lots of dark stone and wood. The Historic Reading Room is magnificent and just exudes knowledge and scholarship. The librarian in me loved it!

We took a big change of pace for our next stop. Manchester Gay Village is a really cool part of the city alongside the canal. Today, it was a hive of industry with preparations for the Manchester Pride Parade this Saturday. 

Clare's favourite stop was the Manchester Art Gallery but Ian took a break as he had done a huge amount of walking only 3 months after his hip replacement.

After some lunch, we met up with Gareth for a walking tour of Manchester. There really is nothing like a local guide to help you to understand the real heart of a city. Gareth told us so much about the history of Manchester including the incredible growth (and misery) of the Industrial Revolution and the textile industry, the cultural life of the city including all the great bands who began their careers here and the social revolutionaries like Emmeline Pankhurst and Friedrich Engels who changed the world after their experiences in Manchester.

It is great to have gotten to know this city really well in such a short time. I think I really like Manchester. It has a progressive, courageous, multicultural attitude. It feels like a city that is working together to make this a good place to live.