Manchester!

After a fun-packed weekend in Manchester, I have decided once again to unravel my thoughts onto this here blog. I hope you enjoy.

An Unexpected Journey...

We (My brother, grandmother and I) started our trip by getting a train to Manchester via York. It was a very nice journey, apart from the fact that the trains were very busy for a Sunday... Summer holidays I suppose?

At the station.

While on the train, I went over the weekend's events to come. These included:

1. Visit the Manchester Art Gallery and Art Club exhibition.
2. Check in to Premier Inn.
3. Eat dinner at The Beefeater.
4. See the Roman ruins and canal.
5. Visit the Science and Industry museum, including its ''Use Hearing Protection'' exhibition.
6. Travel home.
 
As you can see, the days ahead were looking to be extremely exciting indeed. I enjoyed the rest of the journey with this thought in mind.
 
When we arrived in Manchester, we headed straight to the information desk in search of a map. Although there were none left, the man behind the glass did offer us some expert directions.
With the instructions still fresh in mind, we made our way from Manchester Picadilly to the Art Gallery.
 
Now, a side note: although the rest of the museum was great, it was clouded by the anticipation for the Art Club exhibition.
All through lockdown, our family had watched Grayson Perry's Art Club on Channel 4. As soon as the possibility of an exhibition was mentioned on the show, I had my heart set on going.
With that in mind, you can probably understand why I wanted to see the exhibition more than anything.

 

Art Club. 

Here are some of my favourite pieces from the exhibition.

 

The one piece of artwork that I felt stood out from the rest was ''NHS v Covid-19: Fighting on Two Fronts''. Installed in a large lightbox display, this felt to me the most important of them all.

NHS v Covid-19: Fighting on Two Fronts

 Heres a close up:

It was made by the Singh Twins, a pair of twins from Surrey who create these incredible artworks.

 

In conclusion, the exhibition was brilliant! Finally being able to see all these awesome artworks in the flesh was truly superb.

After finishing in the gallery (and buying various goodies from the gift shop), we caught a taxi to the Premier Inn at Salford Quays. I liked staying there as it was away from the busy city centre and was surrounded by great views.

Later that evening we ate a large and tasty meal in The Beefeater next door. Zak enjoyed a chocolate ''bomb'' dessert while I opted for a churros chocolate sundae.

Feeling very full, we headed back to our rooms and enjoyed a good nights rest. I went to bed relatively early, while Zak stayed up watching ''Lewis''.

 

The next day...

After waking, we were treated to a classic help-yourself breakfast, a staple of the Premier Inn experience. I enjoyed toast, sausages, beans, hash browns etc. In contrast, Zak stuck to pastries.

After breakfast, we called a taxi from reception and headed to a part of the old canals. This was ideal as there were many things to see nearby, including the Roman ruins.

Part of the canal

The original ruins, and its reconstruction.

After visiting the old and new sites, as well as the canal, we walked towards our next destination - The Science and Industry Museum.

 

The main event at the Science and Industry Museum was an exhibition called ''Use Hearing Protection''.
It told the story of Factory Records, a record label that started in Manchester, which held artists such as Joy Division and New Order. All in all, it was a really great exhibition with many interactive features and great displays. I found it very interesting.

The entrance to the exhibition.

Zak toying with a mixing desk.

After doing all these things, we were a little worn out. We got a taxi to Manchester Picadilly and caught the train home. 

Anyway, that was our trip to Manchester summed up. As I mentioned at the start, I really enjoyed it and would love to go back. Until then though, I have a large Geography assignment I have to finish... Signing off...