New Year's

Hope everyone's New Year is off to a great start! As mentioned in a previous post, my manager graciously invited me to spend time with her family in Warrington over the holiday break so I headed up to spend a few days with them. They've lived in the area for several years and her husband is from the UK originally, I really appreciated them being open to hosting me and showing me around for a few days.

To connect with them, I took the train into Manchester and met them downtown around midday. We headed to China Town first and enjoyed some delicious dim sum for lunch before heading toward the city center.

My manager's husband knew quite a bit about the area and its history, so as we walked through the city centre he pointed out several landmarks along the way, including a location which had been bombed by the IRA in the '90s. As we were walking, we chatted about history and our common interests, like bubble tea, hot chocolate, and bookshops, making stops along the way.

Later in the afternoon, we headed toward a few other historic areas, including remnants of a Roman fort wall which had been restored.

Nearby, we walked along the canal and admired the mixture of historic and modern architecture. The network of canals criss-crosses the city, an artefact from a more industrial age of the city. We were there around at dusk and the reflections of the lights on the canal were very pretty. Once dark fell, we headed to the Trafford Centre shopping area just outside of Manchester to walk around a bit more and grab dinner.

The shopping centre was impressively decked out for the holidays. Apparently, part of the Electric Light Orchestra's 'All Over the World' music video was recorded in the centre. Once we headed home for the night, I had plenty of time to get settled and meet Smudge, the very fluffy and beautiful family cat.

The next morning, we headed over to Liverpool, the other major city nearby. It was a cool gray morning and we started the day at the Merseyside canal. We passed several museums and admired a few large ships in the dry docks.

Further along the canal, we passed a few iconic historic buildings, including the Liver building.

Liverpool is also known for being the Beatles' hometown. Unfortunately, their museum was closed the day we visited, but there were still traces of the band throughout the city, like art in the windows across from the restaurant we went to for lunch.

Afterward, we stopped at the city art museum and enjoyed pieces dating back through the neoclassical and Victorian era, along with a few more contemporary pieces.

Dark fell by the time we left, and as we headed back to the car we appreciated the beautiful lights around the city. That evening, I enjoyed a delicious meal with their family before we made our way home in time to watch some New Year's fireworks around their neighborhood.

On New Year's day, they took me along for a classic British celebration: a walk in a park. We visited Tatton Park in Knutsford, a smaller town nearby. There were several deer around the park, which were surprisingly unfazed by all the people and dogs walking around.

Unlike the previous day, the sky was clear and blue which brought out the bright colors of the park -- surprisingly vibrant despite it being mid-winter. It was a great day to walk around and see the park's historic estates.

After enjoying the park for a few hours, we headed to the town centre. Since we mentioned visiting Knutsford, my manager had insisted that we stop at a delicious local ice cream shop. I didn't expect that to be the treat of choice on a chilly day, but it was delicious and melted quite slowly thanks to the weather! We stepped into a café to chat a bit more and to enjoy a few more snacks, before we drove back to Warrington to catch my train back to Leicester. On the way back, just outside Knutsford, we passed a unique home: it was a water tower which had been converted into a home. After a final very full day, I hopped on the train home. It was a very fun way to celebrate the New Year.

I hope that you all enjoyed the New Year as well, and that you have much love and luck in 2023. Wishing you all the best for the year ahead!!