Chan Weng Kit's Blogspot: DAY 531-535

Feb 13 - 17

1) This post is a continuation of the last one, where I recount my adventures (and misadventures) while visiting Manchester/Sheffield. On the 9th (Fri), I took RyanAir from Dublin to Manchester in the wee hours of the morning. Shortly after, I boarded the TransPennine Express to Manchester Piccadilly Station, where my journey began. After exiting the station, my first stop was the Alan Turing monument, in Sackville Park. Inscribed on the memorial plague were the words "Father of Computer Science, Mathematician, Logician, Wartime Codebreaker, Victim of Prejudice." Mr. Turing was believed to have committed suicide two years after being convicted of gross indecency...

2) Next stop - Chinatown. The resplendent Arch of Chinatown greeted me as I entered the ethnic enclave, home to the third largest Chinese community in Europe. After walking a bit, I reached Piccadilly Gardens, home to many statues including that of Queen Victoria's and the Duke of Wellington. Just in time for breakfast - I thought - as I walked past the Fresh Loaf and Leo's Fish Bar. Deciding to go with the Fresh Loaf, I ordered what can only be described as a proper "Mega English Breakfast" - four slices of buttered toast, three pork sausages, three strips of bacon, scrambled eggs, garlic mushrooms, a hash brown, baked beans, fresh tomatoes, and to top it off - a large Earl Grey! I would need the energy though, as the day went by.

3) The next two stops were at the Manchester Town Hall and Public Library, followed by a visit to the Genting Casino. It was really convenient that all the tourist sites that I wanted to visit were within the same area. As I continued walking, I passed the University of Manchester, the largest single-site university in UK, and part of the prestigious Russell Group universities. I entered the Manchester Museum - home to a myriad of sculptures and ornaments. With noon fast approaching, I took a taxi to my next destination - Old Trafford. I've always wanted to visit "The Theatre of Dreams" (Manchester United's home ground since 1910), and today I was feeling like a million bucks as I would get a tour of the museum and stadium.

4) We were shown the various stands in the stadium - the dugouts reserved for players and coaches, the players' changing rooms, the waiting area (before they entered the stadium), the interview room post-match, and finally - the gift shop, where I bought some souvenirs for my grandpa who's an ardent fan. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, being able to pose with The United Trinity - George Best, Denis Law, and Sir Bobby Charlton. But alas, time was ticking, and I had one more destination in mind - Salford Quays. Previously the site of Manchester Docks, it is now home to various landmarks including the Imperial War Museum North, The Lowry (where I caught a glimpse of "Britain's Got Talent"!), and MediaCityUK.

5) Needless to say, all that walking took its toll, and so I hired a cab back to Piccadilly Station, where I took the train to Sheffield. During the journey, I made a couple of friends who were solving a crosswords puzzle in the newspaper. We had a lot of fun trying to decipher some of the more cryptic ones - and ended up with two unfilled spaces when I had to alight at Sheffield. I walked from the station all the way to my AirBnb residence, checked in with the hostess, walked to the University of Sheffield for the important briefing before the big day (of PAN XV 2018 - my earlier post), and then spent an (almost) sleepless night prepping for the event. That has been the gist of my stay in Manchester, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it. Do scroll down for LOADS of photos detailing my journey. Enjoy, cheers! :)