Whenever you visit an unknown city, try to find a city tour.
As we found in Manchester, a day after the concert we attended in Manchester's Bridgewater Hall: our own Last Night of the Proms! (yes, we bought little British flags and yes we waved them while bellowing Rule Brittannia, Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory - a glorious evening if there ever was one!)
But we had one more day to spend and we spent it very well with a true Mancunian who showed us the highlights of the city and knew everything about it's history.
And that is very, very interesting.
Had I ever imagined myself visiting Manchester? No. But I'm glad I did.
I am also glad we had the opportunity to join a walking tour, with a Mancunian guide who knew just about everything about Manchester. He told us the most amazing things.
Like: Manchester was the first industrial city of the world. No one before had build one, the Mancunians did it. And in no time the city became famous for it's cotton industry - - ehh?
Comes in the lay of the land. The Pennines, to be more precise. They run North-South through the Peak District that offered plenty fresh water and a lot of coal to boot.
West of the Pennines: orographic or relief precipitation (rainfall), east: dry, hence wool, that needs a dry clime. Cotton on the other hand likes a moist atmosphere. Thanks to a king who married a Flemish princess who brought her own weavers the time was ripe to start weaving cotton big time when mechanical looms were invented.
Manchester got it's cotton from America, till the city protested agains slavery, after which the cotton came from India - and then India, Bangladesh, Pakistan started making the end-products themselves. That was in the 1960's and the city fell into poverty.
The city reinvented itself, as did Liverpool and Birmingham, two cities we also visited.
During our stay mayor roadworks blocked the city centre (hence my 'themed' photos!). Virtually all the main roads were closed, which meant hardly any traffic on the streets.
Hence we walked relaxedly around, together with all the Mancunians who thoroughly enjoyed a sunny Sunday afternoon.
We did too!
As we found in Manchester, a day after the concert we attended in Manchester's Bridgewater Hall: our own Last Night of the Proms! (yes, we bought little British flags and yes we waved them while bellowing Rule Brittannia, Jerusalem and Land of Hope and Glory - a glorious evening if there ever was one!)
But we had one more day to spend and we spent it very well with a true Mancunian who showed us the highlights of the city and knew everything about it's history.
And that is very, very interesting.
Had I ever imagined myself visiting Manchester? No. But I'm glad I did.
I am also glad we had the opportunity to join a walking tour, with a Mancunian guide who knew just about everything about Manchester. He told us the most amazing things.
Like: Manchester was the first industrial city of the world. No one before had build one, the Mancunians did it. And in no time the city became famous for it's cotton industry - - ehh?
Comes in the lay of the land. The Pennines, to be more precise. They run North-South through the Peak District that offered plenty fresh water and a lot of coal to boot.
West of the Pennines: orographic or relief precipitation (rainfall), east: dry, hence wool, that needs a dry clime. Cotton on the other hand likes a moist atmosphere. Thanks to a king who married a Flemish princess who brought her own weavers the time was ripe to start weaving cotton big time when mechanical looms were invented.
Manchester got it's cotton from America, till the city protested agains slavery, after which the cotton came from India - and then India, Bangladesh, Pakistan started making the end-products themselves. That was in the 1960's and the city fell into poverty.
The city reinvented itself, as did Liverpool and Birmingham, two cities we also visited.
During our stay mayor roadworks blocked the city centre (hence my 'themed' photos!). Virtually all the main roads were closed, which meant hardly any traffic on the streets.
Hence we walked relaxedly around, together with all the Mancunians who thoroughly enjoyed a sunny Sunday afternoon.
We did too!
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