Scousers and Mancunians

Manchester - A city which I had thought to be the UK's second-largest for a long time, only recently have I found out that Birmingham is actually the bigger city. The birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and, obviously, Manchester United FC. It's also right next to Liverpool, so I couldn't go home without paying this city a visit as well.

Accommodation

The hotel we stayed at is the Holiday Inn Express located on Oxford Road, close to the city centre. The price for a room with twin beds is 40 pounds, so 20 per each of us. We spent two nights here and a free breakfast is included in the price. Not the best hotel I've ever stayed at, but better than the one we slept at in Liverpool, so it was okay.

Food/Drinks

I mostly ate at McDonald's and various fish and chips spots, as the food wasn't my interest here. 

Manchester has some pretty neat pubs, but we didn't have time to explore them all in 2 nights. The Washroom Cocktail Bar was the one we wished we would've gone to but didn't because you need a reservation and both days were fully booked. It's one of those classy secret-entrance pubs and it's probably pretty expensive. 

Manchester has some pretty good gin, so if you are interested, look up 'Manchester Gin Experience'.

Visits

Day 1, we arrived in the morning from Liverpool by coach, the ride was about 2 quid. We had a reservation at the National Football Museum at 12, and the entrance fee was 10 pounds. The museum was pretty good and very interactive. You can take a penalty against a digital goalkeeper and take the role of a commentator in various exhibits. I learned a lot of new things about English football and it was cool to see personal items and jerseys of the world's best footballers. Maradona's shirt from the 1986 World Cup match against England in which he scored with the hand of God was the best item to see by far.

In the evening we wandered about to see what the city's like. The impression that I got about Manchester in the short time that I've spent there is that it's not as clean as Liverpool and also has way more skyscrapers.

Day 2, we started with a tour of Old Trafford. Considering I've been a Liverpool fan for a long time now, it felt like a bit of a betrayal from me to be on the pitch of their biggest rival. The museum was, honestly, better organized and more interesting than the one on Anfield. I learned a lot about the club's culture and I noticed a lot of interesting details on the pitch; the 'Red Devils' stadium has two pairs of horns on each of the roof's corners. Also, its rivalry with Liverpool is also displayed on the pitch: there is a big Adidas logo on the stands of Old Trafford, while the Anfield stands have a big wing of the goddess Nike on them. The tour costed about the same as the one in Liverpool and it's totally worth it to come here.

We continued with the Imperial War Museum North located close by. The entrance was free, and the same applies to its counterpart in London: the IWM. Unlike the Western Approaches Museum, which had a specific focus- anti-submarine warfare and bunkers, the IWM North showcases a general history of British warfare in the Second World War through a collection of weapons and items that belonged to military personnel. Cool exhibits and interesting shows taking place all the time, totally worth visiting, especially considering that it's free.

The last visit of the day was at the Science and Industry Museum, with the entry also being free here. We thought this museum would be a must-do here in Manchester, considering its ties to the Industrial Revolution. The museum has various exhibits, mostly about the development of technology and industry over the years. This museum's highlights were, though, seeing the world's first computer and the spy exhibits. Learning about the Enigma machine and various secret-use items used by spies was really neat. 

Others

Manchester is a big city with a lot to do every day of the week, but it still doesn't top Liverpool. I wish we would've learned about the Washroom pub earlier on and one place that I've only discovered now and I'll totally be going there next time I'm in Manchester is the Whistle Punks Urban Axe Throwing recreation centre.

#manchester #manchesterunited #oldtrafford #championsleague #worldwartwo #science