Arrival in UK June 6th

We arrived in Manchester in the afternoon, a good rail connection to the city and our hotel for the night was just across the road. It was wet and just 11° but we were happy to be there after the flight delays. Even though we were in the city centre it was surprisingly quiet with very little traffic. We took a walk into the centre to see the Town Hall  but was disappointed to see that it was shrouded in scaffolding cover as there was major renovation taking place. The square behind was the site of the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 and now commemorates other events in the struggle for workers' rights. 
The streetscape is very attractive with significant Victorian and Edwardisn architecture, many of the buildings are civic offices . One in particular caught our attention as it was the facade of an earlier building with the very modern and large university behind it. The area around the canals has been attractively developed with pubs and restaurants and it is where we found a lovely brasserie for an early dinner - gorgeous lamb rump with all the trimmings- veggies!! And Andrew enjoyed his beer. We had an early night and a sound sleep!
The following day we continued our walking and then visited the People's Museum housed in a renovated Edwardian pumping station. This large museum narrates the history of democracy in Britain and the story of people's lives at home, work and leisure from the early 19th century to the present day. There is an emphasis on the growth of the trade unions and their struggle against the establishment and major political parties to the establishment of the NHS, the Miners' Strike and the protests against the Poll Tax. There us a large collection of political banners relating to the various struggles over the last 200 years. What a sustained and brave struggle for rights - something we have to be thankful for!
We left there in the rain and found the major shopping precinct - noticing on the way  a homeless man sitting wrapped up on the pavement calling  out - 'It's sunny somewhere!' Keeping the spirits up an a grey and dismal day!!
The rest of the day was taken up with collecting the car and driving to Middleton by Youlgreave, our spot for the next 2 weeks.
Some photos of the city.

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