Stockport, Manchester

Being woken up after only a couple hours of sleep is usually not a good thing, but for us, it was. Because it meant that we made it across the pond and landed in Manchester. We deliriously walked through customs but was brought to life at the site of Ian pulling up in a mini-coupe as we grabbed our first breath of European air. It was good to see an old mate. Ian and his roommate took us back to his place and ate a “proper” British breakfast. We had eggs, proper meaty bacon and House of Parliament (HP) sauce. Very good.

After visiting with each other for a bit, we stopped by Ian’s pool and then headed to Manchester city (10 min train ride). From there we took a bus to the Manchester United Soccer Stadium (eat your heart out Dr. Ziolo – Steven’s professor who is a die heart Man U fan). They had a tour of the stadium and a museum, but it was a bit pricey and we only wanted to see the “pitch” (field). However, with Ian’s charm and us being from America, we were able to weasel our way to the field. We were very fortunate and received a VIP tour of the field from Terry – an older gentleman dressed in a suit and tie (who insisted on hopping in our picture). The field was very prestige. A great site for us.        

        

Following, the Man U stadium, we traveled back to the city and roamed around for a bit. For lunch and drinks, we went to Marble Arch – a brewery with “real ale.” For those not familiar with what real ale is, its beer that is stored in cask oak barrels, served warm (55°), and less carbonated. All results in a SMOOTH and flavorful beer. They allowed us to taste a few and finally got a couple bitters and a chocolate porter. Both were great and were well complemented with our fish ‘n chips. A proper British meal. When Ian went to get a beer, the cask barrel ran dry and couldn’t fill an entire pint. Therefore, he got a half pint, and didn’t have to pay for it. It was funny comparing a real pint to Ian’s itty bitty drink. We shared lots of laughs as the 3 of us remembered old times.  It was a great afternoon.. one to be remembered.

Following lunch, we walked through Manchester’s town square and their mall. The most bazaar store was  appy feet. You need to Google this. This is a store where you go in and pay 10 quid to dangle your feet into a tube of tiny fish. Used as a massage remedy, these fish nibble and eat away your exfoliate. It’s a new popular thing, and people of all ages were taking part. A bit strange to us. After the mall, we grabbed some drinks and headed back to Ian’s place. A bunch of swimmers came over and we had lot of fun. We played some games, sang some songs (taught Ian and his friends how “to Dougie”), and made memories. Good times.




Sunday morning we went to an old church that was build in 1825. Accompanied with 2 other swimmers, the 5 of us were the youngest by 30-40 years. Haha. It was a nice mass, and they asked us to stay for some tea. So we did. Francis, an older lady who Ian previously met, talked to us while we dipped our ginger biscuits in our tea. It was quite a delicate experience.

After church, we made a bacon buddy (basically a big bacon, egg, and HP sauce breakfast sandwich).  Following a period of down time and watching the Liverpool soccer game, we headed to our own soccer game - Manchester City vs West Ham United. With the sun shining down on us we walked to the stadium from downtown Manchester. Once we found the stadium we got a 13 inch hot dog! The thing was huge. We entered the stadium and made our way to the 2nd row from the pitch (field) to watch the game. The fans made the match very very entertaining.
The match was very exciting to watch, but the chants, blabbing, and jumping around made it very memorable. Manchester City started off great. They scored on a corner kick 10 min into the game and the players celebrated right in front of us. The arena erupted. Signature songs and dances soon followed. It was very easy to join in. At the 15 min mark, Man City scored again. The 2-0 score lasted  until the West Ham scored at the 33 min. The score was 2-1 at intermission. The 2nd half was all defense. With multiple bad calls by the refs and near goals by West Ham, the fans around us were yelling a lot. We were laughing the whole time. There were some unique characters. The game finished 2-1 and Man City took the victory.

Following the match, we caught a bus back to the city and ate at Pizza Express as we gazed out over a local square. The night ended with us relaxing and watching TV. Ian and Manchester were great great hosts. It was good to see the old mate, but our journey must continue on. Tomorrow we are taking the early train to London to meet up with Aunt Buffy.