Incredibly, it is time again to move on. I really, really cannot believe how fast the time goes! We leave today (4/15 — how are taxes coming?) for Scotland. We will spend a few days in Edinburgh — with a couple of day trips to other towns before our next house sit in the small town of Thornhill.
In the last week, we have walked (12 miles one day!), run (Beth survived the Manchester Marathon), bussed, and trammed our way around the greater Manchester area. Much of our time was spent exploring the Trafford area where the marathon began and ended. This is a lovely area with a large outlet mall (under a gym and residential building, a theatre, an Imperial War Museum, and, most importantly, the stadium for the Manchester United football team and the Old Trafford cricket grounds. The Imperial War Museum (free) is a comprehensive look at the UK’s involvement in various wars. We perused the WWII section but also did a 20 minute tour on spies (lots of women) in WWI and WWII and watched a film that spoke to the transitions that countries go through after wars.
See highlights from the Trafford area —
The other fun thing that we did recently in Manchester was to go the Bury Market. This is a huge market in the community of Bury that has anything you could possibly want in terms of goods (any item that you would shop for at Target you can get here), food (fresh meat, fish, produce, as well as ready-made food to sit and eat) and services (on-site clothing alterations, funeral planning and headstones — maybe because it’s the Bury market?).
Finally, we have to give a shout-out to our Manchester host. She initially wanted us to come to care for her home and pet while she was away on holiday. Sadly, after plans were set, her pet died unexpectedly. She was so lovely to allow us to come anyway and was a lovely host during our hand-off time by showing us around, taking us to dinner, and just making us feel at home. We have made a great new friend and hope that our paths cross again.
Peckish Travels 