We set out for the train station in the morning. We had booked first class tickets for the second train, but didn't see a seat reservation listed. When I asked about this, the rail worker said the seats were first come, first served. That seemed odd - why would we pay more for the ticket when we weren't guaranteed a seat? We got on the train, and the kids and I sort of had seats together. Clara and I sat at a small table, and Miles and Lily sat at a table across the aisle with two businessmen. Poor Matt nearly didn't get a seat at all, but then found one at the other end of the car. Matt has said that I now don't get to plan our travel and hotel on my own anymore.
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| "When is lunch? A table means lunch!" |
Thankfully, the ride was pretty uneventful, and we arrived at one of the main Manchester stations. It turns out that our hotel, Staycity Aparthotel, was right next to the train station (part of the same building but no direct access). We were there well before check-in, so we were planning to store our luggage and walk around a bit. However, our room was all ready for us!
We dropped our things off, and the kids ran around the apartment a bit. Miles kept saying, "This is so luxurious!" (It wasn't a luxury hotel at all, but he really liked it, haha).
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| A peek at luxury |
After settling in, it was time for lunch. The city center has a great free bus system, and the hub was right outside our door. We had time to visit one attraction on this day, so we chose a restaurant nearby.
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| Free bus |
I had read about the Oast House on a travel blog post, and it did not disappoint. It was a cozy and rustic pub, with an extensive beer menu.
The kids had fun taking selfies while they waited.
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| Thanks Lily |
What drew my attention foodwise was the Hanging Kebabs TM. I ordered chicken, which was served with a garlic butter sweet chili sauce. When the food came, you poured the sauce on at the top of the hanger, so it dripped down...
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| Appetizer of bread with gravy. I wasn't sure about it, but it was very tasty |
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| Kids meal |
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| And that delicious sauce dripped down onto the chips. YUM |
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| I see you! |
After we ate, we walked to the nearby John Rylands Library. While it wasn't exactly a child's destination, I really wanted to see it. Fortunately, they had a children's trail, with things for kids to find within the building. This is one of the things I appreciate about many of the places we've visited.
We weren't allowed to take photos in the special exhibits, which held things like the supposed oldest fragment of the new testament (from approximately the 2nd or 3rd century). In all other areas, we could take pictures without flash (so some are pretty dark).
I was captivated by the architecture.
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| Outside on the inside |
The kids got in a little photo op...
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| He was into it, I promise |
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| The worksheet Miles was filling in the whole time |
Then we got to the reading room, which was very impressive.
When we finished our tour, we stopped in the on-site cafe for drinks. The kids had juice, and Matt and I had coffee.
Lily read her own highlights from a discarded paper.
Then Clara started getting loud, whiny, and not fit for public. We took them outside to run around while we waited for the free bus to take us back to the hotel.
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| An outside view of the library |
When we arrived back at the apartment, I got the kids settled and in pajamas while Matt walked a few doors down to Northern Soul, a grilled cheese joint we had spied earlier.
He brought back mac and cheese for the kids. I had a grilled goats cheese, fig, and caramelized onion sandwich, while Matt opted for the buffalo chicken grilled cheese. Both were a perfect way to end the day.
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| My sandwich. |
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| Matt's dinner. Don't let the pickles fool you, they were sweet. |
We had prebooked tickets for the next day, and were excited to see what was to come!
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