Last weekend we were in Manchester again, but this time left to our own devises while our daughter was busy at Stall, a pop-up Christmas market. Although we've explored quite a bit of the city it's always been with her along to show the way, so this time was more of an adventure.
She was based for the day in a new building (Kampus) next to an old canal, so on our first foray out we followed the water past the bars and clubs of the Gay village. It was a cold but brilliantly sunny day, the sky and water blue, and everything looking so pretty.
When the canal towpath came to an end we headed vaguely in the direction we thought 'town' lay, but without bothering to use a map our route was a little hit and miss. Even so we managed to find Manchester's Chinatown - well, how could we miss that magnificent arch? - the Art Gallery and a wonderful exhibition of ceramicist Halima Cassell's work, and the Christmas decorations outside the library.
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| Manchester Art Gallery |
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| the gallery's amazing entrance hall |
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| here and above, a couple of Halima Cassell's intriguing pieces of work |
For lunch we decided to head back to Kampus where one of the vendors was surprised we hadn't encountered the other fairs around the city, so our next excursion was a little more organised - head up the road and look for signs to the Town Hall. Off we went (after pizza)
The first thing we spotted was the Crown Court with its castle-like turrets and door
Deciding we should really follow signposts, we headed into the setting sun, and found the Town Hall and adjoining market almost next to the library where we'd been earlier!
This whole area was absolutely packed with people, so we had a quick look round (as best we could because of the crowds) before heading back to Kampus again
Fortified by chips and hot peas, we had time for one more short wander along the canal - now lit up for the evening, and looking so pretty.
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