To Manchester and back

Hiya, I'm back! Today I went on a trip again, to Manchester, the farthest destination so far. From one city centre to the other it's about 40 miles, one way, which I did in about three hours. That means that my average speed was around 13 mph, not bad when one takes into calculation that I had to dismount a few times and that there was also city traffic included in the journey.
Anyways, most of the way there's a quite decent cycle path which makes the whole thing much nicer, the weather was perfect cycling weather - sunny, but not too hot - a nice breeze, but not too windy - and I realised that with my frequent trips and the distances getting longer I'm getting fitter and my bum's getting tougher :-) After a total of 6 hours in the saddle I wasn't all too exhausted and my arse hardly hurt at all- すごいでしょ？　（＾ヮ＾）
Okay, so, Manchester, a city with more than 2 million inhabitants (yes, I know that officially what counts as Manchester city is only some 400000 but for me the rest counts as well) it's finally the city with the urban flair I was looking for. Chester might be beautiful but it's too boring. Yea, Mike, if you read this, Chester is boring compared to Liverpool, that's comletely true. Only Liverpool's... erm... a bit scruffy...
So, what I really like about the Manchester city centre is that it's reasonably clean, the chav rate is surprisingly low and the multitude of different architectural styles and old and new - everything from cathedrals to glass-front skyscrapers, from timber-frame architecture to brick houses... and that it's widely pedestrianised.

Interesting architectural samples can be found everywhere...




...from brick buildings to glass-front architecture...




...and even architecture that slightly (although only very slightly) resembles Viennese subway stations of the late 19th / early 20th century!




And they have a tram to boot! (According to my latest information plans for a tram in Liverpool have been cancelled as it is too costly)

First thing after parking my bicycle and drinking some water was to visit Manchester Cathedral. It's style being typically Anglican as the one in Chester, this time I also went inside and saw for the first time how the inside of such a 'typical' Anglican church looks like. At least I dare to assume that it's somewhat 'typical' but if it's not, please tell me that I'm wrong...
The one fact I remembered about it is, that it's the church with the widest nave in England, its nave even feels wider than that of Westminster Abbey which is remarkably wide as well, and in fact it is so wide that from the inside the whole building looks rather if it was a big hall than a nave and a transept. And so wide that I couldn't capture it on photo very well... 残念だなぁ。。。

Cathedral of Manchester - front...




...and the inside. Note the wooden ceiling - something quite different from the ornate Baroque churches we know from Europe

Next my stroll took me through the pedestrian areas of the city centre, past an inviting beer garden, to the town hall. Unfortunately I couldn't dig up too much information about the building - I think it looks very 'town-hallish'.

Beer's just the right refreshment on such a day - best enjoyed alfresco!




Manchester town hall




As you can see I'm enjoying myself...

The last thing I did then before my camera's batteries ran dry was walking to the Roman gardens, also known as Castlefield Park. In that park you can see remains of the Roman fort of Mamucium - from the settlements in front of which later Manchester developed. They've also reconstructed a gate and the ditches in front of the walls.

The Roman gardens...




...complete with Roman graffiti!

And what might that mean? Any idea?

View on the Bridgewater Canal flowing alongside the River Irwell

After that I walked around a bit without much of a goal, just having a look at what was coming my way and as it then began to rain slightly, I got on one of the free Metrolink buses connecting all the important places and major sights of the city. Yes, you've heard right. Free!
Forget the tram if it's too costly but that's something a Capital of Culture should definitely have! Hear that, city council of Liverpool? :-)
Finally, I walked back to my bicycle and set off for my return trip to conclude a really great sightseeing day!