Train journey three of three, we're off to Manchester to see our dear friend Janet. Janet's been a friend of our family for over twenty years. When my parents lived in sheltered housing (a type of accommodation designed for older adults, offering independent living with support services such as emergency alarms and social activities), Janet was the "warden" aka manager, and she grew especially close to my parents when her husband died, and my parents spent a lot of time with her and her teenage son. She traveled with my dad when he came back to the States after Mum died and visited us in Rhode Island. It would not be a trip to the UK without a visit to see her.
Back to Euston Station for our train to Manchester Piccadilly. The process for finding your train is interesting - everyone gathers in a large reception area and watches the boards for their train's details. We were second on the list under Further Departures.
A short time later, our details moved over to the left of Further Departures and shortly after that, our platform was announced.
I had to snap a photo of this security message. It was repeated often "See It. Say It. Sorted".
We approached our platform only to find that our train was cancelled (again!), however, we were directed to the adjacent platform where another Manchester train was just leaving. We boarded right at the end of the train and worked our way through several carriages until we found two seats. Vic picked up breakfast for the journey at Pret A Manger, porridge!
The trip was uneventful, and Janet was there to meet us. Manchester's City Centre has great public transportation and it's free. We hoped on a bus and exited at Marks and Spencer to have a quick cup of tea. Then we walked over to St. Ann's Square which was cordoned off for the Christmas market.
This is St. Ann's Church where Mum used to stop in and leave gifts during the toy drive every Christmas.
After a bit of a walk, we found the King Street Townhouse where we had reservations for afternoon tea. It was actually on Booth Street, but I guess Booth Street Townhouse doesn't sound as upmarket!
Clotted cream and jam selection - the black currant was delicious
Raising a cup to those we wished were with us
The tiered server (ok, there's fruit, but it was a small bunch of redcurrants which is decidedly British, so I'll give it an ok, lol). The sandwich selection was delicious, the scones so light, and the desserts were so good.
We walked over to the Christmas Market in Albert Square where we found a Mancunian Twelve Days of Christmas
The Albert Memorial, a monument to Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria
A beer truck - do we have beer trucks in the US? I don't think I've ever seen one.
A photo op in front of the Town Hall which is undergoing renovations
We walked down to Deansgate, a main thoroughfare and the one I used to walk down every day when I worked for a travel agency in Manchester. The last building on the right used to be an amazing department store, Kendals. If you've seen episodes of Are You Being Served? it was very much like that, very old school with staff behind the counters and elevator operators. It's scheduled to be repurposed as offices, so sad.
It was time to head back to the station with a quick stop at Marks and Spencer. I wish I had spent more time there. Never mind, next trip!
Back on the train for the journey home and I figured out why our tickets were so expensive, I'd booked us into Premium class. It was a very comfortable journey home.
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