Slept in and was woken up by Murphy, the neighbor cat who snuck into the house, and hopped up on the ottoman to check me out up close.
After a toast and cereal breakfast, Anna and I headed to the Quarry Bank Mill, a local attraction which Simon highly recommended. It was POURING down rain, so this was a good indoor activity choice.
Cotton and textiles have long been a staple of the Manchester area. The mill, a very interactive spot much like the Pacific Science Center, delves into the history of cotton. You start the tour seeing one string being created by hand, spun by one person. As the tour continues, you see the technological innovations that led to its mechanizing, and eventually being able to spin 400 feet of yard a second (hundreds and hundreds of spools all at once.) It was an interesting look into why Manchester was once called “Cottonoplis”. After the actual mill, Anna and I toured the apprentice house where the children who worked in the mill lived.
Next, Anna and I went to a cool food market in Altrincham – I had a classic chicken and sweet corn pie with potatoes and gravy, Anna had a killer steak sandwich. We then picked up Simon at the Tesco where he was working for the day, came back to their place and relaxed.
Later we swung by the local pub for a couple of drinks and Euro 2016 football (soccer) action, before returning to their place to see the end of the game (a heartbreaking tie with Russia, who scored an equalizer at 90 +2 minutes). Anna made a delicious chili con carne on rice for dinner, and we watched Intermission – an early Colin Firth British thriller. Another great day. Tomorrow we explore downtown Manchester!
Lars Phillips 