Tigger discovered that there were illuminations so, after dark, we went out to take a look. This event is called the Corridor of Light, a name to which, in my opinion, the actual illuminations did scant justice.

Night scene

This photo is not part of the illuminations but is here to set the scene of “Manchester at night”, as it were. I’m not sure we caught all the illuminations. We might have missed the odd one or two.

Illuminated trees

This avenue of illuminated trees was not part of the Corridor of Light but was pretty on its own account.

Disco lights

This was arguably the best item. The lights rotated like disco lights. (See Note at the end of the post.)

Photo by Tigger

This one had to be photographed between the strips in a gate, hence the narrow image.

Photo by Tigger

A set of different colours followed one another in a rotating sequence.

Old town hall

This façade was illuminated with static lights.

Commercial premises

The windows of these commercial premises were illuminated with static lights.

Moving beam

We first spotted this moving light like the beam of a searchlight and, later, found the source (next picture).

The source of the spotlight

This building, itself lit with static lights, was the source of the moving spotlight.

Everything Up in the Air

This static display was the last one we saw. Were there more? Did we miss some? I don’t know. Tigger proposed taking a cab back to the hotel and I was happy to concur.

Back in our temporary nest on the fourth floor, we had a light supper of tea and the remaining crisps and Babybel cheeses from the train. As we had had a substantial lunch, that was enough.

Note: When we are out and about (as now), uploading live photos converted to GIFs (which are very big files) eats into my mobile’s data like nobody’s business. So, to avoid the horrendous expense, I now upload still pictures first time around and replace these with moving pictures (uploaded via the PC at home) later. Thus, some of the above stills will be replaced by their moving counterparts when we return home. I shall follow this practice in future “on the hoof” posts.

I cannot say I spent the best ever night in this hotel. The bed is “bouncy” and the pillows plump but soft so that your head sinks into them and you feel you are being suffocated. I’m glad we have only one more night to go.

The shower

Hotel showers are remarkable for the variety of their designs. Each has quirks of its own that you have to discover and deal with – all being well, without scalding yourself. I am the shower pioneer, so to speak: I go first to explore – and, we hope, tame – the hotel shower. This shower is a typical example: manageable but somewhat cramped for space and the floor is slippery.

A corner of our room

Before showering we of course made tea. Our reservation does not include breakfast, so we will find somewhere outside. Untidy room, did you say? Yes, well, in such a small room, with very little storage, it’s hard to be tidy.

A tiny wardrobe

In one corner, beside the bed, where it is difficult to access, is a tiny wardrobe. It’s easier to take the hangers and hook them onto various projections around the room.

Impressive entrance (1898)

As a clue to the size and design of the room, indications are that this building was once for student accommodation. Thus our “double” room was once a study bedroom for one person and contained a single bed, leaving more space for movement and storage.

Alan Turing Memorial

We walked to Piccadilly Station and on the way entered Sackville Gardens where this sculpture sits on a bench. It supposedly portrays Alan Turing, though the face looks nothing like the usual photos of the great man. Nor is the artist’s name indicated.

Cityscape with tram

We crossed a pedestrian bridge to the station from where I took this photo showing one of Manchester’s trams. I have mentioned that we are fans of trams!

Breakfast at Caffè Nero
Photo by Tigger

Near the station is a branch of Caffè Nero and we had our breakfast here. They had only two plain croissants so we supplemented these with raspberry ones.

Free bus route 2

We now caught the free bus, route 2, to our next destination. Some other cities also have a free bus service but Manchester is unusually generous in having three routes. These no doubt help move people quickly about the central area and encourage them to leave their cars at home.

The Opera House

We left the bus near the Opera House, though we had not come for the opera. (I think you guessed 🙂 )

Rolls Royce Motor Car 1905
Science+Industry Museum

We had come to the Science+Industry Museum. Admission is free but you have to book tickets to regulate numbers and prevent overcrowding.

Alan Turing

Here, unsurprisingly, we found further traces of Alan Turing.

“Baby”, world’s first stored program computer 1948

There was an exhibition of popular music that Tigger wanted to see but which interested me not at all. So Tigger visited the exhibition while I stayed among the science – much more to my taste.

19th-century beam engine

Later, Tigger rejoined me and we set off again.

Crossing the Bridgewater Canal

We crossed the Bridgewater Canal and…

Crossing the Irwell

…the Rivet Irwell into Salford where another destination awaited.

Salford Lads Club

This was Salford Lads Club, founded 1903, motto “To brighten young lives and make good citizens”. It’s open to the public on Saturday mornings. The following pictures probably speak for themselves.

Farewell shot

We now undertook a longish walk to Oldfield Road Retail Park where there was…

Coffee and a sit-down

…a Costa, where we could have coffee and sit down for a while.

Aboard the bus

After our leisurely coffee break, we caught a bus back to central Manchester to look for lunch.

Zorba’s at Arndale Market
Photo by Tigger

After casting around for a while we entered the Arndale Market and found that Zorba’s had a selection of veggie Greek-style dishes.

Lunch in a box
Photo by Tigger

So we had lunch in a box, not expensive but very tasty,

Free bus, route 2

After lunch, as we had done a lot of walking, we once more took to the free bus, route 2. It served for a while as our tour bus.

Sackville Gardens

After a ride and some sight-seeing, we left the bus and passed by Sackville Gardens and Alan Turing, this time in the opposite direction, a path which led us back to the hotel.

Our hotel room in the gloaming

We arrived in our room and, you will not be surprised to hear, made tea. On that pleasant note, I will bid you adieu for now.

Aboard the 205

Here we are aboard a bus on the way to Euston Station. As the title says, we are on our way to Manchester. We are spending two nights there, returning home on Sunday. We left home at about 5:30 pm because Tigger was at work during the day. Our train departs at 8:40 pm.

Leon at Euston Station

At Euston, we went up onto the upper level to Leon’s for an early supper. Leon’s was busy but they are efficient so I was soon served,

Coffee and halloumi wrap
Photo by Tigger

We each had a halloumi wrap with coffee. The wrap was tasty but not very warm.

Waiting for the platform number

The worst part of departing from Euston is waiting for your train’s platform to show. Euston is particularly bad at this and often shows the platform number with only minutes to spare, causing a mad rush for the train. Fortunately, we have reserved seats.

Near one end of carriage F

We have seats near one end of carriage F. These are not our reserved seats, which were not together, but two seats together, Fingers crossed that no one claims them en route when our true seats are occupied!

A snack

Even though we had had supper (hours ago, it felt like!), we had a little snack along the way: Babybel individual cheeses and Kettle crisps. Besides nourishment it helps bear the tedium of the journey.

Passengers are asked to wear “face coverings” (modern jargon for “face masks”) in stations and on trains but as the train has a buffet selling food and drink to be consumed in your seat, it is legitimate to remove your mask to eat and drink, as you would in a restaurant.

Crewe Station
Photo by Tigger

As it’s night and dark outside, there nothing to be seen through the windows except blackness and occasional passing lights, unless we stop at one of the few stations. These, though, are not very interesting at night.

Wilmslow
Photo by Tigger

This is a slightly surreal-looking photo of Wilmslow Station as it combines an exterior view with interior reflections.

Arriving

The train was late but we arrived at last at Manchester Piccadilly Station (yes, they have a Piccadilly in Manchester too) where I grabbed this one-handed shot as we made for the exit.

The taxi
Photo by Tigger

As it was late (nearly 11 pm) we decided to take a cab rather than confront the buses. The taxi took us to our hotel where we checked in and made for our room on the fourth floor. It is small, very small, uncomfortably small, but fortunately, we will spend only two nights here.

We unpacked immediate necessities which include plugs and cables to charge our phones. There is only one set our power points in a far corner of the room. Fortunately, we have long extension leads, both of which are needed so we can use our mobiles while on or in the bed.

Next job was to make tea and to relax after a slightly stressful journey. So good night, all, till tomorrow.

(For the context of this post, see Connection restored and antecedents.)

Since restoration of our Internet connection last Friday evening, the system has been running smoothly and reliably, without any of the stoppages and slow-downs that we had been experiencing and that had prompted me to complain to our ISP, Zen. We are satisfied that Zen has done what was required to put things right and are happy with the service as it is running at present.

We are on a DSL “copper wire” link which is not as speedy as fibre but we find it generally satisfactory for our purposes and have decided to continue with it for now, though keeping an eye on developments with a view to possibly upgrading at a later date.

When we first subscribed to Zen, DSL over the phone lines was the normal type of broadband available to domestic users. It was the standard technology of the day. Since then, however, technology has moved on. Copper wire is being replaced with fibre, giving speed increases that in the days of dial-up connections – which gave many of us our first taste of the Internet – would have been dismissed as science fiction.

In the meantime, a parallet revolution has been in progress in the field of telecommunications. What we then knew simply as the “mobile phone” has metamorphosed into an entity called the “smartphone”, a device that – as the pundits keep reminding us – is virtually “a computer in your pocket”.

Smartphones of course come ready enabled to connect to the Internet, not by wires, but by wireless. Wherever you are – in the coffee shop, on the bus or just walking in the street – you are “on” the Internet. At the same time, we have experienced a succession of connection standards – 3G, 4G and now 5G – each increasing the speed of connection.

Like many people, I have my phone connected to the Internet much of the time, whether at home or out and about. In the circumstances, it’s not long before the following question forms in your mind: If I can connect to the Internet wirelessly on my phone, why does my home broadband need wires and a monthly rental payment to the landline telephone company?

The answer, of course, is that it no longer needs either wires or a landline. You can already buy or rent a wireless router from one of the mobile phone companies, dispensing with the need for a landline and any wires. Such systems are already competing with fibre in terms of speed and bandwidth and will become even better as time passes.

It is wireless broadband that I have my eye on as a possible eventual replacement for our increasingly old fashioned copper wire system. At the moment, there are three UK mobile phone companies supplying wireless broadband – Three, EE and Vodafone – but I expect this soon to change as more companies join in and competition increases.

If and when we move to our next broadband service, of whatever kind, I will let you know how we fare.

We of course performed our usual shopping run this morning. Sainsbury’s was not too busy and we had soon finished.

Sainsbury’s – not too busy

We have heard stories of empty shelves and people not being able to buy essential items but we fortunately managed to find everything we needed. A question mark hangs ominously over the future, though.

Fruit & Veg, Chapel Market

I passed through Chapel Market without seeing any signs of panic buying though I think that quite a few of the usual stalls were missing.

Inside and outside Mercer’s

I bought our usual coffee at Mercer’s and found the place calm and quiet with customers sitting both inside and at tables outside. This purchase filled a loyalty card: free coffee next time!

Passing St Mark’s Church

After lunch, we headed for the deli, passing a sunlit St Mark’s Church on the way. When we had nearly reached the deli, we could see that they had already taken in the chairs and tables so, we changed our plans.

Aboard the 205
Photo by Tigger

We boarded a number 205 bus for Paddington as we had not been there for a while.

Paddington Station

We left the bus at Paddington and walked through the station and out the other side,

Beside the Grand Union Canal

This brought us out beside the Grand Union Canal. It was lined with barges, all of which, on the stretch, were restaurants and cafes.

Under the bridge

We passed under a road bridge. The small boat coming towards us was one of several that can be hired to sail up and down the canal.

Houseboats

On the other side of the bridge the barges are houseboats, not business premises. There was a smell of coal smoke on the air: it seems that some boats still have coal-fired cookers and perhaps heating.

Stand-off!

We encountered these two metal men facing one another as though in a stand-off.

The metal men

Here they are, both seen from the front. They were sculpted by Sean Henry.

Costa Coffee

After a stroll, we returned to the station building where we had seen a small Costa Coffee. We retired here for refreshments.

Coffee and biscotti

We had coffee and biscotti. In this branch of Costa, as is common in smaller branches, they serve coffee only in paper cups whether you take it away or sit in.

Pedestrian suspension bridge

After coffee, we went back out to the canal and crossed it by the pedestrian suspension bridge.

Good views of the canal

The bridge of course provides good views up and down the canal.

The lane

The bridge led to a lane and…

Slope to the street

…this led to a sloping path up to the street. At the top I could see a bus stop. Don’t think I knew where I was going. I didn’t: I was happy to follow Tigger who was following her Inner Pigeon, which usually takes us the right way.

Bus stop

This unprepossessing thoroughfare is apparently called Harrow Road. Not that it mattered because we soon had a bus, a number 18, to take us on the first stage homewards.

Aboard the 18

This bus took us to Euston Station where we changed to a number 30 which completed our journey home. While we were aboard the 18, my sister called from Canada and, not wanting to disappoint her, I continued the call. As the phone – not to mention yours truly – was fully occupied with the call, I took no more photos on this trip, but one bus looks very much like another and I expect you can imagine the scene for yourselves!