Manchester – Snapping The Globe

Oh man! It’s great to be back in Manchester after so long!

Many years ago, I visited Manchester, England quite often. My airline discontinued service after a while, and my only source of authentic fish and chips became London. But that was okay, as I absolutely love going to London! About a year ago, service was reestablished but I still had not made it back to this historic British city. Last weekend, with a four day trip on my schedule, I carefully packed my bags and prepared for two days to reacquaint myself with the food, the architecture and the history.

After taking a short nap, I ventured out into the drizzly afternoon. Knowing that I only had about two hours to wander around before dinner, I was determined to see as much as I could. A short walk led me past the rounded facade of the Central Library and to the Victorian Gothic style Town Hall located in Albert Square.

A number of monuments and statues are on display here, the largest of which is the Albert Memorial. The monument to Prince Albert, Prince consort of Queen Victoria, consists of a marble statue of Albert standing on a plinth, facing west and occupies the center of the square. Within the square are several other statues including, William Ewart Gladstone, John Bright, Bishop James Fraser and Oliver Heywood. A fountain, commemorating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria and designed by Thomas Worthington, now stands in the square after having been returned in 1997 from storage.

The square was also decorated for the Chinese New Year celebrations taking place that weekend throughout the city. The city of Manchester prides itself in being one of the best places in Europe to celebrate the Chinese tradition with parades, street fairs, attractions and fireworks.

Leaving Albert Square and taking a right onto Princess Street, I headed toward the third largest Chinatown in Europe to gaze upon its magnificent Chinese Arch adorned with dragons and phoenixes. Many tourists were in this area as well as locals completing their shopping in the many markets and shops.

Wandering through Chinatown, I ended up on Cross Street and headed through Exchange Square on my route to the medieval Manchester Cathedral.

The cathedral, located on Victoria Street, is certainly worth a visit as it has the widest nave of any in England and the stained glass are all quite modern after being replaced after WWII. The architecture is worshipful and pipe organ will be the center of attention when the restoration is complete and it has been reinstalled. Presently, scaffolding is erected in the center of the cathedral which impedes one’s entire view and does not lend to the quiet of the atmosphere.

At the moment, Julian Stair’s exhibition, Quietus Revisited: The Vessel, Death and the Human Body, is on display in this religious setting. Life-sized artist made funerary jars and sarcophagi, exploring the symbolic language of ceramic vessels and the role they have played in rituals surrounding death and bereavement can be seen throughout the cathedral.

Once I departed the cathedral, fighting the now steady rain and increasing wind, I managed to wander the streets of Manchester while taking in the beauty of the architecture in the city. Truly, this is a place where one should not walk with head bowed. Take the time to visit it’s landmarks but also to look upwards and outwards at what this city has to offer. Some of the buildings are truly breathtaking. There was much more to see, however, with conditions steadily deteriorating, it was time to call it a day and put off until another, the rest of Manchester’s treasures.

For more pictures, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram @SnappingtheGlobe.

Town Hall

http://www.manchester.gov.uk/townhall/
Town, Hall, Albert Square, Manchester, Lancashire M60 2LA, United
Open Monday-Saturday. Please note, some rooms are not always available for viewing if an event is taking place.

Manchester Cathedral

http://www.manchestercathedral.org/
Admission: free
Open 7 days a week

Years ago, traveling to Manchester, England was a pretty regular occurrence. It wasn’t until much later, after we temporarily discontinued service, that I found out Manchester was known for some pretty fabulous Indian food and I had missed the boat.

My return to Manchester was much anticipated, especially having an extra day there to do some sightseeing. However, as much as I love my picture-taking and sightseeing, the thing I was looking forward to was getting to sample the Indian cuisine.

After braving the windy, rainy afternoon, I returned to the hotel to mourn the loss of my umbrella, dry off, freshen up and meet my crew for dinner.

Shortly after our arranged meeting, a brief discussion ensued as to which Indian restaurant we were going to dine. A place called Akbar’s won the debate!

Located a few blocks away, we arrived to an extremely crowded bar area overshadowed by a large Buddha statue.

The wait was going to be about an hour, but, hey, did I mention there was a bar? After spending time in London and experiencing the agony of parting with too many pound notes just to quench your thirst, the best part about this bar was that drinks were quite cheap! Bottles of Indian beer and healthy pours of wine were only 3 pounds.

Patrons continued to stream into the place, striving to find any niche, cubbyhole or square foot of floor space to wedge themselves into while waiting for their table. Soon, our table for eight was ready and we were ushered into the crowded and noisy dining room and seated at a long rectangular table. Our waiter soon appeared and recorded our orders, one by one.

One of my favorite entrees has always been Chicken Tikka Masala, however, lately, my taste has turned to Butter Chicken. Not seeing it on the menu, I inquired as to whether or not I was missing it. My waiter said, “no”, however, he would ask the chef to prepare it especially for me. The same thing happened when we asked for Cheese Naan. Needless to say, I was very impressed!

No long after our orders were taken, our waiter brought our naan to the table…one garlic and and one cheese. The restaurant has these metal “trees” that the huge naan hangs from. And it was huge! We all began tearing the delicious naan apart and soon after, our entrees were delivered.

My Butter Chicken…oh, what can I say? Mmmmm! I have never had Butter Chicken or any Indian food, for that matter, that tasted so delicious! I am not sure that I uttered any words, besides, “you all have to try this” because I was so busy stuffing my face. I did try some of my fellow diner’s dishes; Seafood Balti, Chicken Tikka Masala and the Chicken Tikka Makhani, the latter of which I have to say was a close second to my Butter Chicken. It was very apparent why this was an award winning restaurant.

Soon, our dining experience was complete, but I made sure to leave with a copy of their menu and the knowledge that I have truly tasted some of the best Indian food in the city (actually many cities)…and if you don’t want to leave the comfort of your hotel room…they deliver!

Akbar’s

http://akbars.co.uk
73-83 Liverpool Road, Manchester, M3 4NQ
Phone: 0161 834 8444
Asian Curry Award 2015, English Curry Award 2014
Best of Manchester and Restaurant of the Year
Other locations: Bradford, Leeds, Eastgate, York, Sheffield, Bradford Cafe de Akbar, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow

Category: Manchester

Many Things in Manchester

Awesome Akbar’s