16 - 18 November 2012
Manchester - The City up north that everyone loves. loads of culture, loads of surprises and always loads of fun. This is the City that always comes up trumps. Thanks to Mark, Chris and Max for a wonderful time!
We have just returned from another action packed weekend up in the the fun-time City of the north. The weather was mixed but a bit of rain certainly wasn't going to slow us down!
On Saturday we headed north-east out of Manchester to Holmfirth. We took the spectacular A62 and enjoyed wonderful views of the moors, this has to be one of the country's most memorable drives! First stop - Holmfirth Vineyard - An independent wine producer open since 2008. We enjoy a very interesting guided tour and sample 3 of their fine wines. The restaurant is also getting rave reviews, this place is certainly worth a visit! We then head back into Manchester City centre to have a stroll around the huge German style Christmas Market (Shown above) - This place is fantastic and perfect for picking up those authentic euro-style tree decorations! - we also enjoy a mug or two of the warming Glühwein. We are getting hungry, must be time to head off to the St. Petersburg restaurant - this authentic Russian eatery is bursting with atmosphere. We fill up on delicious pancakes, soups and naughty treats from the sweet trolley... then the cabaret begins... I could not believe my eyes when Mr. Slinky appeared! This guy has to be one of my favourite performance artists. I had a chat with him after the show and he told me that he was in fact from the Moscow State Circus... No wonder he was so good!
Holmfirth Vineyard - wonderful setting
Vines and views
The restaurant
Manchester Christmas Market - treats galore
...and more treats!
The one, the only, Mr Slinky!!!
On Sunday we made the most of the few hours spare that
we had before catching our train back down to London. So we decided to
get our culture fix at the Manchester Art Gallery.
While at the Gallery we spent a very interesting hour enjoying the 'The
First Cut' exhibition. A wonderful opportunity to view the work of 31 international artists who cut, sculpt and manipulate paper, transforming
the humble material into fantastical works of art and sculpture. A real treat to see a beautiful large scale piece from Rob Ryan, the master of scalpel art! Su Blackwell also had a couple of pieces on show - just exquisite! Whilst blogging I found this interesting site dedicated to book art - worth taking a peek.
Rob Ryan - The Map of My Entire Life
Su Blackwell - Wuthering Heights
10 out of 10!
