Hello Blighty
One thing I’ve learned about French Canadians is they are very proud of their French heritage, and will correct you if you say they’re Canadian. Though I’d visited Canada as a child we’d only gone as far as Toronto and Niagara Falls. His nibs had told me much about his home-town Montreal and how Quebec is very different from its ‘English’ landlord. As he’d not been home for almost 2 years and I was eager to see Montreal and meet his friends and family, we booked a trip to Canada. You cannot fly direct from Dubai, so we flew via the UK, that way we could kill two birds with one stone; spend a few days in Blighty with my folks then head to Montreal.
On August 13 2005 we flew into Manchester. My little sis picked us up at the airport and we stayed with my parents for 4 days. My home town of St Helens is not the most happening of places; historically part of Lancashire, it now belongs to Merseyside, only 12 miles from Liverpool and 27 miles from Manchester; it’s not too far from the bright city lights! It covers an area of roughly 30 sq/km that is mainly soft rolling hills which primarily serve agricultural purposes, famous for its glass manufacturing, which is in serious decline, Beechams Pharmaceuticals, now closed and its rugby team The Saints, thankfully still flying high and very successful. It once had several coal-mines but like most of the UK, they’ve been consigned to the history books, our last pit closed in 1992. With a population of almost 103,000, 98.8% white, 87% Christian it has the unenviable title of ‘most Christian town in Britain’, and one of the lowest ethnic minorities. Not exactly a hotbed of culture eh? However it’s my home and I love it.
Knowsley Road, home of the Saints and Taylor Park where I spent much of time as a child. Both these places are 'in my backyard' so to speak....
Alain had visited Manchester before so I took him for a day to Liverpool. The Albert docks there were transformed during the 1980s into a plethora of museums art galleries and eateries, just up his nibs street. The Merseyside Maritime Museum, Customs and Excise National Museum and the Museum of Liverpool Life combine to give a fascinating look at the history of the region. With interesting displays about the work of Customs and Excise and how to spot a smuggler and a stark look at Liverpool’s involvement with the Transatlantic Slave trade. You can also follow the journey of the thousands of immigrants who left Liverpool for America and Canada. The Beatles museum is a must for any fan, but the entry price for his nibs and I, two non fans, was a bit steep, so we gave it a miss. We did head to the famous Blue Bar for lunch. In the evening it’s a great place to celebrity spot; if you’re into that kinda thing. The Albert docks is a very popular and trendy place for local celebrities to live, and nowhere follows trends and fashion more than Liverpool. We had a great day and on the journey back I pointed out the most important landmark in Liverpool; Goodison Park, home of Everton Football Club. I’m a blue and for several years had a season ticket, his nibs just doesn’t do football, so he was less than impressed at the home of the Toffees!
With fortunate weather for a change we headed over the boarder to Welsh Wales for a day with my mum, niece Megan and nephew Macaulay. Only a 90 minute drive and you’re in the green hills of North West Wales, where I spent many a happy childhood holiday. We headed to the beach at Rhos-on-Sea and after a very typical British sea-side lunch walked along the promenade, the kids and my mum running on the beach! We then went to Llandudno; now the largest seaside resort in Wales, it lies on a flat land between the Welsh mainland and the Great Orme peninsula. Llandudno was specifically built as a mid-Victorian era holiday destination and is very picturesque. As we’d ‘done’ the beach, we headed straight to the top of the Great Orme which is a prominent limestone headland 679 ft high. The views from the top are fantastic and as they have a dry-ski slope and toboggan run its great entertainment for the kids. We purchased our tickets for the toboggan run and as Megan was over 8 years old she had to go down alone, his nibs therefore took Macaulay. Whilst waiting in the hour long queue (not good this as his nibs is not renowned for his patience) it was entertaining to watch Megan’s increasing unease at having to go solo. Macaulay in typical little brother style, told her she was being a ‘wuss’ and he’d go down alone if he was allowed. Though I’m convinced this was all bravado! Mum and I watched them speed down the slope which of course Megan loved, as did Macca and his nibs. Though the kids begged to go again, another hour in the queue was too much for his nibs so we went exploring. We climbed to the very top of the Orme, not a gentle path and the swarms of flying ants made it more uncomfortable, but the views were worth the effort. That done we moved to our final destination, Conwy.
Set by the river Conwy it is one of Europe's finest examples of a medieval walled town. Conwy Castle built by Edward I between 1283 and 1289 is the biggest lure and, together with the castles and walls of Harlech, Caernarfon, and Beaumaris, is a World Heritage Site. The castle is a fascinating place to visit, but unfortunately by the time we arrived it was closing for the day. His nibs was gutted, he’d have enjoyed this far more than the toboggan run. Disappointed, we headed to a local pub for a beer before returning home.
During our short stay we caught up with family and friends at various lunches, dinners, and the of course the local pub. Fintan and Rob came up from Birmingham for the night, as did Helen from London, and we had a great evening in a surprisingly nice restaurant called Le Frog. All too quickly our trip came to an end and very excited (well I was) we headed back to the airport for our flight to Montreal…..
On August 13 2005 we flew into Manchester. My little sis picked us up at the airport and we stayed with my parents for 4 days. My home town of St Helens is not the most happening of places; historically part of Lancashire, it now belongs to Merseyside, only 12 miles from Liverpool and 27 miles from Manchester; it’s not too far from the bright city lights! It covers an area of roughly 30 sq/km that is mainly soft rolling hills which primarily serve agricultural purposes, famous for its glass manufacturing, which is in serious decline, Beechams Pharmaceuticals, now closed and its rugby team The Saints, thankfully still flying high and very successful. It once had several coal-mines but like most of the UK, they’ve been consigned to the history books, our last pit closed in 1992. With a population of almost 103,000, 98.8% white, 87% Christian it has the unenviable title of ‘most Christian town in Britain’, and one of the lowest ethnic minorities. Not exactly a hotbed of culture eh? However it’s my home and I love it.
Knowsley Road, home of the Saints and Taylor Park where I spent much of time as a child. Both these places are 'in my backyard' so to speak....
Alain had visited Manchester before so I took him for a day to Liverpool. The Albert docks there were transformed during the 1980s into a plethora of museums art galleries and eateries, just up his nibs street. The Merseyside Maritime Museum, Customs and Excise National Museum and the Museum of Liverpool Life combine to give a fascinating look at the history of the region. With interesting displays about the work of Customs and Excise and how to spot a smuggler and a stark look at Liverpool’s involvement with the Transatlantic Slave trade. You can also follow the journey of the thousands of immigrants who left Liverpool for America and Canada. The Beatles museum is a must for any fan, but the entry price for his nibs and I, two non fans, was a bit steep, so we gave it a miss. We did head to the famous Blue Bar for lunch. In the evening it’s a great place to celebrity spot; if you’re into that kinda thing. The Albert docks is a very popular and trendy place for local celebrities to live, and nowhere follows trends and fashion more than Liverpool. We had a great day and on the journey back I pointed out the most important landmark in Liverpool; Goodison Park, home of Everton Football Club. I’m a blue and for several years had a season ticket, his nibs just doesn’t do football, so he was less than impressed at the home of the Toffees!
With fortunate weather for a change we headed over the boarder to Welsh Wales for a day with my mum, niece Megan and nephew Macaulay. Only a 90 minute drive and you’re in the green hills of North West Wales, where I spent many a happy childhood holiday. We headed to the beach at Rhos-on-Sea and after a very typical British sea-side lunch walked along the promenade, the kids and my mum running on the beach! We then went to Llandudno; now the largest seaside resort in Wales, it lies on a flat land between the Welsh mainland and the Great Orme peninsula. Llandudno was specifically built as a mid-Victorian era holiday destination and is very picturesque. As we’d ‘done’ the beach, we headed straight to the top of the Great Orme which is a prominent limestone headland 679 ft high. The views from the top are fantastic and as they have a dry-ski slope and toboggan run its great entertainment for the kids. We purchased our tickets for the toboggan run and as Megan was over 8 years old she had to go down alone, his nibs therefore took Macaulay. Whilst waiting in the hour long queue (not good this as his nibs is not renowned for his patience) it was entertaining to watch Megan’s increasing unease at having to go solo. Macaulay in typical little brother style, told her she was being a ‘wuss’ and he’d go down alone if he was allowed. Though I’m convinced this was all bravado! Mum and I watched them speed down the slope which of course Megan loved, as did Macca and his nibs. Though the kids begged to go again, another hour in the queue was too much for his nibs so we went exploring. We climbed to the very top of the Orme, not a gentle path and the swarms of flying ants made it more uncomfortable, but the views were worth the effort. That done we moved to our final destination, Conwy.
Set by the river Conwy it is one of Europe's finest examples of a medieval walled town. Conwy Castle built by Edward I between 1283 and 1289 is the biggest lure and, together with the castles and walls of Harlech, Caernarfon, and Beaumaris, is a World Heritage Site. The castle is a fascinating place to visit, but unfortunately by the time we arrived it was closing for the day. His nibs was gutted, he’d have enjoyed this far more than the toboggan run. Disappointed, we headed to a local pub for a beer before returning home.
During our short stay we caught up with family and friends at various lunches, dinners, and the of course the local pub. Fintan and Rob came up from Birmingham for the night, as did Helen from London, and we had a great evening in a surprisingly nice restaurant called Le Frog. All too quickly our trip came to an end and very excited (well I was) we headed back to the airport for our flight to Montreal…..
posted by Bev @ 12:30 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home