While we were in Manchester, we decided to take a daytrip to Liverpool. Liam met up with his friend Anthony for lunch; I would have been welcome, too, but felt that they should have some alone time without me. So I took a stroll along the river Mersey instead and was very happy. Some of the things I saw:
Tate was closed, so I didn't get to visit this time, but I was happy out in the sun as well.
After my walk I went for my yearly bra fitting at M&S. My weight fluctuates a lot, so I need to get new bras pretty often, and I bloody love M&S for bra fittings. They really know their stuff. And once you have the correct bra size buying bras is really easy. Then, my favourite M&S lunch: wrap + still lemonade.
After lunch I went to the Bluecoat, a contemporary art centre that I like.
I popped into the second-hand bookshop first. It's so lovely!
And then I went into the main building to look at art and stuff for a little while.
Some more Liverpool photos taken on the way to ...
... Leaf, where I met up with Liam for a fika. And also to kill a little bit of time as we had somewhere to be at 5.
And that place is my favourite cocktail bar in the world, Berry & Rye (which opens at 5).
Since we were there right when it opened, there was no one else there, and I took the chance to take some photos. This place is so charming, the cocktails are incredible, and they only play blues, which, you know, doesn't hurt.
We had such a good time there!
I had a Clover Club, of course. Liam had a virgin Old Fashioned, or rather, a non-alcoholic cocktail inspired by an Old Fashioned, composed by the bartender who worked while we were there. It had things like lapsang, salted maple, cacao, vinegar and vanilla chai in it and that's still just half the ingredient list. It's one of the most beautiful and intriguing things I've ever tasted. That's how good this place is.
One very happy woman with a cocktail.
And then it was time to leave Liverpool and drive back to Manchester, where we spent the rest of the evening doing a jigsaw puzzle ...
... and watching Great British Bakeoff. What else? :)
The day after was our last full day in the UK and both Liam and I were pretty tired. Rachel was working in the daytime and Liam and I went into Manchester to run some errands.
I went to Fred Aldous, which is one of my favourite art stores in the world.
And I popped into Manchester Art Gallery.
I really like Adolf Vallette, who was an Impressionist painter who painted views of industrial Manchester in the early 1900s. That juxtaposition really interests me; we're so used to seeing Impressionist views of nature, but I find these paintings much more interesting. True to my style though I only took a photo of the typography, not of the painting itself. :)
In the evening we (and Rachel) took the tram to Chorlton to go to a beer festival, YAY!
I hade MUCH STOUT
Christan? That one's new!
It was raining most of the evening, but we found some seats in the hallway of the church (the beer festival takes place in the grounds and function rooms of the local church which I find hilarious and very British), and mostly spent the evening chatting and drinking. It was absolutely delightful.
The day after we said goodbye to Rachel. It was so lovely to get to spend the last few days of our trip with her. We're just really lucky to have the friends that we have. She's a babe.
And then we packed up our things, returned the hire car and made our way to the airport after 18 rich and wonderful days in the UK.
We've had a lot of questions about taking this trip together. Some people (... mostly family) have seemed worried that things would get complicated between us since we used to be together and now are not. Or that we would get back together. Or that we would get into fights. None of that happened. Rather the opposite; this trip really solidified have we have: our new friendship, and the heaps and heaps of love we have for each other. It's been a blessing.
And to the people who've worried that it would get complicated for us to be close friends, or to keep living together, once one or both of us finds a new romantic partner? Don't worry. We both already have! :) I mean, how could we not - we are both just simply too charming and delightful (and humble) to stay single for very long. :)
Desireless | Voyage voyage
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