Our trip to England this year began on May 12, 2014.  Mom and I drove with Oma to the Cincinnati airport to start the first leg of the journey. Fortunately, we arrived with a little time to spare. The first thing to do after going through TSA was to take Oma to her gate as she was flying to Michigan to spend the next two weeks with her daughter, Christine. Once we delivered her safely into the hands of the Delta agents at her gate, we said our goodbyes and headed to our gate, not far away. Soon we were boarding and headed to our first stop.

We did have to connect in Atlanta to make the final leg of the journey to Manchester. Both flights went well and all we could have wished for was more time to sleep... and the ability to lay flat.

View of Manchester as we arrive

Once we arrived, we had a bit of a wait to get through customs. Then we collected our suitcases which came around the belt very quickly. A courtesy shuttle to take us to the rental car area was already waiting outside, so we were able to make that connection right away.

Usually, you have to wait a long time in line to get the reservation processed and finally load up the car; but we had luck there. Once I agreed to the insurance coverage the agent was offering, he gave us a free additional driver so Mom could help with the driving, too.

During that time, we were both trying to remember what we had originally planned to do today before checking into the hotel in Buxton. Once we loaded our things in the car, we sat for a few minutes to get ourselves oriented, get the GPS set up, and look in Jan’s travel book to remember what local things seemed interesting. In the end, we decided to go to Castlefield Urban Heritage Park which has their Museum of Science and Industry and some Roman sites. The drive there was pretty straight forward and we found a car park right away that was reasonably priced.

Manchester has a long history of industry. Some of their greatest industries are cotton fabric, steam powered machines, and computers. They imported cotton from India mostly. Manchester was a great place for them to process it due to the humidity which helped the fibers to stick together. Manchester also boasts the first steam locomotive ever to be built as well as the very first computer to have memory!

We went to the museum and were happy to see that it was free! Amazing for the UK! They did ask for a donation so I gave them £10 for both of us. We enjoyed seeing a replica of the first computer,

the steam engine area with multiple different steam-powered devices including "Planet" (the first locomotive),

and most of all, a demonstration of the cotton fabric production process. Many of the machines used at that time were on display and could be turned on briefly for a demonstration.

It was amazing how much more and how many different machines had to be used to produce fabric. They let us keep a little piece as a souvenir! Many of the steam engines were operational as well and it was interesting to see how they functioned. They also put off some nice warmth which was appreciated on a cold day in a drafty room! The final stop was in the Air and Space section. Many different British-used airplanes were on display.

After seeing the museum, it was time for lunch. We saw a restaurant across the street from the museum called Ox Noble and the menu look nice.

We went in and were seated right away. Jan ordered a haddock sandwich with celery and Jerusalem artichoke soup

and Liesel ordered a tomato and cheese sandwich with the same soup.

Both were very tasty and we traded half of our sandwiches so we could each try both.

On our way back to the car in the rain and cold, we were able to find the Roman gate and other Roman ruins from early A.D.

Looking cold with airplane hair outside the Roman Gate

Mom in front of the Roman Gate.  You can see some of the wall as well.

We took a bit of time looking at that before continuing on to our car. We decided to go to the Manchester Cathedral. It is supposed to have an impressive nave. Our drive there was fairly straight forward and once we figured out how to enter the car park, we were quickly on our way inside. The exterior is very beautiful. It is not very large but it definitely looks like a cathedral.

We went in poked around on our own. An artist had several paintings depicting Christ’s death displayed around the chapels.

Painting on display - taken by Mom

The altar was beautiful and we enjoyed the stain glassed windows. Many of the originals were destroyed in WWII and a bombing by the IRA in 1996 so they were replaced in the 1970's and 1990's.

Stained glass window - taken by Mom

Many of the windows have clear glass pieces instead of colored glass. A docent met us at the back and gave us some of that history. She also pointed out the angel carvings on the ceiling which were donated by Henry VII’s mother when he won the war of the roses. Each angel holds a different gilded instrument.

Angle with gilded lute - taken by Mom

When we left, Jan really wanted to see Little Moreton House which was built by the Moreton’s in the 15^th century. We had to get through so much traffic and had difficulty finding it. When we arrived, they were closed. The gate to the grounds was still open, however, so poked around a little. A lady who worked there was coming out and she told us the house isn’t even open on Tuesdays! Seeing the outside was pretty impressive.

Little Moreton House

House with moat - taken by Mom

Fish in the moat - taken by Mom

It’s amazingly large and sagging in many places. Looks dangerous to go inside!

After taking all the pictures we wanted, Mom took her turn behind the wheel as we started the drive to Buxton and to our hotel. On the way we stopped by the church to take pictures of the exterior. We also stopped at scenic points on the road to take more pictures.

At last we arrived at the Buckingham Hotel.

It’s not fancy but clean and a welcome reprieve after all of our travels. Amazing what a hot shower can do!