A Walk in Manchester

The Beetham Tower, the tallest building in Manchester.

Manchester was a pleasant surprise.  We knew it had once been a center of industry, which had seen better days.  While there was a grittiness to parts that we drove through, a lot of the area is being spruced up, renovated and brought back to life.

Walking under a bridge, you can see the old red brick bridge next to the newer metal supports for the railroad.

These two boxers were very friendly.  This picture is for JP!

Lunch was Super Nachos, which were amazingly tasty.  They even had Chalula to put on them. 

We walked followed a sign for a Roman fort.  There wasn't much there, but a bit farther was a market under a bridge.  We grabbed some lunch, then walked along the canal.  A barge was using the lock, so we watched.  Then there was another one and another one.  The area which was once warehouses is now apartments and businesses.

Family working the locks so their barge could move upstream.

These folks were waiting their turn at the lock.

The foot bridge over the canal.

The bridge is supported only on one side.

Looking at the engineering of the many bridges was inspiring.  There was a combination of old red brick and modern steel.  The footbridge was a bit unnerving; it bounced when walked on!  The entire area was teeming with people enjoying the beautiful weather.  Everyone seemed surprised that it wasn't raining.

The canal was full of barges, some going, some staying.

I really liked the look of this bridge., an older one made from both red brick and painted steel.

A heron at the edge of the canal.  There were also several ducks and geese.