The more Australians I meet the more Australians I like

My time in Manchester was too short. I stayed a little too long in Cardiff so I felt like I was just killing time until my scheduled departure date and as a result I didn't think I'd need as much time in Manchester. I meant to go to the Manchester United - Everton match on Sunday but by the time I priced out tickets they were out of my price range so that coupled with my time in Cardiff I decided on a couple days. It was a mistake. This city is really neat. I'm still determined to go to a Premier League match.

It's rained constantly for the past week; except for now as I type this waiting for my bus to Liverpool, of course. As a result most of my time was spent indoors. The Manchester Art Gallery is pretty manageable for half a day. As Manchester has it's roots as an industrial powerhouse they had a gallery of "Art in Manufacturing" there were displays of things that were mass produced but still elegant and beautiful to look at. British folk seem to take there art much more seriously than Americans. Most the time when they are with someone in a gallery they will strike "the pose", you know the one- arms crossed, hip thrust out to one side, maybe a thoughtful finger tapping the lips, and the unforgettably head tilted to the side- then they will tell their companion every aspect they like about the painting. At home it just seems most people wanna power through the museum. It's a nice change to not feel like a slow poke.

My thoughts have been focused on a few days in advance. I think I'm gonna take some time and hike and camp in the Scottish Highlands. I'm really excited for it! I'm only worried about the Banshees haha. Few pictures but I made a couple friends here. Every Australian I meet is always super friendly. One even bought and cooked dinner for anyone at the hostel to eat last night! It beat whatever god awful English concoction I was gonna eat. Seriously, how has this country not starved to death? Thankfully the Indian population has kept me from wasting away with their delicious curries. Motherly middle aged women are the best vendors and shops to go to. I must remind them of their son(s) because I always seem to get more food from them and it always costs less than posted. Not that I'm exploiting immigrant mothers by pulling on their heartstrings and playing up to their maternal instincts...

Anyways, here's a few (literally) shots from Manchester. Wish I had taken more but the two camera shops I went to were fresh out of rain covers. Oh, and it's raining again.