Manchester - Day 2

I discover that the hotel is within walking distance of most things I want to see. Just a few minutes away is the Central Library which is an impressive building, in and out. I stumble on the music section stuffed with scores and books and I find a title that's a possible contender for my memoirs. The central reading room of this huge rotunda has a few students sat at long tables trying to show willing. Students are rather plentiful here.

The Central Library sits on St Peter's Square, of the Peterloo massacre of 1819. I don't think I ever got to see the film.. a democratic uprising. The square is also a transport hub for the tram system. I love trams in a city, they add so much character. It's an easy hop on hop off with contactless, hence plenty of inspectors. The trams rattle along tooting their horns, and at rush hour they are jam packed. 

The tram takes me further into the main shopping area and I go in search of a secondhand bookshop in a grimy back street without success, so on to Manchester's Art Gallery. At first it seems very small and I feel a little disappointed. I follow a cleaner dragging a Henry around and then discover the museum opens out into several more rooms. It is a mixture of old and modern glass architecture and not straightforward to navigate. At last I find the Dutch Golden Age and I find a recorder player. Her hand is in a very peculiar position for the bottom hole. I bet someone pointed this out to Steen after he finished it, I would have. A nice find. 

I sit for some respite on a large sofa and Wikipedia tells me that the Light of the World by Holman Hunt is here. I can't quite believe it because I know it's in St Paul's Cathedral. But with the help of an attendant I find it, standing maybe only a foot high. Apparently there are three  and one is here. An unexpected find. 

Now the Cathedral. It has a beautifully open nave and as I go in, two of the attendants are discussing what looks like a freshly broken piece of ancient stone high up, and man is hoovering here also, but with something much superior, it is a Cathedral after all.  One of the attendants wonders whether the BBC broke the stone (they were here on Christmas Day). She points it out to me and then uninvited starts talking about the building. I then make the mistake of asking a question. She starts at the year 1350.. Interestingly she points out an angel high up playing a recorder, with hands the wrong way round (no such thing of course, ancients played both ways). I proudly boast of being a professional recorder player and an organist. Now she really gets going and gives me lots of information about the organ (I know very little about organs, only how to play them, but I nod). She says it's nice to talk to someone who knows what she is talking about. I say nothing.

Not too far from the cathedral is the John Rylands library. As I arrive, there is the offer of a short guide. He says that it is free, only five minutes long and that he won't be offended if we walk off when tired. I like this guide. I think he may have kept to his five minutes but he was so interesting it didn't matter. They have an extraordinary number of rare books here, including a Guttenburg bible and the reading room and staircases put me in mind of Harry Potter. 

A short diversion as I come upon Forsyths, the most wonderful multi floored music shop, of which there are few left, even in London. One floor is crammed with pianos and I also get to try a digital grand by Kawai that I have been looking at online. It disappoints but I'm glad to have tried it and discovered what it can't do. I chat to the sales assistant and she understands my surprise at finding such a large and thriving shop. There's nothing like browsing through music she says. Unfortunately there's also nothing like getting it cheaper online and delivered through your letterbox!

When I first saw the film The Imitation Game, I didn't know about Alan Turing. I'm pleased that after the terrible injustice that he suffered, he at least now has some recognition in his death. Manchester is well known for its gay culture and as well as the Gay Village area of the city, the rainbow is seen around the city, flags set in the pavements. The Alan Turing Memorial is a must see and as I approach there is a huddle of tourists surrounding it. It is not a good likeness and I feel that Turing should be standing triumphant. I hear the guide say that it was made in China and cost 15k. You get what you pay for he says. Indeed. 

Garmin says 8.8 miles.