Yesterday was a fantastic day to say the least! This visit went so much better than their previous, mainly because we had more to do and I didn't conclude their visit by bursting into tears and begging them to take me home.
I did some food shopping at Tesco in the morning and whilst I was there, my nan texted me to say that they had just left the infamous McDonald's which lies about half an hour outside of Manchester. We always used to stop here for a drink when visiting my mum when she lived here. I threw some bare essentials into my basket and hurried towards the self-service checkout, the handles of the basket groaning and bending under the weight of my shopping.
I hurried back to my flat and after throwing things into their rightful cupboards, I pressed my face against my bedroom window, squinting against the low autumnal morning sun. I saw the car before it had even turned onto my road! I texted my nan to tell her I was coming and I literally sprinted down the hallway. Of course, the lift wasn't in quite the same rush as me so gladly took its time in arriving on the 11th floor.
Soon enough though, I was outside and running towards the carpark. Rounding the corner, I saw my nan and grandad emerging from the car. I rushed at them both and engulfed them in a huge hug. I hug friends at university but nothing's quite like hugging the people you've been hugging on a day-to-day basis for most of your life!
Back in my flat, I made them a drink each and I looked through the items they had brought from home for me, of which included three portions of vegetable korma (which even my grandad says is spicy!), a vacuum cleaner and oven gloves! I was extremely grateful for the oven gloves as getting the baking tray out of the oven has become a much dreaded task. Tea towels just don't seem to protect me from searing hot heat at all, for some strange reason!
Manchester is busy most days but Saturdays are the worst, so we decided it would be better to abandon the car in the car park behind my block of flats and take the train into town. Before we caught the train though, I gave my grandparents (well, it was more for my nan's benefit really) a mini tour of the university campus. It was a little bit awkward because it was an open day (Grandad and I reminisced about the open days we attended one long year ago where we got free biscuits) and people kept asking me if I was alright or if I needed directions. I lost count of the amount of times I had to explain that I was a student! Next time they visit though, I'm going to see if I can possibly take them for lunch at the SU Bar, which serves the most amazing paninis! I'm perhaps only making this claim though as they serve Quorn sausage which most pubs and bars don't.
The train was very busy so we had to stand. It didn't really matter though because Manchester Victoria is only two train stops away. Upon arriving, I walked them over to The Printworks where we had lunch in Lloyd's Bar. I had smoked haddock and mozzarella fish cakes which was absolutely delicious! My nan complained about the loud music though but out of the Wetherspoons' pubs, Lloyd's is the most notorious for loud music and drinking so perhaps we'll look for somewhere else to lunch next time!
We walked to the Arndale Centre afterwards and although we didn't buy much, I showed them the awesome food market which they were extremely impressed with. They were literally gobsmacked that I could buy 5 good-sized Granny Smith apples for a mere pound! They loved this fresh fruit and veg stall because it has such a huge, varied selection of fresh food for cheap prices! I think they were slightly envious of the fact that no stall such as this exists in Lincoln. My grandad particularly loved the fish market. There was everything from extremely generous tuna steaks to whole squids! Lincoln's fish market is...well, not exactly brilliant.
We wandered around town and I took them to my favourite haunt, Nexus Art Cafe! I had told my grandparents all about the popcorn and chocolate flake teas I had drank the day previous and they were quite curious. I think they were a bit dubious as we went down all the steps though as to begin with, it looks a bit ropey with it essentially being in a basement. It's so cute and quaint though with its little tables each mounted with a tiny tea light! Nan had a chocolate flake tea whilst my grandad stuck to his simple breakfast tea! I had a pineapple and banana milkshake which I consumed in about 2 minutes. I then took them to Affleck's Palace but with it being such a tightly compacted space inhabited by hoards of people, it became unbearably hot and humid so we left after about 5 minutes. We explored other shops though such as Urban Outfitters (which sell a Rubix Cube speaker that I might possibly purchase with my prospective birthday money) and All Saints.
I discovered some new shops and streets in our exploration of Manchester and in the Waterstones in Deansgate, my grandad bought me a book full of haikus! Here there was also an 'Absolute V for Vendetta' collection for £75. It's basically all 10 issues of the original comic along with some exclusive, never-before-seen art and prints! I had to tear myself away from it and mop up my drool!
We concluded our visit into town with a trip to an expensive patisserie where I had a sandwich, a muffin and a hot chocolate!
I'm going home next weekend! I CANNOT WAIT!!
