Dear K,

Cairo seems to be fantastic… Super different culture, which sounds exciting! Hope you enjoyed it :) Today I am writing you about my trip to Manchester. I was not expecting much from it besides football but the city surprised me. I went for a couple of days, as a great friend of mine lives there and Benfica was playing in town. I have always wanted to watch a match at the Teathre of Dreams, so it was my chance!

I visited some of the landmarks such as the Manchester Museum, John Rylands Library (absolutely gorgeoussss!), City Hall, Central Library, Chinatown, and the infamous National Football Museum. As I was staying in Castlefield, it was really easy to just walk around almost everywhere.

 

When it comes to places to be, I would highlight Chapter One Books, where you can hide from the cold and have some coffee and delicious cakes while being surrounded by the smell of books. Definitely my kind of place.

 

For lunch, I loved this place called Cottonopolis. Amazing building. As far as I understood, it used to be an old cotton factory, which makes sense given the fact that Manchester used to be a giant in the cotton industry. I have zero pictures of the food but they serve amazing Japanese dishes and unforgettable cocktails. Our waiter was super nice and gave us some recommendations based on our very demanding likes (and dislikes!). I wish I had taken some pictures to show you.

For brunch, I loved both Federal Cafe & Bar and Alabama’s All American Eatery. Both really really good on food and cocktails. Federal is lighter and the mood is more appealing for a brunch, I would say. Alabama’s serves heavier food, feels very Americanized, almost diner style. Both great options though!

 

About the game day and Old Trafford, after eating and drinking in the city center for a few hours… as the game was approaching, we went to the stadium area, still with plenty of time to have one last beer before the game. Well, none of the bars around the stadium let other fans in. Weird and disappointing but understandable! Or not! I just had to get in ahahah, so I asked two policemen where or how we could get in. They first laughed, but then gave me some very good advice. Unfortunately, it only worked for me! I went to the first pub I could find (with my scarf hidden even though the colors are the same), showed my match ticket and went in. But didn’t realize all my friends stayed outside. I just went straight to the bar and ordered immediately. I was talking to so many random people, I didn’t even realize none of my friends came along or that I had a gazillion missed calls. They were at the door waiting for me, worried that I got in trouble for not being a United fan. They were soooo mad! Oh well… I guess being a girl still has its perks! I lost them once again on the way to the stadium, which was quite ironic. I started talking to someone else on the street. Seriously, I need to stop talking to strangers.

All in all it was a fun trip, and exceeded my expectations. Well, everything except Benfica losing the game of course!

Love you,

– C