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I’ve had a wonderful first weekend here in Manchester!  I’m all settled into my flat and I’ve gotten to meet a bunch of the girls of Hurst!

I arrived in Manchester, Saturday May 2nd around 8:00 in the morning.  My flight actually got in an hour early!  (Unbelievable, I know!)  My luggage arrived without any problems but once again it was one of the last bags to unload (DJG can you tell you about my luck with bags…).  Gemma, one of my buddies, was waiting for me at the airport.  She took me to my apartment and helped me to get settled in.  That evening, Gemma, her friend, Jayne, and I went to Didsbury (the zone of Manchester where I’m living) for dinner.  Didsbury is an area made up of mostly young professionals so it is the perfect location to be living!

On Sunday, Gemma and Jayne picked me up from my flat and we met a bunch of the other Hurst girls in the City Centre of Manchester.  We had a coffee and then grabbed a bite to eat for lunch at a pizzeria.  Then we did some sightseeing in the City Centre including riding the giant ferris wheel  and visiting the exhibitions at Urbis  (check out the exhibitions here).  One of the exhibitions, Hidden Manchester, had photos taken by Photographer, Andrew Paul Brooks, which included a series of photographs of “Underground Manchester”which reveal the abandoned cellars, tunnels, and subterranean canals that used to be home to 18,000 people under the city!  These photos were absolutely fascinating!

The city centre of Manchester was actually bombed by the IRA, an Irish terrorist group, in 1996.  Fortunately, the city centre was evacuated before the bomb went off and although the buildings were destroyed, no one was killed.  Because of the bomb, the city centre of Manchester was completely rebuilt and has a very modern look. Check out the photos here of Manchester – Day out with the Girls!

We had gorgeous weather, sunny and in the low 60′s, all day Saturday and Sunday!  The weather turned a little gray after we visited the Urbis on Sunday so we ducked inside of a Starbucks for an afternoon tea and cake.  The girls of Hurst were such good tour guides and hostesses!

Today is a holiday here so I’ve taken advantage of it to get a bunch of errands done.  There is a 24 hour grocery store, Tesco, just a 5 minute walk from my flat.  Across the street from Tesco is a CineWorld, restaurants and bowling alley (similar to the Coliseum).  Check out some pictures of my flat and the surrounding areas here:  Manchester – Flat.

Tomorrow is my first day of work!  Gemma is picking me up and I’ll get my introduction to the office.  After work, I’m having dinner with my buddies, Helen (she gave us the IFRS presentation in January), and Simon (Hurst Marketing Director, like our Jim Rogers).  Then we’re going to head to a pub to watch a Manchester United “football” match!

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