Michael's World Tour of England #1: Photos
I know it's taken ages for me to do a post to show off the photos that I took while Michael was over here but I've been so busy with work since I got back that it's been hard finding the time. Besides, I took about 260 photos which is about 250 more than I was expecting. I mean, I live here, what on earth did I find to take photos of? Apart from Michael? Well, whitebalancing and renaming them all took ages, and then I had to decide which of them were good enough for you to see. I managed to narrow them down to 77, and amazingly enough the majority of them are not of Michael! There are some of him though, don't worry. Anyway, they are all nicely displayed with my wikkid HTML skillz yo so have a click on this handy link and take a look!
As usual, click on any image for a larger version.
Archangelos
Some photos of the studio apartment we stayed in. ( My entry about it.)
The bedroom with the annoying twin beds.
The dining area.
Michael in the kitchen.
National Football Museum
This is the statue outside the museum. It's of Sir Tom Finney, a local hero, and is based on a photo called The Splash. (My entry about it.)
BBC Manchester
We happened to be passing BBC Manchester and noticed they had a TARDIS in the window and they let us take photos of it. Apparently it's being auctioned on eBay. (My entry about it.)
Michael and the TARDIS
The TARDIS
Michael
Two random photos of Michael.
Michael in the kitchen.
Michael and his huge burger at the Jolly Crofter. (My entry about it.)
Museum of Lancashire
Michael and I met up with my sister to spend the day here. We spent a lot of time on the Second World War street so I took a lot of photos there. (My entry about it.)
Mock up of a 1940s street.
An original Anderson Shelter.
A bombed bathroom with an actual bomb in it. Disarmed, of course.
A toy horse in a box. Ergo a horse box.
The outside of the museum looking very austere.
Jodrell Bank
There's not much at Jodrell Bank other than the Lovell telescope. It's far too big to fit in photos easily but I don't think they do it justice anyway because it's hard to see the scale of it. (My entry about it.)
The Lovell Telescope. It's big.
It doesn't quite fit in this photo.
This other radio telescope is not as big.
The Lovell telescope mostly in shot.
Jigsaw
This jigsaw was only 500 pieces but it was pretty tricky and took a couple of nights to finish. (My entry about it.)
Michael hard at work with the jigsaw.
Slowly getting there.
My glasses make Michael look like his brother!
Blackpool
There's no place like Blackpool, you really have to experience it. And take lots of photos. (My entry about it.)
The Venetian Carousel on North Pier.
Top of the carousel showing how ornate it all is.
The paintwork is really detailed.
Colourful houses seen from North Pier.
Michael on North Pier.
I really like this arty shot of the benches.
More colourful houses!
Blackpool Tower, opened in 1894 and inspired by the Eiffel Tower apparently.
The Grand Theatre, also opened 1894. I love this theatre and have performed here several times.
Stockport Air Raid Shelters
This was an interesting place although the majority of it was just empty tunnels. (My entry about it.)
Some of the tunnels had triple-decker bunks.
A shot of one of the tunnels.
The first aid room with some of the old equipment.
Nurse's uniform and gas mask. Are you my mummy?
This kitchen just appeared off one of the tunnels.
It was really weird to see it there.
It kind of looks like someone had just left...
The Ladies 16 seat toilet. There's 4 on each side and
another 8 behind the wall that you can just about see.
It's the British way.
Doctor Who Museum
I would have taken so many more photos than this if I'd been allowed to. (My entry about it.)
I really hope that's Sylvester McCoy's signature...
The TARDIS console.
It's a lot smaller than I thought it would be.
Bessie, the Doctor's car during his third incarnation.
A Slitheen. It was huge.
The Dalek guarding the entrance.
It seems to have been blinded though.
Chinese New Year
There wasn't as much to see as I thought there would be, but it was a good day out anyway. (My entry about it.)
Michael with snowflakes in his hair.
The Chinese artwork stall. The names on the pieces are Andy, Mark, John, [Chinese names], Laura and Peter. We got one like the third one with both our names on.
The dragon in the parade.
The Imperial Arch.
We went to Frankie & Benny's for tea and at one point I went to the toilet which was down a flight of stairs with a bend in them. As I turned the corner, I was greeted by the site of this piano which was at the bottom. It was really bizarre. Apart from the fact that it looks out of style with the rest of the restaurant, why put a piano down a flight of stairs next to the toilets? Who is going to play it down there???
Manchester Museum
We went to this museum twice and still didn't manage to see all of it. (My entry about it.)
Scaled display of the planets.
Pluto is visible right at the end if you look carefully!
Stan the T-Rex. He was HUGE!
Liverpool
Liverpool is a lovely city. (My entry about it.)
The Royal Liver Building complete with Liver birds.
Tradition has it that if the birds fly away, the city would cease to exist.
Michael at the Albert Dock with Liver Building in the background.
The Yellow Duckmarine! Liverpool's version of Boston's Duck Tours.
Part of the Albert Dock.
I took a photo of this boat the first time I went to Liverpool!
It's not moved since then! Great name though :)
Sunset at the Albert Dock. I love the reflection of the clouds.
Southport
Southport is a nice resort kind of town, but it's very quiet and doesn't really wake up till mid-afternoon because it's mostly full of retired people. (My entry about it.)
Marine Way Bridge which looks startlingly like the
Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge in Boston.
The Victorian Marine Lake foot bridge.
Lamps along the front.
Ducks swimming in formation!
Ambleside
The Lake District is such a scenic place, we managed to take over 60 photos between us in 3½ hours. These are just some of the best ones. Hopefully, I've got the names of the fells right. (My entry about it.)
Under Loughrigg Fell at Windermere.
Ambleside town centre with Red Screes in the background.
Michael at Stock Beck.
Michael and the Bridge House.
The Bridge House from the side.
And from the front.
The Bridge House is possibly the most photographed building in the Lake District. dates from the 17th century, and was built over Stock Beck to avoid land taxes. It was originally an apple store but it's said that at one time a family with six children lived in its two rooms! It's now owned by the National Trust and is one of their shops.
Moon over Wansfell.
Loughrigg Fell from the road into Ambleside town centre.
Loughrigg Fell, Helvellyn and Snarker Pike.
Boats on Windermere.
Michael looking all handsome in the bedroom.
Chester
We got a walking guide of Chester which took us round all of the historical sites. I had the map so I didn't get to take many photos. Except of the squirrels. (My entry about it.)
Eastgate Street, showing the two tiers of shops.
Watergate Street, again with the two tiers of shops.
Old Bridge over the River Dee.
A Roman hypocaust that was taken out of one of the shops in the centre.
A coffin in the walls of St John's Church.
It says 'Dust to dust'.
One of the squirrels at St John's Church. They were very friendly... if they thought you had food! This was the best picture I got.
So I hope that was worth the wait! Michael will be doing his own photo post soon with any luck and then there will be pictures of me for you lot to ogle laugh at see.
As usual, click on any image for a larger version.
Archangelos
Some photos of the studio apartment we stayed in. ( My entry about it.)
The bedroom with the annoying twin beds.
The dining area.
Michael in the kitchen.
National Football Museum
This is the statue outside the museum. It's of Sir Tom Finney, a local hero, and is based on a photo called The Splash. (My entry about it.)
BBC Manchester
We happened to be passing BBC Manchester and noticed they had a TARDIS in the window and they let us take photos of it. Apparently it's being auctioned on eBay. (My entry about it.)
Michael and the TARDIS
The TARDIS
Michael
Two random photos of Michael.
Michael in the kitchen.
Michael and his huge burger at the Jolly Crofter. (My entry about it.)
Museum of Lancashire
Michael and I met up with my sister to spend the day here. We spent a lot of time on the Second World War street so I took a lot of photos there. (My entry about it.)
Mock up of a 1940s street.
An original Anderson Shelter.
A bombed bathroom with an actual bomb in it. Disarmed, of course.
A toy horse in a box. Ergo a horse box.
The outside of the museum looking very austere.
Jodrell Bank
There's not much at Jodrell Bank other than the Lovell telescope. It's far too big to fit in photos easily but I don't think they do it justice anyway because it's hard to see the scale of it. (My entry about it.)
The Lovell Telescope. It's big.
It doesn't quite fit in this photo.
This other radio telescope is not as big.
The Lovell telescope mostly in shot.
Jigsaw
This jigsaw was only 500 pieces but it was pretty tricky and took a couple of nights to finish. (My entry about it.)
Michael hard at work with the jigsaw.
Slowly getting there.
My glasses make Michael look like his brother!
Blackpool
There's no place like Blackpool, you really have to experience it. And take lots of photos. (My entry about it.)
The Venetian Carousel on North Pier.
Top of the carousel showing how ornate it all is.
The paintwork is really detailed.
Colourful houses seen from North Pier.
Michael on North Pier.
I really like this arty shot of the benches.
More colourful houses!
Blackpool Tower, opened in 1894 and inspired by the Eiffel Tower apparently.
The Grand Theatre, also opened 1894. I love this theatre and have performed here several times.
Stockport Air Raid Shelters
This was an interesting place although the majority of it was just empty tunnels. (My entry about it.)
Some of the tunnels had triple-decker bunks.
A shot of one of the tunnels.
The first aid room with some of the old equipment.
Nurse's uniform and gas mask. Are you my mummy?
This kitchen just appeared off one of the tunnels.
It was really weird to see it there.
It kind of looks like someone had just left...
The Ladies 16 seat toilet. There's 4 on each side and
another 8 behind the wall that you can just about see.
It's the British way.
Doctor Who Museum
I would have taken so many more photos than this if I'd been allowed to. (My entry about it.)
I really hope that's Sylvester McCoy's signature...
The TARDIS console.
It's a lot smaller than I thought it would be.
Bessie, the Doctor's car during his third incarnation.
A Slitheen. It was huge.
The Dalek guarding the entrance.
It seems to have been blinded though.
Chinese New Year
There wasn't as much to see as I thought there would be, but it was a good day out anyway. (My entry about it.)
Michael with snowflakes in his hair.
The Chinese artwork stall. The names on the pieces are Andy, Mark, John, [Chinese names], Laura and Peter. We got one like the third one with both our names on.
The dragon in the parade.
The Imperial Arch.
We went to Frankie & Benny's for tea and at one point I went to the toilet which was down a flight of stairs with a bend in them. As I turned the corner, I was greeted by the site of this piano which was at the bottom. It was really bizarre. Apart from the fact that it looks out of style with the rest of the restaurant, why put a piano down a flight of stairs next to the toilets? Who is going to play it down there???
Manchester Museum
We went to this museum twice and still didn't manage to see all of it. (My entry about it.)
Scaled display of the planets.
Pluto is visible right at the end if you look carefully!
Stan the T-Rex. He was HUGE!
Liverpool
Liverpool is a lovely city. (My entry about it.)
The Royal Liver Building complete with Liver birds.
Tradition has it that if the birds fly away, the city would cease to exist.
Michael at the Albert Dock with Liver Building in the background.
The Yellow Duckmarine! Liverpool's version of Boston's Duck Tours.
Part of the Albert Dock.
I took a photo of this boat the first time I went to Liverpool!
It's not moved since then! Great name though :)
Sunset at the Albert Dock. I love the reflection of the clouds.
Southport
Southport is a nice resort kind of town, but it's very quiet and doesn't really wake up till mid-afternoon because it's mostly full of retired people. (My entry about it.)
Marine Way Bridge which looks startlingly like the
Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge in Boston.
The Victorian Marine Lake foot bridge.
Lamps along the front.
Ducks swimming in formation!
Ambleside
The Lake District is such a scenic place, we managed to take over 60 photos between us in 3½ hours. These are just some of the best ones. Hopefully, I've got the names of the fells right. (My entry about it.)
Under Loughrigg Fell at Windermere.
Ambleside town centre with Red Screes in the background.
Michael at Stock Beck.
Michael and the Bridge House.
The Bridge House from the side.
And from the front.
The Bridge House is possibly the most photographed building in the Lake District. dates from the 17th century, and was built over Stock Beck to avoid land taxes. It was originally an apple store but it's said that at one time a family with six children lived in its two rooms! It's now owned by the National Trust and is one of their shops.
Moon over Wansfell.
Loughrigg Fell from the road into Ambleside town centre.
Loughrigg Fell, Helvellyn and Snarker Pike.
Boats on Windermere.
Michael looking all handsome in the bedroom.
Chester
We got a walking guide of Chester which took us round all of the historical sites. I had the map so I didn't get to take many photos. Except of the squirrels. (My entry about it.)
Eastgate Street, showing the two tiers of shops.
Watergate Street, again with the two tiers of shops.
Old Bridge over the River Dee.
A Roman hypocaust that was taken out of one of the shops in the centre.
A coffin in the walls of St John's Church.
It says 'Dust to dust'.
One of the squirrels at St John's Church. They were very friendly... if they thought you had food! This was the best picture I got.
So I hope that was worth the wait! Michael will be doing his own photo post soon with any luck and then there will be pictures of me for you lot to ogle laugh at see.