'This is the end / Beautiful friend / This is the end / My only friend, the end'

Jesus Christ. After three and a half months of incredible adventure, friendship and - dare I say it - self-discovery, my exchange in Manchester was over. Oh how I wept when I had to leave. It's been three weeks since I left England and I'm dying to go back.

As you probably noticed, uni itself played a pretty small role in my time here - I guess it was always going to be about the travelling and the people I'd meet. A special thanks to my wonderful nine flatmates who were always up for a great night out, and never hesitated in answering my millions of questions about your funny little country and its culture. (Although, I still don't know the difference between a bap, barm and butty).

Thanks to Aaron for putting up with me everyday and allowing me to drag him to every corner of the UK. ♥

I'm off to Sydney now to investigate which restaurant serves the finest mushy peas.

I'll be back one day soon, sweet Mancunians.

Love, Sarah.

Paul McCartney

5th row at Paul McCartney WAS AMAZING

Set list:

1. Magical Mystery Tour
   (The Beatles song)
2. Junior's Farm
   (Wings song)
3. All My Loving
   (The Beatles song)
4. Jet
   (Wings song)
5. Got to Get You into My Life
   (The Beatles song)
6. Sing the Changes
   (The Fireman song)
7. The Night Before
   (The Beatles song)
8. Let Me Roll It
   (Wings song) (With Foxy Lady Snippet)
9. Paperback Writer
   (The Beatles song)
10. The Long and Winding Road
    (The Beatles song)
11. Come and Get It
    (Badfinger cover)
12. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five
    (Wings song)
13. Maybe I'm Amazed
14. I'm Looking Through You
    (The Beatles song)
15. And I Love Her
    (The Beatles song)
16. Blackbird
    (The Beatles song)
17. Here Today
18. Dance Tonight
19. Mrs. Vandebilt
    (Wings song)
20. Eleanor Rigby
    (The Beatles song)
21. Ram On
    (Paul & Linda McCartney cover)
22. Something
    (The Beatles song)
23. Band on the Run
    (Wings song)
24. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
    (The Beatles song)
25. Back in the U.S.S.R.
    (The Beatles song)
26. I've Got a Feeling
    (The Beatles song)
27. A Day in the Life
    (The Beatles song) (With Give Peace A Chance Snippet)
28. Let It Be
    (The Beatles song)
29. Live and Let Die
    (Wings song)
30. Hey Jude
    (The Beatles song)
31. Encore:
31. The Word
    (The Beatles song) (With All You Need Is Love Snippet)
32. Wonderful Christmastime
    (Wings song)
33. Day Tripper
    (The Beatles song)
34. Get Back
    (The Beatles song)
35. Encore 2:
35. Yesterday
    (The Beatles song)
36. Helter Skelter
    (The Beatles song)
37. Golden Slumbers
    (The Beatles song)
38. Carry That Weight
    (The Beatles song)
39. The End
    (The Beatles song)

Flatmate Farewells

Our last night together

The Courtyard, Chester St

Two nights in London

DAY ONE

Two months ago, Aaron and I got home from the Bob Dylan concert and decided we should make a weekend trip down to London in December to see the Manic Street Preachers' one-off Christmas gig. And I am so glad we did.

We stayed at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge, an impressive building just a short walk from Waterloo and Westminster tube stations.

On our first evening, we visited the Gerhard Richter exhibition at Tate Modern. This meant a chilly walk across the Millennium Bridge but boy, does St Paul's look pretty at night.

We enjoyed a three-course feast at the West End and watched Sherlock Holmes 2 at a cinema in Leicester Square - it was the oldest, grandest cinema I have ever seen.

DAY TWO

We were up 'bright and early' (ahem) to check out Tate Britain, a gallery which I had never visited, and John Martin's epic Apocalypse exhibition. This meant we had visited all four Tate galleries across the country in just a few weeks!

After a late breakfast by Pimlico station, we headed north for the magical land of Camden Town.

It had been three years since I last visited and I can't say a lot had changed - but that certainly wasn't a bad thing. Being a Saturday afternoon, it was particularly busy, but that didn't stop us from exploring the endless rows of market stalls for quirky gifts and pieces for ourselves to keep.

Saturday night was the big gig at the 02 Arena. They played an incredible 38 songs - every single they have released - in non-chronological order. The guest appearance of Nina Persson from the Cardigans was particularly special. Honestly, the only way it could have been more enjoyable would have been an appearance from Richey himself.

DAY THREE

Sunday morning = Brick Lane markets!

We spent hours wandering through markets stalls and crammed stores - but it was not the outside markets of Brick Lane itself that were most rewarding, it was the warehouse stalls bursting with young designers, craft and vintage goodies that were really incredible. Aaron's brother recommended Sunday upmarket where we found unique jewellery and accessories that you will probably see me wear to death over the next few months.

After a quick look around Spitafields we headed back into the city and braved the crowds on Oxford St..... every time I visit London, it is essential that I pop into the flagship Topshop......

(view from inside our hotel)

It took me a little while to warm up to her again, but London, I have missed you.

Durham

Just fifteen minutes from the (relative) bustle of Newcastle is the pretty little city of Durham. It is well-known for its Norman Cathedral, used in the Harry Potter films and described by Bill Bryson as the "best cathedral on planet Earth."

We stayed in the Amethyst room at Gadds Townhouse (above), which was absolutely beautiful. Just look at it.

It was one hell of a climb to the top of the Cathedral, up 325 spiralling, narrow stairs that certainly rivals York Minster. We may have been out of breath, but it was an impressive view:

Unfortunately, we were not able to explore the Castle as our tour guide got stuck in Newcaslte, but we enjoyed an afternoon wandering the historic streets, tea rooms and boutique stores before returning to (freezing) Manchester that evening.

I wish I had the chance to see the Angel of the North, designed by Antony Gormley, but there's always next time............

Newcastle upon Tyne

With my time in Manchester sadly nearing its end, I had a few spare days to squeeze in a trip to North-East England. We stayed at Staybridge Suites which was conveniently close to Quayside.

(I promise there is more to Newcastle that the Gateshead Millennium Bridge [designed by Wilkinson Eyre and selected from over 150 proposals] and I apologise for all the photos - it's just my Favourite Thing).

The BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, just across the bridge, hosted this year's Turner Prize, featuring Karla Black, Martin Boyce, Hilary Lloyd and George Shaw.

We explored Castle Keep, founded in 1168 by Henry II, with fantastic views over the city:

Below: view from our hotel room

Imperial War Museum North

(photo credit: link)

Opened in 2002, the Imperial War Museum North at Salford Quays was designed by Daniel Libeskind. I visited the main exhibition and the temporary 'War Correspondent' exhibition. I got the tram from the city to MediaCity UK and was amazed at the futuristic architecture around the Quays.

Love will tear us apart

Our last mission before returning the car? A trip to Macclesfield to say hi to Ian, perhaps our favourite Mancunian.

Road Trip Day 6 - Cardiff to Manchester

After witnessing a near-arrest from our hotel room window last night, we woke up to -gasp- a rather sunny day in the Welsh capital. We headed straight into the city centre where it soon became apparent that Cardiff was hosting the Wallabies that very day! I wanted to go to the game very, very badly.

The city sightseeing bus showed us the major landmarks around town, including the Millennium Centre. We then shopped along the main street, checking out the Christmas markets.

A final three-and-a-half hours later and we were back in good ol' Manchester. It had been one hell of a week, and, as enjoyable as it was, there was a sigh of relief when we returned the rental car back to the airport, scratch-free.