PEEL PARK, SALFORD

Peel Park is one of the best Parks I have been to till date. In fact, I have been to this place more than once. Its strategic layout is right beside my University and I often plan to take a long walk amongst the greenish-yellow canopies of this park. At times, it has come across  as a saviour and helped me to take shelter during rains.Many times, it has just been a serene place where I can wander around undisturbed with my thoughts to give me company. The different birds and animals that live in harmony with the natural resources of the park, has often intrigued the amateur photographer in me. At other times, I deliberately go with a frame of mind to get some good photographs out of the place- to capture the various colours and sights of Autumn and the approaching winter.

Peel Park is just like any other park and needs no special description. It functions as a beautiful ground through which the River Irwell flows. It is a regular on the list of those who have pets because on many occassions I have seen alsatians playing happily in the park or chasing a squirrel. It serves as a great picnic spot too, although I have not seen any picnics happening there. It is a great den for the morning and evening walkers to just take some time off their busy schedules and interact with nature. Peel Park also has many subjects that would interest photographers and sometimes I see some photography groups on a mission to take great photos visiting the park. 

This post curates some of the photographs that I have taken of this Park during my visits to the place.

PEEL PARK
OVERLOOKING OLD PINT POT
FROM THE MAIN ROAD

BURST OF AUTUMN COLOURS

THE DESERTED PATHWAY

PEEL PARK OVERLOOKING IRWELL

PATH TO PEEL PARK FROM UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

THE WORLD FROM BELOW 

THE WORLD FROM BELOW II

HIDE AND SEEK

THE LONELY VISITOR 

THE WORLD FROM BELOW III

THE WORLD FROM BELOW IV

THE YELLOW FOLIAGE
EDITED BY: ZISHAN ASAD

MY AVERAGE LIFE AS A MANCHUNIAN

Most of the time when I ping my friends over Social Media sites, the first question they ask is how am I spending my days in Manchester. So I thought let me describe my normal days, in this post. Here, I would mention that I have classes only two days a week and the rest of the five days are usually spent at home when I am not going out to explore the place with friends.

SUNRISE OVER BEETHAM TOWER

 My mornings begin the last, that is after my father has gone out for work and after my mother finishes her breakfast and starts chatting with some of her friends back in India. I happen to open my eyes at such a time. Of course I have never seen the colourful hues of sunrise here except for once but I could not capture it though my lens (maybe it would be my next New Year’s Resolution). The first thing I do is check my phone and later proceed to have my breakfast after a quick wash.

DOGGIE

 While I eat breakfast, I get to see my neighbour taking their bull dog for a walk. The dog seemed cute until I managed to make him angry by switching on my camera flash right at him. Since, then he has mood swings when he sees me. Some days I am non-existent and other days I am fortunate enough to evoke a little wag from him. But it is for sure that this dog will not shake paws with me EVER!

THE NEXT DOOR CAT

 My other neighbour, who I have no clue about, owns a cat. After a lot of research I have managed to figure out that it is a British Semi-Longhaired black cat. This cat does nothing but sit at the window staring at something. It is only when it rains that I do not get to see him.

After breakfast comes my daily routine of going to the garbage dump at the basement and to the letter box.

WATCHING TV

 Thereafter, I sit on the couch with my laptop and watch the television and improvise on my blogs when I am not writing my assignments. This takes most of my time and I head for lunch. After lunch it is T.V time again.

The evenings are mostly kept for household shopping for which I go to the Manchester ARNDALE. After shopping I usually make a stop at the Hasty Tasty Pizza which stocks some of the best takeaway pizzas I have ever tasted.

With the rain clouds hovering above our heads most evenings see a shower here. After shopping we are mostly stuck in rain and have to brave the heavy rain and wind to come back to our apartment again.

Subsequently, it is laptop time where I sit with my laptop, watch CID or listen to songs till dinner is announced.

After dinner, I go to sleep.

Most of my days are spent like this. When I wake up here, it is already afternoon for my friends back home and by the time I am free in the evening, it is midnight for them. I can’t remember how many days has it been since I last heard their voice. It is mostly email and Facebook or Whatsapp chats nowadays where we reply as and when we are free. But behind the veil of glamour and beauty of this place, there is a night of darkness and loneliness that this place possesses. It is not that I am having a bad time here, I love this place and my friends here, but I also long to be in touch with my friends back home; to know where they are now, what they do, to meet those who I have not met for years, to take part in festivals. Durga Puja and Diwali just went by, but the noise and the lights never reached me except for in the colourful photo messages sent by my friends.

So, for all the people back home who think I have become a Bileti person, you guys probably have a life that I envy a lot. Life is not as full of glamour as it seems to be. It is, in fact, really difficult and sometimes tests your patience and limits to endure against the weather, the place, the dark gloomy nights and your inner demons. To end this post, I’d rather quote Iris Murdoch “We live in a fantasy world, a world of illusion. The great task in life is to find reality.”

CITY COUNCIL COMES ALIVE WITH THE LIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS

7^th November 2015 saw a gathering of  thousands of people around Albert Square in the Manchester City Council to welcome the Season of Christmas by sharing the fun of lighting the Santa, followed by an amazing display of fireworks. My friends and I went there too and it was an experience worth remembering. I decided to walk up to the city council as it is not far from my apartment. Moreover I could peacefully take some snaps on the way (which I did).

LIGHTING UP THE STREETS

A DISPLAY ON THE STREETS

 When I reached the venue, Albert Square in the City Council there was a huge crowd (I had no idea that in some time the crowd would multiply even more). Everybody waited patiently in the queue to be let in. There was a stage built up where music was being played. The enter premise was being managed by professional event managers. After some time it started raining and quite heavily! While I waited for my friends I saw many umbrellas being blown away in the windy ambience. But the rain did not dampen the spirits of the people.

SANTA WAITING TO BE LIT UP

LIGHTS 

PEOPLE ENJOYING THEMSELVES

On the arrival of my friends, we realised we had almost two hours to kill before the lights were lit so we decided to take a little detour to grab a quick bite. When we arrived after our quick bite the crowd had multiplied to almost thousands of people. Everyone waited patiently for the lights. Children came with their parents and after waiting for a long time climbed onto the backs of their fathers. Friends were waiting for members of their gang to join them. But such was the crowd that they had to lift up umbrellas and glowing sparklers to indicate where they were in that multitude. Interestingly enough, there were many lights up at the same time and some poor fellows travelled from one indicator to the other in order to reunite with their friends.

KIDS CLIMBING ON THEIR PARENTS BACK

Exactly at 7:59:50 by the City Council Clock the countdown began 10….9…..5…..4….3…2….1 and the big Santa was lit up to all its glory. The fireworks which started then lasted for a good ten minutes. All around me cameras and mobile phones were recording the elegant display of fireworks.

LIGHTING UP THE BIG SANTA

FIREWORKS

FIREWORKS

LIGHTING UP THE SKY

 After the fireworks, the crowd started thinning out. But the festive season is far from over. This was the start of a month and a half long preparation for Christmas. The pubs had to work harder to serve many of those who came to witness the spectacular visual display and decided to stay back and have dinner. Christmas markets are being prepared which would open from the 14^th of November. These Christmas markets are world famous and I would definitely visit them and let you know how they are in the days to come.

CHRISTMAS MARKETS IN THE MAKING

VENUE AFTER THE LIGHTS WERE LIT 

TRAFFORD CENTRE: A SHOPPER’S PARADISE AND A CULINARY ROLLERCOASTER

Sundays are city exploring days for me. So, every Sunday (mostly every Sunday) I go out with my best friend (Canon 1100D) and try to explore a new corner of the city. One such adventure led me to the Trafford Centre, one of the famous shopping arenas of this city. Trafford Centre is well connected via bus to all parts of the city and most places have direct buses plying to this beautiful shopping arena.

ON MY WAY TO TRAFFORD CENTRE

VIEW OF THE CAR PARK FROM THE BALCONY

 Once you enter the Trafford centre, if you do not have a map to navigate your whereabouts, you would surely get lost. With most of the big brands having a shop there, you are bound to find ‘River Island’, ‘Debenhams’ , ‘Primark’ , ‘Calvin Klein’, ‘Fraser Hart’,’ Hotel chocolat.’ and many more,  all under one roof.  Children can have some fun in the opportunities available in LegoLand and SeaLand.

But the main attraction is the food court. The concept of constructing such a beautiful food court is very different from what I have ever seen in my life before. Though there are many places where Street food, Indian food, Italian food American food, Chinese and Thai specialities are found in the same place, it is indeed unique that the Trafford Centre food court has gone a step further and even managed to create an ambience which transports you right back to the type of food you are eating. Dragons and warrior men greet you on the way to the mini China Town and Thai food corner. American street food is mostly lined with rows of pub like buildings with the New Orleans Jazz band greeting you at the entrance. Apart from the food here, people are attracted to the ambience of the place and leave no opportunities to be clicked in their favourite ambience. The New Orleans Jazz band particularly attracts a lot of audience who prefer clicking selfies or groupfies with them.

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ BAND

ENTRANCE TO THE FOOD COURT 

CHINATOWN

 If you happen to look for low budget eateries like Subway, McDonalds and KFC do not be disheartened. Amidst this wide array of sophisticated restaurants and bars, our very own favourite food hubs are also present and guess where – on a ship. With so many different and unique options to choose from, your taste buds are bound to enjoy this culinary experience.

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE FOOD COURT

 If you are looking for some exciting ice-creams, snacks, juices or simply a cup of coffee to help yourselves to, then ‘360 Champagne and cocktails’, ‘Ambar’ ,’Boost Juice Bars’ , ‘Barburrito’, ‘Bradwell Ice Cream Carts’  and ‘Costa Coffee’ are ideal for you.

It would definitely take you a lot of time to see the Trafford Centre. Thus it is better to keep one entire day free to roam around the arena and indulge into the secret wishes of the shopaholic within you; and of course it would be a sin to not eat in the food courts here.

Signing off with some sights of Trafford Centre. . . . . 

 GATEWAY TO THE STAIRS

 STATUES 

FOUNTAINS

EGYPTIAN DECOR

HALLOWEEN @ WARWICK CASTLE

Halloween could never have been better for me, than celebrating it in one of the oldest castles of the UK. My celebrations took me on an unforgettable journey to the Warwick Castle. The Castle is situated at a distance of around 2.5 hours by road from Manchester. All throughout the early morning journey to the Castle I saw people around me take a nice nap as sleep was compromised on as they had to wake -up early in order to reach the pick-up point. Let me very honest, I too occasionally drifted off to sleep when I was not trying to get some good photographs evading the high reflection from the bus windows or when I was not listening to music and chatting with a friend from home.

 We reached Warwick after crossing Stratford, Keele and Birmingham at about 10:45 in the morning. With the cold wind brushing against our bodies, the moment we got out of the bus, all acts of sleepiness left us in an instant. We proceeded to get the tickets. The ticket counter is situated in a beautiful arena hosting a restaurant/café with indoor /outdoor seating and a gift shop in the same complex.

The Castle grounds are vastly spread and had various different activities taking place in it. The Hollow Haunted was a very interesting concept of walking though a trail with props and people dressed up as fairy-tale characters. While the Wolf of the Little Red Riding Hood seemed a bit too scary, the evil Step-Mother of Snow White obliged in being a part of the photographs people wanted with her. Going through the trail would once again transport you back to your childhood where you listened to fairy tales which are lost today in your busy world of academics and work.

Up next was a beautiful rose garden with seating arrangements. This place had nothing much to see except the myriad hues in the form of full bloomed roses.

Going further you would see archery and fencing grounds where mostly children come to play and learn the tactics of a medieval knight or an archer. These are paid trainings and one would have to pay a small amount (usually between £3 -£5) which is not included in the ticket.

 Moving forward from the fighting arena is when you actually enter the fortress. There is a beautiful light and sound display of the culture, occupation, military, art and craft of the medieval age which sheds light on the life and times of people who had resided in the grounds years ago.

Next is the Time Tower for which one has to climb some steep steps to enter a room which takes around 15 to 25 people at a time for a 15 minutes movie. This video makes you relive the castle grounds in its glorious days.

Right after the Time Tower, you can climb steeper steps and alleyways to reach the peak of the castle from where you get a bird’s eye- view of the entire castle grounds and off course of the Warwick County itself. The tower of the county church clearly stands out amidst rows of houses.

 Further in the lawn there were many different attractions like the bird show where a 4kg eagle named Archie was performing with his trainer. At some distance were the Halloween attractions, complete with a cauldron, a graveyard, a spell- maker, and some freaky friends. There was also a story –telling corner for the children.

People here came from all over the country to celebrate Halloween. They were dressed up as witches, wizards, banshees with all sorts of costumes and hair and face make-up. In fact, there were specialised make- up artists who were painting faces for a minimum fee.

The ghoulish music which played all over the fort through speakers could be heard right till the parking lot gate where a man holding a lantern was accompanied by a headless chap on a horse.

 The atmosphere created by the Warwick Castle clearly complemented the purpose of doing so. The people were warm and friendly and even when they were dressed up as Halloween spookers they never forgot to smile during each of the photographs taken with them.

Warwick Castle is a must visit for those who are planning a holiday in the UK or are planning a weekend trip while residing here. It is bound to mesmerize you. And yes, do not forget to pick up a souvenir for yourself!