Bolton

This year I had the privilege to go to the UK for a vacation and this was the vacation that I have been referring to in my several posts this year. It was a nice 2 week vacation. My first stop during my vacation was Bolton, which is a suburb of Manchester. I visited my uncle and aunt here (actually my mother-in-law's sister and her husband). They were extremely hospitable and made me feel very comfortable. I will never forget their hospitality.

How I got there?

I took a flight from Bangalore to London and another one from London to Manchester.  The flight from London was extremely delayed and I was really glad when it took off finally. Uncle, aunt and my m-i-l who was already there for 2 months came to the airport to receive me. We then drove to Bolton. The most striking part of this drive was the uniformness of all the residential buildings- all same colour and look so similar. I couldn't tell them apart had it not been for the door numbers.

Things to See in Bolton

City Centre and Town Hall:

I really loved this area in Bolton. There is a lot of open space in the place and there are a lot of spots for people to hang out and just spend time. The day we went, there was a food and drink festival going on here along with a flea market. Though I did not purchase anything here, it was nice to look through the display.

Library and Aquarium:

The library had a nice reading room and to be honest, I did not spend too much time at the library. The aquarium was not very big but has an interesting collection of fish from around the world. Some pictures displayed below.

Took loads of pictures of the fish at the aquarium but I just loved the Neon Tetra a lot.

Shopping:

I went during the summer, so there was a lot of summer sale and we went shopping to several departmental stores- Debenhams, TK Max, Marks and Spencers etc. I also went to Primark but was not impressed with the quality of clothing there. I really like Marks and Spencers and all the stores in Debenhams. Bolton Market was another exciting place. I saw so many varieties of fruits and vegetables which are not easily available in India. I loved the fresh apricot fruits that were available. In India, we only find the dried apricots. The other thing which I loved is the inexpensive chocolates in a German supermarket called ALDI. I also liked the chocolates from UK's very own Thornton.

Ikea:
There was an Ikea which could be reached with a short drive. Ikea had not yet come to India when I left India for UK. It was a really nice place. I think we bought a spatula set and some lovely sheer curtains from there.

Knowsley Safari Park:
This is not really in Bolton but a short drive from it. It was kind of a drive-through safari where we can take our own vehicle and tour the safari park. We saw some animals in the safari. Most of them can be seen in India as well, except probably there Wildebeest. The safari was pretty ordinary to be honest. I think the Bannerghatta National Park safari is way better. The highlight for me was the sea-lion show.

Here is the link to a part of the Sea-Lion show- the finale!