That Champagne Life On Beer Money- Manchester, England

"As a collective we're all f#@ked'

-Alexi 2013

It seems we had slotted into our new home with ease, some may say a little to well. Sharing a flat in the heart of Manchester above a pub with four other fellow Aussies, Alexi, Burra, Budd and Jen, two crazy fun Kiwi girls Amber and Grace, our stylish Polish chef Paulina ,the fun and flirty Alex from the Solomon Islands and our three English managers Mark, Mags and Jenni was indeed a recipe for disaster. We all worked together, lived together, ate together and drank far too much together. We soon learnt that they were all just one big dysfunctional family and before we knew it we were adopted in with open arms and couldn't have been happier. 

We are all different ages from 19 to 29. We are all at different stages in our lives and although we all found ourselves in the exact same place in this moment in time we had all stumbled upon it so differently. One thing that was certain between us all was that we were all here for a good time not a long time and we weren't afraid to make the most of it. 

Most families break bread together, our family preferred to break glasses together but that was only if someone wasn't trying to flip tables, a messed up story in itself. Most of us didn't have more then a few pennies to rub together, with most of us working merely to pay rent and use the change for beer money, but this never once stopped us from making the most of this big city life. 

Sunday sessions were usually our favourite as it was the perfect time to unwind after working a hectic weekend together. With almost everyone being bared from at least one or two pubs and clubs in the city meant that we were limited to where we could venture to. Regardless our night's would usually start down at The Old Grapes, a local traditional English style pub run by Alexi's best friend Paul. Without fail I would always walk out of there in the same manner, blind drunk not knowing where I'm getting dragged along to next. Usually my next state of conscious is in the morning where I am too afraid to even get up, as all my fears and flash backs of the night before come hurtling back as I lie in hope that the carnage from the night before was nothing but a really bad elaborate dream.

Living in the hustle and bustle in the heart of such a great city can also take its toll. Thats why I take every opportunity to jump on a train and venture out to the near by village's and explore the countryside. With Rachael another Walkabout employee living in Disley just 40 minutes out of the city makes for a perfect escape route. Disley is a typical little English village with cobblestone streets, boat filled canals and green stretched fields. Venturing down to Lyme park is the perfect picnic ground where wild deer run free and the air is fresh and invigorating. Climbing up to the parks highest point overlooking the entire city of Manchester as the sun falls and the brisk night comes rolling in is the utmost perfect ending to any day. 

This was it, a new chapter in the making of our story. After months of endless travel, meeting and leaving so many great people and places I never thought I would see the day when I was happy to finally be settled down. Yet here I was in Manchester surrounded by some of the greatest people I have met on my travels, turning nights into mornings and making those life long memories that you tell your grandchildren about. It's true what they say, theres no place like home. Which now means to me, there is no place like Manchester. 

The Wanderer's Daughter xx

Reality Check- Dublin/Belfast/Liverpool/Birmingham/Manchester, United Kingdom

Arriving into Dublin was a quick snap back to reality, not to mention the first time I had to wear pants in a very long time. As I understood every single passing conversation in the streets I had begun to realise how blazay my interaction with people around me had become whilst travelling through so many diverse speaking countries. Arriving back into the normality of the UK felt like returning home. Which was perfect as that was exactly what it was soon to be. The next chapter was about to begin, to find a place to call home and a job to support us for the next few months. The only question was where do we even start?

Kicking it from Dublin we followed our previous route up to Belfast where we had a perfect few days gathering ourselves and catching up with friends. The plan from that point on was to catch an overnight ferry into Liverpool in England. From there we would begin our search for a new beginning. 

The first two things that come into mind when thinking about Liverpool is football and The Beatles. Which upon arrival I learnt was a perfect summary. We stayed at a funky hostel called Hoax that was just around the corner from the famous Matthew Street, home to The Cavern Club where the legendary Beatles were born. 

After spending a couple days soaking in Liverpool and all it has to offer we decided that it wasn't the right city for us to call home. Cutting our losses we hopped on the next bus and headed down to Birmingham where we planned to catch up with our good friend from home Jamie and spend some time figuring out our next plan of action. 

Also visiting Jamie that same weekend was another good friend from home Rachel who had recently moved to London. It was such a marvelous feeling to be with great friends reunited so far away from Australia. As we immersed ourselves in Jamie's uni life attending flat parties and getting a little taste of what student life is like in England. Having to much of a good time it wasn't until the very last hours that we would make the next big decision on where to go next. 

Having spent a lot of time up north of England previously the south of England was very alluring to me, so we put the coastal town of Brighton on our maybe list. Wanting to step away from the likes of almost every other Australian that has moved to England we opted to stay away from London as it was far to expensive to be sustainable. Leeds, Bristol,New Castle,Oxford the possibilities were endless. Finally just as we were about to make our way down south Jamie piped up and suggested that we should just head to Manchester. Back up North-West towards Liverpool it seemed like a silly thought to be back tracking but when I thought about it more and more when did we ever choose to do anything logical.

Stepping off the bus and making our way through the funky Northern Quarter of the city I was sold. Surrounded by countless vintage stores and quirky little cafes and pubs, I was impressed. I don't know why but it just felt right, and just like that we both knew Manchester is where we would call home. In a matter of days we both scored a job at a bar called The Walkabout, a chain of Australian themed pubs around England. Ironic to say the least but the job ticked all our boxes of requirement. Live in staff accommodation in a relaxed atmosphere where we could both work together and of course the deal sealer…a job where James wasn't required to have to shave off his beard. 

It was almost surreal how instant and perfect it all pieced itself together. And just like that these two Wanderer's after six months finally had a place to call home. Let the Manchester antics begin.

The Wanderer's Daughter xx