Highlights from a weekend in Manchester 28/29 May 2005

The new Bollinger La Grande Année 1997 advertisement quotes the novelist Victor Hugo: "As the purse is emptied the heart is filled".

Good advice from Hugo, but I didn't have to spend much this weekend to have a jolly good time in Manchester - apart from buying some champagne to celebrate Hani's finals (always a good reason) and cocktails at Yatra lounge (Old Bank Street, off St Anne's Square: an English version of the original Buddha Bar in Paris, which was rather lush - no prizes for guessing what dominates the walls - but fairly claustrophobic because of its small size. There was good sublime cocktails, relaxing del Mar lounge music, quite a fair number footballers' wives wannabes (reads: lotsa bling bling and shopping bags without the posh accents) and a more subdued cocktail-drinking male crowd) in town which at £6.50 each wasn't much different from London prices. Meeting up old mates for drinks and the simple act of catching up was very nice indeed. It's a shame one can't do this very often. I much regretted not being able to stay for longer, but I suppose there will always be other times.


View from Rif's apartment: my fav penthouse on the left.


(Doctor) Hani with my Laurant Perrier: we're celebrating Hani's finals.


You can tell the boy's a seasoned barman.


The boy trying to look stoned.


Rif making a point.


Fran needing a drink and Rif looking fresh from her AA class.


Home barbeque!


Hani's kitchen: 7.45pm, Saturday 28 May 2005. Fran rushing for the food. Rif standing guard.


Food!


Humus, salad, lotsa prawns and salmon.


Hani cooking for us all.


Yum yum.


Mmmmmm.


Affleck's Palace: Art deco.


Manchester city skyline.


Sorry, Andrea.


Rif with a cappucino.


Dutch flower market.


Sunday afternoon at Pure Space, Nico's ex-workplace.


Original post: Ingrid aka Chun Li; Karsten looking on looking bemused. Leo: "hahaha the pic of chun li and the perv is funny". Nuff said, Karsten.


Italian Mafia.


Rif's Marlborough reds.


(Doc) Hani thinking - reason enough for a pic.


Ingrid shamelessly misappropriating my pint.


Ingrid shamelessly stealing a sip off my pint.


Eurofestival: orange balloons sponsored by Easyjet!


The Sun! Hurrah!


The New refugees.


The painters.


Art anyone?


Bold lines. Fresh space.


Surreal.


Still quite surreal.


Time out for a pint.


Time out for some hot dogs with onions!


Karsten and Ingrid


My fav's the third from the right.


Breakdancing contest: the crowd.


Bryan (in white) taking a snapshot of the dancers.


You can tell everyone's glued to the set.