Last Tuesday , my best friend Janette and I went oop north
on the train from Nottingham to the city of Sheffield for a fun day out. For
the most part the weather was good with bright sunshine showing off the
modernised city at its best. Apart from a recent trip in the summer for the presentation
of my NVQ award, I hadn’t been to Sheffield for years and back then it was a mass
of building sites and towering cranes. This visit Sheffield presented itself as
a very modern city especially around the city centre Hallam University. The new
student year had just started and the Hallam University was bustling with
students. Like Birmingham, there was also a fascinating mix of the new old
architecture. I particularly liked the area called The Winter Garden.
The Supertram took us to the Meadowhall shopping centre, a
screaming toddlers Hades if ever there was one. As soon as we tentatively approached
the hellish shopping centre entrance we steeled ourselves and forged a high
speed mutual decision to do an 'about turn' and head back for the safety of the
tram. I didn’t know I could run so fast! The return tram journey back into town
wasn’t unlike a tame roller coaster ride and the pure novelty of travelling
through unfamiliar places made the trip an interesting one. The canal area (seen from the tram) looked an
interesting historic area to discover another time.
 |
| Some nutcase went and sat next to Janette. |
Lunch was had at a modern Café Rouge venue near to Millennium
Square with its dancing fountains and newly married couples photographing each
other and Janette and I reminisced about the newly closed Nottingham branch.
This spacious branch in Sheffield was in modern glass walled building with typical
Café Rouge stylisation in the décor. There weren’t many customers this particular
lunchtime and the food whilst ok wasn’t anything to get excited about. En effect I was rather hoping for a Pouding de Yorkshire to go with my sausage n' mash. Mais non.
The high street delighted us with some chappies in chaps on
horseback and a chance to pose by a green police box. Could this be a Yorkshire
Tardis?
Janette loves to haunt second hand bookshops so after lunch
we enquired about buses to take us to the ‘The Rude Shipyard Bookshop and Café’.
After getting slightly misdirected to Abbeydale Road we finally found the
venue, a grubby little bookshop with local regulars eating dubious looking food
at wobbly small tables very close to the cruelly limited amount of tatty second
hand books. We walked in, accidently woke up a few dozing regulars and once
upstairs Janette got a multiple double D eyeful of ladies in a side room all
breast feeding their babies. Once again we scurried for the relative safety of the
outside world and shaking our damp heads in gross disappointment we caught a bus
back into the city as it started to rain. Plus, by eck as like, I think I can officially say that the
two bus drivers we encountered were the
grumpiest in Yorkshire. 
Time for relaxing over a cup of Yorkshire tea and hot
chocolate in the reasonably priced, contemporary Millennium Gallery café, connected
to the city art gallery. The rain continued to stream down the café windows as
we drank our hot drinks and contemplated going back home to Nottingham on t’
train. On the journey home we both agreed that it had been an interesting and
fun day out in a great city in South Yorkshire
We would certainly go back to Sheffield one day as there
seemed lots to do and see and of course it is very accessible to Derbyshire.
3 comments:
Looks like you have a lot of fun wherever you go Phil, and having a lady friend to enjoy the experiences with just adds to it.
I can't think of a worse place to go either than the giant shopping mall. No wonder it's called Meadowhell!
A most enjoyable day, Mr LowE! I'm off again the beginning of November so we will have to do another road trip somewhere!
I also agree with your description of Meadowhall. Horrid place - we had a very brief visit there in January, & will not return. Sheffield is a lovely city though, with lots to photograph. The theatre is good too.
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