Not a single drop of drink had passed my lips, yet there I was looking up at a talking moose and surrounded by clinking steins of Bavarian beer and some very British carol singing. Well I was in Manchester and christmas, a clammy fog, and frost, were in the air. What a welcome back to England for my 10 day pre yuletide visit.

Staying with the lovely Pam, I was starting on the first leg of my trip, with a visit into Manchester city centre to check out the shops and the big street markets. The millenium type, big wheel was still standing proud by the Arndale centre and shoppers were bustling, less encouraged by the V.A.T cut, brought in a few days ahead of December 1st, and more driven by a Jack the Ripper scale slashing of prices.

The biggest of the street markets was one with a European theme, in front of the Town Hall, loads of crafts and foods, mainly from Germany, France and Holland, were pulling in the punters, but most people wer cramming into the large wooden chalets cum beer kellers, and it was on the roof of one of these that the afore mentioned moose was turning his head and making small talk. We stayed long enough to enjoy the cold before taking the packed Metro back to Radcliffe to thaw out.

Then on to Sunday, we headed out to Liverpool to do the tourist thing and visit the new Liverpool One shopping area, the old site of The Cavern and Albert Docks, thankfully the sun decided to shine, raising the temperature to just bloody cold. The main focus of the day was a jaunt out to nearby Crosby beach, don’t worry, even I wouldn’t swim in this freezing weather. The 2 mile stretch of remote beach is home to a work of art called “Another Place” by Anthony Gormley, the man responsible for The Angel Of The North. As the tide was begining to seep in the 100 human size iron statues stood defiant and alert gazing out to sea.Â

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The identical statues, are 189 cm (6 foot 2) tall and weigh 650 kg (1,400 lb) and based on a cast of the sculptors body, he must have been rather happy when the cast was taken, the statues are much more perky than they deserve to be in such a cold harsh setting. This was just one feature that aroused (a very appropriate word) a lot of complaints when the statues were installed in 2005, initially for a short stay. Before dropping anchor in Crosby, the work had been in situe at Cuxhaven, Germany, Stavinger, Norway, and De Panne, Belguim.

Locals warmed to the iron men and they are now a permanent great tourist attraction and discussion point. Anthony Gormley intended them to represent the ebb and flow of life and our attitude to it, the statues are placed at various points from the shore and the tide covers them as it comes in, so you get a different perspective depending on what time of day and year you view them. They are fixed in place and unstealable but of course are open to every joker in the area. On our visit, one statue had a santa hat and beard added, i’m sure they have featured in many peoples holiday photos, some in poses that would shame a Tory MP.

Despite the shifting wet sand, the biting cold and the fact I was missing a CD Tenerife home game, I as delighted by this whimsical and visual display of art. Now how about something similar on Los Cristianos beach in Tenerife, maybe statues of typically British holiday makers with blotchy sunburn and string vests? Well, it’s only an idea.Â