“I love Manchester. Everyone knows that - I have said it many times...”

I love Great Britain. I am probably the biggest Anglophile of anyone I know. I have been obsessed with the culture, the food, the people, and the places of the U.K. for as long as I can remember. One of my favorite places in GB, without question, is Manchester, England. Not only do they have some of the cutest accents on the island - in my humble opinion - but it’s a truly gorgeous place to visit.

One of my best friends, Katherine - who I have known since freshman year of uni - is from a town just a short distance away from Manchester. It isn’t all that often that we are on the same continent as each other, so when I was living across the pond, I made it a priority to go and visit her.

She was kind enough to encourage my adventurous spirit and take me to the city that would quickly earn a place at the top of my list of English cities.

The architecture of Manchester was truly magnificent. It was everything I love in a city. Historic, gorgeous, detailed, clean, and the way the sun hit the buildings made nearly every street corner picture perfect.

Even though the weather was a bit chilly - and surprisingly not rainy, as it reportedly always is - this Lancashire metropolis gave you a certain warm and fuzzy feeling when you were strolling through the streets. You can also feel high levels of love and patriotism for their country, too. It doesn’t get much more British than Manchester, I daresay.

The absolute icing on the cake for me was that Manchester has a Taco Bell! Now, I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t know that before I ever ventured to the city. I’d also be lying if I told you that it wasn’t one of the main reasons I wanted to visit in the first place - other than seeing Katherine, of course. I couldn't have been more excited to experience my all-time favorite American cuisine in a foreign country. It’s too bad that they changed literally every recipe to suit their British audience and I couldn’t bare to eat the food. All going did was make me miss the real thing even more.

For anyone who hasn’t visited Manchester, I completely recommend it. I spent just over a day there, so I was only able to go in mall and the library - and their Starbucks, but that should go without saying. My limited time was a blessing, though, because it left me with such an urge to return as soon as I can and see the rest of the lovely things this Northern English city has to offer.

Manchester should be on your list of must-see places in England, if it isn’t already. You’ll never run out of beautiful things to look at, I can assure you.

I have heard a lot of negative comments made about it in my time, but I can’t say that I could relate to any of them while I was there. I’m sure living there is an entirely different experience, but Katherine seemed to be a fan, too, so the city obviously has plenty of things to love about it.

I’m eternally grateful to Katherine, and Manchester, for their hospitality and for showing me such a good time while I was visiting. Famous European footballer Cristiano Ronaldo said,

“I love Manchester. Everyone knows that - I have said it many times. Manchester is in my heart.”

— Cristiano Ronaldo

And I couldn't agree with him more.