From Warrington to Liverpool to North Wales
When Nancy and I visited London in 2015, we met up with the Reyes family and spent the day and evening with them. It was rather quick since they had a four-hour ride back to Manchester that evening. I promised that if ever I were to return to the UK, that I’d find more time to visit them.
I finally booked my trip back to the UK and instead of flying directly to London, I was in touch with Kuya Ferdie about visiting Manchester. I had set aside a couple of days in order to allow us to visit this part of the country before Maddie and I made our way towards London.
From Rome to Manchester
Maddie and I left Hotel Morgana, our hotel in Rome, very early at 4:30am. We had requested for a cab ride from the hotel to Ciampino Airport, we had a Ryanair flight at 6:55am. We got to the airport at 5am, and we were seated in our gate’s waiting area by 5:25am.
Rome CIA airport was small, intimate, but the best part, it was efficient that early part of the morning. Our flight with Ryanair took off on time and arrived in Manchester on time.
We were one of the last ones to get out of the plane but we were in no rush since we had to leave our carryon luggage for Ryanair to hold. We made it out of baggage claim shortly after 9am and met Kuya Ferdie at the arrival hall. Last time I’d seen him was Nov/Dec 2015.
From the airport, we made our way to Warrington, it’s the area where he lives. First impression, it’s one of those little towns that I had envisioned when visiting England. Lots of quaint little shops, with a church, a bridge, a great selection of restaurants, including his own Japanese Teppanyaki restaurant, Wasabi. We were definitely no longer in Rome.
Maddie and I have been looking forward to our UK visit. We had no set itinerary. In visiting Manchester, my plan was to see the Reyes clan, hang out, eat with them, but everything had been a bit of a surprise since the moment we arrived.
Breakfasts at Zalo’s
We headed straight to Zalo’s Cafe where we met up with Ate Vicky (Kuya Ferdie’s sister), her daughter, Clarissa aka Kissy, and his daughter, Tiara aka TIsh. It was great to see them all. The last time I saw Tish and Ate Vicky was in 2015 during our visit to London. Kissy, on the other hand, I think I met her when she was still a little girl – this was during our trip back to the Philippines in 2001.
We started to catch up over breakfast and what a great breakfast it was. I had my very first Full English Breakfast and it was divine!
For the rest of the day, we explored Liverpool, Wirral, Warrington, and Tatton Park. It was an afternoon to remember. It was great to be away from the hustle and bustle of city life. We drove through the narrow streets and roads, we got to see a lot of the countryside. Maddie and I were definitely in the UK where cars drove on the left side of the road. A bit uncomfortable for me at first, but I got used to it. We got to see a bit of Beatle history, walked down the beach in West Kirby, and saw quite a few reindeers in peaceful and secluded Tatton Park.
It was a warm, sunny, summer June day. We couldn’t have asked for a better weather. We were told that we got very lucky, the timing of our visit fell perfectly aligned with a weather pattern that we’re accustomed to.
It’s tea time and ice cream, of course!
Dinner at Wasabi Teppanyaki
It was a huge dinner in the making. We met the rest of the clan (most of them). For dinner, we all met at Kuya Ferdie’s Japanese restaurant, Wasabi, in Warrington. It was a roomy, upscale yet casual restaurant on London Road in the heart of Warrington. What a little gem situated right across St. Thomas the Parish of Stockton Heath Church. We saw Kuya Amado first as we pulled to park in the back of the restaurant. I finally met the youngest of the Reyes siblings, Ate Anna. She drove from Lancaster along her be beautiful kids – Philippa, Jessica, and little Oscar plus their friend, Melanie.
What a little gem situated right across St. Thomas the Parish of Stockton Heath Church. We saw Kuya Amado first as we pulled to park in the back of the restaurant. I finally met the youngest of the Reyes siblings, Ate Anna. She drove from Lancaster along her beautiful kids – Philippa, Jessica, and little Oscar plus their friend, Melanie.
It was an evening where it rained Japanese food. A couple of loaded sushi boats, gyoza, yakitori, and so much more. We were already concerned with the amount of “starter” food, then came the main event, our chef brought his “A” game and prepared a delicious Teppanyaki dinner for all of us.
Very entertaining, extremely delicious, flavorful. This restaurant is highly rated on Tripadvisor with 4.5 out of 5 stars!
Before the evening ended, we had more to eat…desserts. It was Oscar’s 9th birthday. He and Evan were only born one day apart. Our tummies were ever so full, but we still had bit of cake, panna cotta, tea, and coffee. At the end of it all, it was the company that made our three hour dinner so worth it. It was the endless conversations, the appreciation for being able to have that opportunity to meet them all in this part of the world – that was what Maddie and I will remember the most.
We all parted ways with Kuya Amado and Ate Anna and the kids, but we vowed to see each other again. Meanwhile, we stayed around with Ate Vicky, Kuya Ferdie, and Tish – they drove us to The Mere Resort Golf and Spa. This was a huge suprise and many thanks to Kuya Ferdie. This requires a whole different entry.
This is all for now. My tummy was fully, and my heart even fuller.