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We gave my Dad tickets to see Manchester United play for Christmas and it was finally time for him to see his game, so we headed down to Manchester with him.

After sleeping in the back of the car on the way down, our first stop was the Trafford Centre for breakfast. It was gigantic and decorated like a casino with gold mermaids, chandeliers and marble Romans.

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Though the football game wasn't until tomorrow, Dad had booked himself a tour of the stadium so we dropped him off before heading to our hotel to check in.

Our hotel was down in Salford Quays so we took a walk along the waterfront to see Media City where the BBC moved to from London.

We then caught the tram into the city and we were surprised by how much zippier it was than our one in Edinburgh.

Our first stop was the John Rylands Library which I'd spotted photos of on Pinterest and knew my Mum would love.

It was amazing inside with spiral staircases and little alcoves for reading.

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The gift shop was great too and I bought so many Christmas presents.

We treated Mum to cakes at Patisserie Valerie afterwards. She had never been before and had such a hard time choosing between all the delicious cakes in the window.

Dad returned from his tour of Old Trafford with a squished penny for me and we went for a drink in the Shambles.

We ended up having mulled wine in The Old Wellington which was tiny and crowded but we were lucky enough to grab a table.

In the evening, we went to the Lotus Vegetarian Kitchen which was a little drive out of town but had an amazing sounding menu.

The chefs use ingredients with different textures to recreate the taste of traditional Chinese meals without the meat and I got so excited at the idea of being able to try everything.

The food was amazing and I loved every single dish. Tom had duck, Dad had sweet and sour ribs, Mum had beef and I had satay pork. I couldn't believe how meaty they all tasted.

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We were stuffed and just when we thought we couldn't eat another bite, the waitress brought out a giant plate of fresh fruit for dessert.