Fiona Whitty finds ancient Egypt, a Crystal Maze and much more on a fun-filled family break in Manchester
Staring me down is a huge pair of almond-shaped eyes, stoically set in a gold-painted face framed by elaborate corkscrew curls.
Elsewhere a handsome young man with a mop of black wavy hair is piercing me with his marble-like eyes, a coy smile desperately trying to escape from his gold-tinged lips.
True, these two faces belong to Egyptian mummies dating back around 2,000 years – but they’re so well preserved and intricate they’re sending shivers down my spine.
They’re part of a new Manchester Museum exhibition which reveals the extraordinary obsession Egypt’s elite once had with the afterlife (book free tickets at museum. manchester.ac.uk).
Experts once thought wealthy ancient Egyptians mummified their bodies to preserve them. The exhibition turns that theory on its head and suggests that instead it was all part of ensuring they lived on for ever.
“They wanted to become God-like because they thought that was how they would join the Gods after death,” I was told by Dr Campbell Price who curated the groundbreaking exhibition, Golden Mummies of Egypt.
‘They wanted to have no imperfections, no human frailties. The ones who stood out would find eternal afterlife. They were shouting “Choose me!’’Extravagant gold leaf and rare pigments were among materials used to create these God-like exteriors. Intricate masks or attractive portraits painted on to expensive imported limewood were then placed on top – the “eternal face” for the afterlife.
And it looks like the ancient Egyptians weren’t averse to tinkering with these early-day profile pictures either.
“It absolutely didn’t matter what they looked like before,” added Dr Price. “Young, old, big, small. They often assumed the likeness of the Emperor or the Empress because in Egypt they were thought of as Gods.”
Some of the eight mummies and a further 107 objects are on show for the first time thanks to a £15million refit which has provided new galleries and a much-needed extension to display more of its 4.5 million artefacts. Elsewhere in the museum, which is owned by the University of Manchester, there’s a permanent Egypt gallery housing a further 4,000 pieces, as well as birds once collected by Charles Darwin.
The exhibition, running until the end of the year, is a great excuse to whip the family away on a Manchester city break – and there are plenty of other reasons too.
The Crystal Maze Live Experience is a perfect example. Based on the hit 1990s’ TV series, teams have to select individual members to work through timed tasks to win crystals.
The more you bag, the more time you get at the end to catch tokens in the iconic Crystal Dome for a chance to be named on the leader board ( from £33 per person, the-crystal-maze.com).
I was there with partner Tim and our children Freddie, 14, Rosie, 17, and Max, 20, and we loved the diversity of the challenges. Some needed fitness or agility, others skill or mental prowess – something for everyone.
Rosie made like a spider to crawl across a rope “web” without ringing the bells hanging underneath, Max dodged lasers and Freddie rolled himself around in a large hamster ball. Meanwhile Tim faced a maths workout while I connected up an electrical circuit.
The game was made even more entertaining by our maze master Foo, who encouraged and cajoled us – and forced us to run everywhere. It was full-on fun – one of the best things we’ve ever done together as a family. To recover we popped into
The Blues Kitchen, a popular bar and restaurant that’s great for an early evening meal with teens with its low lighting, buzzy music and American feel (theblueskitchen.com).
We liked the clever variations on the menu classics. Sitting in a booth with leather sofas and served by cheery staff, we shared small plates of Cajun popcorn squid, smashed avocado tostada and cheeseburger spring rolls (horrific sounding but utterly delectable).
For mains my shrimp taco salad came in a large and tasty edible taco bowl topped with feta and sundried tomatoes, while the beef brisket roll with bacon gravy and bacon double-smash burgers were hits with the others too. The food, service and atmosphere were top-notch, and my happy-hour Zombie cocktail was just another perk.
Manchester is compact and easy to cross on foot. We stayed at INNSiDE Manchester, near Deansgate and handy for all the fun.
Tim and I shared a gorgeous 10th-floor townhouse with a lounge and swanky open plan-style bathroom, with extras like a Nespresso machine, free beer and water and a yoga mat.
To give us all more space as well as peace of mind, the kids shared an ample-sized adjoining room.
The rooms were decked out in pale and gunmetal greys and had lovely views over the city skyline.
At the other side of town, Boom Battle Bar in the Printworks entertainment complex, was worth the walk. Open to all ages before 7pm, the venue hosts a raft of games from karaoke to shuffleboard, where you slide small pucks down a wooden ramp for points.
We tried augmented reality darts. Just like the classic game, the aim is to throw darts at a board but a computerised system means you can try out different challenges and have it automatically scored (£40 per lane, boombattlebar.com).
Our favourite was a game called Killer where you had to conquer a particular zone before moving on and snatching away other players’ points. Fortunately we all survived, metaphorically at least. To round off our visit we sampled two other city centre landmarks. The National Football Museum is packed full of memorabilia of the beautiful game, like the 1966 World Cup trophy and Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick ball (adult £11/child £6, nationalfootball museum.com).
There are hands-on screens, quizzes and games plus physical challenges including the chance to try out as a Match of the Day commentator, and a penalty shoot-out.
Castlefield Viaduct, which was launched last July, offered a complete change of pace.
It’s an urban garden nestled atop a Victorian steel viaduct that’s been dormant since 1969 but now provides an oasis of calm (book a free tour at nationaltrust.org.uk).
Yet another face of cool, cutting-edge and creative
Manchester.
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Crystal Maze was one of the best things we’ve ever done as a family