Lively Liverpool
Right, so let’s start with this little gem of a city that sits right on the northwestern shoreline of England. Recently named the European Capital of Culture, Liverpool just screams color at every turn. Seeing as how we just hopped across the Irish Sea into England and didn’t exactly escape the dreary weather of the British Isles, the lively colors splashed throughout the city on wall adverts and store fronts and the ships in Albert Dock were a welcoming site! You can walk across Liverpool in less than hour, from the museums at Albert Dock to the cathedrals in the city centre. It even has its own little China town and great shopping streets - perfect for people watching, a hobby that Beth and I both secretly enjoy. It’s just hilly enough to keep you on your toes…reminded me of home :)
I may not be a Beatles fanatic, but I couldn’t deny how incredibly cool is was to see the place where it all came together for them. Beth, my travel buddy, is the definition of a Beatles fanatic and her excitement was contagious! The squealing and picture taking began when we stepped into the John Lennon airport. She booked two seats for us on the Beatles Magical Mystery Tour, a fantastic bus tour of the city where the Beatles grew up and came together as a band. We saw Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, and the childhood homes of George, John, and Paul. It was all so magical and not the least bit cheesy or rushed. They stopped at most of the cites and let us all get out and take pictures…not a quick process :) Our tour guide was fantastically English with that classic cockney Liverpool accent (I posted a little video on my facebook for you all to enjoy). He was truly a Beatles expert and was just bursting with fun facts and neat history. Beth and I even heard live music in the Cavern Club - a cave of a bar where the Beatles used to play (in their leather pants) when they first got started. I could just picture the place filled wall to wall with screaming girls! We also visited the Beatles Museum which was totally worth however many euros I paid to get in. It was so well done and I learned so much fun stuff about the history of the Beatles. Now I feel like I need to go buy all of their albums!
Needless to say, Liverpool was the perfect way to begin our spring break adventure. It wasn’t too far from Dublin nor incredibly different culturally, so it was a nice way to ease into travelling and experiencing new things. Unfortunately, I did not run into Jim Sturgess …
