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Published: January 18th 2007
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Blackpool in the Winter
I think there are better times of the year to go to blackpool JUST like the Americans who go about asking questions like:
"Ohhhh you're from Londoooooon, in Englaaaaand. Do you know a guy called
Steve?"
People around the world know very little about our small little island, close to Europe - but not quite. close to the bloke looking for Steve - but not quite.
There is the Queen, The Beatles and perhaps Tony Blair (who is then only normally mentioned in a half breath along with G.W Bush) and perhaps that is all foreign folk know about our little suburb of Europe.
But compared to other countries we are tiny, but just by hopping onto a bus for a few hours from London (£8 single to Liverpool, you cant go wrong!) we managed to get up norff to see some mates for new year. We stayed the first night with a mate called Steve, although i dont think he was the same one the American was looking for....
I have been banging on about Liverpool for ages, pretty much ever since meeting Dani in Bolivia. And as coincidance have it, Dani's grandmother lived in Liverpool when she was little (we went to her old house), so that
The Mighty Pool
The lads defend a rare attack form Bolton at fortress Anfield
*DISCLAIMER - this game was before the Arsenal one...sigh was my excuse to go there.
I will admit that i slightly ruined New Year for Dani, who is used to getting seriously drunk and dancing into the night...and next day - true Latina style, coz I had tickets for the New Years Day Liverpool game against Bolton at Anfield. Unfortunatly it was a midday kickoff which meant not too much fun could be had the night before.
So by 8am i had dragged her out of bed and we sloped off down the road towards our hotel which was just round the corner from Anfield itsself. I love going to Anfield. I always have. Anyone who knows me knows i am football mad, especially Liverpool, and i wanted to show Dani what it's all about. Fair enough i had forced her to watch the odd game or two on TV before, but there is simply no comparison between TV and propper live football.
Obviously seeing all the players so close up is always amazing, and i think Dani enjoyed recognising Gerrard and Crouch (Crouch who is called 'the toothpick' by the Argentinian commentators in South America) more than the actual football during the rather drab first
A Cold Dani at Anfield
Dani braves the Scouse cold for a half time photo 45 minutes. I really wont bore you with the match, but take the main jist that we won 3-0 and Dani was jumping around like a propper mad Scouser by the end of it.
The next day we went on a brief visit to the two of the HUGE Cathedrals in Liverpool with my auntie Joan. One Catholic round one called Paddy's Wigwam (it has a real name but i cant remember and also cant be bothered ot look it up) and another which was the Anglican Cathedral, the tallest Cathedral in the UK.
It was here i met my uncle's grandson MATTHEW HINDLEY. Class name. Good lad. I can see him Going Places.
The one problem about Liverpool (which to be honest i didnt really think of) was the accent. I have got used to it (as my Dad is an emmigrated Scouser) but Dani was totally lost! For example, try and decipher the sentence below;
"duh wun problem bow livurpul (ish toby honest eye dint rarely fink ov) waz duh axecent"
Now thats the porblem Dani had. Fair enough 'normal' Scouse she could deal with, but from this 'normal' Scouse we go down,
Stevie is subbed
Our Captain Fantastic Stevie G is taken off early to keep him fresh for the next game against Arsenal.....GULP! down down
d
o
o
o
o
o
w
n towards what we shall call 'Scally scouse'. This propper hard, harsh, slang-ridden vile discrace to all that Samuel Johnson wrote for...well i cant blame Dani what-so-ever i guess. Even i struggle understanding that lot!
So from one pool we went to another - Blackpool. Now i had warned Dani that it might be a bit chilly. but not even i thought it would be as bad as it was! Bloomin freezin it was! Add to that as we were in December, it's not quite high season in that part of the world, being in the depths of winter and all. So we did as all good people do when they go to Blackpool, buy some sticks of rock for friends and family and find ourselves a good chippy for some lunch.
From that quick stop we bussed up to Edinburgh, mainly as Dani loves this bloke called Duncan MacLeod from a sci-fi thingy called 'Highlander'. I have only been to Edinburgh once before, but dont remember anything about the place other than i rolled down a big hill. After seeing how steep the slope is going upto Edinburgh
ME and Matthew Hindley
What a great name this young man has. Good Lad! Castle i really hope it wasn't that one i rolled down!
For the first time on our trip we had arrived at a place with no hotel reservation or friends floor to stay on - this was a mistake. Being dropped off at the main bus station right at the heart of town we went in and out of at least seven different hotels before jumping into a taxi telling the driver to "take us somewhere cheap". This he duely did, to a place just round the corner and charged us four quid for that pleasure!
So, after us both leaving the gringo traveller's bar in Bolivia, we ended in a gringo (or would they be called 'euros here!?) travellers hostel. It was awful, well, like a normal hostel i guess. But guarenteed we moved out first thing in the morning to a travellodge.
So Edinburgh was mostly cold, so no massive changes there from our trip. Dani's obsession with bagpipes and especially kilts unfortunatly has not wained since leaving bonni wee scootland. Still, it's not gonna happen!
and thats about that.
Matt and Dani
p.s if i haven't been in contact
Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral
the Biggest Cathedral in the UK they say yet ring me or something. we should catch up before i go back to Bolivia in about 2 weeks (the beginning of Feb)
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