Bright and Bustling Liverpool

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I wouldn’t have predicted that I’d visit Liverpool - ever. Its image, even during the height of Beatlemania, was always of a kind of rough and grubby port town. Boy, howdy, was that wrong! Granted, the wealth that has flowed into this metropolis (residents of one+ million) was greatly augmented by its association with the (native-born) Fab Four, but the city on the Mersey was a flexing power with Victorian grace notes long before, and will be long after the rock and roll echoes fade.

And, once again, I’ve been blessed in my accommodation: ATC host Louise has gone above and beyond any reasonable expectations... Not only did she retrieve me from the (John Lennon) airport - a 30 minute drive - she had a fire in the grate and a hot dinner waiting for me the night I arrived. And the next day she devoted to driving me all over town and the nearby countryside! I would have gotten to the waterfront and several museums on my own, but never would have seen the ultra modern Metropolitan Cathedral, lovely Sefton Park with its Palm House, or the amazingly preserved Tudor manse, Speke House, without her devoted chauffeuring. And, as a grand finale, she and her priest friend Gilly treated me to dinner at their favorite Chinese restaurant! Amazing.

It’s been cold and clear, perfect for sightseeing and brisk walking. My final day here I bused into town and spent hours in the Walker Art Gallery (“finest outside of London”), wandering the shopping lanes and Beatles’ haunts, and at the clean, modern Merseyside waterfront. The Royal Albert dock is a sheltered harbor of shops and restaurants, and the Museum of Liverpool hosts a full floor devoted to the Lennon/Ono legacy of ”Imagine.”

Today, I launch into another epic journey: two trains and a bus ride of 58 stops, in order to reach my Pateley Bridge cottage in the Yorkshire Dales. I’ve booked it for a week, hoping for a peaceful and interesting sojourn in an award-winning village. No car, just my feet and local transit.... ?

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Photos

Speke House (1500s)
Inherited and enhanced by a woman who remained unmarried in order to control the estate.

Street scene
A bountiful Bentley

Walker Art Gallery
I like the frame as much as the painting!

“Scouse” at the Gallery cafe
It’s a traditional Liverpudlian beef/lamb stew.

Rock ‘n Roll!
The Cavern was where the Beatles first (and constantly performed. It is deep underground, down several staircases

Comments

[Diane]

Almost missed this blog post. Love it that you went to Liverpool. John Lennon's broken glasses are really disturbing but I'm glad you included them. They must be having to change that number of deaths since he was shot, daily...