Liverpool! - Expat Adventures
Something new I've discovered I quite enjoy, is going to a destination that you know very little to nothing about. When Dani signed up for the Rock 'n' Roll half marathon in Liverpool, I said "sure, sounds fun! I've never been to England.". I think at that point all I knew about the city was that it was in England and it's where the Beatles came from. Turns out, it's a really awesome place to visit.
We already had Whit Monday as a holiday, so we took Friday off and made it into a long weekend. It's a super short hop from Amsterdam to Liverpool. I think the flight was only a little over an hour. We stayed at Jurys Inn, right on the wharf, and right next to all the race things (expo, start lines, party, etc). It's a great location as you are next door to the Albert Dock, near the Mersey river (obviously), and walking distance to most things in the city center.
Mersey Waterfront / Albert Dock / Ferry
There's a lot going on along the waterfront in Liverpool. You've got the events and arena complex, the Ferris Wheel, Albert Dock, Museum of Liverpool, the "three graces" and the ferry terminal for starters. Since we stayed in this area, we saw quite a bit, including from the ferry and the top of the Wheel of Liverpool.
Albert Dock is the largest collection of Grade 1 listed buildings in England
The water front is full of statues, memorials and so much character.
The museum of Liverpool is beautiful inside and out. In addition to a brand new John and Yoko exhibit, they had a fascinating look at lgbt history in Liverpool and England.
And of course some shots of the three Graces and obligatory pictures from the top of the Wheel of Liverpool.
City Center
There's so much in the city center area. Thee's lots of fantastic buildings, monuments, cathedrals, and historic sites. For starters, there's Matthew street, where the Beatles played while they were getting their start playing in the Cavern Club.
Then there's the Anglican cathedral that was designed by a protestant and the Protestant cathedral that was designed by an anglican. Both absolutely gorgeous buildings. We also saw the bombed out cathedral from WW1, the Queen Victoria monument (a bit naughty from a certain angle), and St George's hall (where a lot of movies have been shot),
On the recommendation of a lady at the race expo, we took a look inside the library and the attached Liverpool world museum. The library, especially the reading room, was incredible. And the museum was quite impressive as well. They had a terracotta warriors exhibit happening, but that was an extra charge, so we stuck to the rest of the museum. That was fine, expecially since they had a really amazing mummy exhibit.
Beatles Magical Mystery Tour
You can't go to Liverpool without seeing some amazing Beatles history. We bought tickets to the "Magical Mystery Tour" on our last day there. It's a two hour bus tour around to many different sites of significance to the band. It included places like Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, birth homes and other houses where members of the band grew up. All along the way we got stories of how the band got together and became the phenomenon that they did.
The Races
The races were decently organised for an international Rock 'n' Roll event. The expo and bib pickup was a bit understaffed, so there was some waiting. Dani seemed to enjoy all three races and was happy with her times. I was my usual supporter / photographer role.
If you find yourself in England and looking for a fun city to visit, definitely give Liverpool a shot. Just know that although the people are very friendly, that Scouse accent is a real bugga' to understand.
