Liverpool, England

 

The Beatles Story

Liverbird, on top of Royal Liver Building

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View the Liverpool Photo Album here.


My latest adventure has taken me to the west side of England to the city of Liverpool, home of the worst accent in England.  Their accent/dialect is more commonly known as Scouse, with Liverpudlians also referred to as Scousers.  Liverpool is only a 45 minute train ride from Manchester, and it was an excellent day trip.

Liverpool Cathedral, Largest in the UK, 5th Largest in the World

The symbol of Liverpool, called Liverbirds (pictured above), sit atop the Royal Liver Building.  They are the most recognisable symbol of Liverpool, and there are two them facing opposite directions on top of the building.  Another cool building was the Liverpool Cathedral, which is the largest in the UK and 5th largest in the world.  There were also other buildings that had the "old English" feel, although I cannot remember specifically what each of them were.  The Liverpool ONE is a huge shopping center, but part of it is outside and uncovered, while the stores are obviously covered.  I walked by the Apple store, which had a very long queue due to the fact it was the day the iPad 2 came out.

A popular area of Liverpool is Albert Dock, which is one of many docks in Liverpool.  There are many shops and restaurants in Albert Dock, where I got a few souvenirs, cherry fudge, and strawberries and cream fudge.  Albert Dock is also home to the Merseyside Maritime Museum, the International Slavery Museum, and more famously, The Beatles Story.  In case you didn't know, Liverpool is the Birthplace of the The Beatles.  The Beatles Story was a very cool museum that was Beatles, Beatles, and more Beatles.  To put it lightly, I think the appropriate term is "Beatlemania".  I learned about the history, got to take pictures, and listen to the music.  My favourite part was an area that had a yellow submarine you could walk through, with a certain catchy tune playing on repeat.  After the tour, I went to Cavern Club, which is the place that The Beatles had their first gig, which is pretty cool if you ask me.

Anfield, home of Liverpool F.C.

Goodison Park, home of Everton F.C.

Tourist attractions aside, my favourite part of Liverpool were the two football (soccer) stadiums: Anfield, home of Liverpool F.C. (left), and Goodison Park, home of Everton F.C. (right). Both stadiums were built in the late 1800's, and each hold approximately 40,000 people.  There wasn't anything earth-shattering about them, but any stadium you get to see up close and in person for a sports fan like me is always a great moment.  I was able to walk from one to the other in about twenty minutes, which shows how close they are.

Liverpool is a great city, and it would be even better if I could understand what they were saying through that Scouse accent of theirs.  Cheers!