Due to an inadvertant time mix-up we arrived at the train station half an hour early. Okay, it was my fault. I thought we were leaving at 7:05, but that was how much the ticket cost. Whatever. The train was freezing, so we curled up and tried to stay warm. I don't think we ever got properly warm the whole day.
Nothing was open when we got there, so we wandered down to Albert Docks.
At Albert Docks...see the painted boat?
There are lots of little restaurants, museums, and shops at the docks.
The Beatles Story at Albert Docks.
George Harrison's first guitar!
John and Paul were originally part of a group called the Quarrymen. There are a lot of quarries in Liverpool, hence the name.
The Cavern Club! Where the Beatles played some of their first shows. They played over 90 shows there!
Inside the Cavern Club.
Where the Beatles played many of their shows in Liverpool.
Awesome mohair suit!
John Lennon's orange glasses.
John Lennon's white piano.
They had a kid's section at the museum. And the answer is no. No, I can't play a Beatles melody on your giant piano. I tried.
After we raided the gift shop, we continued to wander around Albert Docks. We went to the Merseyside Maritime Museum, which was free (its amazing how many museums were free! The Beatles weren't...). Liverpool is a big shipping and manufacturing town, given its location. The Titanic was actually registered to Liverpool, as the White Star Lines were headquartered there. They had an exhibit about the Titanic, the Lusitania, and the Empress of Ireland, three big cruise ships that sank. There was also the International Slavery Museum within the Maritime Museum. Many of the slave ships left from Liverpool and went to Africa and then on to the infamous "middle passage." All in all, a very depressing museum, but interesting.
We had lunch at Albert Docks next. There was a French place, where I had a quiche and a terrific crepe for dessert. Yum! We took some more pictures of the docks...
Proof I was there!
Pretty city centre.
Liverpool is home to Europe's largest Anglican cathedral ; I have a soft spot for cathedrals and it was HUGE. We happened to be there during choir practice and it created an amazing atmosphere. It was an all male choir, with men and young boys. They were fantastic! The cathedral is also fairly new; it was completed in 1978.
Like I said, its huge!
Inside the Liverpool Cathedral.
Trippy picture of some prayer candles in the cathedral.
Proof that it is modern...neon lights! I didn't use the flash and this is what I got.
"I felt you and I knew you loved me."
Next, we trekked to the Walker Art Museum, near the train station. We were getting pretty weary at this point, so we finished up there. The Walker is also free! Music to my ears! They had some famous portraits there.
I forget who this is...but her dress is pretty!
Hey! Its Henry VIII! I've seen him in history books!
Beautiful sculptures!
So we had a jam-packed day in Liverpool! We saw a lot of an interesting city. I decided that I should invest in a pedometer, because I have put in many miles in the scant two and a half weeks I've been here. You can see ALL of my pictures at photobucket.com/eariley.
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