A Weekend in Liverpool

On Friday we left at 8:30 a.m. for Liverpool. The whole group of 54 students boarded a double decker charter bus (or a Coach as they call it here). Apparently I am an unusual bus passenger because within minutes of the bus leaving I felt like I was the only one awake. I sat on the top level of the bus and had great views due to the large windows all around. It was fun to see the city and the countryside this way. After getting out of the city it was basically just an interstate. I saw a lot of green grass and some interesting homes. I was surprised to see that most of the livestock grazing in the fields were sheep. I did see a few herds of cattle, but mostly sheep. On our way to Liverpool we stopped in Chester, a small city with some appealing sites to see. The city has the most complete City Walls in Britain, dating back to the Roman occupation 2,000 years ago. The Chester Cathedral was also very impressive, along with the oldest racecourse in the country and many shops in the city center. We only had 2 hours in Chester, but it was small enough to see all of the sites and get a bite to eat. In the small cafe where we stopped to eat we met the owner who asked us where we were from. It turns out that he was from Wisconsin, but came over here because of an operation (I am not for sure why he had to come here for an operation?). Overall I really enjoyed Chester a lot and thought it was an intriguing little town. Pictures below of Chester.

City of Chester ( top left), Chester Cathedral (right) Racetrack (below)

After our stop in Chester we continued on to Liverpool. It took us about 4 1/2 hours total to reach the city. I was thinking I was going to get some fresh air in Liverpool, but actually Liverpool is one of the largest cities in the UK. Located right on the River Mersey, Liverpool used to be the biggest trading center in the country. Our tour guide informed us that Liverpool had been a more established city than London. However, during WW2 much of the city was bombed and they never fully came back from it. Today Liverpool is better known for its association with the Beatles. Liverpool was colder, less safe, and cheaper than London. We stayed in a Youth Hostel Friday and Saturday night. I thought the hostel was pretty decent. I guess I was expecting far worse. We were 6 to a room and had private bathrooms. The rooms reminded me of what one would stay in at summer camp. Each room just had 3 plain bunk beds. I was pleased to find that the linen seemed very clean and fresh. I have heard from other students that linens can be an issue in hostels. We also got a towel to use and free breakfast, which I guess is a perk at a hostel. We were assigned random roommates within our group so it was a good learning experience to see who I would want to travel with and who I wouldn't. The one thing I didn't like about the hostel was the fact that there was only 2 keys for a 6 person room. So basically whenever someone wanted to get in the room you would have to go down to the front desk and ask for the key, then go up to the room and unlock the door and bring the key back down to the desk for the next person. All you had to do to get the key to your room was say your room number. They didn't ask your name or anything and this was a pretty big hostel. So basically all a stranger would have to know to get in a room was the room number. Everything turned out fine, but it still seemed strange to me. I probably would have been more skeptical of this if I wasn't with my big group.

On Friday night we had some time to get some supper and then we were scheduled to take a Ghost Walk called "Shiverpool." I ate with Carissa and Allison at HaHa Bar and Grill. The food was pretty good and decently priced, but we still couldn't get a split bill. I have heard a lot of people complain that the drinks are always warm here. They definitely don't believe in half a glass full of ice here, but all of the water I have ordered usually has at least 2 cubes of ice in it. The portions of food that you get are a lot smaller too, but I almost think this is a good thing. It seems like whenever I go out to eat at home I stuff myself and feel so full. However, here I just eat a good porportion and feel satisfied, maybe that is why everyone is skinny here. After dinner we met up with the group to walk to where our Ghost Walk began. I was extremely glad that I had remembered my hat and mittens because it was freezing out and we had to walk around outside for 2 hours. As we trekked through the town I began to notice a few things about Liverpool. The people were very different from Londoners, I didn't feel as safe in Liverpool as I do in London, and the city was pretty dirty. The people in Liverpool (or Liverpudlians as we were told) are not as reserved as those in London. Some people in my group got things thrown at them and others were followed by people. Overall I just got a very sketchy vibe from this place. Anyways, the ghost walk was quite humorous, not really that scary as I am pretty sure half of the stories were made up. The tour guides, wearing capes and face paint, were kind of creepy. They did not have a problem getting in someone's face or grabbing people to try to scare them (definitely not standard Iowa haunted house rules of NO TOUCHING like I am used to). One of the tour guides kept licking things which really grossed us out. After the tour we called it an early night and went back to the hostel.

On Saturday morning we had a scheduled City Tour. So we all boarded the double decker bus and the tour guide just spoke to us on board as we cruised around the city. This was pretty interesting as we learned a lot of stuff, especially about the Beatles. We toured Albert Dock, a trendy area with lots of trading port history. The company that owned Titanic has a huge building right on the dock and apparently a lot of the slavery ships were based out of Liverpool as well. We learned about the huge Anglican Cathedral, which I will talk about more later. I saw where the Beatles first preformed (Cavern Club), where John Lennon and Paul McCartney lived, Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields. Imagine our huge bus cruising down Penny Lane as the Beatles song, "Penny Lane" blasts out the speakers - can't get much more tourist than that, but it was a good time. Pictures below.

Penny Lane sign (left), Strawberry Fields (top right)

After the tour we had the rest of Saturday to explore. My group walked around the dock for a while and then went to get some lunch. We were told by our program director that we had to try a pasty (not to be confused with a pastRy). So we found a little shop and decided to get one. Pasties are basically a meat and veggie turnover. These are cheap and delicious. I had a chicken and veggie one and thought it tasted very similar to a chicken pot pie. Next we went to check out the Cathedral up close. I can't even explain how large this building was. Some statistics: the largest cathedral in Britain with the world's highest and heaviest bells, highest and widest Gothic arches and the largest organ in Britain. It was very impressive inside and out. The architecture was incredible. We went inside and took a jaunt to the top of the tower. The view was excellent as we could see for miles. Pictures below.

Liverpool Cathedral ( top left), cemetary below Cathedral (right)

For dinner we went to a Mediterranean restaurant. I had a panini that was very good. Then the majority of the group met up at a pub called the Flute. It was pretty busy as a Football game was showing (when they say Football here is means soccer, but they do not like calling it soccer, our kind of football is referred to as American Football). Football (soccer) is a huge sport over here. This pub was supposed to be known for their cheap drinks so much of the group was in rare form towards the end of the night. Our program director told us before we left that Liverpudlians know how to drink so we shouldn't be tempted to keep up with them! My friends and I decided to refrain from much of the celebrations as we were leery about the town and walking home. We did have an excellent piece of chocolate cake at the pub though. Many students had difficulties making it back to the hostel and a few didn't make it home until just before the bus left on Sunday! One girl also told me that she spent 100 pounds on alcohol (about $170) Crazy! Sunday was pretty much a long day of riding in the bus until finally we were home! I was very glad to be home. I went for a run in St. James Park and then sat and watched the birds. I don't think I will need to go back to Liverpool, but it was a interesting experience.