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Jul 10, 20244 min read

Liverpool, England

Home of the Beatles and so much more.

We took the Stena Line Ferry from Belfast to Liverpool. For an extra £35 we were able to get a cabin for the day; it was an 8-hour trip 10:30am to 6:30pm. After a quick tour of the Stena Embla ship, we realized we didn’t really need the cabin, but it was nice to have somewhere quiet to go and our own bathroom. The ferry had 2 different movie rooms, multiple lounges and sitting areas as well as a restaurant and a couple of cafes. It was a vast improvement to the ferry we took from Albania to Italy and Mike managed not to fall down any stairs this time. It was a smooth sail, and we spent the day watching TV and movies. We arrived on time in Birkenhead and after a quick walk we took the train under the river into Liverpool. The River Mersey is so wide that it does not have any bridges crossing it. There are tunnels running under the river and ferries that run across throughout the day. There were tons of restaurants and bars between the train station and our Airbnb and the area was extremely busy on a Saturday night.

Our first day in Liverpool we walked along the waterfront, and we noticed some strange sculptures. It turns out they are superlambananas. In 1998 artist Taro Chiezo was commissioned to produce a sculpture for Britain’s Art Transpennine exhibition. He chose to combine two of Liverpool's most prominent import/export products which are lambs and bananas. Thus, the first superlambanana came to life at 17 feet tall. In the summer of 2008, Liverpool was named European Capital of Culture and in preparation for an influx of visitors they launched the Superlambanana Trail. They placed 125 miniature (6 foot tall) superlambananas around the city. At the end of the summer, they auctioned them off at St. George’s Hall for charity. They were sadly missed and in 2010 eight new superlambananas were commissioned on the waterfront as permanent public artworks.

For Mike’s birthday I did a quick Google search and found an Organ Recital at St. George’s Hall for us to attend. After seeing so many of them throughout our travels we figured it was time to hear what they sounded like. Turns out Professor Ian Tracey plays at St. George’s Hall regularly. We watched a YouTube video the night before that went into detail on just how complicated organs are to play and it made it all the more interesting to witness it in person. Afterwards we went to check out the World Museum next door.

Most of the museums in Liverpool are free and we usually learn a thing or two while exploring them. In Liverpool we managed to hit up the World Museum, the Maritime Museum, and the Museum of Liverpool. I won’t bore you with the details, but just leave you with something we learned from each place. At the World Museum we learned that ancient Egyptians used to mummify animals and often presented mummified kittens as gifts. I have to say, I wasn’t thrilled to learn that. In the Maritime Museum we learned how to tie some critical knots; hopefully a skill we won’t need anytime soon. Finally, the Museum of Liverpool taught us that people from Liverpool are referred to as Liverpudlians.

There are two main cathedrals in Liverpool and they couldn't be more different. In 1853 Edward Welby Pugin was commissioned to design a Catholic Cathedral for Liverpool. The first picture below was his original design. Four attempts later in 1962 construction began on the final iteration designed by Sir Frederik Gibberd. Due to budget and time constraints the vision changed significantly. It is definitely an interesting addition to Liverpool’s skyline.

The Liverpool Cathedral was consecrated in 1824 and features a much more traditional design. The cathedral is the largest in Britain and the 5th largest in Europe. It is also home to the Grand Organ, the largest organ in the UK and one of the largest operational organs in the world. While we were touring the cathedral a young organist was practicing and it was pretty incredible to be in the cathedral while the organ was in use.

Liverpool is famous for the city’s traditional scouse which is basically a meat stew served with pickled cabbage and warm bread. So, we met up with one of our soon to be neighbors from the ship to give it a try. We ate at the Nova Scotia which has ties to Canada. In the early part of the 20th century the area now known as Mann Island in Liverpool used to be a small shanty town and dock known as Nova Scotia. It was twinned with the province in Canada and in turn you will find a Liverpool, Mann Island, and River Mersey in Nova Scotia, Canada. Gradually the area was replaced, but this restaurant is working to preserve its history. The scouse was lovely, and we had a good visit.

We also had a bit of a date day, and went Mini-golfing at Golf Fang Liverpool. It is an 18+ indoor course that offers a great selection of drinks and food while you golf. The pictures speak for themselves…we had a blast. Afterwards we went for an early supper at Smoke & Dough.

The Magical Mystery Tour is said to be one of the best tours in Liverpool. It's a 2-hour bus tour that takes you to several Beatles locations and provides commentary along the way. However, we’re cheap, so we decided to do it ourselves. It took us significantly longer than 2 hours, but we managed to see the childhood homes of John, Paul, George, and Ringo as well as Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields and the Cavern Club. The tour had a few more stops, but that was plenty for us. Of course, there are plenty of Beatles references throughout Liverpool.