“Living is easy with eyes closed. Misunderstanding all you see. It’s getting hard to be someone
But it all works out. Let me take you down ‘Cause I’m going to”…
Liverpool! For a flower child of the 1960s, a trip to Liverpool is a must. After all, it’s the home of the Merseybeat pop music sound including bands like Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer,
The Beatles: Media- Jelly Beans. ‘I hope that you’ll enjoy the show.’
The Cryin’ Shames, The Searchers, and oh yeah, The Beatles. Pretty impressive list of hitmakers from, arguably, the greatest period in rock and roll. So from the rugged rural countryside of Snowdonia to the sprawling urban center of Liverpool, ‘where nothing is real’, we went.
After a rather Helter Skelter drive, we arrived at our
The view from our Airbnb room. Imagine Paul McCartney as a child, playing in this neighborhood.
Airbnb in the Liverpool borough of Speke, the home borough of Paul McCartney, early afternoon amid the usual gloomy weather and Rain.
Although a few miles from the city center, our place had easy access to bus transportation (no driving in urban environments for this boy) and a very cool walking street with many eateries and pubs.
The location of our Airbnb was on this street in the Speke Borough.
In those early days when The Beatles were honing their skills in the clubs and bars, I imagined Liverpool to be an industrial city filled with working-class heroes hoping for a better life. But, times change and life goes on bra. Lala how the life goes on.
A view of the Albert Dock area taken from the Mersey ferry. Liverpool One is just off the picture to the right.
Noveau Liverpool
What we found was a rejuvenated city center, Liverpool One, featuring shopping, pubs, and restaurants. Adjacent to Liverpool One is the Albert Dock riverfront area. Here you can visit the world class Tate Museum or take a ferry ride across the Mersey River (it is mandatory that you sing Ferry Cross the Mersey while crossing the Mersey), people watch while having a cocktail, ride a huge Ferris wheel, or visit the Beatles exhibition aptly named The Beatles Story. And make no mistake about it, Liverpool is The Beatles’ city. Everywhere you turn there is some reference to The Beatles.
The Beatles Story main entrance. Tour this location first. The second location is a short walk away. Ask the staff for HELP! Be sure to allow plenty of time.
The Beatles: Here, There, and Everywhere
The Beatles Story exhibition is well worth the visit even if you’re not a die-hard fan. The exhibit is located in 2 separate locations, but a single price of admission gets you into both. We did it on 2 separate days, each day took about 2 to 3 hours. Be sure to catch the animated short video and the Patty Boyd photographic exhibit.
After the museum, if you’re lucky enough to catch a Good Day Sunshine, take the 10-minute walk
The entrance to The Cavern Club. Hallowed ground. Gave me goosebumps walking around inside.
to the Cavern Quarter to visit the place where it all began; the Cavern Club. There’s usually a cover band playing all your favorite Beatles’ tunes. Check out the video below for a taste of The Cavern Club!
Beatles’ fans come from all over the world. Imagine there are no countries…
The Grapes Pub, where the Beatles hung out between sets is just down the street.
Speaking of pubs, walk just a few blocks to get out of the tourist area and you’ll find local’s pubs Here, There, and Everywhere. We found a cool Irish pub with some excellent live music. Grab yourself a pint of
A smokin’ hot Irish pub. Great band. They played traditional music as well as contemporary pop songs.
real ale (be sure to ask for real ale), do a little dancing, and who knows, you just might run into Lovely Rita.
So ferry cross the Mersey
All this Beatles chasing and pub crawling was hard work, so we headed back down to the Albert Dock and got a Ticket to Ride on a Ferry Cross the Mersey. Be sure to get one of the multi-colored painted boats (see featured photo at the top of post). The story behind these multi-colored paint jobs is that they were originally designed to camouflage the boats from German bombers, then morphed into art nouveau. The ferry has multiple drops on the other side, so take your pick. We chose the Woodside Terminal, the location of the German U-boat exhibit (it is not a Yellow Submarine). The sub was sunk at the very end of the second world war, actually after the Germans surrendered. However, this boat refused to surrender which led to theories that perhaps treasures or secret weapons were on board.
A view inside the U-boat. Creepy!
Although nothing of value was found, questions remain. I guess we’ll never know. The place was a bit spooky.
Architecture
Once back on the Liverpool side of the river, be sure to just walk around exploring all the unique and diverse architectures. The juxtaposition of old ornate styles against the stark steel and glass is like experiencing Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds for the first time.
Some of the cool new architecture making up Liverpool’s skyline.
The Tate
From one surreal experience to another we headed for the Tate Museum of Art. The featured artists were Francis Bacon and Maria Lassnig. Bacon’s work, in particular, was sometimes disturbing, but always thought-provoking. Believe me, you’ll be Fixing a Hole in your head after 2-3 hours of Bacon and Lassnig.
I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will be as one.
So that’s Liverpool ‘From Me to You’. It’s just another ‘Day in the Life’ of a VinoHiker. I certainly won’t be accused of being a ‘Paperback Writer’ after this post. OK, I will ‘Let it be’ now. ‘Please Please Me’ and check out the rest of the photos below.
Hike Drink Live Laugh ==> Give Peace a Chance
Lennon’s piano and Guitar exhibit.
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Pat hangin’ with his mates.
Beatles’ equipment setup.
A war of words with the Dave Clark 5.
A British rag featuring the Beatles. Does anyone have a copy?
Pat ‘onstage’ with The Beatles.
Beatles’ Guitars.
Dressed up and ready to party at the Albert Docks.
Mega-yacht reflected in one of the new buildings around Albert Dock.