Liverpool

Liverpool…what a day…what a great city! Sailing overnight from Dublin was absolutely brutal – sustained winds of 40mph and high seas were unrelenting. For those of you who know us well, we actually look forward to challenging weather conditions, and that’s been the case for much of this entire first week. As I write at 4:30am on Thursday morning, we’re now steaming toward Glasgow, Scotland – relatively calm seas, a little warmer, and looking forward to this unscheduled stop. Cheryl’s still sleeping, and I’m up in the Lido having my morning coffee, reflecting on our wonderful day in Liverpool.

Docking yesterday morning with the high winds was a real contest. We were only a hundred feet or so from our assigned berth and it took the better part of an hour to dock safely, even with the assistance of two tug boats. Captain did a great job, and once we were tied, we bundled up and were off to find our Beatles tour. The morning wind was to our backs as we left the ship, so strong it actually pushed us down the walkway – just ferocious. I was wearing a hat and even though it fit snug, I was forced to hold it in place. A very cold and windy start to what would eventually be a memorable day.

First, Liverpool is a wonderful city – we actually enjoyed it much more than Dublin. It’s impeccably clean, much like Singapore. The residents, or at least the many we ran into, were as friendly and helpful as any we’ve ever met. Following our Beatles tour which I’ll get to in a minute, we were downtown looking for a place to buy stocking hats and long underwear. Standing on a street corner obviously looking confused, we were approached by a middle-aged lady who asked if she could help us. I guess the cameras hanging from both our necks indicated our status as tourists! We told her what we were looking for – she first laughed, saying “this is summer…you can’t buy long underwear here during summer”. This lady actually walked us two city blocks to find a store and once there, she said if you can’t find what you’re looking for here, just go down another block and try The North Face. What an amazing example of a ‘local’ helping a couple of lost souls! And yes…we found stocking hats and long underwear!

The Beatles Story/Tour was amazing – truly the highlight of our day. From their very humble beginnings as youngsters in poor neighborhoods, to some of the old, underground pubs where they first played, Liverpool and the Beatles are synonymous. Almost everywhere you look – buildings, street names, landmarks – it’s all about John, Paul, George, & Ringo. We were able to get next to the very instruments they used on their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show a lifetime ago – I remember watching as a kid back in Iowa. And the studio where some of their first hits were recorded…WOW!

A great day for us…and such a wonderful city – highly recommended!