As we travel up the Mersey to dock at Liverpool we rise and
dress, pack up our gear and make our way downstairs to wait for disembarkation.
Excitement as I walk past a framed photograph of the Beatles, but then a double
take. What the? Well someone clearly doesn’t like Paul!! It’s a famous group
shot of the young fab four, but to fit the image into a square frame some
genius has decided to crop the photo. Bizarre.
 |
| Why on earth would you choose this iconic photo and then crop Paul out of it? |
I slip outside to take a better look at the lights of
Liverpool across the Mersey, then come back quickly to wait with Hubby, noting a
few passengers who have just opted to sleep on the banquettes in the common
areas rather than book a cabin. We glide down the very tall escalators to
immigration, queuing to show our passports. Hubby is behind me and held up as
one of the officials asks him about his trip and where he's going. He’s just seeming a bit stunned and unable to say. Thinking maybe he needs assistance I head back.
They were just being friendly, so we have a nice chat and head out to the
shuttle bus for the transfer to the train station. We couldn’t be bothered with the train as we’re staying at Albert Dock so we just grab a taxi which is waiting at the rank.
It’s daylight by the time we’re driving through very light
traffic to the Premier Inn, pull up outside and find that this driver doesn’t
take card only cash. Seems a bit strange to me. I note that he does have his
photo ID licence on display, and the car does have a meter so he must be legit. Hubby
hands over a £10 note, it’s one of the new plastic notes we got at the
bank in Carrickfergus. Driver looks at it and says “What’s this?” So we
explain and include a perhaps gratuitous level of detail, cheerfully adding
that it’s the new plastic money that has better security features, see the
clear panel, this polymer note technology was invented in Australia, so the new
notes look a lot like Australian money with brighter colours. He accepts this, which is a relief because if he hadn't I don't know what we'd have done to make payment.
 |
| Premier Inn Royal Albert Dock |
Nothing unusual about dropping our luggage, but we start right away
into the Beatlemania with some piped Beatles songs in the lobby. They are
playing Lennon by the time we head back out for a look around.
 |
| The Royal Albert Dock - Grade 1 Listed |
The overwhelming first impression of the Albert Dock is that
the scale is simply enormous. Enormous. Incredible to think that this was
constructed in the 1840s. It represents so many world firsts. First to be built
from cast iron, brick and stone with no structural wood, so the first non-combustible
warehouse. It revolutionised operations because cargo was moved directly from
the ship into the warehouse. The world’s first hydraulic cranes were installed only
two years after completion. Even so, the rapid advances in shipping technology
mean the dock itself was obsolete within 50 years. Having spent so long looking
at maps and reviews of venues and eateries in the area, it’s great to finally
be here. Of course, this early in the morning nothing is open. There's so many
interesting museums we won’t have time for.
 |
| Legacy Memorial detail |
There is a vast amount of space around the docks for
sculptures and memorials and there’s an eclectic abundance of opportunities for
contemplation of the different aspects of the life of the dock. From an
expression of long-lasting admiration and devotion from Billy Fury fans, to the
purely artistic work of Tony Cragg, or the Legacy Memorial calling to mind over
9 million people who travelled through Liverpool to emigrate to the new world.
 |
| Waiting by Judy Boyt |
“Waiting” a memorial to working horses is well justified and
brings to mind an aspect of life on the docks I probably would not have
otherwise considered. My 3 x Great grandfather spent 20 years working on or
around the docks in Liverpool from about 1845 – 1864, so no doubt he would have
been very familiar with the presence of the many thousands of working horses
without which the docks would have ground to a standstill. Even during WWII, the Liverpool carters and their working horses ensured that goods were kept moving through the docks.
 |
| Propeller from the Lusitania |
A small, fenced enclosure sits in an area which seems a bit
neglected. Weeds are growing from the gaps between the cobblestones near an
area closed off by temporary fencing. I walk over for a closer look, not
feeling particularly enthusiastic, but figuring I may as well be thorough because I’ll
probably never have another chance. I find it’s one of the four propellers from
the Lusitania, the sinking of which brought the USA into the first world war. She
was a Cunard liner, based in Liverpool, and sank in 20 minutes after being
torpedoed off the coast of southern Ireland in 1915 at the cost of 1201 lives. How
ironic, that this is the thing that seems least prominent or cared for here.
We’re making quite a habit of checking out historic docks
during our travels, first Chatham where HMS Victory was built and many of my dead rellies worked back in the early 19th Century, then Portsmouth
where HMS Victory is now on display, this time we are admiring the first
wet dock ever constructed, opened in 1715 having cost £11,000 to construct over the
previous 5 years. These
modest looking stone structures are some of the mightiest pieces of architecture
on the planet.
Opening time for the Rough Hand Made Bakery approaches so we
turn back and walk along the covered walkways of the Royal Albert Dock to a
venue of extreme temptation. Not all items are available as soon as the doors
open, but a delicious spinach and fetta roll, chocolate croissant and a delectable
cinnamon and walnut scroll all live up to this bakery’s reputation. Oh my, it’s
perhaps just as well that I don’t live near this place.
Conveniently, we’re now very close to the Beatles Story
again. I’m not sure about this but again, we’re here so we may as well take a
look. I read a lot about the Beatles years ago so I’m wondering whether I’ll
find this interesting, but there’s some new information for me in there and
some that refreshes my memory. …and of course, there’s a constant Beatles soundtrack
in the museum, so it’s hard not to enjoy yourself. Most of it is new for Hubby
and he’s paying close attention and enjoying the displays.
The final room is
called Imagine and it has John Lennon’s white piano and his glasses sitting on
top. Since seeing the movie Yesterday and the ending of that, I’ve being experiencing
a new wave of sorrow at John’s murder. This final display brings tears to the
surface once more.
Our next item today is the Mersey Ferry, but first we find
the RIBA North outlet and book on for this afternoon’s walking tour. Back on
our way to the ferry terminal, we join the throng of people who have gathered
around the statues of the Beatles. Groups stand in front of the larger than
life young Liverpudlians. Other’s waiting
volunteer to take the photos for the group ahead of them so they can all be in
the photo together. Everyone is smiling and laughing and there’s a real sense
of global community that makes this a pretty special experience.
We join the queue for the Mersey Ferry, penned back so the
passengers disembarking can pass through and for about 30 seconds they play
Ferry Cross the Mersey and then the soundtrack is cut without finishing the
song. The poor crew. They must be so, so sick of that song. We tourists of
course would be happy to hear the whole of it.
We concentrate to try to hear all the commentary as we cruise
to the various stopping off points. My main objectives in taking the ferry are 1.
It’s iconic isn’t it so it's just one of those things you have to do, and as we learn, there’s been a ferry cross the Mersey
for at least 800 years. 2. Having arrived in the dark it gives us a chance to
see more of the docks that run for 7 kms along the waterside, and the river itself which I am astonished
to learn is about 1.6 km (1 mile) wide in this area! It’s even wider upstream.
 |
| Stanley Dock Tobacco Warehouse - Grade II Listed |
We run down the northern side of the river, viewing the Grade
II listed Stanley Dock Tobacco Warehouse, world’s now the world’s largest brick
building, when it was opened in 1901, it was the world’s largest building of
any kind. Not far away we admire the Salisbury Dock and the Grade II Listed Victoria
Tower which is striking for the hexagonal design, providing 6 clock faces which
assisted shipping by enabling them to accurately set their ship’s clocks as
they sailed out to the Irish Sea. The bells in the tower also warned of
impending meteorological changes, such as fog or high tide.
 |
| Victoria Tower aka the Dockers Clock |
I run our itinerary through some logistical somersaults in
my mind trying to think of some time when we might go over to the Wirral to
check out Hamilton Square, which we’re told is one of the finest squares in
Britain with the most grade 1 listed buildings anywhere outside London. Man,
I would like to see that, but we just don’t have time.
 |
| Mersey Tunnel Ventilation Shaft by Herbert Rowse 1925-34. Steel framed with brick cladding |
We start our education on Herbert Rowse as we contemplate the
Art Deco styling of the Mersey Tunnel ventilation shaft at Birkenhead. It offers a stark contrast to the 1970s
construction of the Ventilation Shaft and air intakes for the Kingsway Tunnel, a
brutalist edifice for which the engineers carry full design credits.
 |
| Kingsway Tunnel Ventilation Shaft |
Over in the distance the Grade 1 listed Liverpool Cathedral dominates
a stretch of skyline, hardly surprising given it’s the world’s longest Cathedral.
It’s on my itinerary, but is in danger from some pushing and shoving for time that
will need to occur on that day. A little research during the writing up of this
journal reveals that the choice of architect for the project was quite startling
and it would seem very much influenced by blatant nepotism. Beating luminaries such
as Charles Rennie McIntosh in the competition for the job, a youngster, and the third
generation of prominent designers of such buildings, Giles Gilbert Scott won
out even though he was only 22 and not yet fully qualified. Such were the
reservations of the Cathedral Committee that they appointed one of the panel of
the selectors, a close friend of the young bloke's father, to co-design the Cathedral just to be sure.
 |
| Not the best view of Liverpool Cathedral |
I was intrigued by
the long period of construction which was quite extraordinarily long for a
modern project. Commenced in 1904, the scale of the task and the disruption caused by two world
wars, not to mention damage inflicted during the Liverpool Blitz, is
responsible for the project slipping over the years with completion not until 1978, after the death of even Giles Gilbert Scott. I have to wonder what a complete marvel a cathedral by Charles Rennie McIntosh would have been.
We cruise in past the Wheel of Liverpool and the Royal
Albert Dock, marveling at the extraordinary decision to build a two-storey ferry
terminal obscuring the views of the Three Graces from the water. What on earth
were the planning authorities thinking?
 |
| What the hell were they thinking blocking the view of the three graces from the water? |
We still have an hour to kill until our walking tour at 2
pm. What about lunch? We ate too much at brekkie and have a substantial meal
planned this evening, so we’re not keen for a sit-down lunch.
 |
| Main staircase, Museum of Liverpool |
I don’t have time for much, my first thought is to follow
the Irish trail, but there’s some sort of amateur performance going on in the lobby
area and they have a temporary exhibition on John and Yoko, called Double
Fantasy, so I figure I may as well head up for a look at that. I only get enough
time to decide I’d like to see more of it, before I really had better go and
get across to RIBA North.
I find Hubby sitting in the RIBA café, having had a belated sit down lunch.
I find Hubby sitting in the RIBA café, having had a belated sit down lunch.
We find our guide sitting at a table, out in the atrium he’s
a volunteer and has a wealth of information to share about the city which, like
Glasgow, bills itself as the second city of the British Empire, as was. As
we’re already on Mann Island we learn about its five or so billion-pound
redevelopment and the Longitude and Latitude buildings.
 |
| Latitude and Longitude Buildings and location of RIBA North |
Soon my Art Deco knowledge is, predictably, being put the
test as we pause to consider some more of Rowse’s work at the Georges Dock
Building and Queensway Ventilation Tower. Do you know what style of
architecture this is? Our guide enquires. Art Deco? I hedge my bets. Well done.
Of course it’s Art Deco! I enjoy architecture and architecture tours, I’m no
expert at identifying the different styles, but Art Deco I can usually identify
quite readily since we did the Downtown Deco tour in Chicago. This has
frequently proved handy because guides almost always ask you if you can tell
what style Art Deco buildings are, much more so than any other style. It’s also
useful to be able to tell Art Deco from Art Nouveau or Arts and Crafts. It gets
trickier between Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts, but in my experience if you
can at least distinguish Art Deco, you generally don’t embarass yourself too
badly!
 |
| Georges Dock Building and Queensway Ventilation Tower architect Herbert Rowse |
Before we move off, we look across to 30 James St and our
guide discusses its history and design with enthusiasm. I feel a momentary pang
of regret at having chosen to save a bit of money and stay elsewhere. Another
heritage beauty is recommended to us also, that would be the Phil (aka the Philharmonic
Dining Rooms) another Grade 1 listed building. Well, that sounds wonderful, but
unfortunately there’s no way we’ll get time for that one.
 |
| Canada Boulevard |
A short walk out on Canada Boulevard and our appreciation of
the Beatles statue is enhanced by a few subtle features of the sculpture being
brought to our attention. You don’t notice any of them until you examine the
statue from behind. Each Beatle has something that references interests and
activities. Look in the palm of John’s hand, he is holding some acorns. When he
and Yoko did the bed in, they sent a pair of acorns to a number of world leaders
asking that they be planted as living sculptures and symbols of peace. The
acorns used to mold those in the statue had been foraged by the sculptor from
the oaks growing near the Dakota Building in New York where John lived and was
ultimately murdered.
 |
| Only the well informed or eagle eyed would spot the acorns in John's hand |
Paul has a film camera bag slung over his shoulder, some websites
say this is a reference to his wife being a professional photographer, but frankly,
that seems to be nonsense. Interviewed about Magical Mystery Tour, Paul talked
of having a movie camera and he would shoot many rolls of film wherever he was
at the time, so appropriately, this is a reference to Paul’s own interests.
George naturally has exotic script on his belt referencing his spiritual
beliefs and Ringo has his Liverpool postal code L8 on the sole of his shoe.
We only need to look across to the Liverpool Museum and note
the design references to its context, note for example the inspiration from the
bridge of a ship. Limestone panels used in the cladding create a sympathetic
colour to the historic buildings nearby. But the building has been controversial,
not everyone is a fan. It was nominated for the Carbuncle Cup. Which brings us to consider the Pier Head
Ferry Terminal Building – that we were puzzling over earlier. That actually won
the Carbuncle Cup and a deserving winner it is. Local people fought to stop it
but lost. All you can do is shake your head.
 |
| Georges Dock in the 1860s. Now the site of the Three Graces |
We spend some more time discussing the Three Graces and the
Cunard War Memorial, Liverpool traditions and superstitions around the Liver
Birds. Again, we are in luck as we are posed a question. Do you know what Pro
Patria means? Ah, yes, it means for your country. Our guide is somewhat
surprised we know this. It just so happens it was the motto of the school our
children all attended, that’s come in handy!
 |
| Cunard War Memorial in front of the Cunard Building at Pier Head |
Then it’s time to walk on. Our destination is the Church of
Our Lady and St Nicholas, but as we travel and wait at the lights we consider
the detail and context of the Tower Building and the long occupancy of that
site, imagining the hustle and bustle of the docks as they used to be.
 |
| Liverpool Blitz Memorial by Tom Murphy |
Outside the church, we spend some time on the Liverpool Blitz
of World War II and the memorial to the many civilian casualties. Around 4,000
people were killed and 10,000 injured in Merseyside during the blitz. Only London
suffered higher casualties (around 30,000 deaths). Liverpool was an obvious
target. Without the eastern supply chain to North America, Britain would have been
crippled. An even larger monument to the Liverpool Blitz exists in the bombed
out shell of St Lukes Church, too far away for us to cover today.
 |
| Royal Liver Building where once there were docks crowded with sailing ships, viewed from the grounds of Our Lady and St Nicholas Church |
St Nicholas is the patron saint of
sailors, so dedication of the church is particularly fitting. This location has
been a site of worship since the 13th Century. We contemplate the
extent of land reclamation in this area over time. At one point the River
Mersey reached the garden walls of the church at high tide, but in the time
since, progressive waves of redevelopment and land reclamation have pushed the
waters back.
We step inside the church and quietly consider stories of
tragedy and notable elements of the interior, so many of which reference a nautical theme. Time to pause and reflect for a
brief while and we step back outside.
 |
| Mercure Atlantic Tower Hotel 1972 |
Time for some more modern construction now. Nautical
references are obvious in the Mecure Atlantic Tower Hotel, and respect to the
history of Liverpool is paid in the dazzle cladding appearance of the Unity
Buildings nearby. There’s a lot more thoughtful creativity that’s gone into the
complex of buildings and the contrasting sections, but my memory and notebook
can only cope with so much new material!
 |
| The Unity Buildings |
We’re heading into a quiet road that feels like a bit of a
backwater for another of Liverpools most significant buildings. Savagely panned
by the architecture establishment, Oriel Chambers was at the forefront of
design for it’s day. It’s construction is explained and its architect Peter
Ellis lauded, links to the Chicago School of Architecture via John Wellborne
Root noted and then the open question. When do you think this was built? We’re way too late. Nope, 1864. 1864!!! You’re joking. No wonder it’s Grade I
listed.
 |
| Oriel Chambers - now Grade 1 Listed but it was underappreciated in its day |
The building on the opposite side of the road is not listed,
but our guide is fond of it, and we’re here, so we may as well spend a few
minutes on the architectural features. The quality of the build is obvious
given its current condition.
Up past the India Building and on to Martins Bank where they stored part of Britain's gold reserve when the country was threatened with invasion during WWII. It seems that all around us the walls could relate stories of immense power and wealth.
 |
| Martins Bank |
An architecture tour of Liverpool would not be complete without
considering the Grade 1 Listed Town Hall. A wander in there sounds brilliant.
The identity of the nearby Nelson Monument comes as a
surprise. Everywhere must have a Nelson Monument let’s face it, but the design
of the monument features figures in chains, so give the wealth derived from the
slave trade I was easily misled. In fact, the four figures represent Nelson’s
four major battle victories, those chains lead up to the mouths of the Lion, an
obvious reference to Great Britain.
 |
| The Nelson Memorial |
We quickly note the remarkably ornate building on the corner
of Brunswick and Castle and head via the Queen Victoria Monument in Derby
square and on to the final location of our walk, Liverpool One, which is
apparently the most successful shopping precinct development in Britain. I can
believe it. It’s open to the air and it’s absolutely crawling with people even
now on an increasingly damp Saturday afternoon. It’s much much nicer than the
awful caverns that companies like Westfield usually put up.
 |
| Liverpool One |
We thank our guide and bid him farewell. Now, it’s about
4:30 pm. We’ve got tickets to the Saturday Night Beatles show at the Cavern but
the doors don’t open there until 7:30. Do we have time to go back to the hotel
for a rest? We decide not. We’ve got our eye on Casa Italia for dinner and they
don’t take bookings so we figure we should go over there in the hope of
avoiding too much in the way of crowds.
There’s a wait outside the little air lock when we arrive.
Hubby’s not that thrilled to queue at any time. Happily this joint knows what
they’re doing and it’s quite entertaining for me to watch the concentration
with which the man in charge observes the large and crowded room and turns the tables
over. There’s nothing haphazard about it. He must go home exhausted.
 |
| Tortellini all Pana from Casa Italia |
Within
about 15 minutes we’re tucking into a serve of warm dough balls with garlic
butter dip. I’ve watched a video online where someone who’s been coming here
since childhood raved about the pasta bakes. They’re not something I’ve seen on
menus at home so I’m keen to try one. I settle on the Tortellini alla panna:
Oven baked meat filled pasta, with chicken, bechamel and mozzarella. Hubby has
gone for the Penne Boscaiola: Mushrooms, peas, ham, onions, cream and tomato
sauce. Both are on our table piping hot within another 10 minutes. Our meals
are beautifully prepared. The slices of chicken laid out between the tortellini
and the blanket of mozzarella is cooked to perfection and beautifully moist. Fast
forward half an hour and we’re tucking into bowls of gelati, a compromise
choice. We take our time, but conscious of the queue waiting for a table we
head on our way. Nobody rushed us, but this is not a place to linger if you
care about the suffering of others.
 |
| Eleanor Rigby by Tommy Steele |
Eleanor Rigby sits on a bench on the street opposite. Then
we only have a short walk around to Mathew Street. Still an hour and half until
the doors open for the show. Not enough time to go back to the hotel and
return, the weather’s a bit iffy and there’s a queue to get into the Cavern Club,
so we figure we will join that and sus things out. Make sure we know where we
are supposed to be. The Cavern is crowded and noisy, there’s nowhere to sit
down. Faced with standing whatever we do, I suggest we just head around and
find the entrance to the Lounge and hang out there. This turns out to be an old
red phone box in the souvenir sales section tucked around the corner. We can
hear the music from the band that’s playing.
Hubby’s pissed off. He doesn’t want a drink. I make an
effort to talk to him about the souvenir options. He’s giving of dark vibes. A Canadian
couple joins us in the queue and the lady starts to spark up a friendly
conversation, which I think helps the time pass. Hubby, is just being downright
rude. Resisting conversation when introduced. The three of us do our best but
it’s awkward. Oh isn’t this going to be fun with Hubby in a rare mood. We wait
and we wait. I mean, it’s not compulsory to queue for so long, but there’s
limited seating and after a long day I’m keen to nab one of them.
Eventually, after the staff help a range of apparently special people jump the queue so they can have the front row seats the doors open and we file in and choose our seats. Hubby’s still pretty dark. A support act comes on and puts a sign up with his name on it and proceeds to occupy time for what feels like a good long time. My god, is this ever going to start?
Eventually, after the staff help a range of apparently special people jump the queue so they can have the front row seats the doors open and we file in and choose our seats. Hubby’s still pretty dark. A support act comes on and puts a sign up with his name on it and proceeds to occupy time for what feels like a good long time. My god, is this ever going to start?
Some time around 9pm or slightly after the show proper gets going.
I hope this is worth all this waiting with mister grumpy. The scene is set with
a video presentation on the large screen at the back of the stage, setting the
scene of the times and finally the band, dressed in the manner of the early Beatles
breakthrough hits comes bounding out onto the stage. The crowd goes wild. Obviously
the first song is I Want to Hold Your Hand and the crowd sings along in full
voice. The atmosphere is amazing. The band is amazing. If you close your eyes
you’d think it was the original band. The impersonation is extraordinary.
Between songs the various Beatles interact with the audience in a manner
characteristic of the originals. It probably sounds cheesy but the authenticity
of it rescues it from kitsch. The show proceeds with the band playing a
selection of songs from each Beatles album and each Beatle gets their turn. At
one point quite early in the show, Cavern Club George launches into an obscure George
number. He makes eye contact with me as I happily sing along. The look on his
face seems to say… what? No one knows THIS one! I do. If a song has a good beat
and harmonies I am certain to like it, so obviously I love the early Beatles albums,
they are all about harmonies.
The show goes on until time enough has passed that a costume
change is required. The band leave the stage and the video presentation comes
on with a parade of current events showing the time passing before the band
comes back in their new look to cover the next few albums. The audience is
loving it. People have obviously come from all over the UK and the world but
there’s locals too. There’s all ages as well. There’s a young bloke just across
from us who’s so into it I wonder if he’s chemically enhanced. Next to me is an
old lady wearing long white vynal boots. She seems to be on her own and she
sparks up a conversation. Apparently these boots are the same as the ones she
wore to the Cavern back in the early 60s. By the time she’s sparking up a
conversation with me she’s as pissed as a newt.
The music continues, every album is covered. Great hits,
faithfully reproduced. For some of the more complex later songs, the Cavern
Club George Martin joins the band and sits discretely adding the necessary
elements. Sergeant Peppers climaxes as it should with A Day in the Life. SO.
WELL DONE. We get to the White Album and George does the most faithful
rendition of While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Extraordinary. Its an endless hit
parade. It’s nothing short of bloody fantastic.
Inevitably the band take their bows and leave the stage, but
they haven’t done either Let it Be or Hey Jude, so we know the show’s not over yet.
The cheering is encouraging and return and then someone starts what I suspect
is a Cavern Club ritual. Nah, Nah Nah, Nah, Nah Nah Nah…. Nah Nah Nah Nah, Heey
Jude! And that’s it, the audience just
keeps that up until the band returns and plays surely the most iconic Beatles hit.
The audience is word perfect, belting it out. It’s absolutely brilliant. But
there’s not second encore. No Let it Be. It’s coming on for midnight and the
audience slowly makes their way out of the lounge. Hubby, turns to me and says.
“That was worth the wait!” Yes it bloody was! Back in the Cavern’s main bar area
another band is has also been doing Hey Jude and the crowd is singing along so
we join in again. It’s just one huge revel in songs that mean so much to pretty
much the whole world. Hubby and I are both on cloud nine as we walk back down
to the our hotel on the Royal Albert Dock. We’ve done some brilliant stuff on
this and other holidays, but we haven’t ever done anything better than this. To
think I almost didn’t come to Liverpool. I wondered if this was just a cheesy
tourist trap. If I’d had any remote idea how good this night was going to be,
this would definitely have been close to the top of my bucket list. I’m so glad
that item got ticked in spite of my cynicism. Gosh I hope I get to come back to
do this again one day. It’s a good thing we have a decent walk home, it takes a
while to come down from a high like that. What a simply outstanding experience
and we both feel the same, me a Beatles tragic of longstanding, and Hubby not
so. We both think this has been far and away the best thing we’ve done on this
trip. Even the utterly fabulous and hilarious Game of Thrones Archery doesn’t
even come close. Beatlemania is alive and well in Liverpool. For goodness sake
get yourself there and experience it, be ready to sing along. As we have said to all our closest friends, it's worth the airfare and 28 hours on a plane just to go to Liverpool and the Cavern Club Beatles show. Do it!!
Best of all for me, Liverpool has given the Beatles back to me. I was a complete Beatles tragic as a teenager, somewhere between five and ten years too late, collected all their albums, knew every song by heart, but unfortunately there's a fair amount about that time of my life I'd rather forget, so I haven't enjoyed the music as much because it takes me back to places I've moved on from. Coming to Liverpool and experiencing the simple and sincere pride and joy in the Beatles and their music and partaking of the communion at the Cavern Club has given The Beatles back to me free of baggage. For that I am deeply and sincerely grateful beyond the ability to adequately express it. But I suspect that many people around the world understand what I feel. It's expressed so beautifully in the movie Yesterday, I know i'm not alone.
Best of all for me, Liverpool has given the Beatles back to me. I was a complete Beatles tragic as a teenager, somewhere between five and ten years too late, collected all their albums, knew every song by heart, but unfortunately there's a fair amount about that time of my life I'd rather forget, so I haven't enjoyed the music as much because it takes me back to places I've moved on from. Coming to Liverpool and experiencing the simple and sincere pride and joy in the Beatles and their music and partaking of the communion at the Cavern Club has given The Beatles back to me free of baggage. For that I am deeply and sincerely grateful beyond the ability to adequately express it. But I suspect that many people around the world understand what I feel. It's expressed so beautifully in the movie Yesterday, I know i'm not alone.
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