Lovin' Liverpool

March 1^st, 2026

There was another couple with a small dog dining in the breakfast room at the same time as us in the B&B.  The proprietor, Prue, made a slight mistake with which type of eggs was served to which guest, but it was no biggie.  After eating, we chatted with the other couple and Prue and it was obvious that the couple had stayed here multiple times as they seemed to be friends with Prue, all of whom were in their late 60s or early 70s. 

 

We were asked what our plans were and when we mentioned Liverpool, Prue piped up “Why would you want to go there?!?”.  Um, well, because we want to.  Naomi told me later that she could see me biting my lip.  I just thought it was not a wise reaction of a business owner with their clients.

It was only a two-hour drive to Liverpool, our shortest drive of the trip.  As we cruised along a motorway, about 70 kilometres from Liverpool, the electronic signs were stating that the highway was closed ahead.  Waze took us on some local roads through a few towns and along some narrow country lanes with numerous Sunday morning cyclists making it a little more interesting.  Thankfully I didn’t hit any of them.  I almost wondered if there was some kind of cycling event.

Arriving in Liverpool, I asked Naomi to have the navigation take us by Anfield stadium, where the Liverpool football club plays.  I’m not a huge Premier League football fan, but I will watch it if it’s on and Liverpool is one of the big clubs in England.  Plus, I had seen one of their big strikers, Mo Salah, playing for Egypt in Morocco within the last couple of months in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.  I didn’t want to go to the museum or anything, and in the end, I didn’t even get out of the car as we missed the turn for the parking lot so we just stopped on a side street and Naomi ran back to snap a few photos of the stadium for me.

One of the entrances for the stadium which can hold more than 61,000 football fans.

The gate with Liverpool F.C.'s slogan: "You'll Never Walk Alone".

Driving by another side of the stadium.

For our one night in “Beatle-Town”, we chose to stay at the Radisson Red hotel, which was right next to the train station in the downtown area.  The hotel doesn’t have a parking lot but suggested that we stay in a shopping mall’s parking lot which is allows 24-hour parking and is a three-minute walk to the hotel.  It’s kind of lucky that we had a rental car and not my campervan Octi as it would not have fit in the parkade.

An interesting building near downtown.

We ended up on the top, outside level of the parkade and were greeted to the city with a rainbow!

Naomi likes my new hat that I bought at the Glencoe Visitor Centre a few days earlier.

The hotel with the train station on the right.

The lobby of the Radisson Red...it felt very British.

Checking in.

Naomi checking out the lobby.

Music is definitely a cornerstone of this city.

Hmm...should that be yellow?!?

Our room, which is looking towards St. George's Hall, a fancy schmancy events centre built in 1854.

After dropping off our bags in our room, it was time to wander around the downtown area including the waterfront, hit a Beatles’ museum and see what else we find.

St. George's Hall

A monument with the Duke of Wellington, the British commander who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

The old and the new.

We headed down the pedestrian street on the left, which was lined with pubs.

"Lovely day for a Guinness"...so says the turtle.

Outside one of two main Beatles' museums in Liverpool.  We didn't go in this one. 

This may not play for some of you as the museum is piping a Beatles tune which might have copyright issues.

This was on the ceiling of the entrance to the museum...I guess it's the "Creation of the Beatles".  Not sure what Michelangelo would think of it.

The Fab Four was everywhere on this street.

A statue of Cilla Black, an English singer around the time the Beatles were first starting out.

On the same street was where "The Cavern Club" used to be.  The Beatles started their career there and in Hamburg.  The club was demolished in 1973 to allow construction of an underground railway ventilation duct, before being used as a car park.

This club is across the street from the Cavern Club's location and is still active today.  The Clash, Blondie, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Cure, The Talking Heads and many other bands have played there.

One of many places to buy Beatles paraphernalia.

Some more mixing of old and new buildings.

Reaching the waterfront, there were a few sites we wanted to see.  The first one was a statue of the Beatles where predictably there was a busker playing Beatles covers.

Someone should write a song about this...

That's one big anchor!  But did you know that it's not the weight of an anchor that moors the ship, but the weight of the chain.

Some fancy old building...Naomi didn't like it but I did.

Sorry for the wind noise in this video, but it gives you a taste of the Liverpool Waterfront.

That's one of the propellers of the RMS Lusitania.  It was a luxury liner built in 1906 but was sunk by a German U-Boat in 1915, during WWI, killing 1197 of the 1960 passengers.  The sinking killed more than a hundred US citizens and significantly increased American public support for entering the war, which the US did in 1917.

Lots of renos going on...

A cool ice cream truck.  It was closed, but it was too cold to be tempted even if it was open.

This area was lined with restaurant.  The Beatles Story Museum was on the other side.

This mosaic is made up of thousands of jelly beans!

Less than a kilometre down the waterfront, we found our main destination of the afternoon, “The Beatles Story Museum”.  I was never a Beatlemaniac, but they definitely have some great songs…it’s hard not to like them.

Naomi is a Beatlemaniac (at least for this photo)!

This was one of their first 45s, with "Love Me Do" on this side.  Interestingly, it credits "Lennon-McArtney".  That got that correct in future release.

The first part of the museum tried to imitate the music scene of Liverpool in the 60s.

They look so young...and they were!

A recreation of  the stage at "The Cavern Club" where they first cut their teeth.

I just like this photo...not just me in the background, but the unaware woman around the corner.

Some of the faces of the woman screaming were borderling unreal.  They were do head over heels for these guys.

Now those are some nice stockings...with generic face of a Beatle with "long hair" and a guitar on them.

The merchandising was off the wall back then...you name it, they "Beatle-ized it".

Even Pan Am got on the Beatle train...um, err, plane.

Into their psychedelic phase...the Sargeant Peper's Lonely Hearts Club Band cover.

I wonder if they were the inspiration for the Tellytubbies?!?

Hmm...do you think some recreational drugs were involved?!?

We all live is a Yellow Submarine...

The smallest of the dolls is a beatle.

Peace man.

John and Yoko at their silly Bed-In in 1969.

The lyrics to John's powerful song "Imagine".

Imagine was playing on repeat in this area...it was quite moving.  

These were the glasses he wore when he composed the song.  He was one of the first artists to wear glasses as a fashion statement.

Me attempting some Beatles pinball...I was pretty terrible as you'll see.

I look like I know what I'm doing...

"Vegetable rights and peace."  (a quote from "The Young Ones", an 80s British sitcom that I love)

A cool graffitied skatepark.

The toucan agrees with the turtle from earlier, it is a lovely day for a Guinness!

From a recommendation from the bartender at the George and Dragon pub from last night, we decided to check out the "Red Brick Market", a vintage second hand jungle of rare curiosities and vintage splendour (so says the website).

There were some strange items indeed.

Stuffed frog anyone?

How about a puffin?

Hmm...buy two, get many.

That's one way to sell a dress.

That's quite the chair.

I do love me a lava-lamp.

We caught the sun setting on our way out.  This area has a brewery where you can sample their beers and a restaurant on the left plus some other food stalls.  I bet the place is buzzing on a hot weekend day in the summer.

Hey, where are the other three?

We couldn't figure out the mural on the side of the building...it almost looked like the guy was squeezing a zit, but not quite.

The other side was a bit more obvious, and pleasant.

The entrance to China Town.

So this looks like a normal church...but look at the windows...

St. Luke's Church was bombed in WWII and the city decided to leave it as is, as a memorial to those who died in the war.

Unfortunately, it was closed and we couldn't go "inside", where grass is now growing.

Note the sign on the left of this pub...

Do you think Danny Mac lies once in a while?!?

Cool building with, surprise surprise, a pub in the main floor.

Out for our last dinner of our Scottish roadtrip.

The next day we drove back to my aunt’s place in Weymouth, on the south coast of England, uncertain of when Naomi will be able to fly home thanks to the new conflict in Iran.  At least she’s safe here and really, it’s a bonus that her 8-day trip here has now been extended!