Wed 2 September

Wednesday 2 September 2009

London
Travel Tip #1
It is advisable to go to the Shakespeares’s Globe on a day when you have rested sufficiently to withstand a long period standing waiting to enter, a pint glass of Pimms and the bench seats. By doing so you should be able to remain awake for the entire performance. If you intend to enjoy a play at Shakespeare’s Globe, choose one that is a proven to entertain, perhaps not Troilus and Cressida and do not climb 257 steps up and down at St Paul’s on same day.
It is hard to tell if it was the play, the actors or just the end of a long day that caused us both to fall asleep during the performance.
Liverpool
The train trip to Liverpool was fast!

Travel Tip # 2
The budget accommodation in Liverpool may well be an extremely small room (3metres by 3 metres) and you may be well advised to spend a little extra to be able to open your suitcases and remain in the room at the same time.
While the trip to Liverpool was good, the Pineapple Hotel, where we are staying, is not what we expected. It is in a rather poor area of Liverpool and the room is above a “typical” pub, full of characters from “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”.
There is torrential rain in Liverpool and it is rather cool. A woman we spoke to said they have had one warm week this summer.
We took the bus into the city centre and wandered around and found the Cavern Club, where the Beatles played. We had a drink, took photos and Mary felt much moved by the atmosphere. There were several people doing the same, people of our vintage and some much younger. The Fab Four hold fond memories for many, and I could see people looking around and wondering about the Beatles and their significance to their lives. I thought of how important they were to me, my friends when we were quite young and how much joy the Beatles music has given us. In many places we entered there is the constant sound of Beatles music and every song we have heard brings a little smile with it. Tomorrow we are doing a Beatles tour.
The Docks of Liverpool area has been reclaimed as a cultural centre, with the Tate Gallery, the Slavery Museum, Maritime Museum, The Beatles Story museum and lots of cafes and shops. There are many interesting and impressive buildings here in Liverpool, as well as the less than salubrious Pineapple in the Dingle. (It looked OK on the website.) I hope the other accommodation I have booked is better.
We had a lovely dinner at a French restaurant in the city centre – the standard English meal seems to be fish and chips or a pie or a curry. In fact when we were out to dinner with Andy, Kristin & family, the Indian restaurant advertised its chicken tikka as the national dish of England.
Early night - Not adventurous enough to join the locals downstairs, as we could end up with tats, multiple piercings and shaven heads.