Liverpool

This time it was the city of Liverpool and I must admit it was a very unexpected one indeed! I had no clue where we were heading at 5:30 when the alarm went off and Stevey told me to wake up, get dressed and, most importantly, hurry up! No time for breakfast, we could do it later on (where? when?). We had a train to catch, apparently.

I must have mentioned Liverpool and Manchester at some point as a potential destination for a visit. In my head, Liverpool was  a grey, industrial city in the far north of England (I had not checked its exact location on the Atlas properly), with similar sights to the ones you see when you watch Billy Elliot.  However, a couple of friends of mine told most recently that they thoroughly enjoyed their visit in Liverpool,  the European capital of culture back in 2008, and it made me, and consequently, Stevey want to explore it. A weekend there, and we must admit this city really impressed us and outdid our expectations …a great birthday surprise I have to say, well done Stevey for organising it! J Here are a few pictures and the description of the itinerary we followed:

Saturday:

After a very early start from Euston station in London, we reached Liverpool with a two-hour delay, due to ‘hear, hear’... cattle on the tracks! Anyway, our train had to be diverted and we were in  Liverpool Lime station at about 1 p.m. We headed to our Airbnb to drop our bags, have a delicious breakfast prepared by our hosts (I know, that's quite extraordinary, isn't it?), and started off our visit of the city right away, no time to waste! 
First destination: Albert Dock.  Here you can stroll about, enjoy a nice beer, coffee or ice cream in one of the several pubs or cafes on the docks, and spend the afternoon visiting one of the museums in the area: choose between Tate Liverpool, the Maritime Museum and the Beatles Story! Or alternatively, check them all out!

After spending time in Albert Dock, you can head to the Pier Head, where you can see the Three Graces from close, visit the Museum of Liverpool, the world's first national museum devoted to the history of a regional city, and the British Music Experience, which seemed to be a very funky and cool place to visit (shame we'll have to postpone it to a later time).

The weather was glorious, in that it was very sunny and warm in the sunlight (thank God!) and we decided to brave the wind and go for a river cruise. Although a bottle of rose' on the deck did help a little warming us up, it was pretty cold once on the Mersey river and the cruise itself is not mind-blowing, therefore I would not really advise to do it if you are short on time.

We had predinner drinks with our Airbnb hosts in the beer garden of a very authentic pub a bit tucked away near the river bank, and afterwards dinner in Bold street, which is described as the street which manages to embody the spirit of a whole city in one stretch(a bit like Brick Lane in London). We were advised to go to two restaurants called Maray or  Mowgli, but both places were extremely busy, so we went to Pho, instead. Recommended if you like Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.

Sunday:  First thing we did in the morning after breakfast, is heading back to the Albert Dock, where we saw the Three Graces from close, the Beatles Story Museum (just the shop and the cafe') and spent an hour or so in the Cavern club, the legendary club where the Beatles started off their career. It seems like there is always something going on in the pub, we were lucky enough to see two gigs, and plenty others were scheduled for the evening (they say that at night time this place is actually packed, so it is advisable to go during the day). The Beatles actually played there when they were not famous at all! We then walked through Liverpool 1, the biggest shopping mall there, and ended our afternoon in Hope Street, next to which two main churches are, the Bombed Out Church and the Liverpool Cathedral.

There are surely plenty more things to see in Liverpool according to the guides we saw, but  if you want to catch a glimpse of the city for a day and a half, you can follow our path and enjoy this pretty town. Ensure the weather is nice though ;-)