In my life
By Debbie
Several friends and I from Canada were helping a friend put on a sporting event in Sheffield. As we had a little free time we decided to load up the rental car and head to Liverpool and then on to Manchester airport to pick up another couple also arriving from Canada. The friend we were helping made no bones about the fact that he thought our going to Liverpool was a bad idea. He said it was a rough and tumble place where we were sure to lose our way, our wallets, jewellery, dignity and anything else that could be lost. As he was born and raised in Wakefield Yorkshire, and had never actually visited Liverpool, we viewed his opinion with a great deal of scepticism. We assured him we would stay to the main tourist routes (not) and off we went.
We arrived in Liverpool, found a car park and headed to The Pumphouse at Albert Dock for a pint and to formulate a plan.
The Beatles museum was first, then the Cavern on Matthew St where much to our delight there was a house band that was playing at 4:00 o'clock. We, however, could not stay that long as we had a plane to meet. We gathered up 20 pounds between us and for that the band gladly played some Beatle tunes for us and the other 4 people in the Cavern at that time. What can I say, our own private concert in the Cavern by 4 lads from Moldavia or someplace that sounded like that, and they were very good... "close your eyes".
We then went across the street to the Cavern Club and had lunch and met a lady who turned out to be Brian Epstein's secretary before he managed the Beatles. Anyway we had such a good time that needless to say we were over an hour late picking up the people at Manchester airport.
Next trip to Liverpool the following year found the same bunch, along with the wife of Mr. 'Don't go to Liverpool you'll die'!
Unfortunately the Cavern wasn't open but the Cavern Club across the street was. A jam session was going on and we met some fabulous people who traded clothes with us, well actually it was just with me, I'll have to compliment people on their outfits more often. We also discovered the bronze figure of Eleanor Rigby and of course had our pics taken on the bench.
My last visit was the most memorable if that's possible. This time it was my husband and I who arrived by train. We were given a plastic credit card type thing at the tourist office which gave us 1/2 price admissions to many things. We spent several hours in awe at the maritime Museum, went to the Cavern which had been done exacly as it was in the 60's for the filming of John Lennons life. We took the Magical Mystery Tour and then the ferry cross the Mersey, stayed overnight and went to the Cavern Club for a jam session and then with some guitar players went to another club that played until the wee hours and were served free Scouse.
By this time we didn't know where we were and not really who we were with other than we were having a fabulous time in a wonderful city that has only made us feel welcomed and safe and has lead me to recommend Liverpool to anyone I can. I have been all over England in the past seven years and still hold Liverpool close to my heart.
My maternal Grandfather was, by the way, a neer-do-well Irish paperhanger from Liverpool who stole the heart of my grandmother from Derbyshire, who was already married and possessed a daughter, and off they ran to Canada,. Two more children were born before he ran off to who knows where. He has not been seen or heard from since 1937. Perhaps he is dead and buried back in Liverpool!
Debbie