A Memorable Day in Liverpool

It's 10:30 pm in Liverpool. As I sit in the Hope Street Hotel lounge beside a floor to ceiling glass window, I catch a glimpse of a man dressed in a Victorian era night watchman's outfit standing on the sidewalk. "He's leading the Liverpool Ghost Tour," Dave explains.  It does sound like fun and we jokingly agree we hope he's not saying there are ghosts in our hotel. I turn back to my iPad, grateful for some wifi time, when Dave suddenly exclaims, "Look outside!"  Just outside the window, twenty people are standing with the guide with their arms outstretched pointing  inside the hotel right at me. We laugh together and wave.  It's a fun ending to a memorable day in Liverpool.

Rain was gently falling this morning when we left the hotel. With umbrellas in hand, we headed to the Metropolitan Cathedral. It's a Catholic Church and we learned that the original vision was for a cathedral to rival St. Peter's in Vatican City.   A large crypt was built on the grounds of the church and donations poured in. The vision ended during WWII when the crypt was used as an air raid shelter and funding diminished. After the war, a new vision was drawn up and in 1967 a new modern cathedral opened with an open circular concept.  it was beautiful inside with tiny chapels all around it, each in a different style. While we were there, a ladies chorus performed a nice repertoire of songs and the acoustics were amazing.


The Liverpool Anglican Church is the largest cathedral in the UK. Inside are intricate stained glass windows and dark sandstone pillars. It was completed in 1973. It had a very nice interactive display giving tribute to all the workers involved in the daily life of a church from bakers to gardeners and even the people who change the light bulbs on the massive chandeliers which must be lowered from the ceiling.

Down on the waterfront is the Liverpool Museum. It had kid friendly interactive displays to teach visitors about everything there is to know about the history of Liverpool from Stone Age tools to modern dock workers. A large display featured immigrants to Liverpool from China called The East Meets the West.  

One room featured an old railroad car from a 13 mile overhead railroad that existed in Liverpool long ago. You could go into the car and watch a video of the scenery you would have seen passing by.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped in Cath Kidston. If I am in the UK, this store is a pilgrimage for me. If you loved Laura Ashley patterns from the late 80s and early 90s, you will be in heaven here. I love this store.  I circled through it again and again before narrowing down my choices. Everything is wonderful. It even brings back memories of the smell of a Laura Ashley store - clean, bright, and fresh like a meadow of honeysuckle flowers.

Dinner tonight was at HOST (Hope Street).  It's Asian fusion and we ordered small plates of Korean meatballs, veggie tempura, and crab cakes. It was delicious.

We ended the evening with a Twilight Tower Tour at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.  A modern lift whisked us 10 floors up to the top and with just 100 steps to go, you are at the top. The 360 degree view was stunning.  We could see rows of Georgian Houses with brightly painted wooden doors, the lights of boats twinkling in the  harbor, and the Metropolitan Cathedral all lit up. We will miss this city. Tomorrow we leave for North Wales, but not before one last adventure- a trip on the Mersey Ferry which is all decked out in 1960s colors and designs. Stay tuned!