"Get Back" to Liverpool (we did- and we are glad we did)

Royal Albert Dock - Liverpool, England

IN 2019, our "British Isles" cruise stopped in Liverpool. I have blogged a couple different times about Liverpool, both here, and on my LightCentricPhotography Blog.

Liverpool Institute and School of Art - Liverpool, England

FOR ME Liverpool has gone from a city I was almost wholly unenthusiastic about, to a city I really like. Blame the former totally on pre-conceptions. Before our first cruise stop there, I thought of Liverpool as a dirty, working-class city far away from the excitement of London, and vicinity. You will now get this in writing and may want to bookmark it - because it doesn't happen very often (the admission, not the fact 😎): I was wrong.

Commemorative Plaque - St. Peter's Church Hall - Liverpool, England

OF COURSE the most popular current history of Liverpool, and I thought at the time, its sole redeeming quality is that it is the birthplace of The Beatles. That is correct, but there is so much more.

This painting hangs in the St. Peter's Community Church Hall - Liverpool, England

LIVERPOOL was at one time, the financial center of England, surpassing even London in wealth. It was also one of the first modern industrial centers of England. Historically, the port of Liverpool was where the vast majority of American military personnel entered the European theater during World War II.

St. Peter's Church Hall - Where it all began - Liverpool, England

ARCHITECTURALLY, LIVERPOOL has some impressive buildings throughout the city, and some very cool restaurants and bars in the downtown area. I took quite a few in 2019, but we didn't really do much walking around aside from our Beatles Tour on this stop. You can see all my Liverpool pictures in my LightCentricPhotography image galleries for England and Liverpool, here, and Beatles-related pictures here.

Boyhood home of John Lennon - Liverpool, England

BECAUSE OUR friends are music appreciators, a Beatles Tour was a foregone conclusion. We had taken one 3 years prior, though a company called Fab Four Taxi Tours, and thought it was pretty great. It takes up a good part of the day on shore, but if you haven't done it, it really is a must-do experience. Even though we had done it recently, there were enough things that had changed - and enough of a difference between our two guides - that we enjoyed the second time. And of course, Bruce and Joyce got to see things for the first time.

10 Admiral Grove - Where Ringo Starr grew up - Liverpool, England

IN 2019, our driver was Eddie. Since then, he has experienced some health issues and even if we wanted him again, he is no longer conducting the tours. But he is still with the company, and it was fun to see him in the cruise port and catch up briefly, before he introduced us to our guide for that day: Gary.

Eleanor Rigby's Gravestone - St. Peter's Church - Liverpool, England

THE TOURS vary a bit, I assume depending on what the tour guide thinks is important, and probably also depending on the traffic around some of the major sites. But you can expect them to include certain sure-thing stops - all inspirations in one way or another - for songs. Or otherwise significant as homes, and meeting places.

Penny Lane sign - with Paul McCartney's signature - Liverpool, England

THERE IS a sign at the beginning of Penny Lane that all the tours stop at for a "photo-op." Interestingly, Penny Lane is not where any of the iconic references in the song are. It is a quiet, residential street. But the sign is quite famous, particularly since it has been signed by many celebrities, including Paul McCartney himself.

Strawberry Fields Gate - Liverpool, England

TONY SLAVIN's Penny Lane Barbershop, and the "shelter" on the roundabout in the song, are both on a triangular intersection of 3 roads with the "main drag" A562. Not even really a roundabout. But they are iconic. In 2019, the barbershop was still open for business. It appears not to have fared well through the pandemic and is now closed. The fire station is further west on A562 and has been long closed. On both occasions, we drove by, but there really wasn't anywhere to stop. We were able to park near the barber shop, and I have pictures from both years. Our understanding is that the A562 is a popular bus route, and both McCartney and Lennon were known to ride the route in their youth.

Strawberry Fields - Liverpool, England

WE DID stop and walk around 3 of the 4 Beatle's childhood home. The 4th, George Harrison's home has been in disrepair for years, and the guides don't judge it worth the stop. I agree. There is scrubby tree growth mostly obscuring the home. But the McCartney home, Lennon's aunt (who mostly raised him), and Ringo Starr's home are all accessible - and still rather Iconic. The McCartney home and Lennon home are now both owned and maintained by England's National Trust.

Bandstand - Strawberry Fields - Liverpool, England

IN THE "the only constant is change" category, one of my semi "disappointments" was the venerable Empress Pub that was owned by Ringo's family, and later, Ringo. During or after the 2021 Pandemic, it was closed and eventually sold. The new owners converted it into a Beatles-themed Bed and Breakfast. While it might be fun to walk through it, the old original building and its trim was a great look, and good photograph. The new one at least, fits one of my oft-repeated draws. It is very colorful!

The Empress "Pub" (now a Bed and Breakfast) - 2023

ANOTHER STOP was St. Peter's Church. For those who didn't know, this is kind of where it all started. The "community" sponsored a musical "fete" on many Saturdays and Lennon was a member of "The Quarrymen" a "skiffle" band composed of some of his high school buddies that often participated ("skiffle music was a popular genre that was the precursor to the rock music that the Beatles were eventually famous for). A mutual friend convinced McCartney to come along and listen one Saturday. Famously, during a break while the Lennon group rested in the community hall behind the St. Peter's Church, the friend brought McCartney in and there was an introduction. The left-handed McCartney picked up a guitar, turned it upside down, and played a Little Richard song, impressing all who were there. Shortly a few days afterward, Paul was invited to join the Quarrymen - and accepted. At the time, John was 16 and Paul, 15 years old.

Bandstand Stage - Strawberry Fields - Liverpool, England

ANOTHER INTERESTING history of the church is the graveyard in the back, with the grave of Eleanor Rigby, namesake of another famous Beatles tune. There is some controversy about the part the gravestone played in the song. It is an interesting read.

Resident Housing - Strawberry Fields - Liverpool, England

OUR FINAL stop of the tour was the Salvation Army's Strawberry Fields Orphanage, the inspiration behind another of McCartney's famous songs. In 2019, it was mainly closed to the public. We saw the original gates, which are a photogenic, red, wrought-iron work, with graffiti on the stonework around them. We stopped with Eddie, took a couple photos, and got the back-story. On this trip, things had changed in a big way. Now fully open to the public, the site has a large, modern welcome center with a cafeteria, gift shop, and some very pretty public grounds. There is a unique Beatles themed bandstand on the grounds, also.

THERE IS one other thing that will make this 2023 stop in Liverpool stand in my memory forever. It is maybe one of the coolest things that has ever happened to us during our travel (and there have been a few very cool things over the years). In 2019, we cruised the "Italian Riviera" aboard the Celebrity Edge (the first in the class and sister ship to the Apex). We met a pretty large grouping of different couples aboard, a number of which we have kept in touch with (mainly on Facebook). One couple in particular, whose company we thoroughly enjoyed, was a couple from Manchester, England: Rob and Carol Cook. We have kept in touch via Facebook ever since that cruise. She saw one of my posts during this cruise, followed the progress of the ship, and sent me a message. Manchester is just under 1/2 hour from Liverpool, and they were contemplating meeting up with us. To our surprise and delight (I had messaged her about an hour prior, but had not received a response), when we arrived at a bar our guide thought we should experience, they were there, waiting for us! We spent the last part of our shore time with them, including a nice dinner before returning to the ship. And then, instead of going straight home, they went to see us off. It is the first (and only - so far - time) anyone has ever seen them off from shore! It was really great to see them and catch up. And we look forward to the next time we meet up!

Ocean Wind Energy Farm - Irish Sea - Liverpool, England

LEAVING LIVERPOOL, as we sailed out of the River Mersey and back into the Irish Sea, headed for the English Channel and on toward our final port of call - Dover - we had some nice, hazy sunshine. We passed a huge windfarm out in the middle of the ocean (I later learned it was the largest ocean windfarm in Europe). Ironically, in front of it was an old-school drilling rig. The interesting lighting pattern made for a nice photo-op and was our last memory of our stop in Liverpool. We enjoyed Liverpool again and would not turn down another opportunity for a visit.

Liverpool, England