Once again, extremely late, but still would like to share what I have experienced. One of my biggest goals in the U.K. was to make it to Liverpool, the meca of Beatledom, and I did just that! I hopped a train to Liverpool on the Saturday morning of my first weekend at Exeter with two new friends, Kevin and Olivia. It was quite the journey, taking around three hours in total. Upon arrival, we took offf to find the hostel and was very pleased by what awaited us. The hostel was very nice and clean and featured pictures and paintings of the Beatles everywhere! I was in the right place. That night, we explored the nightlife before retiring to the hostel, excited about tomorrow's events. Breakfast was provided, and I was suprised to see a Crockpot full of baked beans as an option. When in Rome, I told myself, and headed for the musical fruit. Suprisingly, I enjoyed the beans and could see myself eating them in the morn here in the states! A cab was hailed, which took us to Liverpool's seaside area, where our Beatles tour would soon begin. We hopped onto a Magical Mystery Tour themed bus (check out the Facebook pictures) and took off like a blue meanie out of hell.
I had the privilege of sitting in the very front seat by the tour guide, who ended up being an actor who starred in a movie about Lennon, "In His Life." He also turned out being related to Paul in a distant way and had met him before! (See Facebook pics) He informed us that he would be seeing Paul in the next couple weeks at a family function. I could not have asked for a better tour guide: knowledgable, comedic, and he showed us allll the sights. Some of these included: Abbey Road, Strawberry Fields, all four Beatles' childhood homes, Brian Epstein's home, the Cavern Club, and so much more. If I had to leave the U.K. right then, I would have been more than content.
From here, we hopped a cap and took off to Anfield, the home of Liverpool's football club. This team is known for having the most wins in the league (I think) and the complex was amazing. We had the opportunity to go inside the stadium and discover the history of the team. Unfortunately, it is illegal to step onto the pitch (the field) because it is sacred ground. Sacred ground, you ask? For no charge at all, you can have your cremated-self scattered on the pitch, due to your insane dedication to the team. In other words, the only way you can stand on that field is if you are a professional player or you are dead. With myself counted out on both ends of the spectrum, we took off back to Exeter to prepare for the following day's trip, Bath.
Bath Spa is a interesting city with one major attraction: the Roman baths. They have been renovated, more specifically the surrounding buildings, but the baths seem to be untouched for the most part. Winding through, I discovered the history and significances of what I was seeing and in a sneaky fashion, got some Bath water in an empty water bottle I happened to have! After a quick bite to eat and a pint from the only brewery in Bath, we took off to a few Jane Austen sights and then headed for Exeter to prepare for the following week.
No comments:
Post a Comment