Liverpool

So I guess it won’t be long until the end of this blog, because I will be leaving Oxford fairly soon.  But don’t think it’s over just yet—in fact, it’s still getting better.  So a post about what goes on here, there and everywhere in Liverpool, which I visited last week with a little help from my friends.

Date of trip: Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th August 2018
Journey time: approx. 3h40–4h (usually two trains, with the interchange station depending on the time and day of travel)
Fare: £49 (Off-Peak, with 16–25 Railcard)

The distance is probably the main problem with Liverpool.  It’s not hugely suitable for a day tripper—indeed, you can’t do that unless you get up really early, and I don’t know about you but I’m so tired all day when I do that.  (There’s an airport too, but flying is probably not quicker.  I would drive my car up the long and winding road there instead, but you won’t see me doing that as I don’t have one.)  The cost of a ticket to ride the train there is also probably a negative of the city, though by booking in advance you can make it cheaper—booking yesterday for a trip today would have cost you a fair bit, so you should avoid waiting until the night before.

It’s worth starting by saying that Liverpool is home to the National Museums Liverpool, in case that surprises you.  These are all free museums, nationalised in the eighties, and so part-funded by the taxman; we visited one, which was the Merseyside Maritime Museum.  No yellow submarines were on display, or even of any other colour, but there was a comprehensive display about the Titanic, and another about the Lusitania.  And there’s a place even for a gallery about life as a gay man in the navy, which was, erm, questionable in some of its language choices (the word “fruits” appeared), but I emailed the gallery and they told me they’re updating it—and although it’s hard to believe that any time at all that was okay, I’m not surprised that it was considered okay in 2006, when the (clearly well-intentioned) exhibition was made.

But I should get back to describing the city.  The museum is on the Albert Dock, which is now home to the Tate’s outpost in Liverpool, along with restaurants, gift shops, offices, and a play thing that I’m sure I’d have loved as a little child—indeed, I think a girl or non-binary kid (or another girl) would have loved it too, not just boys—but I’m probably a bit old for it to be socially acceptable now.  (When I’m sixty-four I’ll take my grandchildren there, and then I’ll get to enjoy it too.)

Nearby, by the Museum of Liverpool, are some Superlambananas.  Two of us didn’t know what those were, so we went to see it—and yes it is what it sounds like, that being a lamb whose tail is like a banana.  It’s pretty super too, I think, although I should have known better than to think others wouldn’t find it weird.  Personally, I dig it.  But I’ll let it be.

Two other attractions are the two cathedrals, Anglican and Catholic.  The Anglican is huge—the largest by volume in the country, and (do you want to know a secret?) was designed by the same person who designed the red telephone box, and there’s one of the latter inside the cathedral (a listed building inside a listed building).  Ask me why you should visit, though, and I want to tell you in particular to go up the tower: there’s an amazing view over Liverpool, and you only need to climb steps at the end, because there are two lifts taking you most of the way.  (But you should hope it doesn’t rain, because the top has no shelter and you’ll have to head down.  You also definitely need a head for heights, or not to look when climbing: the stairs cling to the inside of the cavernous bell chamber, so I was very aware that if I fell I’d be hurt, and if I needed someone to give me medical attention I’d have to wait for ages for them to get there, no matter how loud my cry of “Help!”, or how much I’d twist and shout.  Usually I feel fine in such places, though, as long as I slow down if I get dizzy.)

In addition, I need you to consider visiting the Metropolitan Cathedral too, the Catholic one.  I’m sure I’ll get you to go if I tell you about the unusual architecture: it’s a huge concrete tent-like structure, with the congregation in a circle around the altar.  And if not, all I’ve got to do is mention the crypt—the only part of a much larger Lutyens design for the Cathedral, which was designed to one-up the Anglican one in scale (and be the largest cathedral in the world, this time measured by area).

And something else we saw: the Cavern Club, which is not the original, but rebuilt in the original style using original bricks.  And it has not one of the original Beatles, but someone playing Beatles covers and other rock and roll music, which I’m down for (along with a tourist who’d dreamed of playing there, and this boy was thrilled to play the first track of their first album).  You might not know the songs if you’re not into older music, and you might wonder what you’re doing there, but your mother should know them if you take her along.

There you go, then: a day in the life of Liverpool.  And it’s all too much to see in one day—so I’ll be back, not a second time only but maybe a third too, and when I get home that time, maybe I’ll resurrect this blog and write about it still.  (But I’ll have left Oxford, so maybe I’ll cry instead.)  And you should go too: come together with your friends and make a big day, or a weekend, of it.  I’m not going to say every little thing there is great, but I’d love you to go there.