Tag Archives: maritime

Liverpool

Well we have been gifted with the weather that we have received throughout this entire part of the journey. Apart from one rainy day in Reykjavik, the weather has treated us very well. So much so that we pulled into Liverpool to a 27 degree sunny day.

Having arrived by boat we were delivered on the River Mersey and our first act was to walk along the Mersey and admire the scenery. The first thing that struck us was these bizarre statue things. We had to ask later on and were told (matter of factly) that this was the Lambanana and he looked at us as if we were stupid for not knowing this.

So…the Superlambanana is a bright yellow sculpture (weighing almost 8 tonnes and standing at 5.2 metres tall) and was designed by a Japanese artist who lives in New York City. It is intended to be a cross between a banana and a lamb and (smaller versions) have become ubiquitous around Liverpool.

Having dealt with that issue, we wandered along the Liverpool Waterfront and Albert Dock. The first structure in the UK to be built from cast iron, brick and stone, with no structural wood, making it the first non-combustible warehouse system in the world.

Soon we found ourselves in the middle of a film set for a local TV show (best landscape artist). There were a bunch of artists trying to paint, while film cameras and looky-loos watched on. We skirted around it as best we could and admired the many varieties of food vans that were in place around the docks area.

Past the Merseyside Maritime Museum and up the hill towards town and a ton of old buildings and sights to see.

The Liverpool station was impressive with a sweeping glass roof and various Victorian-era touches, while radio city tower poled up over the top of the city. The library was huge and impressive (with another film crew there too). There were statues aplenty, this town really is a very pretty sight to see. We meandered through town and took photos where we could, but mostly just enjoyed a sunny day in a beautiful city.

St George’s Hall is probably the most famous of Liverpool tourist attractions and had huge lion statues guarding the entrance. It is one of Liverpool’s oldest buildings (having opened in 1854) and is smack bang in the city’s heart.

Having done all of this we wandered down the main mall and gazed at shops before stopping in for a traditional English fish (haddock) and chips with salt and vinegar. The fish was magnificent, while the chips were a soggy mess (I love crunchy chips). We chose not to go the mushy peas (great on a pie) or curry sauce options.

Liverpool is home to two top tier football clubs (Liverpool and Everton), both with home grounds near town and less than a mile apart. I have zero interest in soccer and visited neither. But in true English tradition we did see many a funky little pub or tavern (and surprisingly I did not enter any of them.

The other thing that Liverpool seems obsessed with is insects (but spelling is not their strong suit. Everywhere you look you will see things about Beatles. Beatles museums, walking tours, pubs, clubs, statues, you name it, these guys are everywhere. It is almost like they did something important.

An extra day or two would have yielded a better exploration, but time did not allow this. Liverpool was a lovely city to wander and explore, and is definitively worth a visit.