Places to Stay
We stayed in the YHA hostel, in a room for 3 with ensuite bathroom, very good,
just like a budget motel (and no more sociable).
Things to Do
Liverpool
is going to be the European City of Culture in 2008. This is probably why
there's so much building work going on there, because they've been given a huge
grant to cheer the place up a litte.
Being totally geeky, Liverpool is the highest rated insurance area due to the
crime levels there. Also due to subsidence which you wouldn't expect in the
cities.
I'm
not a fan of big cities in general, but we had occasion to visit Liverpool on
Thur-Fri for my 3rd son's graduation (BSc in Geology and Physical Geography from
Univ of Liverpool, in case you're interested). The last previous city I went to
was Prague, and a year ago I went to Berlin, so comparisons are with them. Here
are my impressions of Liverpool:
* The streets are untidy with litter. (Manchester is worse). By contrast, I
don't recall seeing any litter in Prague.
* There's destruction and construction going on to buildings and roads
everywhere, just like in Berlin.
* There's a lot of buildings with Buddleia trees growing out of their top
storeys.
* Liverpool's older buildings are quite attractive, big solid structures from
the 1800s. The new buildings going up are quite imaginative and in keeping with
the old. As in Prague, there are few high-rises.
* I thought the Prague churches were big, massive structures with unusually high
roofs. Until I saw Liverpool's Anglican cathedral.
* When someone says something, if I don't already know what it is about, I don't
understand them. Not very different from Berlin then.
* There are quite a few people who ask you for 'any small change'. I dont recall
these in Berlin or Prague. I am ashamed of this aspect of my country, which
dates back to Mrs Thatcher's regime.
Beatle-celebration has gone mad. The Beatles were only one of many groups from
Liverpool, both pop and folk, in the 60s.
Where to Eat
We had a meal in Wetherspoon's (which exists in most cities), which was very
good, good quantity and low-cost although the ambience was poor.
Back
to Britain
