Oct 26th. Liverpool

After going to sleep pretty late we needed some extra time in the morning to prepare for our week in Scotland. At last we packed up and got on our way.


Glasgow is 7 hour drive away from Kingston. We stopped halfway in Liverpool. Approach was somewhat grimy but it was surprisingly a very nice city to visit. It used to be a heavily industrial city but now it seems to be switching its focus to tourism.

There were beautiful red brick buildings all around. In general, this is one of the few cities that seems to have combined very harmoniously multiple building designs. Those red bricks somehow seem right in place next to boxy establishments made in the 70s and modern gleaming glass constructions. The center had a busy shopping street and a modern mall. We picked up our lunch from several international kiosks outside. The enormous grilled Polish kielbasa was hard to resist.

After lunch we went to the Albert Dock - superbly restored modern center containing a slew of free museums, Harris wheel and other attractions. We took a ride and enjoyed some lovely city views. Dan, Dima and kids played ping pong at the outdoor table. After that we went to the maritime museum.

It was  exceptionally well done. Lots of interesting and informative exhibits about the maritime industry. Georgia is learning about WWII in school this year. The museum presented a great coverage of the events from Liverpool perspective as ship building town. Finally, there was an exhibit of gay life on ships. It was done with a great deal of honesty and sensitivity.

During our ride on the Harris wheel we spotted an enormous Cathedral, seemingly in the center of the city. Since it was already late, we decided to drive up to it rather than walk. It was the right decision. Liverpool Cathedral is the third largest church in the world. It is actually some distance away from the center. It is not to miss of only of the size. The Cathedral was built over a 80 year period starting in 1900. The entire experience in Liverpool had made our day. The remaining half of the ride in the dark and through the rain seems to have lasted for too long but at least we arrived.

Ronnie from Principal Apartments had met us and guided us to the parking lot inside the building. The apartment is lovely. We were so happy to finish working through our food supplies from home and drop into the comfortable beds. Hurray!!