I was originally going to write one large post about my travels with Joel this past Christmas but found it more logical to split up the six cities we visited (plus Keele) into three posts. So without further ado, here is Part I of the saga!
Beginning of an exciting adventure!
The Monday before Christmas I trained from Bristol to Keele to switch suitcases, do some cleaning, and get last minute travel details in order. Joel was arriving the next day, Tuesday the 19th, and I had to get up at 6:30am to get on a train to Manchester. It was a fairly rushed evening but I managed to get some sleep and make it to the Stoke rail station on time.
I was the only one on time that day.
I arrived at Manchester Piccadilly Rail Station (sidenote: why do the English love the word Piccadilly so much? It’s been in every city I’ve been to here…) at around nine o’clock in the morning; Joel’s plane had landed at 8:30am at the Manchester Airport, so I knew I was a bit early because he still had to go through customs and find a train to the station I was at. I settled down with my suitcase for the wait.
One hour passed. Okay, maybe customs was taking a long time.
Two hours passed. Of course, I had no way of contacting him because he had no English phone and I had no Internet to check on the status of his flight. Murphy’s Law and all that jazz.
Another thirty minutes passed. I was hungry, tired of sitting on a bench, and getting rather worried! It was 11:30 and still no sign of him.
Finally, after turning my head to check for him for the thousandth time, he was suddenly there! It was very surreal for me; I hadn’t seen him since September 19th, exactly three months and one day ago. Apparently, his flight had been delayed at a US airport and they’d sat for a couple hours on the tarmac, thus arriving in Manchester late. The ironic thing was that I’d tried to check the status of his flight before leaving Keele that morning, but my university Internet was down and because it was early in the morning, I couldn’t call Tech Support to figure it out. Sigh.
But he was here! Finally. And Manchester was calling.
Manchester was bustling with Christmas activities, as it was December 20th. Joel was exhausted from spending twenty-four hours travelling, so it was a rather relaxed and confusing time. We visited the Manchester Cathedral (more information in a previous post), the John Ryland’s Library (only to find out we’d missed the exhibit celebrating four hundred years of the King James Bible…such a shame!), and the Christmas markets, of which there were MANY. I can’t remember the exact number, but it hovered around eight. Most had different themes – German, French, World, ‘Regular’ x 2, etc., so we got a taste of global Christmas. Mulled wine and bratwurst were definitely a highlight, followed by Nutella crêpes as we strolled through the crowded market in front of the Town Hall.
Manchester Christmas Market
Candy stall at one of the Christmas markets
Another market...Manchester was teeming with them. Canada needs to get on board!
Our day in Manchester was really lovely and I enjoyed being back in the city. That night, though, we caught a train to not-as-lovely Liverpool, arriving in the dark. We had no idea where our hostel was in relation to the train station (the map we purchased at the rail station cut off right before our hostel might have appeared) so we couldn’t walk very easily, especially in the dark. Joel noticed a tiny hotel right near the station so we headed over there to see how far it was and to get directions. The guy at the front desk was very friendly and knew of our hostel. He told us that it would be a long walk but could call us a cheap cab that was less expensive than the cabbies hawking outside the rail station.
At least, this is what we thought he was saying. This was our first legitimate encounter with a heavy, heavy Liverpool accent, and we had to ask him to repeat himself a couple times in order to get the gist. He didn’t seem too bothered by that.
Our cabbie loved Canadians (as they all seem to) and chatted with us about Canada on our way to the hostel. We were staying at Everton Hostel, which claimed to be right in the heart of the city but, in fact, was not (twenty minute walk in). We arrived at 9:55pm, right before check-in shut for the night. We were in the cheapest room possible (of course), which meant we were in a 10-bed, co-ed room. It was Joel & Kate plus eight…Chinese travellers. Oh, and the room was a mess. Not the most thrilling thing when you’re exhausted, but we were just happy to have arrived.
Everton Hostel
We had two days in Liverpool, so on the first day we spent a lot of time walking around to get a better feel for the city. Joel really liked Liverpool, finding a lot of character in the run-down and decrepit buildings juxtaposed with the upscale shopping district in the centre of the city. I found Liverpool quite rough.
Broken windows, old brick...character of Liverpool!
Exploring Liverpool
We visited Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King Liverpool (Catholic), a very architecturally impressive design that I couldn’t decide if I liked or hated. You can decide for yourself after seeing a picture below. It was much nicer on the inside, with a very interesting circular design and modern feel to it. It was very unlike any Cathedral I’d ever been to.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King (Catholic)
Statue of the Testing of Abraham in the Met Cathedral
Naturally, we headed to the Anglican cathedral next. Interestingly, the Catholic and Anglican cathedrals in Liverpool are very close together and are connected by Hope Street, a street named long before either cathedral was built. Liverpool Cathedral is the largest Anglican cathedral in the world and the longest cathedral (including Catholic ones) in the world; the only church building longer is St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The cathedral stood as if on an island, rising magnificently out of the city of Liverpool on St James’ Mount and surrounded by a graveyard park ‘moat’. Going inside, we were met by friendly guides (parishioners?) who had us put where we were visiting from on their map – Ontario, Canada represent! – and chatted with us a little about the building. It was big. Huge. Massive. Words cannot do it justice. You simply must visit it. I couldn’t even manage to get a decent picture that was able to showcase the majesty of this church that housed people worshipping the majesty of God. Just go.
The Lady Chapel of the Liverpool Cathedral
In the graveyard park of the Cathedral
Something interesting that I found with this cathedral is that it wasn’t pretty and delicate-looking like other cathedrals. Other cathedrals, like York Minster and Notre Dame de Paris, have a quiet strength in their white stone intricacy; they are strong and magnificent but not intimidating in the same sense. Liverpool’s cathedral has a rawness about it, especially on the outside. Its dark brick gives it an air of brute strength, not hostile but not exactly welcoming. From the outside, it gives the appearance of a church fortress, a defense against enemies. It is not an unwelcoming church, but when compared with other structures of different architectural styles (York Minster is Gothic, Liverpool is Gothic Revival), it reminds me of the defending or doom-bringing Biblical angels: strong, intimidating, impressive, and terrifying – think Michael with a sword, not Gabriel with a message.
Liverpool Cathedral
Inside the Liverpool Cathedral
Leaving the Cathedral, we went for lunch at The Hub; normally, I wouldn’t plug a pub restaurant like this, but it was delicious. The coffee, the sandwiches, the soup – yum. I highly recommend it. The Hub was near the docks, so we found our way to the Merseyside Maritime Museum and spent some time in the two sections: the International Slavery Museum, as Liverpool was a major player in the transatlantic slave trade during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the Maritime Museum that had lots of information on shipwrecks and Liverpool’s maritime history, including a portion on the Titanic. Bonus: the museum was free entry!
Enjoying lunch at The Hub
The Hub
Docking at Liverpool
Liverpool docks at night
Next up: the Cavern District. We passed by the Royal Liver building and headed to the Cavern Club, the underground club where the Beatles debuted. We were surprised by how far it was underground but not surprised to pass some nice welcome vomit on the stairs…Downstairs, it was dark, loud, and busy! There was some guy playing some Beatles covers and he was actually quite good. We enjoyed some beer (Joel) and cider (me) while listening to “All You Need is Love” (amongst others) and checked out the tribute area to John, Paul, Ringo, and George. Crossed off the Bucket List now!
The Cavern Club
Tribute to the Fab Four
All you need is love, everybody!
The shopping area was nice but had nothing on Manchester. The only store we really went to was, of course, the Liverpool FC merchandise store. Joel was in heaven. It was good prep for the next day when we walked to Anfield Stadium! Our hostel was halfway between Anfield and the city centre, so it was a nice walk. The stroll there was almost as interesting as the tour we had of the stadium because we had to pass through old neighbourhoods that had the feel of a ghost town. Completely empty, brightly coloured, boarded up, and silent. It was eerily peaceful.
Liverpool gear, anyone?
Ghost town near Anfield
Anfield was huge. Talk to Joel if you want actual details on it (or visit their website), as he is a big Liverpool fan (awkward that we were staying the Everton Hostel, then?). It was quite neat to see the dressing rooms, hear about the history, and touch the “This is Anfield” sign as the players do on their way out onto the pitch. I’d tried to find tickets for a Liverpool game while Joel was visiting, but unfortunately it didn’t work out; the tour of the stadium was great though, as it was about £200 cheaper than the game tickets…
Anfield Stadium
THIS IS ANFIELD
The pitch
Finished in Liverpool, we caught our train to the beautiful ancient city of York, where we would be spending Christmas…
To be continued in The Great English Holiday Adventure, Part II: York & Nottingham
A last look over Liverpool
