Liverpool

Hi folks,

Around the begining of November, I travelled to Liverpool for one day. A quite tough trip. One way by train (not so expensive if you book early) and the return by coach with my dear National Express (no place for your feet, it was 3 hours of suffering honestly).Anyways.
I came in Liverpool at exactly 10h20am, and lost one hour in a café to get on top form. With a croissant supposed to be French. Leaving Lime Street station, we discovered (my German housemate was with me) how Liverpool could be. Great place. Instead of visiting the first museums and libraries we saw, we got around that to walk along unknown streets to the sea. After a quite long time seeing vintage shops, shops for nerds and the Chinese quarter of Liverpool (we met two sexy Chinese girls), we found the sea which appeared to us as a marvelous thing I don't know why, perhaps the current fatigue. It was fucking windy I remember.
Near the sea were hotels, tourism information office everywhere AND the Beatles Museum. In fact we didn't enter in that museum made for children or the kind of corny Beatles' fan in my opinion. It looked like a Disney Land's attraction. We came to the Tate modern of Liverpool (free) instead of losing money and time in the lovely Museum depicted above. Good occasion to sit down on a couch watching paintings and other strange stuffs. Aaaah (they said chilling out in this cultural place). The museum was a part of an area composed of red pillars with a sea water basin in the center (see pics).
After a pitiful walk to find the sea and the horizon (en vain), we came back to the very city center in order to find warm places to sit down. We did notice that Liverpool is a really great city, the center was alive and genuine. Finally ! We walked around it during some time and realized that the city still lives at Beatles' time. The Beatles were eveywhere. I can't remember the number of specialized shops only for Beatles without overdoing the situation. Everybody in Liverpool relies on the Beatles. But this atmosphere was a pleasure for me of course. We came into the Cavern Club supposed to be World famous and considered like the room where the Beatles played for their very first live concert. We took a drink in that place listening a band playing live a kind of epic rock really well but without energy and feelings (they looked old by the way). It's a sort of basement full of scratched tags, writings and chewing-gums on the walls. For example "I was there, Vive Paris, allez l'OM etc" and now we can say as well we were there. Just have a look at the list of the bands which played there (pics). That's quite crazy this concert room was so tiny.

After Starbucks and Mc Donald we tried to find a pub or club to enter. "No sportwears, no trainers, no Hoodies". All right mates. However, one pub was free and we met real English people from Liverpool. A l'aide. I will never forget those funny people.

Liverpool will be The capital of culture in 2008.

Let's have a look on the pictures

Comments

[Isaac]

Michael you did well. Of course my point of view is biased, I didn't come in the museum and just check from outside. It's good for everyone to be aware about your opinion cause you were there as well as me.
Liverpool is now capital of culture, maybe a new trip will be cool to plan.
Cheers for the comment.

[Mike]

Hey Jeremie,
I see you had a varied journey to Birmingham despite the fact you missed the beatles museum.
I appreciate your liverpool blog very much but disney land is still in Paris and if kids
nowadays know less than one Beatles song they should be very welcome in the museum underground.
I dont wont to turn myself into the last defender of this antique musichistory place but it really deserves the name.For anybody who is interested enough to pay the 6 quid reveals a world of 30 years musichistory including orginial instruments, newspapers and of course music in over 10 theme
rooms.
When the intention of the founder was too create a memorial they failed this site is full of life.

Hope I read some new stories here and you will get a comment. I like the fact that bloggers
can provoke their readers..:D
You are right Liverpool is worth the trip when it turns into culturals capitel.
I'll answer your mail in a second as soon as my wifi comes back too life..
Bye

[nico]

La ville des beatles! j'en connais un qui ne voudrais plus jamais partir de Liverpool si il visitait! (JB d'Orléans)
T'as bien décris l'atmosphère de la ville (ya que le musée Beatles qui ressemble à disneyland sans mickey qui ne donne pas trop envie si j'ai bien compris!) mais à part ca la ville a l'air plutôt pas mal.

[Duoae]

Yeah. Glad you had a good time there. Coming from Liverpool myself, i found it very funny that in Birmingham (where i was a student) club and pub restrictions less harsh. As a result i always ended up over-dressed. :)