Lollygagging Around Liverpool

 Hello again, Blogonauts!

The QED Conference in Manchester has wrapped up!

But before flying back to Boston, I had granted myself an extra day to toddle around this part of the planet. So on Monday the better-than-ours British train system carted me an hour afield where I disembarked in the city of Liverpool.

(Most of you probably have scant interest in QED. But if you're among the few who want to read a summary of the workshops I attended, there is a special, long-winded Jaunticles entry just for you. You can reach it by clicking here.)

Saint George's Hall, and Nelson's Column (to the right)
This is the first view stepping out of the train station.

Lord Nelson atop his column

Liverpool is a surprisingly beautiful city! Historic buildings abound, there are enormous pedestrian-only areas, and every stinking public museum in the city is closed on Mondays.

I would have enjoyed visiting the art museum, the maritime museum, and the museum devoted to telling of the slave trade, from which Liverpool derived much of its early wealth. But alas, it was not to be.

The Playhouse theater, backed by the St. John's Beacon tower.

One of several mobile kiosks selling Liverpool Football paraphernalia.

 

"Our house is a very, very, very nice house" ... albeit topsy-turvy.

My last day at QED, I sat for over an hour chatting with one of the conference organizers who happens to live in Liverpool. His mixed-race partner works for a company where she must spend 12 weeks each year in Texas, and he's had the opportunity periodically to join her there.

He was agog at the difference between how she & they are treated in the US when compared to Liverpool. And my visit suggested that the city is awash in diversity. The blocks-long Bold Street was loaded mostly with independent and multi-ethnic shops, cafes, & restaurants. The Beatles' ability to hear blues music just may have come from the diversity that Liverpool cultivates.

At the top of Bold Street sits the skeletal shell of St. Luke's Church, which was destroyed by Nazi bombs in 1941. It continues to serve as an event arena, albeit now with an essentially open-air.

The bombed-out husk of St. Luke's Church

But the apex of Anglican architecture in Liverpool is their Cathedral. It is the largest church in Britain, and the 8th largest church in the world. And in spite of its gothic style, was built between 1904 & 1978.

Liverpool Cathedral

Entrance to the Liverpool Cathedral

While museums often close on Mondays, churches typically remain open. So the cathedral let me play tourist indoors (rather than just haunting the local shops as if they were museums).

The cathedral's excessively tall baptistry

The organ pipes and high altar

The high altar

The Lady Chapel, dedicated to St. Mary.
(This was the first portion of the Cathedral completed.)

 

Back in the broad daylight, I wandered through the Royal Albert Dock, which was built in the mid-19th century. It was unique at the time for having no structural wood employed in the construction. This, of course, made it much more fire resistant. The steel, stone, & brick buildings have thus lasted and retain a bit of a Victorian air.

The Royal Albert Dock
with municipal buildings in the distance

Modern Liverpool mixed with Victorian buildings

A mix of old & new at the Royal Albert Dock.

People from Liverpool are often called Scousers. This arises from the local meat stew delicacy called scouse. My friend at QED recommended it strongly, so I was delighted when I found somewhere that offered scouse on their lunch menu.

Delicious Scouse!

Finally, I set out to find a bit of Beatles history. The Fab Four played more than 200 gigs at the Cavern Pub, and outside its current location, there's a life-sized statue of John Lennon. The entirety of Mathew Street, where the pub is located, is filled with music venues hosting live music, even in the middle of the day.

Imagine...

Mathew Street

And now you've followed me all the way along my path around Scotland and the UK. I'm sitting now in the Manchester Airport, preparing to fly back home. I'm happy you've joined me as I've built a block of memories here. Soon I'll be back home, but no doubt making plans for my next departure.

Blog to you later!