Charming Port Town

Larry and I were surprised by how intruiguing Liverpool is. We both expected a grimy industrial port with little to do but chat about The Beatles.

How wrong we were!

As our Beatles tour guide, Paul B., explained, "Liverpool was a bleak place while the lads were growing up." It was heavily bombed during WWII, so they experienced the aftermath of this during their childhoods.

See that photo of the house with the secretary bird mural? That's the only building standing in that neighborhood after WWII. So the Liverpool of today is quite different than the Liverpool the Fab Four knew early on.

One thing I appreciate, is that many of the museums and historic public buildings are free and open to the public. Next time we go, I want to explore them.

The library has a secret code in the pathway leading up to it. If you decipher it and tell a librarian, they will show you where a secret passageway is!

I got a kick out of this tip from our other tour guide, Kevin, who said, "Don't toss your maps after my tour. Keep 'em close. This way, any time you want to walk into a building, even if its off limits, you can wave your map around and tell 'em you're a tourist. Keeps you out of trouble."

I was also surprised to learn that Liverpool is home to Europe's first Chinatown. Next time we visit, I definitely want to wander through that neighborhood.Read more