Birkenhead

This is finally the day where I took my sweet time, so it checks out that it's the very end of my trip. After a leisurely morning, I didn't even get out of bed until half ten (10:30), I asked a local where to go for an inexpensive breakfast, and headed right around the corner. About ten minutes after sitting down I realized that you have to go to the counter to order, and got myself a Miners Benedict, so basically replacing the ham with black pudding. I thought it was fantastic. From there I was finally headed to the Tate, and it had to be today, because tomorrow I was headed off, and far earlier than any sane person would want. Getting there just before one, I was quite surprised to find that it was much smaller than originally perceived. I did thoroughly enjoy the time it took me to go through their artwork, especially the Mondrian (one of my favorites), and an especially good Dali. There was a particularly trippy section that had pieces that would move or shake, one seemed to vibrate as you moved past it, others giving a sense of unease with small ticking motions, and another that gave me the weirdest sense of vertigo. Overall, a lovely experience. From there I walked along the dock, and found almost every inch of chains along the pathway covered in locks; I might have left my own, had I known, but it was all with names of couples. I did pop in to the Liverpool Museum for a while, but found that I was so tired that I just wanted to head back to my, one more, empty room. Upon getting back, I realized that one of my "goals" if you will, was unfulfilled... eating treacle tart. The hunt began by asking the clerk at the front desk, who provided excellent conversation, but was no help in my quest. The next person I asked was the bartender who worked for the hostel, and he even called the cook who worked there to ask, she was no help, but he sent me to a cafe that he thought might carry it but closed in 17 minutes. I made it with four minutes to spare, but they didn't have my tart. Now, I would like to say, that it was barely five, which means that half the places I might check were just closing. Perhaps I shouldn't have left this to my last day in England. It was fine though, because apparently the Tesco (market) carried it, and sure it wouldn't be the same as having it from a cafe or restaurant, but it would still be something I got to try. Along my way I stopped at every restaurant scouring their dessert menu, and inquired in every bakery, with no luck. When I got to the Tesco I thought I could finally relax, I asked someone in the front, who sent me to the back of the store, and when I couldn't find it I asked someone who worked there and he said he'd look it up in their system. No luck! I guess it's only carried at the large Tesco stores, and that was the largest one in the area, so the hunt was on again. I stopped in every market along my path, only getting lost on some streets but later realizing where I was, hunting in every restaurant, but it wasn't meant to be. Dejected I thought I should at least go to the Liverpool public library, a place I'd gone on my tour, to check out their exhibit on punk and soak in the smell of old books. After my brief interlude, I connected to the free wifi and started looking again. Nothing. Every restaurant that came up with my searches let me down, but I did find one eatery with glowing reviews, and at the very least I thought I should get a nice meal out of it. I headed for Pieminister, a local pie (the savory kind) shop, and with the suggestion from the waitress, ended up with the "moo & blue" and some over the top fries. I can confidently say that I'm glad that I don't live locally, because I would spend far too much eating there all the time. Overeating was almost guaranteed with their amazing mix of flavors. Satiated being an understatement, I was all set to walk it off and head straight to bed, but I think everyone is familiar with how my plans tend to work out. Meeting a couple of women outside the hostel, we struck up a conversation, and ended up talking for over an hour. On the bright side, we did both have to wake up early, so we exchanged information, and headed off to our dorms. Thank goodness I didn't have anyone else in my room, so I didn't have to feel badly about the time I was setting my alarm. Tomorrow I'm off to Ireland, and then, back home.Read more