Liverpool and Manchester

Liverpool is my favourite city in England. We stayed at the Albert Dock Premier Inn next to The Beatles Museum.

The Albert Dock is old shipping yard that has been converted and is now home to the Tate Liverpool, restaurants, bars, and hotels. There is Albert Dock tour where you can ride on a Duck bus that also floats in the water.



 

Walked around the Dock, saw the Passport office, the the Liverbirds, and
an old church by the Thistle Hotel.

Took it easy Thursday evening and had drinks at Baby Cream. We then had dinner at Est Est Est. British cuisine tends to be quite bland because it is usually not marinated or seasoned. I had a trio of fish that was grilled or charred. It was alright; I guess I a spoiled with Westcoast cuisine. Relaxed that evening with a bit of tele before a good night's sleep.

 

On Friday, we Walked around downtown during the afternoon and saw a great view of the Liverbirds and the Albert Dock. We also saw the Victoria Monument (where the castle used to stand), Matthew Street (where all the great clubs and bars are), a beautiful fountain surrounded by poetry. Chinatown was a bit of a disappointment. It was quite dodgy and more like ghost town. Also saw a bombed out church.



 

We had some scran at Weatherspoon's. I had a delicious chicken, ham and leek pie with gravy, vegetables (yay veggies!) and chips.

Spent about half an hour looking for Super Lama Banana, but I think it has been kidnapped. I asked for assistance at the Macky D's (they have banana shakes) and the YHA, but both places did not know what I was talking aboot. Maybe it was moved due to all the construction.

Met up with some friends and we went for drinks at the Pan American on Albert Dock. Utterly all style and no substance. Service was slow and pretentious and food was bland. Nice view of the Albert Dock and Liverbirds though.

Started the evening at the Cavern Club where The Beatles were discovered. Great place with live music and good atmosphere. Proceeded on to have a round or two of drinks at the Cavern Pub (older crowd), some dingy 70s bar (unfortunately *not* Flares), some 90s dance bars, Revolution (I love this place), and ended the night at 3 am at Mood (fantastic dance music). Topped it all off with kebab and chips (tradition).

 

Slept good and began the morning with a top British breakfast with a view of the Albert Dock. Packed up, checked out, and carpooled to Manchester. Played with this bizarre spherical Rubik Cube. Got settled in to the GMEX Premier Inn. Wished we stayed at The Palace instead, but we missed the prebooking special. We went to a pub by the University to watch the Liverpool football match.

Walked around and saw the Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester Library, and St. Paul's Square.

Had yummy Weatherspoon's again (my very last *sniff*) and a Strongbow pint. Rested up in the hotel (basically had a drunken nap) and got ready for an evening of pubbing and clubbing. Had a quick brew (tea) before running over to the Weatherspoon's for drinks to start the evening off right. We did a pub crawl to Dean Gate Lock. Man, can Brits really drink (8 to 10 beers just to start, continuing on with 6 to 8 spirits and double vodka and Redbulls).

We started at Baa and I wanted to make our way down all the clubs, but we ended up going over to the Gay Village on Canal Street. We went into a few places and found Varsity (sp?) on the corner. It was a good dance club that played great dance and trance music. The place has three levels with a roof top terrace. Bathrooms has terrible lineups and are disgusting.

Chilled back at the hotel afterwards, nibbled on crisps and drank Vimto and Feel Good (love the Berry flavour). Caught a bit of Crank Yankers on the tele before dozing off in bed.

 

Last full day in England, Manchester. Had my very last British breakfast (I miss you so much!).

Walked around the shopping district. Saw a young lad
dancing old skool on a piece of cardboard. Gazed upon these funky windmill art structures in front of Selfridges. Checked out PrintWorks and felt like I was in Las Vegas. The movie theatre in there
has leather recliners with servers that bring you beer and snacks.

The movie we wanted to see was not playing there. So, we walked to the AMC Theatre near our hotel. We bought tickets to see Carmen Electra's I Want Candy. We killed some time playing video games and looking at the moon over top the new Hilton Hotel. The hotel has a protruding glass floor where you can sit in the bar and look down through the glass floor. How chic. Another martini please?




 

I was so impressed when asked at the snack bar asked me if I wanted sweet or salty popcorn. The sweet popcorn is basically caramel popcorn. It is like crack popcorn; I could not stop eating it. Not too mention, did I want still or fizzy Fanta Orange? The seat armrests go up so you can snuggle during the film. The movie was actually quite funny and enjoyable.

Got take-away from the pub underneath the hotel and chilled in front of the tele. Yummy smothered chicken with vegetables. We watched the Peter Kay special on BBC. I kept thinking, wow, England only has a handful of tv channels. But you can see how it is reflected in their culture and such a good thing when compared to North America.

We watched highlights from Peter Kay's tv shows Phoenix Nights
and Max and Paddy. The finale was his comedy show from Manchester Arena. He's hella funny and so down to earth. Humble even.

 

Got up semi-early the next morning, got ready, packed up and grabbed the Metro to Manchester Train Station. Got my last take-away Upper Crust of a spinach, brie and tomato baguette and crisps. Fell asleep on the train and was slightly disoriented when I reached Euston Station.

I forgot I had to transfer to Paddington Station get to the Heathrow Express. Grabbed a taxi cab to Paddington. If you have a day left over from your British Rail Pass, you can use the day to take the Heathrow Express (15 minutes) to the airport. Caught a flight back to Canada through Toronto. I was so jet lagged from being awake for 24 hours, I could barely eat a salad. I had to eat something because Air Canada gives you nothing on the flight. I think I will pay extra next time to fly a superior airline and fly direct to Europe.

Overall, an amazing trip in England. London is grand. York was incredible and rich with history. Liverpool has great nightlife and Manchester has good culture and shopping. Already thinking about when I go back to England. Maybe in July?

Listening to: Simon and Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson

 

Warrington and York

After bringing one currency adapter that did not work, buying another at Boots that did not work, and asking three different places for leads and buying one at the Post Office near King's Cross Station, I finally had success. Mind you, I had to cut off the lip on the adapter, but I could charge my camera and cell phone.

Took a Virgin Train up north to Warrington. Arrive an hour early before check-in (hotels are strict there) and went over to the shopping promanade by Golden Square. I wanted to launder my clothes, but there was no where to do it.

I saw the memorial for a IRA bombing that killed two children in 1993.



Also, saw a very old pub, one of the oldest buildings in Warrington and the Mad Hatter's Tea Party.



Went back to check-in to the Travelodge. All the movies were old, so I watched television. I watched a children's show about Tommy Zoom and his wonder dog who both taught children about eco-friendliness. I got addicted to the soap opera Hollyoaks. Of course I watched The Simpsons.

My friend met up with me and we went for dinner at the Old Stone House. We had steak and seafood on hot stone tiles. Delicious!

 

Took the train to York on Tuesday morning. Lots of green and farm scenery of the old English Country side. Went through many smaller towns along the way. The city of York was surrounded by old Roman walls. We checked into the Golden Fleece, which was apparently one of the most haunted inns in York. Just after we arrived, it started snowing.

Our Minster suite was on the top floor and the floor was slanted. We had to sleep with the bathroom light on and the curtains open. No ghost sightings. Lady Peckett's room is the most haunted suite in the inn.

We took a walk around the Shambles. We saw the York Minster, a Roman gate, and the Art Gallery.

We had lunch along the river at the Lowther Pub. Delicious roast turkey dinner and my first vodka J20 (mango orange).

After, we went to the York Dungeon for a bit of spooky fun. Stories about a ghost that haunts our inn, a Roman legion and the torture chamber. I was tried as a witch by a judge in a court of law.

We went to a few pubs for dinner and drinks and ended our night at The Reflex, and 80s club with uber-cheesiness and loads of fun. Many people were dressed up, cheesy music, shooters named after 80s celebs and Ghostbusters on the tvs. I absolutely loved it. My mate won me a Winnie the Pooh bear out of the machine.

 

On Wednesday, we went to the Jorvik Cafe for breakfast. We saw the Law Courts, and Clifford's Tower.



 

We tried to go to the Viking Museum, but there were loads of school children about. Instead, we went to the Punch Bowl for lunch. Saw an old Medieval Guild that was built in 1357. One of the oldest buildings in York.



 

We grabbed some cookies from Millie's and refreshments from Marks and Spencers, then chilled out and watched tele. After relaxing, we went on an award-winning Ghost Hunt with a dramatic Victorian gentleman as our guide. It was eerie walking around dark, narrow cobblestone alley ways in the night. Stories about dead children always freak me out. (Good thing we left the light on back at our suite in the inn.)

After being very spooked by ghost stories, we went for a drink at the Black Swan Pub. A former brothel with an infamous upstairs haunted inn that is no longer rent rooms.
We continued one to Yates, a student bar with constantly adjusting drink prices, and The Reflex, a ultra-cheesy but cool 80s bar. I really enjoyed the celebrity shooters, people dressed up, and Ghostbusters on the tvs. Of course we finished the night off with a traditional kebab.



 

Listening to: New Order - True Faith