a day in liverpool

On Saturday, Stacie and I had a very Beatles-filled day in their hometown of Liverpool. The city is only about a 1 hour train ride from Manchester, and on the way to the city I couldn't help but listen to some of The Beatles' songs. I really can't pick one favorite if you asked me, but "Eight Days A Week," "Eleanor Rigby," and "Hey Jude" are just a few of them.

Our first stop was breakfast at Leaf. I got their cinnamon toast with a mixed berry compote and creme fraiche, and a pot of their "oriental splendor" tea, which was a green tea infused with a bunch of different blossoms and lychee and mango. The tea was served in the cutest tea pot that said "WHERE THERE'S TEA THERE'S HOPE," and I just had to buy it for myself.

Next, we headed to Albert Dock. For some reason, the area had a San Francisco-vibe to it, which I loved. Albert Dock is lovely and there's plenty to do, but we were mainly here for....

The Yellow Submarine as a rentable apartment?!?

The Beatles Story museum! The whole exhibit is really cool; they re-create a lot of famous settings the Beatles have played in, including The Cavern Club and Abbey Road Studios. I'm not really familiar with the history of The Beatles, so it was really interesting to learn about the band's origins, their massive popularity and the "British Invasion" in the 1960's (one of my favorite rooms was watching old footage of fangirls screaming and some even fainting!), and each member's solo careers after their breakup. At the end of the museum, there's the White Room dedicated to John Lennon with his song "Imagine" playing. So it ended on a pretty emotional note, but it was very beautiful at the same time. I think it's amazing that the Beatles still have a major impact on music and people's lives today!

After the museum, we went straight to meet up with our tour guide to take the oh-so-cleverly named Magical Mystery Tour! We got to see Penny Lane, Strawberry Field, each of the member's homes, and the city of Liverpool in general. It was a bit strange taking pictures of a few of their houses because some people actually live in them, but oh well. Overall, the tour was a lot of fun and our tour guide was entertaining. He played a few Beatles songs here and there on the bus as well. I mean, how could you not? I also earned even more about The Beatles--especially about their childhood. Like how Paul McCartney failed his audition for the Liverpool Cathedral's choir because his voice wasn't good enough (what?!?), and John Lennon's tragic loss of his mother.

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes...

Mendips, John Lennon's childhood home

Paul McCartney's childhood home

Once our Magical Mystery Tour was over, we were dropped off at the famous Cavern Club where The Beatles performed some of their early gigs. A lot of other artists have performed here in recent years, including Adele and the Arctic Monkeys. The club is basically underground and it was very cramped and smelly down there, but it was great to hear a guy covering The Beatles' "Twist and Shout." Stacie and I were mainly there to pick up our "free souvenir" from the tour, which ended up being a rather meaningless postcard. Pretty disappointing.

Next, we headed to Central Perk, a cafe based off the one in the TV show Friends. I'll admit that I've only watched Friends here and there, but now I'm starting off from the very beginning and all I can say is: DAT HAIR. The cafe isn't an exact replica of the one in the show, but it's got some of the same features. It also has Friends playing on a few TV screens, but you can't really hear what's going on. But anyway, I ordered a smoked salmon with cream cheese bagel, and a Monica Moccacino. It had chocolate and cinnamon in it, with a bunch of whipped cream on top. YUM. It was also served in the biggest mug I had ever seen!

At the end of our night, Stacie and I browsed Liverpool's Christmas Markets, walked around the gigantic Liverpool ONE shopping center, and grabbed some dinner.

The day went by too fast, but I had a wonderful time in Liverpool! Now it's time to listen to The Beatles some more...