Corinne CrawfordI made it to the ferry terminal on the Dublin side in plenty of time. It was a different terminal than the one my aunt and I had used before because I was taking a different ferry line. This boat was even bigger than the previous ferry. I wish this is the one that we had to figure out where to sleep because there were sofas galore in just about every area. I had gotten a good night’s sleep the night before, so I wasn’t in need of a nap so early in the day, so I wandered the ship and bought some face cream in the duty-free shop on board. Foot passengers are the last to get off because we have to take a shuttle to the terminal, and I am watching the minutes tick by impatiently. There is a train about once an hour leaving right from the same terminal as where the ferry comes in that would take me the first leg on my way to Liverpool. The train was scheduled to leave at 11:48am and the ferry was arriving at 11:30am. When we finally got off and I could hustle through the terminal to the ticket booth, it was already 11:50am. I asked the man at the ticker counter if I was too late, and he took a look and said that it was still at the platform. He sold me my ticket and I rushed to the platform. The worker on the platform looked at me as if to say- “this train?” as the doors were closing. I nodded and she had them open one set of doors and I got on and seconds later it pulled away. Saved me at least an hour at this station. I would have to switch trains in Chester and the trains from Chester to Liverpool left every 30 minutes, so I was scheduled to arrive in Liverpool at about 2:30pm. Perfect for my 3pm check in time at the Airbnb I booked for 4 nights.
I arrived in Liverpool and walked the 15 minutes or so to the accommodation. I actually was staying in student housing that is used for visitors during the summer months when it is mostly empty but there were still some students living there. This was not like any student housing I had ever seen and was jealous that this was not an option when I was going to college. The building did have a dormitory like feel in that there was a reception desk, common room and laundry facilities but the rooms, at least the room I was in, was a micro-studio with a small kitchenette, counter table, TV, double bed, wardrobe, desk and private bathroom. The room was small but very well laid out and had lots of storage. I really enjoyed my stay there although the neighborhood did get loud on weekend nights.
The days I spent in Liverpool were filled with working and a bit of site seeing and a night out for live music. And then after the night out of live music, a day in with a headache.
I walked around Liverpool and wandered around the Royal Albert Docks, visited the free exhibits at the Tate Museum, explored the Liverpool Cathedral and extensive cemetery and went to the Liverpool Library. I had made a trip to the market on my first day so was able to eat all meals in my room at a cost of €28. That saved me quite a bit of money.
Liverpool is known for music, specifically The Beatles. They were from Liverpool and they are much celebrated all throughout the city with exhibits, music clubs, museums and tours. I wanted to experience some local live music so on Thursday night I made my way to the club that started it all- The Cavern Club, where The Beatles got their start. I had to pay €5 just to get in and when I took the stairs down to the club, I found it unbearably hot, sweaty with wall-to-wall tourists. Not fun. So I just walked right back out. On the same street as the Cavern Club, there are countless pubs and venues all playing live music so one just has to wander until you hear a jam that sounds good to you and go in. The Cavern Club was the only one I found that charged a cover. I went inside a bar where a solo singer/guitar player was covering some good standards, got a beer and sat down on a padded bench that stretched along the whole back wall. I was only there about 20 minutes when two young girls sat down next to me and shortly thereafter asked if I was on my own. When I replied that I was, they insisted I join them, and we all got to chatting a bit. After another round, Maisy, the shorter one of the two grabbed my hand and the hand of her friend, Fliss, and dragged us out to the dance floor. The only ones on the dance floor. She would not take no for an answer so it seemed that it would make more of a scene to refuse than to just go. She quickly grabbed other strangers from their tables and seats to join on the dance floor too and next thing you know, this little young thing has started the party. I suspect that they had pre-partied somewhere as they seemed to be having a bit more… fun.. already than I was. But they were a hoot and after another round there, I went with them to another spot. Again, they got people dancing but it was when they started spilling drinks and trying to get me to dance with old men (to be fair, I was a lot older than these two girls and they probably thought I was an old woman), that I felt I had enough, not to mention enough drinks and I slipped out of the bar and got an Uber home, much later than my normal bedtime. The next morning, my head was intent on reminding me that I drank too much and stayed out to late, and I didn’t get up to start working until the afternoon hours. I laid low all that day and night and resumed my site-seeing on Saturday.
