Well, after a six-hour long drive I find myself on the outskirts of Liverpool, the home to the Beatles among other great musicians. The city’s surrounding areas surprised me. The first part I drove through reminded me of what I imagine is the town that society was trying to forget, the type of area that was largely populated with a variety of fast food places, take-outs and basically junk food companies. With buildings that weren’t quite derelict but looked frail or out-dated none-the-less. Yes, this was a representative of the aspects of society that no one wants to admit exists in their city. I was nervous, we were due to be spending a week here and I could only imagine what the people would be like...
As we approached the house of my client’s girlfriend— where we would be staying this week— the landscape changed. The take-away shops gave way to quaint detached and semi detached houses, many of which had well kept gardens. Birkenhead, from what I saw, was a lovely smaller city on the outskirts of Liverpool. In the quaint little area I saw what Zita—Alan’s girlfriend—had told us about her area. As we had arrived rather late in the day, we left the exploring for the next day and we weren’t to be disappointed.
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Catching the Ferry across to Liverpool the same thought kept running through my head—Liverpool is a less busy and older version of London. With a culture as rich and extravagant the bus tour we joined went onto disclose some of Liverpool’s secrets to our hungry mind. The buildings were primarily old stone buildings with beautiful stonework and stores hidden deep inside with floor to ceiling glass windows enticing passers-by to stop in for a peek. Exploring the history of the Beatles—who had started in Liverpool— and then heading to the little café over looking the River Mersey. So, to conclude, my first impressions of Liverpool was that it was a smaller version of London which boasted more aged buildings and a history almost as wealthy and exciting as the British capitol. It was an area that perfectly supported the common statement not to judge a [place] but it’s [initial appearance].