Category: Liverpool

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As a great lover of nature and natural beauty in the countryside, I have always enjoyed the drives in the United Kingdom but especially around Scotland and Wales. I had never been across to North Wales before so when Alan decided he wanted to see it when we were visiting Liverpool I eagerly agreed. As is the norm of the British weather, we chose a day to travel the two hours to Wales only to wake up to chrome skies and damp paths. Nonetheless we clad ourselves in coats and scarves before climbing into the car armed with a packed lunch and a camera.

As we drove towards the motorway and towards North Wales, the skies got darker and the fog heavier. By the time we saw the first sign for Wales we could barely make it out due to the heavy fog. As we drove along by Colwyn Bay, just passed the Wales border, we acknowledged that there was a body of water there as the horizon was darker and the SatNav indicated there was, else we would never have known. As the rain got heavier and the winds picked up eager to pull my car towards the middle barriers, we discussed turning back. Suddenly, there was a patch of lighter cloud which, as we watched, gave way to a tease of sunlight. As quick as it came it disappeared. It encouraged us to risk it though and keep going, hoping that the rain would subside and take the pesky fog along with it. We were not to be disappointed.

By the time we had entered Penrhyn Bay the sun was filtering beautifully through the clouds and the occasional blue sky was spotted. Taking a drive along the coast we spotted some interesting houses with turrets on them. They were most intriguing designs and colours. We found a cute little parking spot that was overlooking the water on the other side of the bay so pulled in for some lunch. As we watched the seagulls circle above, caught on the air thermals, Zita warned us to keep the windows up as these seagulls were very confident and were known to swoop into cars to steal sandwiches. Now I knew why the seagulls were much larger compared to the ones in Dundee.

Back on the road we headed towards the village of Bets-y-Coed. Stumbling upon a beautiful little bridge over a stream and watching as the sun set between two glens over a body of water was worth dodging the vehicles on the narrow roads. As we pulled into the village we saw the most breathtaking river that had a pretty little island with a massive overhanging tree in it with huge limbs stretching for the sky and caressing the water below. We stopped and watched, mesmerised as the water gushed around the island, over the rocks and diving loudly below the bridge before passing quietly through the other side. Not quite ready to return to Zita's, we slipped into a little café for a steaming cup of tea and a slice of cake as we watched the last flickers of light disappear from the sky. Still, we could hear the water's roar as the river rushed along its way to new adventures upon other shores, seeing sights we would not see. Just another day in Wales.

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Earlier today I found myself at Birkenhead's Transport Museum. It showed a lovely transition of transport in the local area. From the early trams right up to the modern buses, the museum showed us it all. Despite being focused mostly on the trams, it also had on display some of the older cars that although I had only seen them in museums before, Alan was excited to see some of the older cars from his earliest memories. As I often do when I am in a museum which demonstrates the transition between generations, I often think of the advancement's in which we, as humans, have undertaken. Although we now use much faster, expensive and powerful cars they will be more valuable in the coming years as they fade out of existence whilst their predecessors remain ever loyal albeit less powerful.

As Alan and Zita approached a car - which looked to me 'quaint' and 'foreign' as I had only seen pictures of the car and in movies - he commented that the car was only a little bit older than his childhood. It amazed me that it was still in such a good condition and I supposed that given a little bit of work it would probably run again despite being around half a century old. The common phrases that the elderly say sprang into my mind as so often things made in the early to mid-twentieth century are much better made than the produce of today. As I considered what this meant I was a little sad to think that perhaps there won't be many museums of today's produce as it may not be strong enough to survive the coming years. There's something different about seeing an object from another era in 'real life' as opposed through the recreations of movies and it would be a shame that our coming generations may not get to 'experience' how the people today live.

As we arrived shortly before the tram was due to run its route we jumped aboard its solid frame that had been restored within the transport museum. Like a child in a toy shop I sat upon its hard wood seats grinning before dashing upstairs to the upper level of the tram to watch the passing sights as we bounced along the rickety route. Comparing those means of transports to what we know now today as 'public transport' it is clear that we take a lot of the technology around us in terms of transport for granted. Nowadays we would not settle for the 'bouncy' journey that the tram provided but in previous generations this was a 'revolutionary' breakthrough. As we become more reliant on these luxuries that our predecessors wouldn't have thought possible. Makes we wonder about the new exciting technologies that we could start seeing in the coming years.

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As the Christmas season approaches Alan had asked if we could visit his girlfriend, Zita, in Birkenhead shortly after my exams. As we drove down towards the south-west of England we began to pass through some of Scotland's beautiful views. As we whizzed by the mountains in the distance we saw their white topped heads against the bright lively green that was sprouting out from the base of the mountains. Thankfully, this year the snow decided to skip over our little island for the most part so the journey down was relatively smooth and hassle free. Upon arrival in the Birkenhead we ended up spending twenty minutes in traffic!

However, this unexpected extra time gave Alan and I time to admire (or express disgust in) the various decorations on the houses. Some can be rather pretty, but like so many other years, I often think that some people just try too hard to follow the American standards. Most times people can accomplish this and create a pretty scene, however, so often I find that it just looks tacky. There was one house in particular that I couldn't understand how the people could cope with it, the view or the electricity bill! Just about every inch of their garden was covered in a glowing or flashing statue, the drop lights hung loosely from the roof giving an unkempt look about the house and to top it all off their window looked like it was trying to contain the undying beast within. The horrific rapid flashing that (I assumed) came from their Christmas tree would have sent even the most stable epileptic into a cluster of seizures. How the inhabitants of the house could cope within the flashing lights of the room, I do not know.

Often around Christmas we see acts of kindness and giving, of love and charity but just as often we see acts of egotistic people who greedily populate their houses with excess clutter that simply shows off their wealth and social position. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the spirit of Christmas with it's get togethers and clusters of lights but when you hear of some of the expenses that people are willing to spend only to decorate their houses it's shocking!

Anyway, enough rants about that, we arrived just as duck was descending upon Zita's street and the stars were reaching out to us. As we entered the house I was reminded of our last visit to Birlenhead and I settled into my adaption to make the place my temporary home for the next four days. It is my ability to adapt to my surroundings and feel at home wherever I am that I am very fortunate to have and often rely on to make a possibly awkward week more relaxed.

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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].