British Isles Travels-Liverpool, England

Leaving Dublin we sailed across the Irish Sea back to England. We docked at the port of Liverpool which is a 7.5 mile system of docks on the River Mersey. We were on the starboard side of the ship so our view was of the Three Graces, three historical buildings including the Royal Liver Building atop which you can see the mythical Liver Birds. Legend has it that were these two birds to fly away, then the city would cease to exist. OR locals say one bird is male and looks inland to see if the pubs are open, while the other bird is female looking out to sea to see if there are any handsome sailors coming up the river. Ours was a very windy day but we decided to see Liverpool on foot anyway. Albert Dock was our destination a mile or two away. Albert Dock is a stunning waterfront setting and on our agenda was the Merseyside Maritime Museum. We headed for a display in the basement and stumbled onto an amazing exhibit called "Seized! Revenue and Customs uncovered". This display had hundreds of items including carved African statues, garden gnomes and artificial limbs that were used to smuggle everything under the sun. Very creative these crooks. Our real destination (Ancestor Seekers, remember) was the Emigration Gallery also in the basement. About nine million people left Europe from Liverpool headed for the New World and this area includes a life size mockup of the steerage section of a ship carrying the emigrants. Very humbling. Now I was ready to Meet the Beatles. Using the GPS on the iPhone we walked the streets of Liverpool until we found Matthew Street. In the photos you can see me with the statue of John Lennon at the Cavern Pub, across the street from the Cavern Club both of which are on Matthew Street. Loved Liverpool.Travel Note: Sometimes we hear people say, "Who needs a balcony? We aren't going to spend much time in the room anyway." I say ALWAYS splurge on a balcony. Some of my favorite time on a ship is spent on the balcony as we enter or leave port. Sometimes you see the sunrise or the early morning fog and everything is just waking up for the day. My all time favorite cruising memory is standing on the balcony as we sailed into Venice early in the morning passing the canals and getting our first glimpse of all of Venice at once. Another is waiting our turn at the Panama Canal. Boats anchor and wait their turn to go through the canal, but the big cruise ships pay extra to go through on a schedule. When we went through the canal there were over thirty boats waiting. Only a few cruise ships are narrow enough to pass through the canal and then with only a few inches on each side of the ship; something you can only see as you hang over your balcony. Watching the glaciers in Alaska is another absolute MUST for a balcony. Just get the balcony, please. MA