Liverpool

Liverpool

I booked a train to Liverpool Lime Street station and armed with a map, headed off to explore the city of Liverpool.

I could not believe how much there was to see here, the home to some of Britain's best loved musicians, the Grand National, football teams and so much history.

Join me as I see as much of Liverpool as I could in one day.

I was surprised how modern and clean the station was, and as I left it, I was already in the city centre.

The sign posts everywhere, directing you to all of the attractions were excellent.

I walked down the main shopping streets with

all the usual high street shops, street stalls and

more up-market indoor malls including the Liverpool One.

I just loved this mirror I passed as I went through

one of the shopping malls, heading down to

the famous Albert Dock area.

The Albert Dock is the hub of the city, it is where everyone was heading for. There were

fairground rides, the arena, boat trips, so many museums and places of interest to visit.

Everywhere was clean and tidy, not once did I feel threatened. I never felt lost, it was a very easy place to navigate your way around.

The Albert Dock area is a UNESCO world heritage site, it was originally opened in 1846 and ceased to be a working dock in 1972. It has the largest collection of Grade 1 listed buildings in the UK.

As well as the impressive old buildings, I loved the vintage vehicles - this was just one of the different ice cream vans.

I particularly wanted to visit the Merseyside Maritime Museum and learn about Liverpool's seafaring past.

As well as being free to get in, it was also home to the International Slavery Museum. So I didn't have to waste anytime in finding that one too.

There were many poignant quotations around the walls, and it certainly made you realise that it wasn't long ago that slavery was part of Britain's past.

Evidence can be found all over the city linking it back to the merchants that were involved in the slave trade - many streets are actually named after them and the places that they had travelled for their "cargo".

I was fascinated by this model of a slave ship and the African model which is in the photograph below.

Some areas were made to look like African villages, there were places for children to interact with items, and there were old artifacts from all over the world. I discovered so much about places other than Africa, that people were taken and sold into slavery.

There was a film show, where a lady described her life as a slave - it was very touching.

I can highly recommend a visit to the Slavery Museum - you will learn so much.

And it is free!

In another part of the same building, you find yourself in the Maritime Museum - and there are even more surprises in there.

There is lots of information about the history of shipping in Liverpool, and the companies that have made the city it is today. Cunard being one of these iconic companies.

The part that I enjoyed the most was the Titanic section.

As well as the huge model of the Titanic itself, there were numerous posters, photographs and large scale copies of newspapers of the day reporting on the disaster.

There is a small film theatre to sit and watch a show about the famous disaster, and it really felt like you were seeing footage you had never seen before.

Most people have seen at least one film about the Titanic, there have been so many - but this place was amazing.

This photograph from the bottom of the ocean is unbelievable, all the dinner plates were still stacked in rows ............ on the seabed!

Other interesting exhibits were items and stories to do with various wars.

I never realised torpedoes were so big!

There were many stories of maritime disasters both in the wars and in peacetime.

I just had to have a look through this periscope!

Then as you leave the building, you realise that one of the walls had been made to look like the outside wall of a ship - it was great.

There is a well stocked shop and cafe at the museum, where you can sit outside and admire the view - and what a beautiful view of Albert Dock.

Especially on a sunny day!

On the opposite side of Albert Dock, you find the Beatles Story.


There is a huge shop full of everything you could ever think of to do with the Beatles.









For more information - see their website

http://www.beatlesstory.com/

The waterfront on a calm sunny day is definitely the place to spend some time - with great views over the Mersey.

There are many statues and tributes all along the waterfront.

Here is Billy Fury posing for the crowds.

There are even "real" singers along the way!

I love this statue of an old work horse.

Past the Pier Head, you come to the most amazing buildings - Liverpool's Three Graces!

These are the Royal Liver Building (with the Liver Birds on the top), the Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool Building.

These beautiful listed buildings are also part of the city's UNESCO World Heritage Maritime Mercantile City.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_Maritime_Mercantile_City          

Opposite the buildings, are the ferry terminals...................and there it was..............The Ferry On The Mersey!

I wasn't expecting it to be so multi-coloured though.

This is the memorial to the Titanic disaster.

It is a great place to spend a few hours, walking, enjoying the scenery and atmosphere, and having a bite to eat.

There is another Fab 4 experience and a cafe.

They are everywhere! The cafe at the Pier Head does the most fantastic ice creams though.

Next is the Museum of Liverpool - another place that is free to get in. What a fantastic place this is - you can spend hours there. There are film shows about the Beatles and Football, and so many attractions on three floors.

My favourite section on the ground floor showed Liverpool's colourful relationship with China, through trade over the last few hundred years.

Look up and there will always be something else to see - here you are reminded that the Grand National is run close by.

There are many exhibits depicting musicians and bands that have come from Liverpool - and there are so many.

If you need a rest, you can watch a film show about the Beatles or there are several shows that discuss early motion pictures and local cinemas.

I felt like I had been to the Beatles Story - there was so much to see; records, costumes, photographs - all sorts of memorabilia.

You mustn't forget the two great Liverpool football teams - Liverpool FC and Everton FC.

On the top floor, there are many models showing early life in the city as well as other cultures.

The views are brilliant too!

On the middle floor, there are old steam trains, as well as an original train that ran above the town. You can go and sit inside it - but only in the front section as there is a glass panel blocking the back off.

These people aren't real!

A view of the Oriental Section from above - showing the city of Liverpool by night here......................

...................and Hong King here.

More steam engines......................

and carriages.

Many more interesting things to see, to read, to learn and even to take part in - especially if you have children. They could even dress up in different costumes and so many exhibits are interactive - all very child friendly.

I can highly recommend anyone spending a good few hours at this brilliant museum.

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/mol/visit/

The cafe is really close if you are in need of refreshments.

And just in front of the cafe are " The Boys", life size statues of the Fab 4.

It is quite hard to get a photo of them with no one else in the shot - everyone wants to stand next to them!

They really do look like they are just walking down the street don't they!

Back up towards the city again, and you pass the Town Hall - rather disappointing after the grandeur of the buildings down by the water front.

But then on the corner of Mathew Street, there is a building with statues of "The Boys" all around the front of it.

If you head down Mathew Street, you are in the Cavern Quarter of the city. This is were the famous Cavern is - where so many stars have been discovered.

There are Cavern Pubs and Cavern Clubs , and more places that mention the word cavern!

So many photo opportunities!

I was so surprised by this area - and would highly recommend you have a walk down this street.

You can't help but smile at everything!

There is music playing everywhere and everyone is so friendly.

But I think they all love "Their Beatles" more than anything - and you can't help but love them too.

Finally I headed to the Cultural Quarter, with St Johns Gardens, Wellington's Column and the Steble Fountain

St Georges Hall opposite the Railway Station is a very impressive building - there were several wedding parties arrive in the short time I sat people watching.

A final tip that you may find most useful :- I walked all around the city, but you can always get on the Hop On Hop Off Bus - it is only £9.00 per day.

See the website

www.cityexplorerliverpool.co.uk/tour-information

I hope you enjoyed this day trip around Liverpool - The European Capital City of Culture.

Thank you,

Lynne

Please check out my other blogs:-

https://lynnemorley.blogspot.com

https://morleysjourneytoozandback.blogspot.com

https://lynnemorleys.blogspot.com

Dubai

Dubai Stopover

I flew on to Dubai for three nights (although the first night was pretty much none existent – as I didn’t reach my hotel until 5.30am) and was collected at the airport as arranged – a very impressive service. After a few hours sleep, I wanted to make the most of my day, so I took a taxi and went to one of the shopping malls for a few hours; they are one of the things that Dubai is famous for. The Malls there are huge - I got lost just trying to get out of one! I kept going to where it said exit, only to find that they were “car park exits” and not exits where taxis were waiting! Back at the hotel, I enjoyed some more sunshine, around the pool. It was over forty degrees and you couldn’t sit out in it for very long; so I sat actually in the water reading my book for about an hour – now that was nice! What a relaxing way to read your book! At teatime I had a delightful meal (and not as expensive as I was expecting) in one of the hotel’s five restaurants before retiring to bed - ready for tomorrow’s early start.

Before leaving home, I had booked an Early Morning Balloon Flight and I had to ring to confirm it was still going ahead – which it was! I had booked a balloon flight on a previous holiday and knew they were so prone to be cancelled so I was trying not to get too excited. Anyway, I was collected from the hotel at 4am, and driven two hours to the “take off site”, which was way out in the desert. I had taken both my fleeces and my coat – I thought it would be cold high up in the sky; but the minibus driver told me that I wouldn’t need those extra clothes – he said it was going to be really warm up in the balloon’s basket.

When we arrived, I looked around for toilets, but it really was in the middle of the desert  - not even a bush in sight! There were twenty-three people waiting to get in the bigger balloon’s basket, as well as a couple in the smaller balloon - they had hired it privately. Our pilot was Peter, a Hungarian and a very commandant-like character. He told us to put a safety belt on around our waist, in case of an emergency, then he divided us into two groups, one lot had to get in the right hand side of the basket and the other to get in the left hand side.

Apparently the previous day, he had, had to cancel the flight when people were already in the basket – because the wind had suddenly had got up. Peter was ordering all of his ground crew to assist him in inflating the balloon, some were holding it down, two were operating the enormous fans and Peter was firing heat into the balloon himself. Suddenly, as the balloon started rising from the ground, he shouted that we must all get in the basket as quickly as possible. Everyone had to scramble over the sides of the balloon (there were only two foot holes to enable you to climb in), and I think I went in “head first” – what a jumble of people.

The basket was divided into five sections; the middle for Peter and the other sections had five or six people squeezed into them. Within about twenty seconds, everyone was in, the ropes were released and the basket was moving up and then down to the ground, and then up again!  At this moment I didn’t care if the flight was cancelled, it was too manic, too scary – I really didn’t like it at all. But then, everything went calm and we were airborne! Smoothly we glided up, higher and higher – and it was amazing.

The “take off” was forgotten and everyone was enjoying the view. The sun had just risen and as we rose to four thousand feet, the desert below looked incredible. We saw small farms that were growing grass to feed their camels, impalas running about, and miles of sand dunes with the occasional oasis. We were drifting very slowly, at about twelve kilometres per hour and could see the other balloon far off in the distance.

Peter kept in constant contact with their pilot and they compared notes regarding the altitude, the different wind speed and direction it was blowing. It was surprising that at just a thousand feet below us, the wind was blowing so much stronger and in a different direction. Every so often Peter turned the basket around one hundred and eighty degrees, so that we could all see all the way around, and at one time he told us all to look into the sun and smile. He had wound his camera out on a wire, and took a photograph of us all!

As he kept pulling on the cables to put more heat in the balloon it was so, so hot. It felt like it was singeing my hair and I thought that my coat was going to melt onto my skin. The heat was unbelievable – thank goodness I had left my fleeces in the minibus! After about forty-five minutes we saw the other balloon starting to descend, Peter spoke to the other pilot and the ground crew, and told us we would be probably landing at Al Fukar Lake - which was a dried up area, flat enough to land a jumbo jet on.

Apparently we had covered quite a distance today, about thirty-five kilometres in an “S” shape.  We had to practice what to do when we landed, put your arms around the person in front (except for me, I was the odd one out), put cameras away, and hold on to the ropes inside the basket with both hands firmly – and not let go AT ALL. We had to squat down with our backs to the direction we were facing – and keep calm. I was starting to feel – well, more than anxious! We had five more minutes to admire the scenery below, but some people started feeling ill and were told to be sick over the side!

Peter told us not to look at the ground as we were coming down, but it was hard not to look down because we were going over some fabulous sand dunes with palm trees. He told us that it was going to be a bumpy landing because the wind speed had now reached forty kilometres per hour (that would have been too fast to have taken off an hour previous). As we hit the ground, I was absolutely petrified. The basket bounced on the sand several times before it started sliding along for several hundred metres.

The basket had tipped up onto its side, sand was coming in everywhere and everyone was screaming. When it finally came to a halt, we were all stuck there on our backs, feet in the air, sand everywhere – but happy to be on “terra ferma”. What an experience! Peter told us to stay exactly where we were, he jumped out, and we thought that he was going to collapse the balloon and fold it up, but he didn’t! He got his camera out and took a photograph of us all in that very uncompromising position! We were in hysterics by now, and by the time he had finished; we literally fell out of the basket.

The ground crew arrived quite soon with drinks for us all, which were desperately needed. The balloon was folded up, the basket loaded onto a trailer and we were all put in four by four vehicles and taken back to where our minibus was parked. This part of the adventure was the worst bit; it was so bumpy that I think everyone felt sick by the end of it! As we drove back to the hotel the haze was really bad, it looked like there was a sand storm ahead of us. Apparently the haze is particles of sand clinging to water droplets in the air – it is not a fog at all.

I was so glad that I had booked to do this; it really had been a “Once in a lifetime experience”, especially over such amazing terrain. I don’t know if I would ever want to do it again though – the sand landing might not be so soft next time!

I arrived back at the hotel in time for breakfast, which felt more like lunch, after how long I had been up; and then I ordered a taxi to see the best sites of Dubai. Only having a limited amount of time here, it was the better option, rather than booking a full day’s excursion – and I told the taxi driver exactly what I wanted to see. It was Friday (a holiday), and unfortunately the Gold Souk was closed, but I passed the Heritage Village, stopped to take photographs of the Jumeirah Mosque, Burj Khalifa (Sails) hotel and then drove onto the Palm Island Resort. That was amazing; it is a residential area, with the Seven Star Atlantis Hotel at the end, overlooking the ocean. There was a monorail running from the Atlantis back into the city.

The coastline with its pristine beaches seemed to stretch for miles – I wish that I had booked another day here to spend some time by the beautiful ocean. As we drove back towards the city I marvelled at the buildings, they were so tall, so bright and reflective, so amazing – it was quite a sight.

I could never have walked around the city at all, it was far too hot - well over forty degrees - so I asked to be dropped off at the Emirates Shopping Mall. It was a huge air-conditioned complex full of well known shops, many eating-places and the incredible “snow dome”.

I sat in Costa Coffee watching people skiing, snowboarding and sledging – there was even a real snowstorm whilst I was watching. What an incredible sight, people dressed in winter clothes when it was unbearably hot outside; I was very happy to be in the air-conditioned mall.

After a few hours of retail therapy, I took a taxi back to the hotel where I had a last hour by the pool before getting packed again and ready for the journey home. I could highly recommend a stopover in Dubai, a fascinating place with so much to see and do – especially if you like the heat. It was the end of an incredible day and a fabulous holiday – but as always, I was ready for home!



Lynne

Please check out my other blogs ..............

http://lynnemorleys.blogspot.com

http://lynnemorley.blogspot.com

http://morleysjourneytoozandback.blogspot.com

Mauritius

Mauritius

I arrived on the multi cultural island of Mauritius to bright blue skies and a temperature of 25 degrees and had an hour’s taxi ride to my hotel on the north east coast. Mauritius was first colonized by the Dutch in the 17th century, then by the French until the early 1800’s when the British claimed it – until it’s independence in 1968. It’s a lush, sub tropical island, with dense sub tropical forests, volcanic craters and black basalt rocks – and of course surrounded by coral reefs of the Indian Ocean.

The Ambre hotel was a self-contained resort and as it was “All Inclusive” I didn’t have to leave the place, so for three days I relaxed and recovered from the long journey. I walked both directions up and down Belle Mare beach, a long stretch of pure white sand both ways. This was advertised as one of the best stretches of beach on the island, and I could see why - it was idyllic. 

By the Friday, I was ready to go off exploring – the hire car was booked and although it arrived a bit late – I wanted to see what else Mauritius had to offer! I headed inland for fuel and then up the east coast towards the north part of the island. There were many beautiful bays and beaches all the way up the coast, with car parks and palm tree picnic areas every few miles.

These secluded spots were lovely and shaded and enabled you to park only a few feet from the beautiful ocean. I stopped many times to admire the views before reaching Cap Malheureux, with it’s quaint chapel - red roof and white walls, overlooking yet another fabulous bay. Although the locals frequently asked if you wanted to buy something or go on a boat trip, they weren’t threatening at all - they were all very friendly.

I stopped at Grand Bay, and walked around the coast for a while, admiring the yachts and other boats – but it was a bit too commercial for my liking – more like a holiday resort. There were too many activities happening and too many shops! As I passed through many of the towns you couldn’t help but admire and marvel at the temples – they were so different from any that I had seen anywhere else.

They weren’t gold, they were completely multi coloured, pink, blue, yellow, red, and green – every colour imaginable. The highlight of my day had to be visiting Pamplemousse (meaning Grapefruit in Mauritian) Gardens in the centre of the island, 60 acres of tropical paradise that was originally planted in 1735.

It included 500 different species of trees and plants – including my favourite – The Giant Victoria Regia Water Lillies. They were incredible and completely lived up to my expectations – there was a large rectangular pond full of them, some of the Lillies must have been four feet across, with upturned edges, they looked like you could sit on them and sail away.

There was the occasional heron balancing on them, with pink coloured flowers peering out between the pads. There were some very old palms in the garden, (that flower when they reach 60 years of age and then they die!) several other ponds, a deer pen and a tortoise enclosure. It was quite a sight watching the Giant Tortoises; there were 18 of them, some enjoying the sunshine, some wallowing in the mud, some drinking the pond water and a few feeling very frisky!

Now that looked mighty uncomfortable! After visiting the gardens I headed towards the capital, Port Louis, which looked very busy, so I returned to the hotel, along small roads with sugar cane both sides and villages that were so small, you had gone through them without realising.

The most hazardous part of driving, was avoiding the dogs that wandered along the roads. I arrived back to the hotel absolutely exhausted, I had, had a full 9 hours out driving around the north of the island and ended my day with a relaxing walk along the beach.

The second day exploring saw me heading west, but as it was Saturday the roads were so busy that it took hours to reach the first port of call. When I arrived at Tamarin, looking for the Waterfalls, I was directed along an awful dirt track, along the top edge of a dormant volcano, stopping at separate viewpoints to admire the Tamarin Waterfall. From up there I could see for miles over the flat plains towards the coast, and the Black River National Park in the distance. The next stop was supposed to be another Botanical Gardens, but when I eventually found it, I discovered it was now derelict. There were however, more coloured plants and flowers growing along the roadside (even more colour than at Pamplemousse).

I drove into the National Park and found Alexandra Falls, with the loveliest shaded picnic site, and a view of more waterfalls and the mountainous rainforest beyond. I spoke to a very friendly policeman who asked me where I was headed, and when I told him I was heading to Chamarel – he said that it was very hot there! Surely it wasn’t going to get hotter than it was now!

The journey to Chamarel was horrendous – the hairpin bends were the worst that I have ever driven around, especially with the steep drops at each side of the road - when there was only enough room for one vehicle! It was the longest couple of miles ever. The first part of Chamarel was to see the waterfall – the Chamarel Cascade, and although I had already seen two waterfalls that day, this one was the best – as well as water gushing down hundreds of metres, the light was catching the water just right – making rainbows in the sunshine.

Very impressive! I carried on further down towards the “Seven Coloured Earth”, along more terrifying single-track roads. What a sight I was greeted with at the bottom! It was like a lunar landscape, but in so many different shades of red, orange, brown and grey. Some people said that these volcanic mounds looked like a giant coloured tortoise shell – I preferred the likeness to the moon though. The policeman was right, it was very hot down at Chamarel – it was like being in the desert – but surrounded by dense sub tropical forest with many birds, lizards and small animals.

I stopped and had an ice cream and a rest, trying to avoid the intense sun. I was dreading travelling back up the mountain – but thankfully it wasn’t that bad. I headed back through the National Forest stopping at the viewpoint to see the Black River Gorge and the plains looking towards the coast beyond. The final stop on my itinerary for the day was the Grand Bassin, and nothing could have prepared me for the sight of that!  As I travelled through the forest, the single-track road suddenly become a 6-lane highway, and in the distance, there stood a 108-foot high statue overlooking the sacred lake, a place of pilgrimage for many Hindu people.

The spectacular statue was a bronze colour and reminded me of “The Angel of The North” and the road approaching it was so impressive; it made you feel like you were approaching Mecca! I walked around the garden at the top, and down to the lake below (which was full of fish thriving on all of the “offerings” they were being given), and saw strange concrete stools at 1-metre intervals – I think they were used for ceremonies to baptize people. It was an awesome place to see, very colourful, serene and sacred.

The drive back to the hotel took over 2 hours; and in the failing twilight it was a miracle that I didn’t run over any stray dogs, men on bicycles, wandering pedestrians or cars on the wrong side of the road! Ten hours out, I was so tired. I thought that this island wasn’t supposed to be very big – only 45 x 65 km; no one had said how hard it was to actually get around it! I had a much-needed shower, dinner, more insect repellent and went to bed – absolutely exhausted.

Sunday was my last day with the car, and I had decided to see the south of the island, which was supposed to be the rugged, windswept coastline with crashing waves. I headed off through the sugar plantations again, crossing many rivers full of boulders and swirling water. I went through one town (hamlet really) and the police told me to stop whilst a colourful parade passed us – a Hindu ceremony  – the costumes were so bright and colourful!

My first stop was a place called Gris Gris, a small cove overlooking a sandy beach below, with high cliffs and waves crashing into the granite rocks. Because there are no coral reefs to contain the waves here, they crashed spectacularly against the black rocks, which reminded me of Cornwall.  I walked around the gardens on top of the cliff top at Souillac, before heading off to find Rochester Waterfalls. They have got to be the hardest place to get to (and yesterday was bad enough), I was directed through fields upon fields of sugarcane, turning this way and then that way.

The signs got smaller and smaller, finally only showing a wave on them. I was very tempted to get out and walk when it said there was only 500 metres to go – what a good job I didn’t! Eventually, after about 30 minutes of dirt tracks, uneven roads and boulders, I got out of the car and just headed towards the noise of the water and people shouting. At the bottom of a very steep hill, I found hoards of people shouting and cheering at young men jumping off basalt rocks, very high up, into the cool, running waters below.

The falls were very picturesque, with torrents of water crashing down into the cool, deep, dark waters below, surrounded by a lush green forest. But only yards away from that cool shade, the intense sun was blazing down and the car was miles up the hill! After a struggle to get back to the car, and even more of a struggle to remember the way through the maze of sugar cane fields out onto the main road again, I headed to the coast and found a lovely sheltered spot by the beach to have lunch.

There weren’t many people about and it was good to spend some time just sitting watching the sea, which was lovely and calm, and a beautiful green colour – before heading off on the long journey back to the hotel. I stopped at a bridge to take a photograph of the river below, and saw two men jumping and swimming in the water; surprisingly one of them had no clothes on! And I thought nudity was frowned upon in Mauritius! The roads were fairly quite most of the way back; everyone must have gone home for an afternoon siesta – thank goodness. Travelling on the roads had been a complete nightmare – cars and motorbikes coming down on the wrong side of the road, sometimes on both sides at once! I felt like I didn’t have enough eyes – I just had to close my eyes, wave and laugh!

Back to the hotel for a few more days of sunshine and a much needed rest after my 3 days exploring!  I think the maps and tourist guides were wrong, the island is far bigger than they say! I enjoyed the sunshine and all the amenities that the hotel had to offer: I enjoyed long walks along the beach; I had a go at canoeing one day when the sea wasn’t too rough and swam in the sea and in the pool many times.

Although it was very hot, there was always a breeze that kept you from feeling too hot! I never got burnt, which was amazing in temperatures that were well over 30 degrees. I discovered some wonderful rock pools that were left between the granite boulders, when the tide went out – full of wonderful, little, tropical fish (neon tetras, angel fish and little black sharks). As I scrambled further and further out, searching for more interesting fish, I did the ultimate………………I slid and fell in the water. I literally sat in it, thoroughly soaking myself! But it was worth it; the sights that I saw early that morning were amongst the best I had seen from the beach. I loved the white crabs, which looked as if they had red smiley faces painted on them, scurrying into their holes when the tide had subsided. A thoroughly enjoyable time at the Ambre Hotel and on the tropical island of Mauritius!

Next I was planning a short stopover in Dubai on the way home…….....Watch out for that, its very exciting!

Please check out my other blogs ..............

http://lynnemorleys.blogspot.com

http://lynnemorley.blogspot.com

http://morleysjourneytoozandback.blogspot.com