Magical Mystery Tour

Up early again to catch the 7:28 train to Leeds where we intended to transfer to another train bound for Liverpool. The 7:28 arrived late and due to some confusion on the tracks missed two other trains bound for Leeds. We finally left Harrogate about 45 minutes behind schedule and arrived in Liverpool around 11 am., about an hour later than we had hoped. Well, at least JoAnn got a taste of the famed British rail service -- appalling at best.

First stop in Liverpool was the Tourist Info Center where we purchased tickets for the 2 p.m. Magical Mystery Tour. We were instructed to return to the TI to catch the tour bus. From there we attempted to follow a walking tour I had found in English Heritage magazine but got off course due to some road construction we encountered along the way. It is hard to avoid construction sites on the streets of Liverpool today as the city gets spruced up for its stint as Cultural Capital of Europe in 2008. We did eventually make our way over to Albert Dock, making stops at the post office and the Three Graces along the way. We popped into a few of the shops at Albert Dock and had a delicious lunch at the Tate Cafe before heading back to the TI. We boarded the bus, decked out just like the Magical Mystery Bus in the Beatles' TV special, and headed promptly over to Albert Dock! If we had known about that stop we would have just hung out there instead! No worries, though, as we got better seats than the crowd that boarded the bus at Albert Dock. Our tour guide was brilliant. He's been doing the tours for 14 years and really knows his stuff. He was full of anecdotes about Liverpool as well as the Beatles. We made stops at all four of the Beatles' boyhood homes, Penny Lane, Strawberry Field and ended up at the Cavern Club on Mathew Street. Aside from seeing all the Beatle-related sites on the tour, we got a good view of parts of Liverpool we would not have seen otherwise. Liverpool is a really cool city with loads of interesting architecture and cultural attractions. I hope to return at least one more time before moving back to the States. I still haven't been to the the Walker Art Gallery or the Anglican Cathedral.

JoAnn and I decided to have dinner at home rather than find a restaurant in Liverpool. We forgot how long it takes to get from Liverpool and Harrogate and weren't sitting in front of our soup and sandwiches until nearly 9 p.m.!