A VISIT TO LIVERPOOL

TITANIC HOTEL 

Although we love to travel to warmer climes, it is always wonderful to spend some time in our own amazing country.  Both of us have previously been to Liverpool many times on business during our working lives, but we decided to take the opportunity to visit as a tourist this summer - and had a fabulous time! There is so much to do and to see, that we only scratched the surface in two days.

First of all, our fabulous hotel, the Titanic was just amazing!  We would certainly recommend anyone to stay there - it is just so atmospheric.  A former rum warehouse, it was lovely and cool on a very hot day.

The good news for us that even though all the rooms are spacious, we were upgraded to a larger room with oodles of space.

The hotel itself - built in 1855 - is red brick and stands in Stanley Dock, next-door to the magnificent Tobacco warehouse, which is currently being renovated into desirable residential lofts and flats.

The ceilings in the bedrooms are beautifully arched - an architectural feature of many buildings of that era, since it allows for the even distribution of weight.  However, Anne C. got the shock of her life as a small chunk of masonry fell from the ceiling in the middle of the night - something that the hotel warns about, since this is an historic building!

The rest of this fabulous building has everything a modern hotel needs - an enormous bathroom with power shower, twin sinks and a huge tub! There's free wifi, and modern and comfy furnishings, including a fabulous window seat overlooking the dock, which was perfect for sitting in to read.

We ate both lunch and dinner in Stanley's Bar and Grill and the staff were wonderfully friendly and helpful.  We would definitely go back there again, if only to try the pool and spa which we never managed to get to! 

To note that the hotel is not right in the centre - it takes around 15-20 minutes to walk to Pier Head from The Titanic.

Although The Titanic never visited Liverpool, it was registered in the city, the White Star Line had its head office there, and its New York service sailed from the city until transferring to Southampton in 1907, five years before the tragic sinking.

LIVERPOOL LANDMARKS 

A visit to Liverpool would not be complete without a walk along the Mersey River, past the iconic Liver Building. Built in 1911 by the Royal Liver Assurance company, it is now home to a number of businesses.

The "Liver Birds" which stand atop the two clock towers are in fact condors, with one facing the city to protect its citizens, while the other faces out to see to welcome incoming sailors.  However popular myth has interpreted that quite differently - the male bird looks to the city to see if the pubs are open while the female watches out for handsome sailors!  Legend dictates that if the birds were to fly away, the city would cease to exist!

The city itself has a sea-faring history, with much of the fabulous buildings being built in the Victorian era, when the bustling port brought wealth to the city with its fabulous array of goods from across the seas.

Popular culture also grew from the sailors who came into the port looking for a good time to relax and enjoy themselves after weeks at sea - they wanted a drink, some great music, and probably a pretty girl on their arm!

The Albert Dock area is a testament to the history of Liverpool, with the old buildings restored to their former glory, housing the Maritime Museum, the PierMaster's House, and further along, the modern Museum of Liverpool and The Beatles Story.

Liverpool is also home to some of the cruise liners - so if you ever book your cruise from the city - take a couple of days there to enjoy it before you embark!

THE BEATLES 

Of course we couldn't go to Liverpool without mentioning the FAB Four, so a visit to the Cavern Club where it all started was in order! The original entrance has moved a few yards along the street, but the club itself is still a bar, featuring live bands and a very lively atmosphere.

TERRACOTTA WARRIORS

This was one of our primary reasons for visiting Liverpool - to see the iconic Terracotta Warriors, on loan from China until 28th October.  These are the terracotta figures which date from 210 years BC, and were buried by the First Emperor of a unified China Qin Shi Huang.

If anything we were slightly disappointed - not because they weren't amazing since they had been buried undisturbed for centuries, but because the Museum was so busy we couldn't get close to the exhibits - and there were very few actual warriors, though there were plenty of artifacts taken from the same burial grounds as the warriors.

Interestingly no two warriors are the same - they have been painstakingly portrayed as a cross section of the population at the time - from peasant-like warriors to noblemen and soldiers.  And although the first figures were not discovered until 1974 by farmers digging a well, there are reputed to be several thousand more still undiscovered.

Our advice would be to go very early or very late to see them at their best. There are also hundreds of banners and information about the Chinese dynasties that it became mind-boggling to try and read everything while being jostled by the crowds. It was absolutely worth seeing - but avoid busy periods!

Of course we only saw a fraction of what this fabulous city has to offer in the couple of days we spent there - there are river cruises (we took the Ferry across the Mersey of course but didn't get off, so we missed the full size UBoat Exhibition in Birkenhead).  There's also the Tate Gallery at Albert Dock, Spaceport at Seacombe Ferry Terminal on the Wirral, a hop-on hop-off bus tour around the city, two stunning cathedrals, and even the Mersey Tunnel Tours, which takes you beneath the city.

However, we did manage a quick coffee in the city centre at the fabulous Liverpool One shopping centre, home to most of the UK high street shops!

There are still lots of summer activities planned for the city - there's plenty happening at the Pier Head until 9th September.  This Bank Holiday weekend sees the Creamfields Festival at Daresbury until the 26th August, the Fusion Festival on 1st and 2nd September features David Guetta, Jess Glynne, Clean Bandit and Sigala to name a few, Liverpool Comedy Festival from 14-30th September and Liverpool Food and Drink Festival at Sefton Park on the 15/16th September.

Have a great visit!