13 September - Mersey, Mersey

Our flat has a little balcony from which you can see mostly roofs and tall apartment buildings but there’s a break between buildings, and in that break you can see the Royal Albert Dock. It’s a very popular tourist area but was once the hub of commerce in Liverpool. Located on the river Mersey which flows into the Irish Sea, which in turn leads to the Atlantic, the Royal Albert Dock opened in 1846 and was the first structure in Britain to be built from cast iron, brick and stone, with no structural wood. This was hugely important because before that warehouse fires were commonplace. At the time of its construction it was considered revolutionary because ships could be unloaded directly into the warehouses. A couple of years after its construction, it evolved again, adding hydraulic cranes. It dominated global trade in the 19th century, but within 50 years, it became obsolete because of changes in shipping technology which required larger and more open docks. During WWII it served as a base for the British Atlantic Fleet. It was heavily damaged by the Germans, especially during the May Blitz of 1941. In the aftermath of the war financial problems of the owners and the decline of city docking took their toll, its fortunes declined and it finally closed in 1972.

It lay derelict for around 10 years, but was revitalized and reopened in 1984 as a major tourist attraction, holding the Merseyside Maritime Museum, the Tate Liverpool, The Beatles Story Museum, The Liverpool Museum and many shops and restaurants.

The waterfront area is also home to the Merseyside Ferries, made famous by Gerry and Pacemakers in the 1960s (“Ferry Cross the Mersey”)

From the far right of our balcony, you just catch a glimpse of the Liver birds on the Liver building. The Liver bird is a mythical creature which is the symbol of the city.

I thought it would be nice to have coffee on the balcony, but since it was 56 degrees when we woke up, and I’m not a terribly hearty soul, I mostly sat by the glass doors and watched the Magpies playing on the roof next door. Poor Sir Bruce the Wobbly was feeling a little better, but not ready for prime time, as they say, so after breakfast, I went out to seek wifi. The only drawback to this flat is that it has no wifi, which, since I’m trying to stay caught up with this blog is a bit on an inconvenience. I walked to Liverpool 1, a giant shopping area, and found a Starbucks with wifi. (Ironic, no?) I’m not a techie, but I’d have to guess this was just about the slowest connection I’ve had since the 90s. It was taking an average of 2 minutes to upload each photo, but I kept repeating “First world problems, first world problems.” Having finished that, I went on my next quest. I’m not a big shopper, but I really wanted to find a new pair of sneakers (kicks? athletic shoes? What do call them now?) My bad feet make it difficult to find shoes and today was no different. From store to store to store to store, suddenly half the day was gone and with so few days here, I gave up, dropped the laptop back at the flat and headed to the Museum of Liverpool. My first visit there was in 2019, where I saw a fascinating exhibit about John and Yoko. I’d never been much of a Yoko fan, but this was a really in-depth look at their relationship over the years and I came away with a new perspective. I guess it’s here that I confess to being a lifelong Beatles fan. They came crashing into the world’s consciousness when I was a child. I was hooked from the first “Yeah, yeah, yeah” and remain a fan today.

Anyway, last year at the Museum of Liverpool, I visited again and was really impressed with the way the museum presented the life of the city, from its shipping days, through its economic troubles, its importance during WWII, its significance in pop culture. One marvelous exhibit looked at Liverpool from the perspective of the people who live here. There were so many well-produced videos and interactive bits that I think I stayed half a day. That’s what made this visit so disappointing. Most of the videos either had no sound or just audio and no picture. One wing was completely empty and what was advertised as an exhibition of iconic photos was tucked away on the top floor and not terribly well presented. Oh, and the air conditioning wasn't functioning properly, so the higher the floor, the higher the temperature. Sad to see it has deteriorated so. I do hope they restore it to its former glory.

One quirky little thing about the museum is that hosts a collection of Superlambananas, statues originally designed by Japanese artist Taro Chiezo. The design, which is half banana and half llama was a comment by the artist about genetic engineering.

Back home to the wobbly one. We had a reservation at Mowgli, an Indian restaurant we love. It has become so successful, that there are now Mowglis in several cities. Last year we visited the one in Leicester and were given a Mowgli passport. It’s a great marketing tool where you get your passport stamped for every visit to a different Mowgli and after 5 stamps you get a discount on your meal. I think Bruce has taken this on as a personal crusade, because we’re visiting Mowgli in every city we visit. I wondered if he would be able to make the walk across town, but he was determined, and we walked slowly.

We stopped at the Alchemist, a much-hyped bar that advertises magic and theatre in cocktail form. Their concoctions are very theatrical, featuring sparks, and smoke and lots of visual spectacle.

What it doesn’t offer, however, is an enjoyable cocktail. Overly sweet and rather cloying, we at least appreciated the opportunity to sit for a bit before Sir Wobbly and I made our way to the restaurant. It was, as always, a great meal. The cuisine is based, primarily, on Indian street food. My favorite dish, and what I order almost every time, is the Ruby Wrap, chargrilled paneer cheese on a roti wrap with mint and spinach, pomegranate seeds and several chutneys. The dishes are quite small, so we also ordered Aunty Geeta’s Prawn Curry, Calcutta Tangled Greens and, for Bruce, a Monkey Wrap, which is the chicken-based version of the Ruby Wrap. So delicious and so inexpensive!

Halfway home, Sir Wobbly needed a sit, so (surprise, surprise) we found a little bar called Jennys Seafood Restaurant. It’s no longer a seafood restaurant. In fact, it serves no food at all. And this night it served no customers but the two of us. (Apparently the weekends are hopping.) Havina, the bar back, is from Wales and was such a delight and so welcoming. We had a wonderful conversation with Connor, the bartender, and he made me a cocktail that he had invented called The Garden Soiree, which I will definitely try to replicate when I get home.

The stained glass sign next to Connor is a remnant from the war, when this building held a surgery center where, I’m told, people could watch surgery being performed. Hmmm...

A bit more of a wobbly walk and we made it home.