Liverpool - Home of the Fab 4 & Departure Port of Many Ancestors

We left a piper in the rain in bonny Scotland (notice again the sewing machines in the window by the piper) and found our way easily to the Motorway heading south. The Motorway is akin to our freeways, always a minimum of 2 lanes divided, heading in each direction with a consistent speed of 70mph. At some points there were 4 lanes each way. The signage is good, similar to what we are used too. Most of the service stops have easy on & easy off ramps. I say most because we chose the first and apparently the only one in our 220 mile journey that took us miles into the rolling pastureland before we found the petrol station.

When we flew from London to Edinburgh I was surprised at how much farmland there is in this country of more than 62 million people. As in Scotland there are plenty of sheep and coos but not as much land devoted to barley. In England there seems to be more variety of crops. Again, I thought of BC and the Fraser Valley along #1 heading east. The only differences are that the land is more rolling, not as flat, and the farm plots are separated by hedgerows or stonewalls complete with stiles.

As we approached Gretna Green in Scotland I expected something significant to mark the border but only saw this small sign which my camera barely captured as we zoomed past.

We are staying at the Crowne Plaza in Liverpool, located right on the very busy harbour. It is a nice change from the B&Bs and the plumbing is modern!

This port has been functioning for centuries and continues to do so. The area is dotted with grand buildings once owned by shipping companies such as Cunard and White Star.

Within easy walking distance is the Liverpool Museum, brand new, modern architecture adjacent to the Maritime Museum built of brick in 1846, just when Queen Victoria was expanding the empire. Both museums are free to the public. We checked it put today and will explore further tomorrow.


The harbour represents a perfect juxtaposition of the historic with 21st century - a place that honours what has been and operates still as an efficient modern day port, supporting freighter traffic for the import and export of goods, celebrating tourism with ferries and cruise ships and providing recreational seagoing activities. There are tourists and business people milling about everywhere. I thought the photo below captured the combination of old and new architecture.

We watched the ferry system in action. The statuesque Cunard Building towers over ferry terminal for the Isle of Mann. The ticket both is the small hut in lower center of the photo. Better organized than our Blackball Terminal.

Across the water the Stena Line operates a ferry to Dublin. The bow of the Isle of Mann ferry is in the foreground.

There is an abundance of hotels in this part of the city and a huge shopping mall called Liverpool One. One could stay here for a week and not be able to take in all there is to see and do. There is a converted coast guard vessel, now a radio station blasting upbeat music from the harbour. Tours buses, school kids on field trips and camera toting tourists blend in with the busy business life that takes place in the nearby offices, shops and restaurants. Yes, we have discovered another vibrant city but I am struggling with language. We managed well catching the gist with the Scottish dialects but are not doing to well with Liverpoolian. As I rested on the huge anchor in front of the Maritime Museum I could not but wonder if this anchor secured a vessel of an ancestor who sought a better life in the New World.

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