In late June some of my best good buddies from my old school in Bangkok paid my wife and I a visit in Aberdeen, Scotland. First we drove down to the hometown of one of them (Liverpool, England) and rendezvoused for a Beatles week-end and combined road trip back north.
Liverpool is famous for many things, but mostly it is known as the home of The Beatles. Yes, I have to admit it, we took the Magical Mystery Tour bus ride to the famous sights of Beattle lore. Number 12 here is George Harrison's childhood home. His family were rather poor. The bus tour was excellent. The guide provided great commentary throughout. Highly recommended.
No Beatles pilgrimage to Liverpool would be complete without a visit to The Cavern Club . . . the music venue where The Beatles really got their first break as the house band. It is very touristy now, and the location is under some dispute, but I was impressed. I bought a mug and t-shirt around the corner (cheaper!).
My Liverpool friend (cranium foreground) is a HUGE Liverpool Football Club fan, as am I . . . so we took an Anfield tour as a part of our double pilgrimage (Beatles and LFC). He had never been in the team rooms before, and so was moved to near tears at the experience. Liverpool players touch this door sill as they enter the playing field, er, pitch . . . I think.
Anfield drips with history.
There was much to see in Liverpool. I loved this stenciled graffiti.
Having a friend in Liverpool is a plus: he knew of the outdoor African Music Festival. We spent a wonderful day with the festival-goers sitting on the park lawn and dancing about. This group was from The Congo (DRC), where I spent 10 years of my life. I pushed myself to the front of the crowd and yelled, "Mbote, O'zali Malamu?" I got a big thumbs up from the singer. Made my day.
I loved the name of this tattoo shop in Liverpool.
We stayed in a hotel near the Mercy River and the canal boat basin. The hotel was developed from abandoned 18th century warehouses.
A highlight of the Liverpool visit was the Liverpool Cathedral.
The Liverpool Cathedral is a magnificent structure, of course . . . but on this day the light was magical!!
The stained glass windows on the sunny side pf the cathedral caste a light show of color upon the interior.
Amazing light . . .from above.
We managed to fit in a cut-throat game of Crown Green Bowls or two before leaving Liverpool and the long drive back to Aberdeen.
We provided the usual tour of castles and gardens . . . and rural charm (seen in great detail in may entries to this photo blog). I never tire of giving tours of our beautiful Aberdeenshire. Here, on top of Dunnottar Castle in all its summer glory.
A view from one of Dunnottar Castle's windows over the North Sea.
At Crathes Castle I couldn't help taking many flower photos of the extensive gardens.
Castle residents throughout the UK loved to bring plant species from all over the world into their gardens and green houses.
The variety of flowers in the castle gardens is overwhelming!
A castle greenhouse tropical plant.
I do not know what these are called . . . but I want a yard full of them. Amazing! We were sorry to see our friends leave, but I know we will reconnect one day, somewhere on this big old planet of ours.