The ship fought its way across the Irish Sea to our next stop, Liverpool. After breakfast, Gordon and I took a stroll through the port area. Liverpool got heavily bombed during WWII so there was lots of new construction. The cathedral bell tower survived but the main part of the church had to be rebuilt. They did a good job matching the two stone types together. There was a statue of the Beatles near the pier, so we had our pictures taken with it. The main attraction of Liverpool is the Beatles. We took our official Beatles tour that afternoon. We saw the houses where “the lads” grew up. Paul was reasonably well-to-do but Ringo was low-income. Actually, the whole city suffered through the 50s. It had to be rebuilt, and jobs were scarce. Ringo spent two years in the hospital; he’d contracted TB. That’s where he learned to play the drums, so it wasn’t a waste of time. We saw a re-creation of the Cavern where they played (the Cavern is still there but it’s closed during the day). We saw Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane, and other sites mentioned in Beatles tunes. A Rolls Royce painted like the Yellow Submarine duplicated our tour for some rich folks. I got a kick out of that. We finished off at the Beatles museum which covers the history of the group. It included what happened to each member after they broke up. We got a comprehensive Beatles education which is the main thing to do in Liverpool. The city holds a special place in ‘the lads’ hearts of course. The remaining Beatles still do a lot of charitable work there. And the city looks clean and prosperous to me.
Our next stop was Holyhead, Wales. Gordon and I opted for a tour of the castle and surrounding walled town. The steps in the towers were curved, uneven, and tiny. I hung on to the handrails so I wouldn’t break an ankle. Gordon had it even worse; his feet are bigger than mine. But we managed not to hurt ourselves. I enjoyed the film of the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales. The crown they used had been taken by Edward III and Wallace Simpson. The family didn’t get it back until Wallace died, just before the ceremony. The huge orb on the top of the crown (don’t know if it was a gold blob or a jewel) was missing. And, of course, the two runaways were dead; couldn’t ask them where it was. What to do, what to do. Time was running out. So they got a ping pong ball and gilded it. It fit perfectly. And it’s still there.
Billy and Dawn took a train tour of Wales. We saw the train; it was adorable. I think Gordon was a little envious but as I said before, you can’t do everything.
We were supposed to cross the Irish Sea to anchor at Dublin, but the seas were so rough they had to scratch that tour. I wasn’t too disappointed; Gordon and I had covered Dublin pretty thoroughly a few years ago but I know Billy and Dawn were disappointed. We suggested that they take the type of driving tour we’d taken. They could cover the island better that way.
Anyway, we had a day of sailing which I appreciated. I was approaching that point in the cruise that I was referring to the tours as death marches. I took the day off to read, listen to lectures, and basically rest up.
We were taken to Portsmouth as a stand-in for Dublin. It’s a busy port and one of the naval centers but, for the life of me, all I remember were the military ships. Oh! And we saw the back of Charles Dickens’ house. The city had taken a lot of abuse during WWII but that’s basically all I remember. It’s a new, prosperous city. Good for them It was time to eat and rest up again. The food was very good, but I was so sick of big meals I just started having an oatmeal raisin cookie and milk for lunch. Kept from gaining too much weight.
Gordon standing on the ramparts of the Welsh castle built by Edward II
Gordon with the Beatles at Liverpool