A Quick Beatles Adventure in Liverpool

I was sitting in my hotel, planning out my next day in England's Peak District National Park, and it dawned on me that Liverpool was only a two-hour train ride away.  I started crunching the time numbers, and I realized that I could make a quick trip to Beatle "mecca" happen!

In a few past posts, I have made my Beatle admiration...no, strike that, complete adoration...pretty obvious.  I've talked about how meeting Paul McCartney randomly in St. Johns Woods one day made me cry in 2012.  I made it a priority to go see the Cirque du Soleil performance of "Love" when I was in Las Vegas.   When I was in London in January 2014, I did a self-guided walking tour of The Beatles' sites.  Finally, I told you about celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Beatle's first U.S. tour by seeing a cover band perform the actual set list from their February 1964 concert in Washington D.C. at the actual site - the former Coliseum.  What I have not told you about is how, when I spent a year abroad in England during college, the first weekend trip I took was a train to Liverpool, where I visited the Beatles Story museum and took a tour on the Magical Mystery Tour bus.  Well, guess what I did on this impromptu trip to Liverpool.....I visited the Beatles Story museum and took a tour on the Magical Mystery Tour bus!

Arriving early into Liverpool, I made my way directly to Albert Docks to go through the museum prior to my 10:30 boarding time for the bus.  It's not a huge museum, but I probably did not give it all the time it deserved.  Part of the admission included an audio guide, but I know a lot about the history of the group, so with time constraints, I skipped a lot of the guide stops and went more for viewing the artifacts (which are eye candy for me!).

All too soon, it was time to go to the Anchor Courtyard in Albert Docks to get in the bus queue.  I brought along my Lego doppelgänger to make the tour photos more fun.  I need to apologize in advance because most of the photos were, just for convenience, taken on my phone and, too often, taken out a bus window.  We only stopped to get off the bus four times on the two hour tour.

The first "drive by" stop was Richard "Ringo" Starkey's birthplace on July 7th, 1940 at 9 Madryn Street in the neighborhood of Dingle.  It was the 5th door down on the left in this horrible bus window photo! (My inner photographer is cringing.)

Later, the Starkeys moved to another house nearby at 10 Admiral Grove, the pink and white house in the photo below.

To get to the neighborhoods where George, John, and Paul lived, we first had to pass by Penny Lane in Allerton, then go through the actual roundabout made famous by the song.  From my side of the bus, I was able to get a shot of the "barber shop" where the barber is showing photographs and shaving another customer.  The roundabout also has a shelter in the middle and a bank on the corner. Conveniently, we had blue suburban skies for the tour!  (This is a lucky feat indeed, considering normal English weather.)

Next stop, we actually had to get out of the bus to make our way down a small street in Wavertree to get to 12 Arnold Grove, birthplace of George Harrison on February 25, 1942.

Another drive by was done past the childhood house of Brian Epstein, manager of The Beatles until his death.  His family owned the North End Music Stores (NEMS) record store in Liverpool on Whitechapel Street, near Matthew Street where The Beatles performed and near Hessy's where several members of the band purchased their instruments on payment plans.  Brian Epstein first heard of this wild rock and roll band when fans kept coming into his store to get a copy of "My Bonnie," a single the band recorded in Germany with Tony Sheridan that The Beatles were giving out to local concert producers and radio stations.  Based on the number of requests, Brian knew something big was going to happen, and he had to meet this band.  

Heading to the neighborhood of Woolton next, we drove past St. Peter's Parish Church.  On a summer day - July 6, 1957 - John Lennon was leading his band, The Quarrymen, in a set of skiffle music at the outdoor church fete.  Paul McCartney was in the crowd on the invitation of Ivan Vaughn, a fellow schoolmate of Paul and boyhood friend of John, who also played bass for The Quarrymen.  Paul officially met John later at the church hall where the band was playing again at the dance that night. Paul impressed John by playing Eddie Cochrane's "Twenty Flight Rock" and Gene Vincent's "Be-Bop-a-Lula."  Two weeks later, Paul was invited to join the group, and the greatest songwriting duo was formed.  Another notable aspect of this church:  in the grave is a marker with the name Eleanor Rigby.

Also in Woolton, on Beaconfield Road, is the site of an old Salvation Army childrens' home - Strawberry Fields.  John Lennon used to play in the gardens of Strawberry Fields as a kid during garden festivals.

Speaking of John Lennon, we did a drive by of "Mendips," 251 Menlove Avenue, where John lived with his Aunt Mimi from 1945-1963.  John's bedroom window is the left one on the 2nd floor.  This home was an unofficial practice place for The Quarrymen and, later, The Beatles.  Aunt Mimi made the boys play on the porch, though.

John Lennon's boyhood home and Paul McCartney's boyhood home are both owned by the National Trust, and you can book a separate tour to see the interiors.  Paul's house at 20 Forthlin Road was where he lived from 1955-1963.  Because they didn't have the Mendips noise restrictions at Paul's house, this was the site (in the front room) where Paul and John wrote over 100 songs, including some of their most popular songs off the first Beatles albums...."Love Me Do," "I Saw Her Standing There," etc.

Heading back into the city, the tour passed by the Liverpool College of Art (Hope Street) where John attended with Stuart Sutcliffe (original Beatle who left the band during their early stint in Hamburg) and where John met his future wife, Cynthia.  Just around the corner was the Liverpool Institute (Mount Street) where both Paul and George attended.  The Institute was closed in 1985, then reopened in 1996 as the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts under the patronage of Paul McCartney.

The final stop on the tour, and the drop off point, was Matthew Street in downtown Liverpool.  This street is a major part of Beatles lore.  It is the site of the popular Cavern Club (10 Matthew Street) where The Beatles played 292 times from February 1961 through August 1963.  The Cavern Club also hosted many other big names in music, including Eric Clapton, The Who, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Queen, and Elton John to name a few.  Memorials to the former "hat check" girl, Cilla Black, were everywhere on the street and in the club.  Cilla Black just passed away earlier this month on August 1.

Today, you can still catch live music at The Cavern Club throughout the day.  The interior has been refurbished to its 1960s appearance after a period when the whole interior of this basement club was destroyed after the building above it was demolished.  In the 1980s, the debris was cleared out and original bricks were used to repair the damage and bring it back to its arched design.

One other Beatles stop on Matthew Street is The Grapes pub, where the band would go after their set to drink since The Cavern Club did not have a liquor license.

Other notable Liverpool Beatles places not pictured here because either they no longer exist, the bus tour didn't cover it, or it was on the right side of the bus!  Darn you left side only photos!

• Liverpool Empire Theater on Lime Street - The Quarrymen auditioned in 1957 for the "Mr. Star Maker" television talent show.  They also played here several times, including their last European live concert.  (Their final live show was at Candlestick Park in San Francisco before they retired to focus only on studio music.)
• Lime Street - Mentioned in the song, "Maggie Mae," on the Let It Be album.
• The Jacaranda Club at 23 Slater Street - this club is still open and still has the mural painted by John and Stuart.  It was owned by The Beatles' first manager.  The band also played there in their early years, prior to their record deal with EMI.
• Mount Pleasant Registry Office at 64 Mount Street - This is where John wed Cynthia in 1962 after Cynthia had the news she was pregnant with their son, Julian Lennon.
• Oxford Street Maternity Hospital - John was born in this former hospital.
• 3 Gambier Terrace - John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe's apartment during Art College.
• 9 Newcastle Road - John Lennon lived in this house with his mom, Julia, and grandparents before it was determined he would be better living with his Aunt Mimi.  
• Quarrybank School on Harthill Road - John Lennon's school where he founded The Quarrymen.
• The Casbah at 8 Haymen's Green in West Derby - This was a club owned by Pete Best's family. The Quarrymen played opening night in 1959, then continued to play regularly until it closed in 1962.  The Beatles helped to popularize the club, and even contributed to the paintings on the wall.  Pete Best played with the band through their tour in Hamburg until he was removed as The Beatles' drummer - conveniently two months after his family's club closed in 1962 - when EMI producer, George Martin, suggested using a session drummer which escalated to Brian Epstein dismissing Best for, still, unspecific reasons.  The Casbah has reopened for tourists.

While on the bus, I kept marveling about the huge influence of The Beatles.  The only other musical act that I could think of with the same draw, longevity, etc. is Elvis.  Besides those two acts, there is no one else that compels people to travel from around the world just to visit the town that started it all.  It absolutely goes to show the great depth and breadth of their appeal.  And it makes me wonder if there are any current artists that come close or will ever come close; the answer is a big, fat, bold-face and underlined: NO!! It will always be a mystery the exact combination of who they were, what they did, when they did it, etc. that produced this magical result.  A continue to be in awe and in adoration!

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Peak District Pemberley

The Peak District is a National Park smack dab in the middle of England.  It's known for its bucolic walks and estates from the past, popular amongst local and international travelers alike.  Of course, to any fan of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, it's more notable for its two fictional "Pemberley" estates, home of the difficult, yet romantic - Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy.  Traveling in the region without a car, as I did, is challenging.  I equate it to visiting the Loire Valley chateaux in France.  If you are relying on buses and trains, you're going to be limited in the number of sites you can see.  Picking my Peak District points of interest was easy, though:  Chatsworth House (used for Pemberley in the Keira Knightly film version of Austen's book) and Lyme Park (used for Colin Firth's Pemberley in the BBC TV series).  

The first thing I had to do was decide on my home base.  Either I was going to stay on the west side or the east side of the National Park. This meant, in my view, either Manchester (west) or Sheffield (east). Because it was more convenient as a departure point for my next stop in my travel plans, I went with Sheffield.

Lyme Park 

With that in mind, Lyme Park requires two train rides and a half mile walk to reach the main gates. From Sheffield, I took a train to Stockport, then changed trains to go the 17 minutes down to Disley. Disley is a small rail station, but the signage is good and points you down the road to the estate.  When you get to the main gate, you will have the option to walk the 1 mile, slightly uphill road to the house and garden, or speak with the agent at the gate to have the minibus called for a free pickup.

The house is not open all days, which was the case on the date I went.  I wasn't disappointed, though, because sometimes the houses are less impressive than you imagine they should be, as implied by the grandeur of the exterior and the gardens.  Besides, there's really only one "must get" photo, and that's the pond reflecting the house.  I did learn that the pond into which Colin Firth's stunt dove was not this pond, since it is only about 2 feet deep.  That scene was filmed at a much smaller, but deeper, pond on the property.  Actually, if you watch the footage, Darcy does have to walk a bit before reaching the estate, and you can see the house and water in front of him.

At the time of my visit, there was also an exhibition of the illustrator Axel Scheffler, whose Gruffalo is chronicled in Julia Donaldson's children book series.  Some of his drawings were on display in a back room of the Orangery, and other childrens activities related to the Gruffalo were placed around the garden grounds.

Chatsworth House

Because of the three hour round trip timing for Lyme Park and the train tables, it really restricted seeing anything else on the west side of the park.  So, on the second day in the area, again based out of Sheffield, I headed to the Sheffield Interchange bus station to catch the #218 bus.  Outbound, this bus leaves every 30 minutes toward Bakewell.  The stop for Chatsworth House is, conveniently, right next to the house.  Perhaps because the house was open for tours, it seemed a lot more crowded than Lyme Park.

With such a congested experience inside and the allowance for personal photography everywhere, it was a shuffle to get from room to room, though the detail work on everything was inconceivable and worth it!  The wood trim was hand carved into animals, the ceilings and walls were often completely painted scenes with no inch untouched.  The only thing that surprised me was the display of modern artwork and furniture intermingled with the period furniture.  It was, in my opinion, very distracting. Then again, in general I am not a fan of modern design.

This house, as I mentioned before, was used in the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice.  This was Matthew Macfadyen's Pemberley.  It was also used in the 2013 TV mini-series, Death Comes to Pemberley.

The estate appears to be appealing for both travelers and picnicking locals with their families, with plenty of hills for kids to roll down in play.  Around the estate, don't be surprised to find flocks of animals, including deer, cows, and sheep.  Returning to Sheffield on the #218 is easy, yet note that the bus only stops every hour for the trip back into town.

Out of curiosity, I just did a quick search for an all-encompassing Peak District bus tour right now, and I came up with only a handful of partial solutions for the tricky transportation problem.  Of course, a car is the simple answer; however, for those of us not used to driving on the left side of the road, sometimes the smaller lanes can be intimidating and the sensation of driving unfamiliar/ uncomfortable.  Just something to keep under consideration.

And now, I leave you with this classic Darcy quote:

"In vain have I struggled.  It will not do.  My feelings will not be repressed.  You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you,"

Swoon!

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Downton Abbey's Highclere Castle

Have you ever watched a television show and fallen in love with its filming locations?  I have!  I am a fan of Downton Abbey, so while in the U.K. on vacation, I made sure to do a day trip from London to Highclere Castle - home of the actual 8th Earl Carnarvon and the fictional Earl of Grantham on Downton Abbey.  Grounds and most upstairs interior scenes are filmed on site.

If you are likeminded and interested in visiting the estate, the first thing you must do is check the website to see when tickets will be going on sale.  There are specific opening times throughout the year, typically in the spring and summer.  Tickets may go on sale up to 5 months in advance, so be prepared.  If you want to press your luck, there are a limited quantity of day of tickets available for sale.  Obviously, for the day of tickets, you have a better chance of getting in if you arrive early and come on a weekday.

Getting to the estate is neither easy nor cheap.  If you are staying in London, you can either choose the train or the National Express bus.  Of course, this assumes that you won't have a car in London (because that's a terrible idea, in my opinion).  The most convenient transportation is the train.  Leaving from Paddington Station, you can take a First Great Western train to Newbury.  There are nonstop trains that should take approximately 50 minutes and cost a minimum of £50, depending on advance fare and return fare discounts.  At the train station in Newbury, you will have to go to the taxi queue to get a cab.  My suggestion is to ask around and see if anyone else in the queue is going to Highclere because the taxi will cost you anywhere from £16-20 each way.  When you get to the estate, talk to your taxi driver about either coming back at an established time or getting a card and phoning your return request.  Another completely separate option to consider is to look for organized bus tours out of London stopping at Highclere, though make sure that you are getting admission tickets included in your tour price because you may be surprised to learn that your access will be for the grounds only.

When you purchase your admission ticket, you will have to select the morning entry or the afternoon entry to the house.  Personally, I always want the morning time.  The grounds open before the house, so you can get there and roam about before any busloads of people arrive.  Entry can also be purchased to include the basement exhibition of the 5th Earl of Carnarvon's archaeological digs in Egypt, including real artifacts collected in the Vally of the Kings and replicas of the items he found when he discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamen.  The house tour is of the first two floors, with many rooms that are recognizable from the Downton Abbey series, including the dining room, the entry atrium, the library, Lady Grantham's bedroom, Lady Sybil's bedroom, and the bedroom where Kemal Pamuk...well if you know the series, you know what happened to him.  The architecture was designed by Charles Barry, who is more famous for his design of the Houses of Parliament in London.

I was actually surprised by the state of some of the rooms, as the upholstery and bedding looked really shabby - faded and/or in need of replacement.  If I were staying there, the room would get a two-star bed and breakfast rating.  I understand why the antique furniture would not be restored because of the expense, but the bedding is an easy fix and the chairs that have not seen new fabric since the 1980s, send those out to be recovered or at least trim the loose threads hanging from the bottom of the couch!  It seems clear that the Countess spends more energy on the upkeep of the first floor rooms than the upstairs apartments.  I also found some of the decor to be confusing - side tables cluttered with piles of recent hardback books that made no sense and abstract presentations of photos in mat-less frames that clashed with all of the other traditional artwork and sketches.  If you can't tell, I was pretty underwhelmed by the clearly neglected bedroom floor.  Downstairs was much better.

If you're hungry, there is a tea room to get a bite to eat before making your journey back to London (there's a food option at the train station too). Sadly, there's not much else to keep you in Newbury. Hopefully you are more lucky than me and have better weather so that you can enjoy a longer walk around the extensive estate grounds.

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Summer Drinks: Recreating Sonic's Cherry Limeade

I am a sucker for Sonic Drive-In's Cherry Limeade.  Even when I am not thirsty, if I see a Sonic down the road, there is an irrational pull that lures me there.  Perhaps it is because I think of the drink as a novelty because there are no convenient Sonics in the DMV (that's DC-Maryland-Virginia metro region for you non DC-ers), so I feel the compulsion to satiate my craving whenever I can.  Good news, now I can simulate a Cherry Limeade at home whenever I "need" one, and the next time I see a Sonic perhaps I will just drive on by. Who knows?

Sonic Cherry Limeade

Ingredients 

• Ice
• 10-12 oz. Lemon-Lime Soda (Sprite, 7-Up, etc), so this is either half of a 20oz bottle or a whole can.
• Cherry Juice (This is a tricky ingredient.  I found a tart cherry concentrate near the cocktail mixer section in the grocery aisle, or there is a Juicy Juice option as well)
• 1/2 lime
• Optional: Maraschino cherry for garnish

1. Fill a large (16 oz) cup 2/3 full of ice.  Confession: I LOVE SONIC ICE!  Which, if you are not familiar, are the small round ice pellets that look like hail.  I wanted an authentic experience, so I went to the local Jimmy Johns that has this ice in their soda machine and bought a drink, but left with just the ice!  I know, so economical.
2. Pour the lemon-lime soda into the cup, leaving room at the top.
3. Squeeze the half lime on the soda, then drop the lime half into the cup (for authenticity).
4. Add the cherry juice.  The amount will depend on what you found in your grocery store.  If it was cherry juice concentrate (what I had), use 2 tsp.  If it is bottled juice (Juicy Juice), then use 3 Tbsp.
5. Stir with a straw and enjoy!

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Cannoli Dip

Ladies and gentlemen, I think I have finally found the way to your hearts...and stomachs!  The only reason I can think of why you would not love this recipe is if you hate chocolate or are cheese intolerant.  Otherwise, I strongly urge you to make this cannoli dip!  Here's the best part:  you can freeze it!  Or put it in the refrigerator until the next day to keep the sweet deliciousness going for two days in a row!  Here's another great thing: it requires no baking.  If you are a cook that cringes at the thought of baking, well if you can throw a bunch of ingredients into a bowl and use an electric mixer to beat it, then you can do this.  Oh, and this is perfect to bring to a party!

Cannoli Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup marscapone cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 oz. (half bag) mini chocolate chips

1. Throw everything into a bowl except the chocolate chips.
2. Using a hand held electric mixer or stand mixer, whip the ingredients together until it starts to get to a stiff peak stage.  For those not familiar with the term, turn off the mixer, then dip a spatula in the mixture and pull it straight out, vertically.  If the peak of the mixture holds its shape, you're done.
3. Pour the chocolate chips on top of the mixture, then with a spatula, gently fold the chips in.
4. Refrigerate until serving.  
5. Serve with a variety of cookies:  short bread, graham crackers, waffle cone chips, chocolate wafers, etc.  If it's just you eating it, spoons and fingers also work!

Tip:  if the ricotta you purchased has a lot of water in the package, then place it in a mesh strainer or cheese cloth over a bowl in the refrigerator overnight.  I actually used fat free ricotta in my batch, attempting to be a little "healthier," so it wasn't too runny for me.  

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