Tag Archives: pubs

Thursday, June 11

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Sleep was much better … whew! I’m still coughing a bit (and seem to have pulled something from that wonderful hacking), but at least I slept lots more. I’m grateful!

I woke up before Dan, so I did things I do each morning (I haven’t mentioned that I do check Quicken every day just to see how horribly high our credit card bill will be. Thankfully I did plan for that, but it still makes me gasp a bit. The UK isn’t at all like Spain or Portugal — it’s quite a bit more costly.). Once Dan woke I could make myself a cup of coffee.

This is our last full day here and then we move on. As the trip winds down I think our energy is winding down as well. This seems to happen on any trip, no matter the length, although usually it’s about three or four days before our flight home. Maybe my cold isn’t helping, but honestly I think it’s more of a psychological thing.

A little side note about our room: this is the first place we’ve been where the thermostat seems to actually work. Up until now we’ve always had to open windows at night because, despite the cold and rain, our rooms were too warm for sleep. It’s a very new hotel (which is also probably why it was much more affordable). This is news you can use. Well … if you ever come to Liverpool, that is. We are staying at The Resident Liverpool.

Since we were in no hurry to go out in the pouring rain I took a laundry shower. We then prepared to head out.

Except.

I had forgotten to turn the switch on to charge my phone. Oops. Each outlet has a switch so the outlet is only on if you flip the switch. Before we headed out yesterday I switched them all off, attempting to be a good citizen and all. Heh. Kind of backfired on me. So never mind getting out quite yet. (But really, the rain … it’s not all that encouraging for an excursion in any case.)

Okay … a 70% charge will do, so off we went. At around 11:30 we went to the main drag where restaurants can be found since brunch seemed like a good idea (hooray … a two meal day!). We went into a spot that looked nice and we both ordered our coffees and the “croissant royale” plate (like eggs royale but using a croissant and I believe there was added smashed avocado. It was yummy. No, I couldn’t finish. Yes, I forgot to take a photo, but at least I took one of the restaurant.

Then it was time to go to see St. Luke’s Church. In 1941, due to incendiary bombs, it was pretty much destroyed, but the stone walls remained. They’ve fixed some things up (for safety) and it is now, believe it or not, used for music festivals and weddings sometimes. Certainly not today, though: the rain was coming down. It is moving to see things like this since we in America are usually so removed from the effects of war.

The last photo might remind some of the opera “Silent Night”, when the killing was halted and the men played a game on, I believe, Christmas Eve. I still scratch my head over all that was going on and then a game, only to be followed by more killing.

Then we walked to the Liverpool Cathedral. The cornerstone was laid in 1904 and finished in 1978. Obviously a much newer structure. It’s huge — the largest cathedral in Britain. We wandered for a good amount of time, and there were moments when a volunteer came up to chat. And chat. They seem to be drawn to Dan! I believe the last person to talk to us was actually an Anglican priest (are they called priests?). Everyone there clearly is quite friendly. And yes, one of the photos below shows the floor having been lifted — similar to our pit going up and down), so they could pull some folding tables out. Prior to them doing that I had no idea that that section of the floor would rise.

At that point we thought we’d head back to the hotel: Dan could transfer some photos from camera to iPad, and I could do some of this blog. The weather just seemed to encourage us to take it easy — but of course photos were taken on the way.

Reaching our hotel we went to our room. My eyes were tired so I figured maybe a rest was in order. It helped that Dan encouraged me. As he said, I had been dealing with this bug. So yes, I took a little nap.

The rain had stopped, so we thought to head out on a bit of a walk before the hotel drinks hour and dinner, so off we went. First we went toward the train station to see if the walk was doable. (Better to walk that have a grumpy taxi driver, after all!) The train station was, in fact, quite easy to reach (.4 miles with no stairs) and I realized we actually should have walked to our hotel when we arrived. I think I was mixing this place up with somewhere else when I thought we needed a taxi. After getting to the station we walked through a park that was full of memorials from various wars.

So much killing. Sigh. When will we ever learn …?

Back to our hotel we went, to enjoy our little happy hour bit. Again prosecco for me and white wine for Dan, and crisps for both of us. Hard to turn down the free stuff, after all!

We had decided to eat at St. Peter’s Tavern. It was formerly a church (St. Peter’s … duh!) but had been a variety of things since that closed down. Now it’s most recently a tavern and I must admit it’s rather odd to see a church turned into a tavern. As we sat there having our chicken pot pies (nice and small … perfect for me!) and beers we also could watch the tv. On it were commentators who were talking about FIFA. Not that the sound was on, but you could tell they were in New York and it was obvious that’s what they were talking about. It was funny to think that we were sitting in a place in Liverpool, watching men in New York talking about the games, and then the opening ceremonies in Mexico began. Our world is so small in some ways.

We went back to the hotel, but before getting into the elevator I took a video of something that is continually playing right across from the elevator doors. I hope to get another with someone swimming tomorrow if possible. It must be a very long video (an art project, I’m sure).

Back in our room I made myself some lemon ginger tea. I think it’s helpful for my cough. I also pulled out the remainder of my cookie stash that I’d taken from other hotels we’ve stayed in and I shared with Dan. Because I’m such a giver that way. He very graciously accepted some. He’s such a taker that way. HAH!

We don’t have to pack tonight, as we have a later checkout time tomorrow: I had become a member of this hotel chain and that allows for 1 more hour here. I highly recommend readers to always check to see if the free membership gives you that perk.

I’ve enjoyed Liverpool, but I’m not sure I’d feel a need to return. I suspect if I were a true Beatles fan I’d have visited all the places the die-hard fans visit, but while I enjoy the Beatles they aren’t the end-all for me, and we didn’t even attempt to visit the first place they played or do the Beatles tour. Just not our cuppa, I guess.

So far, in fact, Dan and I both agreed that the Scottish highlands would call to us more than any other place. We’ve loved visiting all the villages and cities, but the highlands are awfully special. The other highlight of the trip was being with Greg and Jan. I would happily do another walk with them if they were ever up for it!

Now I’d better post this entry before I ramble on and on.

And on.

G’night!

11,200 steps, 4.37 miles, 2 flights climbed

Monday, June 8

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After a somewhat restless sleep due to my sore throat, I very lazily got moving. Dan was reading, so I dozed on and off and we didn’t actually leave the room until after 9:00. By that time my throat felt so much better — it seems it bothers me only at night.

We walked a short bit to find some coffee and health food. Oh. Oops! I mean unhealthy food.

From there we continued to walk, just investigating the area.

When we looked across the street at one point we saw the California sign and had to check that out. It’s a wine shop and no, we didn’t bother to go in. We figure we can easily find California wines in California.

We continued to walk, crossing the England Bridge, with the Abbey in the distance.

Then we went into the Shrewsbury Abbey. I just love it when there is an organist practicing. (I haven’t taken photos of the children’s area in other cathedrals, but I finally did this one: they seem to be in each one, though.)

Leaving the Abbey I saw the other side of the sign that I posted prior to our Abbey visit.

Back across the England Bridge, I wisely suggested we walk along the Severn River rather than on busy streets. After all, our 12:00 scheduled Sabrina Boat Tour was on the Severn. So downstairs we went to continue our walk. Sadly I took no photos.

But then Dan said something implying he hoped we were actually going the right way. Um. Well. Maybe not! Had we continued we most certainly would have missed the boat. So we turned around and went up some stairs, and past the prison where they clearly would love us to live. We really felt very welcomed. But again, we’d miss the boat. So never mind. So on we marched.

And there we were … at the boat tour. And we were even early! I had reserved tickets, so when we went on we were seating up toward the front. I think, in fact, we may have made the first reservations since we were at the first table. It was a fun ride!

After our boat ride we walked along the park area, crossed the rocking bridge and turned back again. We saw Hercules who, at some point, had a bit of him pulled off (you can guess what) and has since been replaced by a fig leaf. Hah! We passed a spot where the Zippo Circus was setting up (no pix — I’m not much of a circus fan), and went in to “The Dingle” (a garden area). Not much there yet, as they were putting in the summer plants today.

From there we walked up to the Georgian circular church, St. Chad’s.

When we went back out we saw that it rained again. Go figure!

For lunch (we can hardly call it not lunch.) we had tomato basil soup, and I bravely tried the non-alcoholic red wine. It was better than others I’ve had, but still didn’t have the taste I’d like. But I guess one has to have alcohol to get that taste, eh?

Then more walking and more fascination with the crazy off-kilter buildings. We had walked by the Kings Head yesterday, but took another look today.

I find it interesting to run across signs of Covid in every place we’ve visited. Memories ….

We had seen Rowley’s House and Mansion yesterday, but today got a closer look. I would love to see the buildings all fixed up.

We’d talked about doing the afternoon tea thing so we finally got to it today. (And yes, we are eating too much.) I had tea and a fruit scone and Dan had espresso and a raspberry scone. The place suggested they had the world’s best scones (in their opinion, they did admit) but I’d say Dan’s are better. I also suspect a better place wouldn’t serve the clotted cream in a plastic container like that, nor would the butter be in foil wrappers. In a short while we’ll be in another village where we had wonderful scones in the past so we’ll compare then. At this point I was overly stuffed (and I couldn’t finish my scone.)

From there it was back to Cromwell’s Tap House to have a short break. Or maybe a longer than short break. (I believe our two windows are the ones you see on the far left in the photo below.)

Now because we hadn’t had nearly enough to eat today (hah!), we went out to find dinner. Dan had read about a place called The Coach & Horses so we went that direction. I had seen it on Google and it said that it was busy, but we figured we’d give it a go in any case. When we went outside it was quite bright with a blue sky. A miracle!

Entering The Coach & Horses we saw a few people in the pub area, and the man at the bar asked if we wanted to see the menu. He asked where we were from and after we told him Dan asked where he was from and he said Nevada! Turned out he was a military kiddo and, fortunately for him, was born in the UK so he had dual citizenship and was now living in Shrewsbury with his wife (she will have to take a test in something like four years to try and gain citizenship). Am I jealous? You bet!

We said we’d like to dine there so he told us where the restaurant area was. Well, Google may have thought they were busy, but we had the entire place to ourselves! I’m guessing Monday evening isn’t quite a busy time there. I ordered salmon cakes and Dan had cottage pit PIE (yeah, I typed pit first and I think it’s too funny to remove!). Prices were quite good and food was yummy. I really loved the greens with my meal. Then we ended with the extremely healthy sticky toffee pudding. It came with ice cream so we appreciated all that calcium. Or something. You can see the very nice man from Nevada that we spoke to in the final photo.

Anyway, if you are ever in Shrewsbury, go there. It was great!

Then we ambled back to our room, taking a few photos as we walked. At one point I saw some sort of plaque on a building and it said “Shropshire” and below that “North Wales”. As I read online, it was the “Welsh Kingdom of Powys in the 5th and 6th centuries” so I guess it was in Wales and perhaps some wish that were still the case. Dunno!

Back in our room I, as always, set out tomorrow’s clothes after I put my pjs on. Then it was time to finish up this blog.

Tomorrow is moving day. I’ve enjoyed Shrewsbury, but on we go!

13,493 steps, 5.4 miles, 4 flights climbed

The Flight

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Boarding the plane was pretty darn quick. It was all done by facial recognition … except when it wasn’t. The camera didn’t see to recognize Dan! He had to then have his passport scanned and all was well.

We got to our sets (row 5, Polaris). I know, I know, fancy schmantzy … but these days I just can’t deal with tight spaces and the inability to sleep. Plus I blame my brother Greg who got us seats in business class once. He suggested we wouldn’t be able to go back and he’s mostly right (we do premium economy on occasion).

We were offered a drink. Speaking wine for me, water for Dan. Yep, he lives on the edge. Then it was a bit of sitting, followed by taxiing, followed by taking off. It was smooth until there was mild turbulence, which they apologetically said would delay our meal. Not that we were hungry anyway.


After a bit of time I looked at my watch. 4:20 AM.

No, not in San Francisco. But when I get on a plane I set the watch and iPad to the destination time, hoping it will get me to accept the huge eight hour time change.

I did a bit of a jigsaw puzzle, and read a bit, but my brain really didn’t want to concentrate on anything. I actually wanted to sleep! Sort of a good thing, but there was dinner to eat. What to do? (Some people suggest you do NOT eat meals on the plane: I’ve yet to convince myself to do that.)

What to do was start writing this.

Food was a bit late, due to turbulence, according to the announcement, but eventually we received our drink and warm nuts, followed by the appetizer. That appetizer was lovely, and was enough for a full meal as far as I was concerned. That turned out to be a good thing: our dinners were not quite so appealing.


After dinner it was lights out for the two of us, and we did a good amount of sleeping. Dan is, in fact, continuing to sleep as I type this. But it’s 11:35 AM at our destination so I’d prefer to try to stay awake now. (It’s 3:35 AM at home.)

Where we are:

Breakfast was served near the end of the flight. I would have preferred lunch, since it was lunch time at our destination, but since I only eat two meals a day anyway, I sort of tried to convince myself it was lunch. It was, as usual, too much food and not terrifically exciting.

This flight really flew by. Yep, that’s about how funny I can be! And then we arrived.

Hello Heathrow!

We went through the passport control in mere minutes, but oh all the walking one does before and after that. It’s a great way to get steps in after such a long sit, though!

Then it was Heathrow Express to Paddington Station.

From there we had to find our way to our hotel via the tube. It took a while, but we did figure out how to do that.

Oh … but it DID take us a while to walk from Euston Station to our hotel. One of use (me!) was using a map app and got confused. Then someone else (he!) took over and managed to also get confused for a bit. We figure this is par for the course and today we had a number of “oops!” moments so perhaps we got it out of our systems early. Who knows? but we got there. Eventually.

Side note: we had to opt for roller bags due to the things we (Dan, really) needed. I’m so torn between the roller bag and our packs. My back isn’t great, and I have neck problems, so a pack hurts, but it sure isn’t fun carrying luggage up stairs, and there were a lot of stairs to get from one place in the tube to another.

Our hotel is nothing exciting, but it will suffice: we are only here for one night and tomorrow we take a night train to our destination. London was just a quick stop.

After dropping off our stuff we went to find an ATM and then a pub. Well, except I first realized I’d left my phone in the room so we had to go back. Another mistake!

ATM was found, money was pulled from there, and off to The Lamb we went. Dan ordered fish and chips and I had a chicken and leek pie. Both were yummy pub food and just what we wanted for our first night here.

Cheers!

On our walk back to the hotel we went past this interesting building.

And then it was time to finish this blog, post my daily flora photo, and hit the hay.

I’m not sure I will be able to post every day: it will depend upon time and internet access. But I will actually write every day so I can post later if things don’t work.

For now … cheerio!