Day 10 - You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello

Dear all,

Thanks to anyone who's actually taken the time to read this. I liked writing it, so you'd know what I was up to, but it's also a nice memento to help us remember our trip :)

Today, we woke up at 4:45 for our big trip to Liverpool. The first thing I thought waking up was "it's 11:45 pm back home...I bet you guys haven't even gone to bed yet" haha. Dad and I headed to Liverpool for a day of Beatles festivities, while Grandma kicked around the hotel, taking in a day of relaxation.

Our day started off on a bit of a stressful note, because we got to the station we were supposed to be at, and at the correct time, but no one was there for us. Luckily, a girl with a clipboard showed up 10 minutes later, telling us where to be and what to do for the day.

We hopped a train to Liverpool and then went to the exhibition "A Beatles Story," where we did an audio tour about the Beatles' history. It was awesome. I saw John's glasses, their old original mohair suits, their real instruments throughout the years, etc. Really cool stuff!



Then, we hopped on the...wait for it... "Magical Mystery Tour" bus for the second part of our Beatles extravaganza. That was my favorite part. We rode around Liverpool, and our tour guide took us to awesome landmarks, not excluding Penny Lane (complete with the banker's and barber shop), Strawberry Fields, the church where John met Paul, each of their houses growing up, the Cavern Club (where they got their start playing as a band), etc. Amazing!



This is Paul McCartney's house growing up. A lot of Lennon/McCartney hits were written in its basement:



The tour ended at the Cavern Club, and dad and I stayed there for a bit to explore the original location for the Beatles' first gigs. We got to hear a John Lennon impersonator sing and entertain, and he was actually great (not like those Elvis guys in Vegas). He announced that he had just been given a job in Hollywood. Dad requested a couple of songs. :)

The ride to Liverpool was full of anxiety, excitement, and adrenaline. The ride back to London, however, was just the opposite. The lack of sleep was catching up to us, and we were doing all we could just to get on the trains/subways we were supposed to be on. We made it back to the hotel, though. It was a really amazing day.

Now, I've got to pack and get some sleep, but I'll catcha tomorrow, America!

It's been a great trip, but I'm ready to come home :)

Sleep tight!

With Love From me to You, (haha)

Kelly

Day 9 - The Queen Wasn't Home

Well, I've done got beeehind agin'. Sorry bout that. It wasn't my fault though - the hotel wireless was being funky.

Anyways, here's what went down yesterday (Monday, May 31st):

It was Memorial Day back home, but it was Bank Day here, so all the bank/insurance/other professions working directly with money had the day off. Global holidays!

We woke up fairly early and enjoyed the breakfast buffet downstairs. Your standard "English breakfast" nation-wide: eggs over medium, sausages, bacon, beans, stewed tomatoes, and sometimes sauteed mushrooms.

Then, we went over to Buckingham Palace (the Queen wasn't there, though - her flag wasn't flying) in hopes of seeings the changing of the guards. Unfortunately, we waited an hour to find out that they weren't doing it yesterday. It was a disappointment, but I'm grateful I was able to see it last summer. And the trip wasn't in vain - we met a really nice Australian couple who had just taken a 3-week Mediterranean cruise (it's a tough life). They told me I was welcome in Australia anytime haha. I hope they realized I took that seriously.



Grandma wanted to go back to the hotel and rest a bit, so Dad and I set out to explore on our own. We tooled around on the Tube (the Underground system here), going to see the London Eye and Big Ben again, as well as the Tower of London.

Here's Dad with the Tower Bridge:



We went back to pick up Grandma and the 3 of us went to Piccadilly Circus for dinner and Les Miserables. We ate at a Scottish restaurant right next to the theater. It was pretty good. But the PLAY- my goodness, that was AMAZING! And, we even went around to the stage door afterward and got to meet/photograph some of the actors!

Then we trekked back to the hotel. I tried to get on the internet with no luck and crashed into my bed. :)

Love,

KK