If there’s one thing I love, it’s a city break. I feel fortunate to have travelled to a lot of European cities during my twenties and hope to continue doing so! There’s nothing quite like a few days away to make you feel refreshed. When Travelodge got in touch offering a city break in Liverpool: I didn’t hesitate to say yes, despite it being on my doorstep. If you’re looking to visit Liverpool on a budget, grab a cuppa and see how we spent our weekend there!
At the beginning of October, it was John’s birthday so we were fortunate to be able to visit Liverpool to celebrate and spend some quality time together. Armed with a rucksack each, we hopped on the train from St Helens to take the short journey into Liverpool city centre. Although I live very close to Liverpool, it seems I spend most of my time slightly further afield in Manchester. As a teenager, I would love to visit Liverpool and roam the docks and the original Quiggins (similar to Manchester’s Affleck’s Palace but a rabbit-warren of vintage gems and curiosities)…
Arriving at Travelodge The Strand, we were given a friendly welcome and to our surprise, a room with a spectacular view! Located across the road from the Albert Docks and a short stroll from shopping Mecca, Liverpool One, it’s the perfect base for sight-seeing when visiting the city. I mean, just check out the view from our room…
Open Eye Gallery: Up bright and early the next day, we enjoyed a leisurely (I had three courses!) all you can eat breakfast before walking across the road to the Open Eye Gallery. Because this is a gallery that specializes in photography, I was really intrigued to visit. Whilst we were there, we visited the Zanele Muholi exhibition. This South African photographer is a visual activitist whose work explores gender, race and sexuality in her country. It was an interesting exhibit with images that challenged my thinking.
Museum of Liverpool: A stone’s throw away from the Open Eye Gallery is the Museum of Liverpool, a museum dedicated to showcasing Liverpool’s fascinating and diverse history. The museum has plenty to offer: an exhibition supporting a local hospice; artifacts from Liverpool in the Tudor times; a huge life size overhead railway carriage; but my favourite part was dedicated to Liverpool’s music scene, past and present. No, I’m not only referring to The Beatles but icons such as our Cilla, Cast, The Farm, The La’s…you name it! As the museum is located on the waterfront, we were able to watch Peter Blake’s bright and colourful ‘Everybody Razzle Dazzle’ ferry across the Mersey!
