I Survived Liverpool!

I can't believe it has been a week since I last updated! Time is flying by here, and I wish it would slow down...
Well, the last time I left off with my adventurous tale, the group was heading to Liverpool. On the way, we stopped in a little town called Chester. It is the typical town that comes to mind when you think of a British town. The architecture is amazing, much of it left over from hundreds of years ago. The ancient Roman wall that surrounded the city is still standing and is the most complete wall in the UK. You can even walk on it around the ancient city. Not only that, but ruins of Roman gardens remain, Chester castle, an amphitheatre, and foundations for Roman structures can be found in Chester as well. There is a cathedral there that was really gorgeous on the outside (it cost a lot of money to go in). Also, the most photographed clock in the world (besides Big Ben) is in the town.

After spending two hours in Chester, we all piled back on our double-decker tour bus (aka the Hell Hole) and headed to Liverpool. Once we arrived, we checked into our four-star hostel (we even had a full English breakfast which includes eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, and beans) and looked around the area. It is definitely dirtier than London, and I really didn't like it from the beginning. The accent there is really difficult to understand (they are called Scousers). We went on a Shiverpool tour, and our tour guides were a little creepy and rude, but it was all in good fun. It wasn't that scary, but walking around at night in Liverpool is enough to give me the creeps!

The next day, we went on a bus tour around Liverpool. It was great to see some of the buildings around the city without walking in the cold. We saw the headquarters of White Star (the company that built the Titanic), the Cavern Club (the club The Beatles first played in), Penny Lane and the sites in the song, Strawberry Fields, John Lennon's and Paul McCartney's childhood homes, and the Catholic and Anglican Cathedrals. There is a lot of Beatles history in Liverpool, and it was great to see some of those sites.

In my opinion, the Cathedrals were the best. Both were free admission, so I went to both. The Catholic Cathedral was built in the 60s. The design is very peculiar...it is rounded with "thorns" sticking out of the top to represent Christ's crown of thorns. Also, there are four bells outside the church which they named Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Anglican Cathedral is very much traditional...high vaulted arches and huge stain glass windows., finished in the late 50s. It is the largest Cathedral in the UK and has the biggest pipe organ in use in the world with over 10,000 pipes! I'm pretty sure it is only second to St. Paul's in the Vatican.

Overall, Liverpool had some really friendly people. They actually talked to us...in London I think you might be considered mad if you talked to a random person. But, I feel like I need a badge that says "I survived Liverpool" because it was really sketchy. I just didn't feel safe walking around, even in the daytime in some areas. I was really glad to be back in London.

Well, on to this week. On Monday, I got to see the play War Horse, and it was amazing! The way they used the puppets to create the horse was spectacular! It really looked like a horse on stage, and it was a good play in general. I had my internship on Tuesday and Wednesday, and on Tuesday I got to join some of the office for the launch for the new campaign called 'Shout out for a sure start!' I got to see a few MPs (Members of Parliament) and Mum of the Year last year, Melinda Messenger who, apparently, is pretty famous over here.

After class on Thursday, a big group of us went to the premiere of Valentine's Day. This time we had a prime first row spot. I sat on the ground for six hours in the cold waiting for the stars of the movie. I couldn't feel my feet and I was afraid I lost some toes, but I did see Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba, Gary Marshall (autograph), Emma Roberts (autograph), Topher Grace (autograph), and Hector Helizondo. They were all great, but I really wanted Ashton's autograph, but he skipped our section by about two people. He saw our sign that said "We're from Iowa!" because he was raised in Iowa. He commented, "You're from Iowa! What are you doing here?" But, then he was pushed off by his manager. At least he acknowledged us! I was glad to get a very hot shower when I got back.

Today, we went on a river excursion down the Thames to Greenwich. It was a really nice part of London, but we didn't stay long because it was very cold and rainy/snowy when we were walking around. The only things I saw were the Greenwich gardens where King Henry VIII's palace used to reside (the gardens were his hunting grounds) and the prime meridian. This is where time starts (the GMT...or Greenwich Mean Time). I stood in two hemisphere's today...and of course I did the "I'm on the east...I'm on the west side!" After that, almost everyone in our group went to a Mexican restaurant. It had decent food, and I drank a strawberry daiquiri...it was delicious! I also bought a cheap Chelsea Football jersey today. It cost me 12 pounds...it doesn't have their famous lion on it, but it does say Team Chelsea!

Tomorrow, a few of us are headed to Stonehenge, Bath, and Windsor. I'll try to update more often since I was getting complaints from someone (i.e. mom *glares*). Anyway, I have to go cook my dinner...chicken and potatoes tonight!