Today was Liverpool day.  A day trip to see the sights of Liverpool and the first point of call was ‘The Beatles Experience’.  Being a Beatles fan I was looking forward to this immensely, but not as much as my mother in law, who was singing on the way there and pretty much didn’t stop all day.  We were in there for a couple of hours, learning all about the phenomenon.  It was very interesting and much better than I thought it might be.

We then went for a walk round Albert Dock where ‘This Morning’ used to be filmed, which is now all shops & restaurants.  They have made an awesome job of renovating all the old buildings, something lots of other towns/cities could learn from.  We then took the famous, ‘Ferry ‘cross the Mersey’, which was a little cold & breezy but the sun came out & it was lovely.  Armed with a cup of tea to keep us warm, we learnt all about the history of Liverpool and got to see the amazing Liver Building from the best angle.

After the boat trip we went into the city centre.  Initially to wander round the shops, but as we weren’t far, I suggested going to the famous ‘Cavern Club’ where everything started for The Beatles.  We were unsure at first as to whether you could go in, but we went anyway to find someone playing Beatles music.  The atmosphere was amazing & we just had to stay for a drink & listen.  2 hours later and we were still sat there listening to ‘Richard Batty’ the musician that was playing when we arrived.  He’d just drawn us in & turned a great day into an amazing day.  Random days like this are quite often the best, but to be in the famous club, listening to Beatles music, was one of the best I’d had for a long while.  He even sang ‘Hey Jude’ for my mother in law…a moment she will treasure for ever.

The weather was much better today, so we decided a trip to the seaside was in order.  Southport was the chosen destination (or was it Gravesend, Southend…sorry in joke )  I’d never been before, or I might have done when I was little, but the only think I’d heard about it was that the sea went out a LONG way.  They weren’t kidding, we couldn’t really see it at all.

As the sun was out we decided to go for a walk along the pier, as we’d read that there was an old penny slot machine museum at the end.  It was brilliant.  Classic old fashioned fun, where I won a Kit Kat, some lemon sherbet, some nail varnish & had my palm read.  We were in there for what felt like hours, it was great.

After the pier we walked into the town where we were surprised to find a lovely Victorian shopping arcade.  It was so nice to see a seaside town, not run down & taking pride in their heritage.  There were areas around which were sad to see, massive hotels that were derelict, obviously once beautiful buildings.

As today was my father in law’s 60th birthday we went back to the hotel for a chill out in the hotel pool & spa.  It was a nice end to a busy day.

At night we went to a little restaurant called Kozi in Rainhill, a little village near to the hotel.  It was beautiful…the food was delicious and more so the waiter.  He was brilliant, attentive & helpful.  It comes highly recommended if you are in the area.  You won’t be disappointed.  We couldn’t have asked for anything better for a special occasion.

When my father in law suggested going away to Liverpool for his 60th birthday, we jumped at the chance. A place I have always wanted to visit but never had the chance. I had only previously visited for the day when looking at the university a long time ago. 4 days away from the norm, was just what I’ve been needing.

Before heading to The Village Hotel just outside Liverpool, in a place called Whiston, we decided to go to Knowsley Safari Park. The weather was pretty awful, -1 and raining so we thought we wouldn’t really see any animals, but we were wrong. The lions were out in force, it was amazing. About 20 of them, male, female & cubs all walking around the car. Very surreal & made me want to see them in their natural habitat.

We really wanted to go into the monkey enclosure, even though we could see them jumping on peoples windows & roofs, but unfortunately because we were in a campervan it wasn’t allowed. Probably a good think, it would have been awful had they done any damage.

As well as lions & monkeys, there were numerous types of deer, bison, buffalo, sea lions but unfortunately no rhinos or giraffes, I think it was probably a little too cold for them…it was for me