Last night after I posted, we went across the street from our hotel to Albert Dock, for supper and to look around this happenin' place.
It's all been re-developed from abandoned docks and it's great.
Leaving the city this morning, we passed huge, elaborate buildings from the heyday of Liverpool, when it was the major port in the UK. We also saw the slum areas (largely rehabilitated) that were so common through the early half of the 20th century. Now, the city has a thriving arts scene and high-tech industry. We had enjoyed good weather until we left Liverpool, but an hour or so up the road it began to pour. The landscape looks greener so perhaps this area hasn't experienced the drought that has caused crop failures farther south.
At Haverthwaite we boarded a historic steam train for the short run to Lakeside on the shore of Lake Windermere (one of 14 lakes in the Lake District) where we boarded a tour boat.
The 35-minute cruise showed off beautiful holiday properties and hotels, to say nothing of amazing scenery. The rain and chill were unfortunate, but we can't expect the perfect weather to last -- it's England after all.
We returned to the bus at Bowness and proceeded to Grassmere for lunch. It's another quaint town, with dry-stone buildings (!).
William Wordsworth is buried in the churchyard, having lived here for many years. Leaving town we drove narrow and twisty roads between heather-covered hills with tumbling waterfalls and lots of sheep. Too bad the heather is no longer in bloom; a few weeks ago it would have been brilliant. Gretna Green was fun -- all the elopement stories going back a few hundred years.
We touched the anvil for luck and saw 2 bridal couples arrive. We had a brief tour of Glasgow before checking into the hotel. Lacking the energy to do much more, we ate at the hotel and turned in.
It's all been re-developed from abandoned docks and it's great.Leaving the city this morning, we passed huge, elaborate buildings from the heyday of Liverpool, when it was the major port in the UK. We also saw the slum areas (largely rehabilitated) that were so common through the early half of the 20th century. Now, the city has a thriving arts scene and high-tech industry. We had enjoyed good weather until we left Liverpool, but an hour or so up the road it began to pour. The landscape looks greener so perhaps this area hasn't experienced the drought that has caused crop failures farther south.
The 35-minute cruise showed off beautiful holiday properties and hotels, to say nothing of amazing scenery. The rain and chill were unfortunate, but we can't expect the perfect weather to last -- it's England after all.
We returned to the bus at Bowness and proceeded to Grassmere for lunch. It's another quaint town, with dry-stone buildings (!).William Wordsworth is buried in the churchyard, having lived here for many years. Leaving town we drove narrow and twisty roads between heather-covered hills with tumbling waterfalls and lots of sheep. Too bad the heather is no longer in bloom; a few weeks ago it would have been brilliant. Gretna Green was fun -- all the elopement stories going back a few hundred years.
We touched the anvil for luck and saw 2 bridal couples arrive. We had a brief tour of Glasgow before checking into the hotel. Lacking the energy to do much more, we ate at the hotel and turned in.
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