My Beatles pilgrimage tour
Part 1: Liverpool,
England
If you have been a visitor here for a while, you might
remember that my mom and I went on a Beatles trip to Liverpool and London in
2010. I planned the trip out myself and
I did a pretty good job of finding great Beatles things to see and do. However, when I returned from my trip I
realized that there was so much more that I missed out on. I decided that someday I would go back and
take a more individualized tour.
About a year ago I was looking at the secrets posted on one
of my favorite sights, postsecret.com.
The secret said something like “I wish I had taken another trip to
Europe with my mom.” That really got
me thinking about going back to England.
I wanted to go back with my mom for another Beatles tour, and not trying to be mean, but my mom is
currently in her early 60’s and in good health. However, I do not know how much longer that
will be the case. I really did not
want to be that person that had the regret of never going back to England after
my mom passes away. It isn’t really a
pleasant thing to think about, but it is a reality of life. We all get older and can’t do the things we
used to do. So I started to look into
a more individualized Beatles tour of Liverpool, London and Hamburg. I hadn’t planned on going back in just
three years, but what the heck! Why
not!
I looked at a lot of tours online. There are several Beatle tours available to
book from. I went with the Beatlespilgrimage tour. Let me honestly tell
you that I feel like if you are a die-hard Beatles fan like me, then theBeatles pilgrimage tour is the way to go.
You work with a fellow fan named Tony who sets you up with everything
you need for the tour. He does all of
the little detailed work and all you have to do is enjoy your trip. You could book all of the things yourself,
but as I found out in 2010, it is more difficult than it sounds and you end up missing things. When you go with the Beatles Pilgrimagetour, you get the best Beatles tour guides plus you get the things like train
tickets and such all set for you. I am
not trying to do a commercial for this company, but I really can’t recommend
them enough. I would recommend going
on one of the group tours because it is fun to meet fellow Beatle fans and
travel around with them. If you do
book a tour and are asked, let Tony know
that you read about it on Meet the Beatles for Real. (But seriously this is a travel report and
not a commercial, so on with the trip!)
Liverpool, England
Day 1:
We flew over night and landed in Manchester, England. From Manchester we had to get on a train
that took us to Lime Street Station in Liverpool. From there we got in a taxi that took us
to the Hard Day’s Night Hotel. Since it was still morning there (I never did
get use to the time difference), our room was not ready. So my mom and I took the time to explore a
little bit of Liverpool. Having been
there three years ago, we remembered the basics and took a walk down Mathew
Street and the Beatles shops and down to Albert Dock (or as my mom calls it
‘Uncle Albert Dock’) to have a look around.
We were told that our room was going to be available at noon. When we got back, our room was not ready and
we were told to come back at two. So
back out we went. We had asked the hotel where the ugly Beatles statue of the four guys standing in a circle was located, and they had no clue what we were talking about. They said there was not a statue of the four Beatles in Liverpool. Low and behold I located it inside #8 Mathew Street. They made me feel like a fool, but I knew what I was talking about. We had fish and chips
at a local café and walked around some more.
By 2:00, we had been awake for 24 hours and were tired of walking around
and just wanted to get into our rooms and freshen up. We saw other people getting room keys. But low and behold, our room was not ready. I have to give the Hard Day’s Night props
for giving us free drinks while we waited for another 45 minutes, but still I
was a bit peeved. Plus the hotel
still smelled funny from that fire they had in February and it was making me
feel sick to my stomach.
Yes this ugly Beatles statue really does exist. |
After we got all of that settled, we got a second wind and
we were ready to meet our tour guide, Jackie.
Jackie Spencer is the best tour guide in Liverpool. Even if you don’t go through the Beatles
Pilgrimage Tour, you have to go on Jackie’s tour! What I liked about her is that she wasn’t
just a tour guide, she was a true Beatles fan (George is her favorite). When she was telling us things around
Liverpool, she had such passion and love for the Beatles. And the more time we spent with her, I
began to feel like she was a friend and not just a hired tour guide. I know that was her job, but I also felt
like she loved the opportunity of meeting Beatle fans from around the world and
showing them her hometown.
Jackie took us on a brief walking tour of Liverpool. It was Saturday night and Liverpool was
CRAZY! Come to find out, guys and gals
who are having bachelor and bachelorette (or stag and hen) parties like to come
to Liverpool dressed in crazy costumes and they party hard! Mathew Street was full blown insanity with
people dressed as everything from nuns to Where’s Waldo. So we sort of avoided that part of town and
did some more quite Beatles sights.
Highlights of this walking tour were seeing the maternity
hospital where John Lennon was born,
going into the Philharmonic and having a drink and then getting to see
the men’s loo, and most of all having a drink at the Ye Cracke in the War
Room. The only disappointment was
that the Jacaranda is no longer open.
It is left abandoned with Beatles photos still up on the wall (I know
from looking in the window). I really
hope someone opens it back up soon.
That mural that Stu painted is hidden away in there. What a shame!
The plaque at the Ye Cracke |
Day 2:
On this day we were basically on our own. The first thing we did was tour John’s home
at Mendips. Even though I had done this
tour once before, I was still amazed at being inside of John’s childhood
home. It was emotionally packed for me
to stand in his bedroom and look out the window. Then we went onto Paul’s childhood home on
Forthlin Avenue. The new custodian was
much better than the previous one I had (the one that was drinking on the job
and told me outright lies). One of the
best parts of that tour for me was hearing Paul’s personal message to the
visitors. It was neat to hear Paul’s
voice while in the house.
Your emotional but happy MTBFR blogger, Sara leaving Mendips |
Next was time to explore the museums and things at the
Albert Dock. Our first stop was the
Beatles Story Exhibit. I did without
the headphones this time, which baffled the workers there. While the exhibit is meant for those who
only have a basic knowledge of Beatles information, I still find it very
worthwhile if not just to see the actual guitars and clothing. I think the recreations of places like the
Cavern club are a bit silly since the real deal is just down the road. The Elvis and Me exhibit is a bit boring
for me since I am not much of an Elvis fan.
There are a lot of Elvis artifacts, but not a whole lot of Beatles
things. They try to show how the
Beatles and Elvis are tied together, but I thought it was a bit of a stretch
with how they were really pushing the 1965 meeting. There is a side exhibit of “hidden photos”
that was very nice and well worth seeing.
Hi everyone! I am just here at the Beatles Story with the Fab 4. |
Next we went into the Liverpool Museum. This is a free museum and seems to be very
big and have a lot of things in it.
However, we didn’t have time to dilly dally around looking at the
history of Liverpool. So we went
straight up to the music section and found the Beatles part. They had there the “All you need is love”
Yellow Submarine quilt that John and Yoko used during the Bed-in. I was planning on writing a blog entry about
this very quilt (still am) and so to see it in person was awesome! After
the museum, we took the “Ferry Across the Mersey” and yes they did play the
Gerry and the Pacemakers song.
Then we went back to Mathew Street and went into the
Grapes. We had a drink at the booth
where the Beatles sat and then I sang karaoke .
I thought I was pretty cool stuff singing at the pub where the Beatles
hung out. The last stop for the night was the Cavern
Club where we heard the Mersey-Beatles perform. They were awesome!
The Mersey-Beatles perform at the Cavern. After a few drinks they start to look like the real thing! (They sounded great!) |
Day 3:
This last day in Liverpool was also our most action
packed. We went with our tour guide,
Jackie in a van (driven by a great guy named Phil) where she would tell us
about the sights and then we would stop and get out for photos and a look
around. Some of the places we went
were: The Casbah club (where Roag gave
us a tour…I love him!), Penny Lane,
Strawberry Fields, Arnold Grove, The
Clubmoor Club, Stu’s grave, St. Peter’s
church, and lastly we went into the
Dingle and into Ringo’s childhood home where we were met by the wonderful woman
that currently lives there, Margaret. She had cupcakes and Coke for us to celebrate
Ringo’s birthday. She was such a sweet
woman. She lived a few houses down when
Ringo was a teenager and knew Ringo.
She doesn’t allow all of the tour groups inside of her home, but allows
Jackie’s tour in for Ringo’s birthday celebration every year. She would not accept any money, but was
taking up a collection for the Linda McCartney breast cancer charity. Going into Ringo’s home and meeting Margaret
was truly one of the highlights of Liverpool.
Just me acting like I in the band at the Clubmoor Club |
My mom and I in the Spider Room of the Casbah with Roag Best. |
This was in a a Beatles park in Penny Lane. |
Margaret standing outside her home, 10 Admiral Grove, where Ringo lived from 1945-1963 |
I hope I didn’t bore you all too much because the trip into
London and Hamburg reports are soon to follow.
Yes this ugly Beatles statue really does exist.
ReplyDeleteyou are more ugly as the statue
That is actually my mom with the statue. So I sure hope you aren't calling my mother ugly.
DeleteAs for me, yes I am not a pretty girl. I have had to deal with that my whole life. I try to make up for it by being kind to others and not going around online making fun of the way other people look.
You are beautiful.......just the way you are.....thanks for sharing our trip with us. Peace and Love.
DeleteSara I just wanted to say do not take any notice of the remark made by the person who hasn't even got the guts to use their real name I think that says a lot, what a sad lonely person they must be I actually pity whoever it is !!!
Delete, you are kind enough to share your passion for the Beatles with us by providing an excellent factual contemporary photo blog so just keep doing what you are doing, because without a doubt your blog is probably the best in the net !!! And whatever other people say we the real fans will always support you Sara
On a more positive note. Was the Mendips tourguide an older gent with a War Is Over button on his jacket?
ReplyDeleteI was in Mendips last year and found him great - esp as he welcomed us on behalf of Yoko.
Still wished I had played piano in Pauls house tho.
(Sara ignore mindless trolls - love the site)
No...my tour guide was filling in for him. It was a woman who was very informative. She did welcome us on behalf of Yoko and said how Yoko bought the house for the National Trust, which was actually a cool thing for her to do!
DeleteAh that's cool. I had the same feeling by Johns bed when I was there. (Also had the urge to sing Twenty Flight Rock in the porch to hear the acoustics - but I resisted)
ReplyDeleteI sang one after 909 in the porch. :) Had to do it!
DeleteYou and your mom are so cute!
ReplyDeleteI've always thought John's house is lovely. The fancy glass in the front is really nice. The Clubmoor Club seems interesting. I had forgotten all about it. I wonder how much of that stage is the original. The Casbah must have been really fun to explore! I'd love to go there someday. Roag looks a bit like Neil. As for Admiral Grove, wow that would have been a highlight for me too simply because the woman actually knew Ringo! And yes the way you've described her she does seem really nice. It must have been fun for your mom since Ringo is her favorite. Anyway you certainly did not "bore" me. I enjoyed this and look forward to hearing about the rest of your trip.
ReplyDeleteRock on Beatles sister Sara! You are beautiful and do beautiful work!
ReplyDeleteUh, wait a second, Sara, you actually ARE a pretty girl, you have a great face and a really nice smile and I could pound the freaking hell out of this subhuman lowlife who obviously didn't get much love from his/her mommy.
ReplyDeleteAnd gee, what a put down, huh? Sorry, I know a great razor wit when I see one...and I don't see one....do you?
People like that have been holding back humanity since mankind first stood upright.
Love the pictures, but will have to read the post tomorrow, gotta run now!
This. So sorry about the troll. Your trip sounded awesome too. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteGuus : Hi Sara, good to have you back!
ReplyDeleteDon't mind about some jurk, unfortunately they will always be there annoying anybody.
Can't wait to read more about your trip!
Sara - Thank you for these great posts. I have not had the opportunity to go to England as yet to experience the Beatles first-hand, so to speak. The photos and your comments are a treat. I'm looking forward to the rest of your trip!
ReplyDeleteLove the shot of the woman who lives in Ringo's old house! And, she has a photo of Ringo in the front window, just in case you're not sure if this is really his house. I get the feeling that she loves having the fans stop by.
ReplyDeleteYou are definitely narrowing the six degrees of separation, Sara. You met Roag, in the Casbah (I agree with "girl", there is a strong resemblance to Neil). Then you got to meet Ringo's old neighbor who now lives in his house. How cool is that? I love it!
ReplyDeleteHmmm...interesting idea...six degrees of beatle separation....
ReplyDeleteSara: Totally ignore the jerk who must be so proud of themselves with their brave comments from behind a computer keyboard. Just pity them for what they are. You Sara on the other hand, and your mother are beautiful outside and more importantly inside. Your blog is fabulous too...!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing - looks like you had a gear time.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos and a lot of interesting information, too. Keep posting, Sara--we love you and your blog!
ReplyDeleteSara, you are beautiful! And thanks for everything you do. Keep rocking!
ReplyDeleteVitaliy
sara we here in mexico have a saying that goes "paying atenttion to a jerk is lowering to his lelvel" so please don't pay atenttion to jerks and enjoy your life.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your second great Beatles adventure with us. I love the beautiful photo of you in the door at Mendips! My Liverpool pilgrimage was about 30 years ago and I could only stand outside the gate for a photo... can't wait to go back in the next year or two and pose just like you did. What a magical spot! Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip, especially Hamburg. Rock on, Sara!
ReplyDeleteSara you look amazing! Looks like you and your mom had an amazing time! And bore us? You could never bore us!! I want more and more! So happy for you! Makes me so excited to read your stories and see your beautiful pictures!!
ReplyDeleteSara I think you are beautiful, and we are related through our Beatle love. rock on !!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the great stories from your trip and for all that you do to maintain your blog! You (and your mom) are loved in the Beatle community!
ReplyDeleteHi Sara, glad you had such fun, and thank you for saying such nice things about me as your tour guide :) I do love every minute of my 'job'!! Great meeting you and I'm sure we'll be meeting again!
ReplyDeleteHello Sara - been following this blog for eons and never thought to say thanks for all your efforts. Am REALLY enjoying your London/Liverpool/Hamburg posts. After 35 years of being a fan, I made my first trips to Liverpool and Hamburg over the few years and was stunned by how meaningful those places were to me. Having read book after book since I was a kid, seeing the actual places made the whole story a whole lot more three dimensional.
ReplyDeleteAgain, thanks so much for this excellent site.