A few days in Liverpool

Earlier this month, me and my Mam had our first-ever Mother-Daughter trip away. After a difficult couple of months for both of us, we felt it was about time we went away together. After lots of deliberation we decided on Liverpool and found a great deal with a local coach company; return travel and 2 nights in a hotel for £99 each. Bargain! The weeks zoomed by and before we knew it we were sat at the bus station waiting to go. It was the first time I’d travelled by coach in a long time, as most trips in recent years have involved travelling by train, and I was a bit worried it’d take forever. But after a few more pick-ups en route we were soon heading down the motorway and, even with a stop at a service station for a food/loo break we were still there by around 2pm, just in time for check in.   After a quick freshen up in our room, we were ready to explore the city.

Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral

Our first stop was the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, just down the road from our hotel. This was once place Mam was insistent on visiting.   The present Cathedral was built in 1962 and is the largest Catholic Cathedral in England.  I’m not religious at all, but I was completely blown away by this place. I mean, it looks pretty impressive from the outside, but inside… just wow. It’s just incredible.  It’s impossible to not be in awe. The huge stained glass windows let in LOADS of natural light, and the colours mean the whole place looks different from different angles, depending where you are stood. The photos I took do not do it justice.  It’s hard to believe the place is over 50 years old; if you’d told me it was built within the last 10 years I’d totally believe you.

Attempt at a Panoranic shot!

 

Slightly tipsy here!

Next up was a trip to the theatre. While planning our trip, we realised The Bodyguard was on while we were there. Having missed out when it was here in the North East, it was only right we booked to see it while we were away. If you get chance to see this show…. DO IT!! It was amazing! Alexandra Burke’s voice is out of this world! The show had us gripped from start to finish, and I was dancing in my seat all the way through! I was relieved at the encore when everyone got up and was singing and dancing, and if I’m honest I could have happily watched the show all over again! When the show was over, we waited outside the stage door and had our photos taken with the cast; including The Bodyguard himself (who was Irish and VERY cute!) and also Alexandra Burke, who was on voice rest so wasn’t actually able to chat to any of us! She was allowed to sign autographs and have photos, but could only mouth “thank you” when I told her how amazing I thought she was. 

Alexandra Burke.... total babe!

Final room at the Beatles Story

Day two started with a trip to the Beatles Story… which as the name suggests, tells the story of The Beatles (doh!) from their school days right through to the formation of the band, Beatlemania and their careers post-Beatles. As you enter, you’re given some headphones and what looks like a mobile phone which features John Lennon’s sister narrating the story as you walk around.  A great idea, except mine didn’t work, and I had to go back to the desk 3 or 4 times to get some help. In the end, the poor girl one the desk gave me a stick to reset my machine if it happened again! Luckily it worked, and we could finally work our way round the museum. 

The highlights of our shopping!!

After a pit stop for a cuppa (you HAVE to try Hotel Chocolat’s Salted Caramel hot chocolate…. Oh my days, it’s amazing!!) it was time to do some shopping.  One of the main things I wanted to buy was a Jo Malone perfume. I’d wanted one for AGES but was never sure what to go for; I always found the rows of identical bottles quite intimidating and would leave empty handed.  The lovely guy in the shop helped me choose my fragrance and was extremely patient as I was deliberating between them all. In the end I went for Mimosa & Cardamom and it’s all I’ve wore ever since. I decided to treat my Mam to one too, and she ended up copying me and getting the same one!  I also added to my Mac eyeshadow collection, and bought a few bits and pieces from Wallis.  I’m really into Wallis at the moment and think it’s quite underrated. They have some great basics and always seems to have a 25% offer on.  Definitely worth a look! 

Mmmm cocktails!

That evening, I got to try out some of my new makeup, and wore my new top, and we went out for some cocktails.  If you’re ever in Liverpool, I’d highly recommend the Smugglers Cove on the Albert Docks.  They seem to have the perfect balance between a super-strong cocktail, and the ones that just taste like juice; quite a hard task if you ask me.  They tasted good, but definitely had a good old kick, and I certainly felt the effects as we walked back to our hotel!

Our last day didn’t really give us time to do much; our coach was leaving at 2pm so there was only really time for one last walk around the shops before grabbing some lunch and then get back to the hotel ready for our journey home. We’d definitely packed a lot into our short break and were absolutely shattered the next day.  But we had a brilliant time and are already looking forward to another trip to what is one of my favourite cities!