I turned 26 two days ago. I had previously planned a birthday trip to Brussels but cancelled at the last minute.
As a planner, I prepared an alternative: a day trip to Liverpool.
I had such an exhilarating experience and can’t wait to share it with you.
Why Liverpool?
The first thing I did while planning my travel for the second half of 2019 was incorporate local and international trips.
It’s summer already, and I wasn’t ready to spend an outrageous amount of money on things I could get for almost free during the off-peak season.
So I decided that I was going to spend my summer exploring the nearest cities to me.
Since I live in Manchester, I next made a list of the cities closest to me.
After that, I randomly picked Liverpool for my birthday.
Getting to Liverpool
Remember my first bad experience with National Express?
I had to overcome it and use them again, as they were my best and cheapest option.
I booked my return ticket about a week ago, so the total cost was less than £10- £6.50, plus a booking fee.
I thought it was an absolute steal.
I made sure I got there early enough to avoid stories that touched me and ruined my day.
I’ll write an in-depth review of National Express later.
Getting to Liverpool One Bus Station took about an hour.
My Planned Liverpool itinerary
I currently use the Google Trips app to plan my trip and itinerary.
It has nifty features like ‘Getting Around’ and ‘Things To Do’.
It really helps me decide what you do. I’m so sad the app will be discontinued by August 5th.
A few days before, I tried to map out an itinerary of all the places I wanted to visit, but I’m not so sure it worked.
When I arrived at Liverpool, I literally just went with the flow.
One of the major places I wanted to visit was The Beatles Story and the Anfield Stadium.
Unfortunately, I was only able to visit one of them.
What Actually Happened
My first stop was the Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool.
This major tourist attraction is opposite the Liverpool One Bus Station, where my coach dropped me off.
It was so awesome because the entire Royal Albert Dock, which is divided into three heads, housed The Liverpool Waterfront, The Beatles Story, the Merseyside Maritime Museum, The Museum of Liverpool, Tate Liverpool, Mersey Ferries, The Cunard Building and The Wheel of Liverpool.
I literally killed ten birds with one stone.
Naturally, I went from one place to another and took as many pictures as possible before finally stopping briefly at the Museum of Liverpool to soak it all in.
I would have stayed in the museum for the rest of my day trip, but at some point, I realized I was starving, so I had to find the nearest KFC.
Unknownst to me, I have started another journey into the city centre.
Liverpool and its significant Shopping Centres.
I thought Manchester’s Arndale was huge. Liverpool proved to me that Arndale had nothing on them.
While trying to get food, I didn’t realize that I was passing by the major shopping centres.
This was because I didn’t plan to shop. I planned to look around, soak in some history, and return to Manchester.
But then, when I saw substantial retail outlets like Forever 21 and Sally’s, I knew I was in a shopper’s paradise.
While I walked past, I felt a different kind of vibe—the good kind.
If I had more time, I would have probably gone in to feed my eyes, which is why I definitely plan to come back.
The Major Highlights from My Day Trip to Liverpool
I tried to have a good time despite the rain because it was also my birthday.
I’m glad I didn’t allow the gloomy weather to affect me.
In fact, I can categorically say that I had a fun day because of these significant highlights:
- The Museum of Liverpool. Initially, I wasn’t sure I was that into museums. I just thought I would look around for a while and leave. But then I started to look around and read about the history of Liverpool, and I did not want to stop. I was so shocked at how much I enjoyed it. Right there and there, I decided that I was going to come back, even if it was for the museum alone.
- The Mersey Ferries. Although I didn’t go on any of ferries because I didn’t plan for it, I felt good to be surrounded by water. (Manchester doesn’t exactly have a water body) Again, the next time I come, I’m definitely going on one of the ferries.
- The Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts. I’ve never actually seen a law court since I moved to England, so this was fascinating. I wish I had time to go and look around.
- The juxtaposition of archaic and modern architecture. You could have a century-old building right across from a windowless office building with an amazing view. It was indeed a fascinating experience for me.
I’m so glad I had a good time in Liverpool, and I honestly can’t wait to go back.
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