Beatlemania

19^th September 2011 – 9pm

No blogs in a week and 3 in 2 days? I’m going to try my best to keep up, we are doing so much it’s hard to remember back too far! 

We have spent the afternoon in Liverpool. We saw Strawberry fields this afternoon. Strawberry fields is a real place, I never knew that this was the inspiration for the song until today. Anyway, it’s actually a children’s home near where John Lennon grew up and as a child he used to like going to the fair there with his Aunty. The streets are lined with really old trees and there’s a big stone fence surrounding the home with bright red wrought iron gates. I found out today that these are replicas, the originals had to be taken away for “preservation” thanks to tourists like us! They were only taken away about 4 months ago, I would have loved to have seen the real things. 

FORGOT MY PEN AGAIN!

OUTSIDE THE GATES

There are many overpriced tours (£100+) around that take in all of the Beatles spots but since we had the hire car we just found the main ones and got to keep moving pretty quickly. We stopped at Penny Lane, but there was no banker with a motor car, or a fireman with a portrait of the Queen in his pocket. There was a pretty nurse selling poppies from a tray. No there wasn’t.

THE START OF PENNY LANE

We also found the house John Lennon grew up in. It’s a modest little terrace and has no number on the front, we’re pretty sure it must be continually nicked by crazy fans. (There was no street sign on Abbey Road for the same reason I guess.) Finally for the last Beatles stop, we drove past the Cavern, which is the club where the Beatles played their very first gig.

JOHN LENNON'S CHILDHOOD HOME

YOKO SHOULD GIVE EM SOME MONEY FOR MAINTENANCE!

THE CAVERN. THAT PAIR THERE HAVEN'T LEFT SINCE 1963!

 

This afternoon we went to a pub called the Devon Doorway. A few of Matt’s mates have worked there on their working holidays in the UK, and one of the ladies there used to work with them. We stayed for dinner and have come back to the hotel for an early night. For real this time! We are sitting at the bar though and Penny Lane has just come on. It's a sign. We should stay.

G’night.

Amy.