Day 7 - Morecambe to Liverpool

After a good night's sleep, we awoke to patter of a steady rain. The forecast had predicted rain pretty much everyday, but this was the first rain that started early and continued.  Mona was intrepid and went for a walk and breakfast. I was a lazy bones and slept in. 

After Mona returned, we packed and set off for the bus to catch the train in nearby Lancaster. I must admit - public transportation makes getting around the country soo easy!

Getting to the train station was a bit more interesting than expected.  First, we discovered the bus route ran in the opposite direction, meaning we had to switch to the other side of street.  Second, we learned the bus only went to the Lancaster bus station, which was a bit of a walk to the Lancaster train station.  Not a big deal - it was a short walk (up a long hill!) but went right past the castle we'd visited the other day.  We found our train platform and awaited our train.  We had a short ride to our next station, where we switched trains for a longer ride to our final destination.

Arriving in Liverpool, we found the weather was quite a bit warmer, but just as cloudy.  Ah, well!  The Liverpool train station was larger and busier, but was easy to navigate.  Calling a taxi, we had a quick ride to our accomodations.  The room was part of a suite, large and comfortable.  After dropping our luggage, we were off to see the sites!

While Liverpool is known as the home of The Beatles, it wasn't our primary focus for the trip.  We opted to start our trip by visiting the Maritime Museum, which featured exhibits on the Titanic, contributions from the British Merchant Marine fleet during World Wars I and II and numerous other displays.

After the Maritime Museum, we strolled a few blocks and headed for the British Music Experience.  The digital displays featured British contributions to music from the 50s through today.  We even had a chance to try our hand at music instruments, singing and dancing.  All-in-all, it was a fun experience.  After that, we were off in search of dinner!  We found a nice restaurant near the Liverpool One shopping mall and enjoyed a quick dinner.

We finished dinner and walked a few more blocks to The Cavern Club, a famous Liverpool night spot.  Pictures: check!  Yes - we basically walked over just to get pictures of the place.  As we headed back to our hotel room, we stopped off for dessert, and settled in for the evening.

Tomorrow will give us more opportunity to explore!

Day 6 - Fun in Morecambe!

After a pleasant night's sleep in our new digs, we got a start to our day and set our plan.  Our hosts had bicycles available, so we planned to bike to nearby Lancaster, see the local castle and continue on to the University.  The castle was close by, just a few miles, and should be less than 25 minutes by bicycle.  We meandered through the quiet morning streets and headed in the general direction.  Just on the edge of Morecambe, we found our route led to a walking/biking path.  The walking side and biking side were clearly marked, so it was easy to follow.  Intersections for other attractions and cross streets were clearly labeled, so it made the trip easy!

At the castle, we climbed a steep staircase at the back, then stopped for a few pictures from the hillside and at the entrance.  Inside the castle gate, we stopped by the gift shop for a quick bite and a few souvenirs.  A guided tour left shortly thereafter, so we had a brief lunch before starting the tour.  Apparently, Lancaster Castle was still used a prison right up until 2011.  To this day, it still serves as a Civil courtroom and hears cases on a very regular basis.  Our guide, Christopher, was very knowledgeable (and quite animated!) giving his history lessons and pointing out details of the history of the Castle.

As our tour ended, we biked a short distance to a shopping square and took a stroll.  There were plenty of places to eat and shop, and a few interesting sights as well!

As the early afternoon wore on, we opted to bike back and find an early dinner.  The biking path conveniently continued near us, so we easily hopped on and headed back to the flat.  Upon on return, Ramona dropped in a quick load of laundry.

On our next jaunt out, we went in search of dinner.  An interesting note about the seaside towns, many shops and restaurants close on Mondays, as their staff work the weekends.  When we arrived the previous day, we'd already passed many places that had closed on Sunday.  Pity we wouldn't get to eat there tonight, either!

We walked back downtown to a restaurant called Palatine.  The fare was pretty good, though service was slow on the quiet evening.

Dinner completed, it was time to walk off those calories!  We meandered the streets just off the boardwalk, with everything closed, save for a convenience store.

Oddly enough, it just started to rain on us a tiny bit as walked.  I noted it rained the same time yesterday as well.  It wasn't hard or long, just a drizzle that stopped almost as soon as it started.

With an exciting day of travel ahead, we turned in for the evening.

Day 5 Glasgow to Morecambe

We awoke to another cool, rainy morning in Scotland.  After breakfast, we had plans to explore the city before our afternoon train ride south to our next destination, Morecambe.

We walked along the Clyde river about a half-time or so, toward the Kelvingrove Museum.

They were featuring a comic book art exhibition today, but we weren't interested in paying the entrance fee.  However, there were plenty of interesting exhibits that were free, so we explored the rest of the museum. We saw lots of good displays on a bit of Scottish history, as well as art.

After taking in the museum, we wandered nearby to the University of Glasgow, then onto downtown.

An interesting discovery, we found a grocery store called Waitrose.  At the entrance, they provide hand scanners for you to scan labels on your items as you go, building your shopping list.  At the end, you've collected the full total of your bill and items and can quickly pay for your food and exit.

After a quick stop for food, we were headed back to the train station for our afternoon train.  We boarded and found our seats, which were situated at a table with another couple.  They were in town for the Stone Roses concert and were heading back to Lancaster, along our route to Morecambe.  Oddly enough, they were Morecambe as well!  Along the ride, we talked about things to do and see, places to eat, and entered into a nice discussion about the history of the area.  It was nice to have some folks to talk to, as it made the miles fly by.

Before long, we were at Lancaster station and said goodbye to our traveling companions.  Switching trains, we were on our last leg of today's journey.  Morecambe is a quiet, seaside town, a busy resort in the summer months.  The couple we spoke to on the train mentioned the economy was fairing well, and just needed more investment to really take off.

We strolled along the windy street, which seemed very reminiscent of a Coney Island boardwalk, right down to the amusement parlors and shops.  Our lodgings were a short walk, and we found our hosts inviting us to our flat for the next few days.

A quick trip to the local convenience store found us loaded with water, snacks and breakfast for the next day.  We turned in and rested up for more adventures tomorrow!