Kaitlin Kinney: Liverpool

This weekend we had the amazing opportunity to create our own pilgrimages in and around the UK.

As you can imagine we all struggled to pick just one place to travel to considering there are so many beautiful and noteworthy destinations at our fingertips. I found the music lover in me gravitating towards the “World Capital City of Pop,” Liverpool.

We arrived on the early morning train and jotted down to Albert Dock straight away. As we
meandered across the beautiful boat-lined docks, we found ourselves hopping in line for one of the most touristy things I think I have ever done in my life. It was in Liverpool that I became THAT tourist. I found myself climbing aboard a giant yellow, psychedelically painted Magical Mystery Tour bus and I felt absolutely no shame.

We spent the following two and a half hours touring beneath the blue suburban skies of Liverpool seeing where John, Paul, George and Ringo lived and went to school growing up, going to Penny Lane and the strawberry fields gate, seeing Eleanor Rigby's grave and ending at The Cavern Club where The Beatles played 292 times while they were in the beginning stages of being a band. All the while we were listening to Beatles songs and singing at the top of our lungs with about twenty strangers who were all easily 30 years older than us. It was awesome.

Not only is Liverpool the home of The Beatles, but it is also home to a multitude of museums. We were lucky enough to get to 5 of these- including an extension of the Tate Modern, the Museum of Liverpool and the Walker Art Gallery. Being up close and personal with the amazing works of the greats such as Monet, Picasso, Degas and Rembrant is absolutely riveting. Seeing art in person allows
you to see the depth of brush strokes, different pressures applied, how colors are blended, the size of the piece.

Leaving this marvelous cultural center was definitely one of the hardest goodbyes on this trip for me thus far. Liverpool is full of inspiration. It brings to life the world that cultivated and inspired one of the most influential bands in music and the world. You find ancient and modern culture fused together, living as one. People come from across the globe, shoulder to shoulder, experiencing all this beautiful city has to offer. In the words of The Beatles, “There are places I remember all my life, though some have changed.” I truly do believe Liverpool is one of those places.