WEDNESDAY, JULY 24
We’ve learned to plan our travel days very carefully, accounting for the time it takes to get bags down steps, and drag them to and between public transit. And of course, the actual travel time, calculated with the aid of Google. Up at 7am, we thought we had tons of time to get from Crawley to our 12:45 train to Liverpool.
But somehow, we miscalculated. It took longer than planned to walk back and forth to the Sainsburys from breakfast. The Uber didn’t arrive in the few minutes we expected. We missed the first train from Gatwick to Victoria Station. We didn’t realize we would have to take the metro from Victoria Station to Euston Station. And what we simply couldn’t have accounted for was the distance we had to pull our bags at Gatwick to the train, or from Victoria to the metro.
We were literally running with our bags, dodging through crowded corridors, hauling them from one escalator to another (it felt like we were on 50 escalators during the day). With only ten minutes to spare, we arrived at Euston, and miracle of miracles, we managed, with trembling, exhausted and nervous hands, to buy packaged lunches and catch the train.
The train took four hour, and must have made 25-30 stops, a real puddle jumper through the English countryside…Northampton, Birmingham, Hartford, etc. etc. etc.
Liverpool presented more escalators, two metro trains and we emerged in a seedy neighborhood where our Airbnb was located.
…But very nearby were the docks, and tovour surprise, a vital and charming Liverpool. At first it felt Glasgow-like because of the buildings and working class quality, which we really liked. The dock, with a very enticing ferris wheel, is surrounded by a large, pedestrian shopping area with restaurants and a range of inexpensive to upscale stores. There are buskers playing guitars, and public pianos where people perform. It’s a relaxed, but lively vibe. Not over crowded. The harbor itself is beautiful. People strolled along the bricked walkways; the architecture combined the revitalized old docks with contemporary buildings. There’s even a Tate Museum under a brick colonnade. Who’d of thought?
