Reading Trees, Liverpool

Reading trees allow people to sit and read a book, either their own or one that's been donated. They can take the book and donate another if they choose to.

My Travel Map So Far...

So far I've visited 5 countries since starting this blog (including my native England). Money has been tight, so haven't been able to do as much travelling as I'd have liked to. I visited Belfast recently, so will post about that soon. Only spent a day there so would like to go again as it is a beautiful place. Right now I'm trying to get all my Glasgow posts up as I have neglected the blog a bit recently!

Still a whole lot of white to paint red!

3 Queens Event, Liverpool

From 24th - 26th May 2015, Cunards three biggest cruise ships sailed across the River Mersey in celebration of 175 years since Cunard's first ever cruise liner sailed from Liverpool to Halifax and Boston. Huge crowds gathered to watch the ships arrive, berth and even perform a special 'river dance'. 

RMS Queen Mary 2 sails up the River Mersey

RMS Queen Mary 2, the largest of the three, was the first to enter Liverpool on the 24th. Hundreds gathered in wind and rain to wave the passengers as it berthed. She travelled to Brazil Buoy the next day to welcome her sister ships, RMS Queen Elizabeth and RMS Queen Victoria, before they sailed down the Mersey towards the Liverpool Echo Arena, turning to sail back to the cruise liner terminal. 

'3 Queens' turning to sail back up the River Mersey

An estimated 1.3 million watched from both sides of the river as the boats turned and the Red Arrows flew over. The RMS Queen Mary 2 left the city, whilst the RMS Queen Elizabeth berthed and the RMS Queen Victoria anchored herself in the middle of the Mersey. That night, there were projections onto the 'Three Graces' (Royal Liver Building, Cunard Building and Port of Liverpool Building) followed by fireworks and a goodbye to RMS Queen Elizabeth. RMS Queen Victoria sailed away the following day.

Projections on the Three Graces

For more images, click here.

Edward VII Monument, Liverpool, England.

A monument of the late King Edward VII, son of Queen Victoria, can be found on the pier head of Liverpool, right near the Liver Building. Standing at 4.9 metres high, it shows the King on horseback.

The statue dates back to 1921, 11 years after the King died, and was originally intended to be placed outside of St. George's Hall.

Battle of the Atlantic: 70th Anniversary, Liverpool, England.

This Bank Holiday weekend, thousands set for the Liverpool docks in celebration of 70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic. Huge crowds arrived on Sunday as the Princess Royal arrived to lay a wreath at Liverpool Pier Head’s British Merchant Navy Memorial. Princess Anne payed her respects to British, Dutch, Norwegian, Belgian and Polish merchant navies, as well as others who also participated. The memorial took place at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, which attracted over 2,300 people, including veterans. War planes and helicopters then flew over the city. 

The crowds were also able to see ships, planes and helicopters which fought in the battle, as well as going on board the ships and sitting in the cockpits of the planes. RAF soldiers were also present to talk about the battle and the ships, planes and choppers that played such an important role during the war.

The Battle of the Atlantic, a phrase coined by then British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, was longest continuous military campaign of WWII and the longest and most complex naval battle in history. The UK, as an island nation, depended heavily on imports from overseas, including the US and Canada, in order to keep fighting. Germany, knowing this, decided to blockade imports to Britain, whilst Britain, the US and France tried to block ships providing Germany with arms, food and textiles. Liverpool played a vital role in battle, which is why it was chosen to host the event. 

Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool, England

In 1978, after 74 years of construction, the biggest cathedral in the UK, and 5th biggest in the world, was completed. Standing at 331 ft tall, this Grade I listed building is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the North West of England. It boasts the largest and heaviest ringing peal of bells and the largest pipe organ in the UK. Admission is free, but for a small price you can climb to the top of the cathedral for an amazing view of the city.

Fratton Park, Portsmouth

Fratton Park is the home of Portsmouth FC, an English League One football team. The 20,688 seater stadium had been home to the Pompey since the team was formed in 1898. It hosted a first-round football game for the London 1948 Olympic Games, as well as en England international game in 1903 (vs Wales) and regularly hosts around 15,000 fans for Portsmouth FC matches.

Anfield Stadium, Liverpool.

Originally home to Everton FC, Liverpool FC took over Anfield in 1892. Now, it is one of the most famous football stadiums in the world.
The 45,525 seater stadium, home to the infamous Kop stand, has seen some tragedy throughout it's history, most notably the Hillsborough disaster in which 96 people died.
Watching a football match from the Kop stand is an amazing experience with fans singing and chanting along throughout the match. There are also tours available, including Legends tours, allowing you to visit the press room, changing rooms, the tunnel onto the pitch and more. Visit the museum, see the Shankly statue and pay your respects at the Hillsborough memorial. For football fans, visiting Anfield is a must!

Buckingham Palace, London.

Originally a house made for the Duke of Buckingham, Buckingham house was built in 1705. It was acquired by George III in 1761 as a private residence for his wife Queen Charlotte. The house was enlarged during the 19th century and eventually became the official Royal residence of Queen Victoria in 1837. It has, in recent years, been part of many big events, including Coronations, Jubilees and Royal weddings, in which the Royal family often congregate to to greet the crowds. 

Although the Royal family do much of their work there, it is open to the public with tours running throughout most of the day. For a fee, you can visit some of its 775 rooms, including galleries filled with art and items from previous monarchs, as well as Queen Elizabeth II herself. One can also walk along the infamous palace gardens which host many garden parties throughout the year.

For more on what to see and do, click here.

National Football Museum, Manchester.

Originally located in Preston, Lancashire, the National Football Museum was relocated to Manchester in 2012. Its 6 floors contain numerous exhibitions and thousands of items of football history from all across the globe. It holds classic balls, shirts and trophies from throughout the ages, including items belonging to many of the sports greatest legends. Some of the current exhibitions include the FA collection, UEFA library collection and the football league collection. For any football fan in the area, this is a must see...especially seen as entry is free!

Speke Hall, Liverpool.

Speke Hall is a magnificent example of Tudor architecture, built in the 1500's during a time of religious turmoil. Because of this, the house contains a priest hole, allowing the priest to hide if in trouble, and observation hole, built in the chimney so that you can see people approaching, and an eavesdrop, a small hole under the eaves of the house which allow the servant to listen in on the conversations of people trying to gain entry at the original front door.

The house itself is a magnificent look through history, with many items of Victorian furniture available to view during tours of the house. It is also possible to roam the gardens, full of many beautiful plants and trees, as well as a maze and lots of fun things for kids. You can also explore the wooded areas and explore the nature of the area.

There have been many ghost stories involving Speke Hall. One is that a women, hurt by the unfaithfulness of her husband, killed her baby then herself. Another variant is that Mary Norris, one of the original inhabitants, haunts the tapestry room. Mary is believed to have thrown her baby out of the window into the moat before killing herself after her husband, a keen gambler, had lost almost all of their belongings. However, the moat is too far from the house for the baby to have been thrown into.

Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool.

The Metropolitan Cathedral, also known as 'Paddy's Wigwam', is one of Liverpool's two cathedrals, the other being the Anglican Cathedral of Christ, which is about half a mile away.
 Located in the city centre, this Roman Catholic cathedral was consecrated in 1967. A Roman Catholic cathedral was commissioned to be built after an influx of Irish into Liverpool during the Great Irish Famine
The building was designed by Sir Frederik Gibberd (1908-1984), who's design was picked from around 300 entries from all over the world. It is an amazing piece of architecture, so if you are Catholic, or just fond of unique buildings, the cathedral is easy to get to and tours are available for around £3.

River Thames, London.

The River Thames, the most famous river in the UK, is known by many as the river which runs through London and is home to sites such as London Bridge, Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and the Tower of London. It was also the venue for Queen Elizabeth's River Pageant, which celebrated her Diamond Jubilee. 
You can walk along the river in the Westminster and Southwark areas and see sites such as those already mentioned (Houses of Parliament, etc.), as well as some other amazing buildings and attractions. You can also visit shops, cafes and restaurants along the way. It is also possible to go sailing, rowing, skiffing and kayaking along the river, as well as go on a boat tour or hire a narrowboat. You can also visit the old warship HMS Belfast.
The river also runs through Oxford, Windsor and Eton, which have a lot of history and sites to see if you want to escape the busy streets of London for a bit.

For more ideas, click the links below:

London Eye

City Hall

The Shard

Natural History Museum, London.

The Natural History Museum, London, houses over 70 million items of botany, zoology, minerology, entemology and palaeontology, often described as a 'Cathedral of Nature'. It contains rare specimens, such as those collected by Darwin and several Dinosaur skeletons. It's research is also world-renown, specialising in taxonomy and conservation.

It all started in 1753 when Sir Hans Sloane, a physician and collector of natural curiosities, left his collection to the state. They were held in the British Museum, until, after more additions, they were given their own home in the Waterhouse Building, designed by Liverpool architect Alfred Waterhouse. 

Since then, a Geological Museum, Darwin House (containing tens of millions of preserved specimens) and an Attenborough Studio (a high-tech audio-visual venue which also holds talks and lectures) have been added.

Admission is free, although entrance to some exhibitions may require a fee.

Tower Bridge, London.

Completed in 1894, Tower bridge (named due to it's proximity to the Tower of London) has become one the the most iconic London landmarks to date. The 801 ft suspension bridge crosses over the River Thames allowing both pedestrians and traffic to cross and can be raised to allow ships to pass. For a fee, you can visit the inside of the towers (Tower Bridge Exhibition) and discover more of the history of the bridge.

The Shard, London.

This 309.6m, 95-storey sky scraper, completed this year, is the tallest building in the European Union and 2nd tallest in Europe. It boasts a 5-storey viewing deck from the 68th-72nd floor, office space, a hotel, restaurants and a spa.
Made with 11,000 panes of glass, the building reflects the sky above, the appearance changing with the weather and the seasons.

HMS Belfast, London, England.

HMS Belfast was completed in 1936, being designed for the protection of trade and offensive attack.

She was officially launched on St Patrick's day 1938 by the Prime Minister's wife Anne Chamberlain, before being commissioned into the Royal Navy the following year.  She was the largest and most powerful cruiser in the Royal navy, equipped with the most advanced radar systems.

 She spent much of her time protecting the Arctic convoys, Russia's supply route during the war. She was also involved in the Battle of the North Cape and spent 5 weeks supporting D-Day landings.

 After WWII, HMS Belfast worked with Allied Forces in the Korean War from 1950-1952, supporting American and South Korean forces. She spent the rest of her years on peace-keeping duty until she was retired in 1963.

The Imperial War Museum wanted to preserve the WWII cruiser, forming a trust with Rear-Admiral Sir Morgan Morgan-Giles, one of HMS Belfast's former captains. She was brought to London for the public to see on Trafalgar Day, 21/10/71. Today she can be seen on the Thames, still one of the largest and most powerful light cruisers ever built.

Custom House, London, England.

A view of Custom House on the River Thames, near London Bridge, with the Gherkin in the background.

My travel map, so far... (2012)

As it is approaching the end of the year, I've posted my travel map for this year. So far, I have travelled to 3 countries:
England (Liverpool, London, Windsor, Isle of Wight)
Germany (Munich, Dachau)
Netherlands (Amsterdam)

Hopefully more to come next year!!

Russian Maslenitsa Festival - Clip

Clip from the Russian Maslenitsa Festival earlier this year in Trafalgar Square, London.