Ashore in Liverpool

      When we got up early this morning and looked out there we tall buildings and we were in Liverpool. Our side of the ship is along side the dock facing the centre of the city. If it had not been for the cool rainy weather which was with us all day, it would have been a perfect way to end the 7 straight sea days. At least they did not have snow which apparently they had last week. We also realized that the cruise has less than a week to go.

       We had to go through the immigration process this morning and from a ship point of view it was poorly organized. When we arrived at the appointed time we encountered 2 long lines. Those on tour were going one way, we needed to go the other. The line snaked around the deck until we arrived at the Explorers Lounge where we were given a number in the 500's to see immigration. Then they started calling out groups of 100's to get in another long line for immigration. By the time our number was called, the lounge held too many people. We did manage to get out of there in about 30 minutes. The rest was easy.

The Tower

The Church

      After breakfast we headed ashore. We walked to the Metropolitan Catholic church which we missed the last time we were here. We had already toured the very large Anglican cathedral. There was a serve at 11. It took about 35 minutes to get there. We arrived just as some of the ship tours were going through the church. We waited for a short period of time before the service started. It was wonderful with a full children's choir that sang both in

The Interior

English and in Latin. There were parts of the service that used the Gregorian chant. In all just a wonderful experience. The church is relatively modern with seating in the round. There is an old crypt below the church but it is not open on Sundays. We think it is next to the underground parking lot. The church itself is in the middle of the city with no free space around it. After the service all were invited for tea and a biscuit (cookie). Of course we went! The tea was not strong and by now the cookie was appreciated. We did talk to the priest who did the service for a few minutes. In all it was a really good experience. By the time we finished there it was nearly 1.

      We wandered back down the centre pedestrian way which was filled with Sunday shoppers. We ended up at the Albert Dock area, a renovated section along the river where the old warehouses have been given over to museums, shops, the Beatles experience, etc. We had explored this area the last time we were here a few years ago so we skipped all of the Beatles things. We did stop at the |Maritime Museum, a place we had visited before. We only stayed a short period of time going through the Battle of the Atlantic floor. The rain moved in again and by late afternoon, we headed back to he Caribbean Princess. A quick soup and salad and a cup of tea was enough to eat and then a rest was in order until we sailed.

Albert Docks

      

Wandering

The evening went quickly with a variety showtime with Doug Funk, the comedian from Toronto and a singer. Dinner provided us a chance to catch up on the experiences of our dinner friends. There was another chocolate journey dessert! They just keep on coming! There was “70's night in the lounge – read disco. With a early cruise tour tomorrow, ( we need to start the tendering at 7:30) it was time to end the evening early...again! We are in Holyhead tomorrow which is only a few miles down the coast. We are looking forward to our tour of a castle.