John

I've told you before that I was an ardent Beatles fan in my youth and in fact had my musical epiphany the day John Lennon was shot on December 8, 1980. I still remember the atmosphere of this day very vividly, jus as I remember other historically significant days, such as the day that GDR citizens were allowed to leave their country, when the Ceauscescus' execution was broadcast on TV, when Princess Diana died or the planes hit the N.Y. Twin Towers.

Until this November I had never been to Liverpool. It's actually a surprisingly (for me at least) beautiful town, or at least the parts I saw on my daytrip- the UNESCO listed Albert Dock housing the Tate Liverpool among other museums or Liverpool Cathedral, allegedly the largest Protestant cathedral in the world). The city even has a shiny new ferris wheel on which Cleo, her boys and I took a ride/flight. Because people from the rest of England and Mancunions which have a rivalry going on with Liverpudlians believe it's an incredibly rough and dangerous place, we parked in the poshest carpark we could find. I don't know if Cleo's SUV would have been stolen otherwise.

Needless to say, I had to pay the Beatles Story a visit. It's actually two museums, but I only visited the part in Albert Dock. I have to say, I wasn't terribly impressed despite the many authentic exhibits and Beatles-themed on-site Starbucks. Even so, the city to me spelt "Beatles" at every corner (the local airport is called John Lennon Airport, after all) and I really feel like returning to Liverpool for a weekend or so.