Graffiti Pt8 - Bremen

George Alexander Louis

Wrong colour - it´s a boy.

Boy - Crying

Emptying The Dog, Pt15

Whilst walking through the landscapes of summer, watching the swifts hunting on the sky, and the far away deer, I had to say farewell to nature for a while.
I´m heading back to London and am going to catch a flight to Germany in the next days. Dusty streets and sleeping inside rooms - not what I prefer.
But I´ll be back. Soon :)

Old Trees

The cutting down of old trees saddens me. Old trees here are often left to grow. Many trees are very old and big. Nearly nobody bothers about falling branches.
Frau W. dies ist für dich!

Alexandra - Mein Freund der Baum

Emptying The Dog, Pt14

I have been on the beach for some days here in the south. Today it felt as if it was time to go with the dog into the landscape and watch how far the summer has come. I stole a lot of peas for a nice salad :)

The Monkees

Gonna Buy Me A Dog
The Randy Scouse Git
Daily Nightly
Don't Call On Me
Porpoise Song

Groynes and Water

By the Sea

Larus Ridibundus

This one is for you, Floker :)













Larus Argentatus 1
Larus Argentatus 2
Larus Argentatus 3
Larus Canus
Larus Fuscus
Larus Hyperboreus
Larus Marinus
Larus Ridibundus

Goodbye!

I am leaving Nottingham tomorrow. I´ll take the train to the south of England - need a bath in the sea, England is having a heatwave :)

Mary Hopkin - Goodbye

Bridges

There are so many ways to draw a bridge, aren´t there? ;)

Simon And Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water

From Wheaton Aston to Wolverhampton

After some cups of tea and breakfast I finally left Alex and went further on, it was another very hot day, so I was quite happy to reach Wolverhampton in the afternoon from where I took the train back to Nottingham for some days of rest in the shade.

The Art Of Fly Dressing

From The Anchor Inn to Wheaton Aston

The evening before I had been invited to have a shower on the boat of Sue and Stewart, and Tessa had invited me to dinner. All this kindness went on during the day. In the morning I was invited from Pam and Trevor for an old fashioned English Breakfast with Staffordshire Oat Cakes :)
Well fed and with a warm heart I went on in direction Wolverhampton.
Oh, and yes, the sun was shining :)

The Anchor Inn

Right beside of Bridge 42 is one of the most unspoilt pubs at the canal system. The house which has a front door that faces the canal instead of the street was built in 1830, and has been in the same family since 1903. Read about it´s history here.

From Tyrley Locks to Anchor Inn Camp Site

It is getting boring, I know, but this day turned out to be hot and sunny too :)
I managed to get my tent down quite early, and used the possibility to sit at a bench at the locks for breakfast and watch the ships going by :)

From Bridge 87 to Tyrley Locks

Another hot and sunny day awaited me so I decided to rest in a cafe during the hottest hours of the day, and go on cycling in the evening.

From Chester to Hall's Bridge Narrows No 87

I had spent two days in Chester and two nights on the small, pretty and cheap camp site Birch Bank Farm, so it was time to go on travelling on the Shropshire Union Canal.
Early on Thursday the 11th I was prepared for leaving, the sun was shining, but the air was still cool and fresh.

Chester - Industry

Boughton Watertower

As canals were built in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, they attracted industrialists wishing to take advantage of the cheap and relatively fast transport the canals provided. In Chester, several industries grew up along the banks of the Canal.

Chester - The Wall

G. Braun´s map of Chester 1571

The construction of the walls was started by the Romans between 70 and 80 AD. From about 100 AD the wooden palisades were replaced by red sandstone. The defences were improved after 907, and after the Norman conquest, the walls were extended to the west and the south to form a complete circuit of the medieval city. The circuit was probably complete by the middle of the 12th century.

Chester - Roman Bath and Amphitheatre

The baths were a part of the Chester fortress. They occupied a block about 85 metres square.

Chester - The Cathedral

There has been a church on the site of the cathedral since the 7th century. Since about AD 900 it has housed the shrine of St. Werburgh, a 7th century Mercian princess who became a nun and rose to be in charge of all the nunneries in Mercia.
In 1092 Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester founded the Benedictine Abbey of St. Werburgh on this site.
In 1540 Henry VIII seized control during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and the Abbey Church became Chester Cathedral a year later.

Chester - Black and White

It is said that the most interesting medieval feature of the city is The Rows. These are double-level walkways with a continouos line of balconies and with shops at street and first-floor levels. The Rows were certainly in existence in the 14th century. I was fascinated by the black and white structure of the buildings :)

Chester

A lot of people had told me not to miss Chester, so I decided to check out this old city for two days.
Chester was occupied by the Romans, the 20th legion had a fortress here. It was charged with suppressing the uprising of the army led by the warrior queen, Boadicea. In AD 70 the town was known as Deva, it soon became a major trading port. It had a massive harbour and a good border position, so it was one of the best strategic outposts of the Roman Empire.
Circa AD 400 the Romans withdrew, they left a wall around the city, a Amphitheatre and a bathhouse. Soon after their withdrawal the prosperous city fell to marauding Danes and Saxons and was derelict by 900.
Circa 1070 the Normans reached Chester and a revival began, Chester Castle was built, the first Earl of Chester, a nephew of William the Conqueror lived there. In the Middle Ages Chester become a centre of shipping trade, a port serving Scotland, Ireland, France and Spain.
Henry VIII granted a charter in 1541 and made Chester a bishopric.
The River Dee silt up and changed course in the 15th and 17th century and the seaborne trade died.

From Liverpool to Ellesmere Port

The Ferry speakers shouted "Ferry ´cross the Mersey" as i went over to Birkenhead. A guard on the ferry pier explained the way to the Manchester Ship Canal. After 7 miles I had to realise that this canal haven´t got any towpath, so I drove along the industrial areas until I reached the beginning of the Shropshire Union Canal. In the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port, where the Shropshire Union Canal starts, I finally bought my own British Waterways Key - I am now able to get water and use the showers which are located along all canals :) Unfortunately I was too late for the museum.
The day was hot and I was so happy to reach the fresh country side again.

Leaving Liverpool

I left Liverpool. It is sad, I like the town and these naughty, nosy and funny people.
But there will be other adventures.
My next journey will bring me along the Shropshire Union Canal in the direction of Birmingham, so wait and see, my friends :)

Liverpool - Liver Birds

What kind of bird? Nobody knows, but it is the symbol of the city Liverpool :)

Liver Birds

Liverpool - Verdicts and Prisoners

Liverpool - St. George´s Hall

In the Victorian period Liverpool grew quickly. New buildings helped to show the world how wealthy the city, an important world port, had become.

Liverpool - The Philharmonic

Already in Kidsgrove Tim told me that I had to visit The Philharmonic, the most famous pub in Liverpool.
Come for a beer with me :)

Liverpool - Merseyside Music

At the beginning of the 60s a new sound was played in dozens of cellars in Liverpool. It is not sure who brought the first American Rock´n Roll and Rhytm & Blues to the city. Some says it was the seamen which brought the first records, others says it was the American soldiers who served at the American Air Force Base in Burtonwood. Whichever it was, within months the music boomed and influenced the youth around the world.
In Liverpool new music clubs opened everywhere. The best know clubs were the Cavern, the Iron Door, the Blue Angel, the Casbah, the Peppermint Lounge, the Sink, the Downbeat, the Grafton Ballroom, and Hope Hall. Outside the city centre were ballrooms, church rooms and public halls to play in. Every day new groups were formed and at the climax of Merseybeat there must have been around 400 groups in and around Liverpool.
Those groups were quite successful and climbed the charts, so as a result, promoters from all over the world became interested in booking groups from Liverpool. At that time "from Liverpool" was a mark of quality. So the problem arose that Liverpool promoters suddenly did not have enough of the established local groups for their events anymore. This was the big chance for new and lesser known Liverpool groups to step into the spotlight.
From this point The Beatles only was one group of hundred others. But what made one difference was, that they were the first to write their lyrics themselves, the others played songs written by already famous american musicians, like Buddy Holly or Elvis.

The list below contains some of those I first heard and liked - just roundabout 4 years ago, thank you for that Bluebottle :)
Feel welcomed to listen and to enjoy!

Cryin Shames - Please Stay
The Merseys - Sorrow
Gerry And The Pacemakers - Ferry Cross The Mersey
The Cherry Boys - Kardomah Cafe
Liverpool Express - You Are My Love
The 23rd Turnoff - Michael Angelo
Wimple Winch - Rumble On Mersey Square South

Liverpool - St Luke´s Church

St Luke´s Church was designed by John Foster in 1802 and later redesigned and completed by his son John Foster Junior in 1831. The Church, perpendicular in a gothic style is well known for its decorated pinnacles and traceried windows. In 1941 the church suffered considerable war damage by incendiary bombs. The church and its gardens were then purchased by the City Council as a place of rest and tranquility after the war.

(click on pic to enlarge)

English Religious Embroidery

No, I do not believe in the christian god. But I do like the embroidery :)

Liverpool - Anglican Cathedral

The Cathedral was built on St James´ Mount between 1901 and 1978 and is made of red sandstone. The architect Giles Gilbert Scott was only 22 years old. The original design of the Cathedral had two towers rather than the single central tower which was finally built, it is the second largest Anglican Cathedral in Europe. The tower is 100 m high and it holds the highest and heaviest peal of bells in the country. During the Blitz of 1941 George IV and Queen Elisabeth visited the Cathedral, encouraging the people of Liverpool to keep building.

Liverpool - The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King

From outside this catholic cathedral looks like an industrial complex. The building, designed by Frederick Gibberd, is made of concrete, and has an unusual circular design. It is topped with spikes that represent the crowne of thorn worn by Jesus. Anyhow, the inside of the building is quite impressive.
The best of it though was the cafe of the cathedral Piazza - since week I had not had such a delicious salad :)

Being Part Of The-Beatles-Mania, Pt7

Yes, I did it!
I booked a Beatles Fab4-tour by cab and saw the homes of John, George, Ringo, Paul, Penny Lane, the Strawberry Fields, the church yard were John played with the Quarrymen and the hall where Paul and John first met :)
At 2pm Gareth picked me up in front of the Adelphi Hotel and took me for 2,5 hours around the city to the different places. It was a great tour, Gareth had a lot to tell, had a book full of pictures and played the right songs to the places we went. Thanks a lot, cave-man :)

Liverpool - Rainy Days

It rained in Liverpool for two days.
On the first day of rain I went to The Museum of Liverpool which is to recommend. I stayed for 6 hours but didn´t see the half of what they collected. In the evening I went to the Cavern Club where I sang along with all the other tourists :)
On the second day I stayed in bed, either I had been eating something bad or it is the english water, I had the runs again.
I have to thank my landlady, she checked how I felt, went to the pharmacy and bought me some bananas as I started to feel better.
Anyhow, here is a small collection of what I saw in the museum, pics from the Cavern Club and some wet streets from my way back in the evening.

Liverpool - Shopwindows

Liverpool - China Town and Arch

Liverpool has one of the oldest established Chinese communities in Europe.The trade links between China and Britain, via the ports of Shanghai and Liverpool were instrumental in the establishment of a Chinese community within the city. The main trading goods were silk and cotton wool. The first vessel arrived in Liverpool direct from China in 1834. With the revision of the East India Company´s charter, the China trade was the first time thrown open to private enterprise.
The first wave of Chines immigrants arrived in 1866 with the establishment of the Blue Funnel Shipping Line, a branch of the Holt Ocean Steamship Company, which ran a line of steamers directly from Liverpool to China.
Chinese sailors who decided to stay in Liverpool and work from here settled in an area of the city that was close to the docks in Cleveland Square. Boarding houses were first opened by the Holt Shipping Company to accomodate their workers. It was here and in the surrounding streets that the first Chinese settlers started their own business supplying services to their countrymen.
When World War One started there were up to 6000 Chinese seamen in the British Merchant Navy and around 1500 of them were based in Liverpool. After the war, the settlement spread slowly inland into the side streets.
The demolition of the area, known as Chinatown, began as part of the 1930s council scheme to replace the old insanitary courts and warehouses with modern buildings. This plan was met with resistance from members of the community.
It was at this time due to the general economic depression and immigration restriction that the Chinese community in Liverpool saw a reduction of its population size.
The bombing of Liverpool in the 1940s destroyed much of the old Chinatown. Members of the community were moved into new tenements.
Today members of the Chinese community no longer restricts their business interests to Chinatown and shops and clubs are spread throughout the Merseyside area.

Graffiti Pt7 - Liverpool

Liverpool - More Great Buildings

I have been walking around in town for several days by now, there are a lot of big beautiful buildings even if Liverpool was hardly hit by the May Blitz in 1941.
Here comes a big collection :)

Liverpool - The Albert Dock

The Albert Dock and its warehouses were designed by Jesse Hartley and built between 1843-1847. The Albert Dock is one of the earliest enclosed docks in the world. The Dock was opened by HRH Prince Albert on 30 July 1846, and soon became busy dealing with imported goods such as tea and cotton. By the late 19th century business declined because the dock could not accomodate large cargo ships. The Albert Dock fell into disrepair after the Second World War, and was threatend with demolition during the 1960s and 70s.
The Merseyside Development Corporation began the regeneration of the dock in the 1980s.
Today the Albert Dock is the largest collection of Grade I listed buildings in England.

Liverpool - River Side

I arrived Liverpool by train in the early afternoon. I had decided to go for Bed & Breakfast and checked in at Pat´s Guest House in Kirkdale. After having brought luggage and cycle inside I took the bus down to city and went for a walk along the River Mersey.

From Wheelock to Acton Bridge

After a good nights sleep and breakfast I went on. The day turned out to be the last day on the Trent & Mersey Canal. I came along a Middlewich and Northwich with their industrial areas - yes, this is a big part of the canal too.
Unfortunately I was too late for the Anderton Boat Lift, one of only two working boat lifts in the United Kingdom.
There were two small further tunnels, I had hard fights with too small gates, before I found a beautiful place for my tent nearby the Bradley Meadow Bridge. Here I met Tim who checked out the trains to Liverpool for me, thanks for that :)

From Stoke-On-Trent to Wheelock

The Trent & Mersey Canal took me to the Harecastle Tunnel and  Kidsgrove to a bridge near Wheelock where I pitched up my tent for the night.

The Potteries

The Potteries is the name for the area between Stoke-On-Trent, Newcastle-Under-Lyme and Kidsgrove. Everywhere along the canal are big chimneys where the potterie was burnt.
I went by the Burleigh Pottery, one of the last potteries still producing.