Friday 28th September

A nice bright morning so we decided to go on the Echo Wheel.  We had already done the one in York so felt like old hands!  The views from the top were amazing and our ride was over all too quickly.

From the Wheel we caught the open topped tour bus to St. George’s Hall.   The Hall is widely regarded as one of the finest neo-classical buildings in the world and is a Grade I listed building.  The idea for the Hall came about in the early 1800s from Liverpool people who were concerned about the lack of a place for the triennial music festivals, and shares were sold to raise funds. A venue was also being sought for the Civil and Crown Courts and it was decided that one building would serve both needs.  The foundation stone of the Hall was laid in 1838 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Victoria, but the actual building of the hall did not start until 1842. It opened for public use in 1854, a truly multipurpose community building where people could be tried for murder, attend a ball or listen to a concert - all under one roof.  St George's Hall fell into disrepair in the 1980s but was reopened in April 2007 following a £23m award-winning refurbishment project, and is now a focal point for cultural, community, civic, corporate and performing arts activities.  It is also free entry J

Back on the bus we travelled to the Roman Catholic Cathedral.  The Grade II Metropolitan Cathedral is one of Liverpool's many listed buildings. It is sometimes known locally as "Paddy's Wigwam" or the "Mersey Funnel".  The cathedral's architect was Englishman Frederick Gibberd, the winner of a worldwide design competition. Construction began in 1962, and took five years. Earlier designs for a Catholic cathedral in Liverpool had been proposed in 1853, 1933, and 1953, but none were completed.  The 1933 design was by   Sir Edwin Lutyens who was most famous for his palatial country houses.  His design was intended to create a massive structure that would have become the second-largest church in the world.  It would have had the world's largest dome – bigger than St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.  Building work based on Lutyens' design began on Whit Monday, 5 June 1933 but in 1941, the restrictions of World War II wartime and a rising cost from £3 million to £27 million forced construction to stop.  In 1956 work recommenced on the crypt, which was finished in 1958. Thereafter, Lutyens' design for the Cathedral was considered too costly and was abandoned with only the crypt complete. 

It was then back to the hotel for a siesta for most people but Victoria and I did another shopping foray and were, again, unsuccessful.

In the evening we went to Christakis Greek Taverna. My Mother has always enjoyed going to Greece for holidays but as she has got older she has found it harder to travel so I thought that we would bring Greece to her!  We had an excellent meal and then sat back for the cabaret.  Sat back?  Not my Mother!  The waiters did traditional dancing and then invited up the 2 birthday girls who were present – one was 50 but the other was 90!  Her stepwork for Zorba the Greek was excellent but when she was lifted up and swung round I had tears running down my cheeks I was laughing so much.  It was a wonderful evening and I know it’s something I will never forget J