Month: February 2018

Making Plans

Back in the mid 80’s The A Team was a popular TV series. The show featured four, ex military, “good guys” wrongly accused of a crime and pursued by the military police. While evading capture they became mercenaries, helping the disadvantaged, oppressed and preyed upon get justice. One of the characters was Hannibal Smith (played by George Peppard) whose catch phrase “I love it when a plan comes together” featured in virtually all episodes.

I always think of it when travel plans begin to take shape and the day of departure draws closer. Our up and coming trip to New Zealand and Australia has been in the planning (on and off) for almost eleven months. I’ve read the guide books, travel blogs, searched the web and made copious lists and notes. The planning is almost as good as the travel itself. Almost, but not quite!

Planning is so much easier today with with so much information available at just the touch of a button and some very knowledgeable independent travel agents. I wonder just for how long the traditional travel guide will survive in its current form. It would certainly help the packing if I moved to electronic versions instead but old habits die hard.

Of all the activities associated with travelling I think packing is my least favourite. I even enjoy the airport experience much more. The trouble with packing is that there are too many decisions to make. As a result I always end up taking stuff that I never use. Perhaps the lesson is to take less but then I’d worry that the stuff I left behind was the stuff that I actually needed. As for using packing Apps – they’re horrendous for me. The lists are enormous, the possibilities endless. So much choice equals too much stress.

Then there are the passports. No packed item gets checked as many times as the passports. They have a remarkable capacity to hide in the deepest recesses of my carry on bag only to suddenly reappear as the stress level reaches glass of wine level.

Even so its all worth it in the end. The plans are made, bags are packed, currency bought, electronic devices charged and the taxi booked. Now, where did I put the passports?

 

A Stroll Down Mathew Street Liverpool

Along with Penny Lane, Mathew Street is one of the most well known of  Liverpool streets. Mathew Street is really a narrow, now pedestrianised, lane that runs between North John Street and Stanley Street. Its history lies in the fruit and vegetable trade though much evidence of that has long since gone.

Mathew Street is now principally known for The Cavern Club (number 10 Mathew Street) and The Beatles and much of what goes on in the street today reflects this. The club itself first opened its doors as a jazz club  in 1957 but will always be remembered for the nearly 300 appearances The Beatles made in the early sixties. Tourists from all over the world travel to Liverpool to experience Mathew Street and The Cavern.

The original club closed in 1973 following the sale of the building and its proposed demolition to make way for a ventilation shaft for the new Merseyrail underground railway. The shaft was never built and the site became a car park for a short while. One can only wonder what was in the mind of the city council when agreeing to the demolition of such a city treasure.

The Cavern was rebuilt in 1984. Plans to redevelop the original site were shelved when it was discovered that the demolition of the building had caused damage to the underground cellars in which h The Cavern were housed. As a result fifteen hundred bricks from the original Cavern were used to recreate the new Cavern. It is today one of Liverpools top tourist attractions.

Opposite The Cavern is the statue of John Lennon and The Cavern Wall of Fame.

For a statue of the Fab Four themselves you will have to visit the nearby Pier Head. The wall of fame represents all the bands and artists that have played at The Cavern Club.

The statue of Cilla Black is a relatively recent addition to the street being unveiled in January 2017. It stands outside what would have been the original entrance to The Cavern. There is also a photograph to commemorate this fact on the wall behind.

On the opposite side of the street (number 9) is the site of Eric’s club. Opened in the autumn of 1976 it ran for only four short years but its influence is immeasurable. In its short life it was a stage to some of the most important bands of the punk era. In its own way its was to the punk generation of the 70s what the Cavern was to the Beat Generation of the 60s.

Eric’s Live can now be found in the same location as the original club.

At number 18 Mathew Street stands the bar Flanagans Apple. In the early 1980s it was the home of The Armadillo Tea Rooms. Along with Erics and the nearby Probe Records, which was then located on Button Street, it was an integral part of the alternative Liverpool scene. Much missed, it was the place for good food with a great atmosphere and a rocking horse in the corner. It is the one part of the Liverpool scene it the time that has sadly not been recreated. On the wall of number 18 is the statue of the renowned psychologist C.G. Jung.

Much debated as to whether he ever visited the city at all, it remains an integral part of the street. The statue there now is a replacement of the original which was vandalised.

Every street needs a pub and Mathew Street is no exception. At number 25 is The Grapes. Probably frequented by many of the local musicians that have played at the local venues.

So much of the musical history of Liverpool and the UK is to be be found in this short unassuming street. Get there early and avoid the crowds or conversely get there late and join in the well renown night life.