Chew Steel has a work thing in Liverpool, so I tagged along for a little June getaway. For this post, let’s listen to “Mr. Postman” by the Beatles.
We flew from Calgary to Heathrow and then took a series of trains to Liverpool. After we checked into our hotel, we headed out for some fish and chips. My first choice, Yanni’s, was closed for the day, so we supped at Johnny English Fish and Chips. You order at the front counter and then find yourself a seat.
We shared an order of large fish and chips (£11.50) and a pint of beer to accompany it (£6). The fish was fried to order, so we waited about 10 minutes. As long as a Subway sub and double in width, the batter on the fish was brittle and golden brown, so thick it almost overpowered the delicate notes of the fish. The fish was so hot I poked pieces apart and waited for it to cool. I noticed the piece I cut was much thinner than Chew Steel’s portion, which was at least twice as thick. I started forking into his portion to reach the denser white flesh.
The chips were extra crispy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside. At nearly four times the size of Canadian fries, they had a deeper, more authentic potato flavour. I prefer these fatter, stockier UK-style chips over our thinner Canadian ones.
We capped the night with beer at Albert’s Schenke with Chew Steel’s colleague, BK, and his sister, Daisy. The staff were extra welcoming. I found the vast majority of people I interacted with in Liverpool were exceptionally friendly.
While Chew Steel worked the next morning, I took a Liverpool Heritage, History & Culture Guided Walking Tour ($44). I was the only one on the tour, so my guide, Paul, a recently retired math professor, gave me a private tour.
I’ve had tours by drama majors, and it’s always fun. However, with a math professor, it was a different beast. There’s no whimsy or frivolity. Paul was all about historical accuracy and would test me on the meaning and value of numbers so I could visualize the enormity of the industry throughout Liverpool’s maritime history. I learned how the docks played a significant role in the city’s development and economy, as did Liverpool’s investment in the slave trade with the Confederate States of America.
It was a hot morning, so we stopped in the shade and visited historical places, such as the Cunard Building, the Port of Liverpool Building, and the Liver Building. The architecture was deliberately designed to impress all who entered, from sailors seeking letters to those engaged in all acts of commerce.
I asked Paul how it felt to transition from lecturing on mathematics to history, and he said it was nice to move from teaching something no one wanted to take to something people genuinely have an interest in. Some of the last stops were more solemn and sad. He talked about the city’s ties to slavery, from the capture of the very last Confederate vessel in Liverpool to a more recent event in which Confederate sympathizers came to Liverpool to celebrate their heritage and put up a plaque honouring Confederate soldiers.
We walked over to St Nicholas’ Church Gardens. Paul stopped by a bench and pointed to a bronze sculpture of what appeared to be a man wrapped in a blanket lying on a bench. He pointed to the wounds on the man’s feet from being nailed to a crucifix. Paul explained how the Canadian Christian artist sculpted a homeless man to represent Jesus and the public’s, churches, and the pope’s reaction to the sculpture.
Paul switched over to the Beatles and gestured to the sculpture of all four musicians. He referenced a picture of two people taking a photo with the statues and Paul McCarthy photobombing them in their picture. After two and a half hours of walking and learning, I headed to Yanni’s for fish and chips.
This chippery gets a lot of love from the local newspaper, the Echo. I ordered a large piece of fish (£7.50) and waited about ten minutes. I ordered fish only, but I was still bestowed some complimentary chips!
The batter was lighter and thinner than Johnny’s Fish and Chips, and the fish was sweeter. The chips were softer and had a fresh potato taste. Overall, I preferred the texture and flavour of the fish at Yanni’s to those at Johnny’s.
I booked a second tour for the afternoon. Next up was the Mystery Beatles Bus Tour ($44), which turned out to be a mixed experience. Things got off to an awkward start when the tour guide and bus driver had to step in and scold a few guests who were jostling to get on board, “We’ll all get on—please be civil.”
The guide himself looked a bit weary at first, but once the tour began, he perked up and did a great job narrating the stories behind the songs and landmarks we passed—Strawberry Field, Penny Lane, and the former homes of the band members.
What let the tour down was the sound system. For a tour centred on the Beatles’ history and music, I expected higher audio quality. Instead, the music came through like it was playing from the CD/tape combo system my dad bought me in the 90s. I sat in the very front, and even then, the sound was muffled and flat. The bus was stifling, and the landmark stops were more like peeking through a keyhole and then jumping back on the bus. In hindsight, I should have booked a walking tour. I would have seen less but learned more.
The tour ended with a free pass to the Cavern Pub. Based on what I’d read, I expected something like a UK version of a Nashville watering hole, buzzing with live music and atmosphere. I stayed for two performers. I made the mistake of requesting “Paperback Writer,” which I learned is not the sort of song you ask from a performer without a band. I ended the evening with a meal at McDonald’s because, at least there, I knew what kind of disappointment to expect.
Hitting the Sauce 