Soap Dodgers and Scousers

While we were in London, we met a lovely girl who was also Couchsurfing with our host in the houseboat community on the River Thames. Her name is Liz and she lives in Liverpool. The three of us hit it off right away, and she invited Sean and I to come and stay with her. We graciously accepted. So while we were staying in Sheffield, with "cousin" Vicky, we decided to take a little trip west and explore a couple of England's other towns. We hopped on a train one morning to Manchester and spent the day exploring a bit of the city. We were lucky enough to stumble into a place that turned out to be one of our favorite stops so far: John Rylands Library. 

The library is a beautiful victorian gothic building that stands in the center of the city. Inside it looks and feels as incredible as a church. No, better; a church full of BOOKS. And not only books, but huge, old, beautiful books, as well as what is believed to be the earliest piece of The New Testiment that is still in existence. Very cool.










We wandered around for quite some time, taking it all in and checking out the exhibitions they had on display, before stopping for a bit to read our own books in a quiet little corner with a table and some beautifully decorated chairs.

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Manchester on foot, busked for a while in front of the city hall and then had dinner at a local pub and enjoyed watching the 'football' match amongst a crowd of hollering Manchester United fans--an authentic locals' experience in any European city.

We left Manchester the next morning and took the train a bit further west and into the city of Liverpool. Having not gotten ahold of our new friend Liz yet, we decided to find a nice crowded spot in the shopping district and try our hand at busking again. After eventually hearing from Liz, and having enjoyed some contact with the local community (and a few especially interesting characters) we headed toward her house on the local train. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon and evening in her home with her and her housemates, Greg and Frankie. They were all absolutely wonderful, and we quickly felt comfortable and in the company of good friends. The next day we went back into the city center and spent the afternoon exploring -and thoroughly enjoying- two of Liverpool's many museums. Then we made our way down to the famous Albert Docks and walked along the Mersey River. There, we ran across a bit of 'hidden treasure'. Dangling from the chain link fence which lined the dock for several blocks were countless written on and/or engraved 'love locks'- padlocks which had been locked and left either by pairs of lovers or in memoriam for someone. It was a quirky and, in my opinion, wonderful piece of city culture to come across. And of course, a lovely photo opportunity...

We enjoyed another fantastic evening back at the house with our new friends, sharing a lovely meal and hours of great conversation. Then we left in the morning, feeling so thankful for our time there, and hoping only that we would see them again someday. My least favorite part of our trip so far: having to say goodbye to the incredible people we've met along the way. And we're only just getting started... :-/

~Jenna