I told you I’d try to squeeze in yet another visit to the Merseyside Maritime Museum at Prince Albert Dock and, after a leisurely cup of coffee, I was at the gates by the time the museum opened. Yes, I was first in. I only had two hours before I had to leave for the train station. I didn’t want any regrets and dang if I didn’t.
The stories of how the sinking of the Titanic, Lucitania, and Empress paralleled the decline in Liverpool’s shipping industry were fascinating. The coverage of Liverpool as the head of North Atlantic operations during World War II was eye-opening. Learning more about the slave trade, the port development, and British customs over the decades were all well presented and interesting. This really was an excellent museum and I really did need to hurry to catch my train!
My train went directly to Leeds and Twila, my sister, fulfilled her well-choreographed pick-up scenario with the utmost in precision. We headed back to her home where we caught up with Tracy who is working to finish his PhD. He didn’t need me distracting him but he was more than generous to break away for much of my visit. What followed was two days of great conversation and interesting visits.
Among the few highlights I’ll long remember is visiting the Rocket, the first commercial steam engine, at the British Railway Museum. We also visited a stately home which impressed but whose name has faded into the mist of place names in my mind. Also in York we visits a hidden, second story coffee shop where, I kid you not, I had the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had from an award-winning coffee brew master. Fun times!
On Sunday morning Dallas, my cousin, arrived. He and I were planning to walk across England together along Hadrian’s Wall. Meeting-up at Twila and Tracy’s made a lot of sense. It was a reunion of sorts because Twila hadn’t seen Dallas in decades. Tracy had never even met the man but it turns out they had much in common. We enjoyed each others’ company until, you guessed it, we had to run and catch our train which we did.
We were off to Carlisle to begin our 84-mile walk.
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