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My wife and I are on holiday and we've just been travelling between Liverpool, London, and Paris by rail. Here are some highlights:
Liverpool: The Bombed Out Church. This church was bombed during World War II and after the war the bishop suggested keeping it unchanged as a reminder of the war and the lives lost during it. It's very effective. Weirdly it's also quite a peaceful place in the middle of a busy city. There's no roof over the main part of the church and there are plants growing in the ground inside, some wild, some selected. It's used as a cultural space, hosting concerts and art installations. When I visited there was a picture book story about a boy and a dragon travelling around China helping people and then eventually coming to Liverpool. The information there said that Liverpool's Chinatown is the oldest in Europe, because of the historic shipping between there and Hong Kong and Shanghai. There was also a work called 20th Century Chapel made by Tony Phillips, which had modern stuff like TV and Coca Cola depicted as religious idols. It was fun.
Liverpool: News from Nowhere, Bold Street. A cool independent book store run by a women workers' cooperative. Lots of stuff on socialism and environmentalism.
Liverpool: The Central Library. If you need a place to sit for awhile this is a great space. There is a charming old reading room (which echoes with the sound of any dropped pen) adjoining a bright, beautifully-designed, modern building.
London: The British Museum. We had a brief visit here but took in a few of the treasures, including the Rosetta Stone. It's an amazing building.
London: Tate Modern. We had a guided tour of the gallery which turned out to be a very small group, so we had plenty of opportunity to ask questions and chat to the guide. She brought us to some of the highlights and shifted around what we saw based on what we were interested in. It was excellent. One piece that I really liked was "Babel" a tower of radios - older at the bottom to newer models at the top - maybe three metres in diameter and eight metres tall. All the radios were on and tuned to different frequencies making a chaotic noise with snippets of recognition now and then.
Paris: Montmartre. This is a great neighbourhood to wander around. We stayed here, so we had time to look around on the first evening and also on the day we left. There's plenty to see and so much character to the place.
Paris: Musée d'Orsay. This is a beautiful old train station which was converted into a gallery. Some highlights were the screening of early cinema (comedy films that are 120-years-old and still funny), impressionist paintings, and one very large aerial painting by Victor Navlet who used mathematical methods to construct aerial views that would've be hard to capture in his era.
Vue générale de Paris, prise de l'Observatoire, en ballon
Paris: Centre Pompidou. This is a great cultural space. There's all sorts of stuff and it is really vibrant and in active use. Also great views from the rooftop and escalators on the side of the building.
London: Cabaret. We were excited to see this musical because when we were in Berlin last year we did an excellent walking tour about Christopher Isherwood and his time there. Cabaret is based on his writing. The staging and atmosphere in the Kit Kat Club were great. The actors, dancers and musicians did amazing work. It's kind of a weird play - a bit of a patchwork of different stories, one or two of them being less compelling than the others.
Isherwood walking tour (Berlin)
London: The War of the Worlds Immersive Experience. This was fun! It's a combination of a haunted house, interactive theatre, and virtual reality experience. Most parts worked really well. It has some good scares. The actors are great. It was the best VR I've experienced. (I didn't get nauseous, which is a change from the last time I tried VR!) The music is from the original musical by Jeff Wayne. To be honest that didn't always work for me - the setting is Victorian. The tech used makes things feel modern. So the music is an anachronistic element that doesn't fit with either. I think the melodies and lyrics are often good, so maybe it could just be arranged differently to have less electric guitar wailing through it. Though maybe some visitors are there for that! Also the staff were super nice. Weird place to work.
Paris: Au Lapin Agile. We went to a traditional French cabaret in a little bar in Montmartre. It felt like a lock-in in an Irish pub. There were singers and people played piano, guitar, and accordion. The audience were singing along with many of the songs, which we managed to do here and there with familiar ones (Je ne regrette rien etc.) It was great entertainment.
Liverpool: Baby E Cafe & Deli. They do a tasty veggie breakfast! You can also get an ice coffee with condensed milk if that is your thing.
London: There is a pub across the road from the British Museum. We dropped in to get a quick snack, and the nachos sounded good. The chips weren't actually corn chips. They were like salted crackers in triangle shapes. This is not a recommendation! Maybe their other food is good.
London: Borough Market. This is a great place to visit. There are loads of foods options. I had a dosa chaat from a place called Horn OK Please (I don't understand the name but the food is great).
Paris: La Maison Rose, Montmartre. This is a brilliant little place. I had a puff pastry starter, with baked cheese on top of onion confit, followed by a kind of lentil shepherd's pie with really creamy potato. Nice wine too. Book ahead!
Liverpool: Pullman. Great location, in the dock area where there are plenty of places to eat and visit, and only a short walk to the centre. Our room had a peaceful view over the Mersey river.
Paris: Terrass Hotel. This is where we stayed in Montmartre. It's a great location and a really nice hotel. The staff were brilliant when we asked for any help.