Året rundt med RandiAa: Liverpool - Revisited: Easter 2013 - 24-28 March

fredag 29. mars 2013

Liverpool - Revisited: Easter 2013 - 24-28 March - Part One

Russell, June and Magnus at Speke Hall - Photo:RandiAa©

SPEKE HALL

Sunday 24th March
Travelling with grandson Magnus is an experience in itself, and when I broke my arm when about to go to Cuba in January and had to cancel that journey, this was a nice little compensation - a return visit to the beautiful Liverpool at Easter time - visiting distant relatives.
We arrived early Sunday in Manchester, no flight directly to Liverpool this time - but June and Russell were waiting there for us, taking us by car through Manchester a lovely ride to Liverpool - astonished to see snow on the fields, but March had not been that cold in 50 years. We were warned, so we had brought winterly clothes.
Before arriving in Liverpool, we stopped at Speke Hall, The Tudor House with a personality.

Magnus at Speke Hall - Photo:RandiAa©

Speke Hall is a beautiful Tudor Estate surrounded by wonderful gardens. The main building dates back to 1540. The estate has been privately owned by some few famous families, but today the estate is now run by the National Trust - the charity trust that works to preserve and protect historic places and spaces - for ever, for everyone.
In all real British mansions there is a ghost, så also at Speke Hall.The main Ghost is The White Lady, having killed her baby and herself - in desperation when discovering her husband had ruined the family by gambling.
It was tea-time and we had sone refreshment in the barn there:

Russell and Magnus got along very well - Photo:RandiAa©

We looked at the maze they were making there, think we need to come back when the hedge has grown high:

The Maze at Speke Hall - Photo:RandiAa©

Magnus took farewell with the gentle ghost of Speke Hall before we headed for Liverpool:

Nice Ghost at Speke Hall - Photo:RandiAa©

We checked in at our Ibis Hotel, near Albert Dock, and later in the evening we went to Liverpool Chinatown for dinner at the New Capital Chinese Restaurant in Nelson Street.
Liverpool Chinatown is the first Chinatown in Europe. Here we find good Chinese restaurants, Chinese takeaways, several Chinese groceries and supermarkets. The Chinese population is about 10,000. Chinese immigrants started to come in the late 1860’s - the main reason was employment among seamen. There is a strong trade link between the cities of Shanghai, Hong Kong and Liverpool.

The entrance of Liverpool’s Chinatown is a beautiful Chinese arch. It is to commemorate the twinning of Shanghai and Liverpool. The pieces for the arch was brought from Shanghai. There are 200 dragons on the wooden and marble structure with a mixture of gold, red, green and yellow. The archway is 15m high - the largest Chinese Arch outside China.